Risk Management in the Burj Khalifa Construction - Assignment Example

? This paper discusses risk management with respect to construction and project management. For this purpose Burj Khalifa is chosen on the basis of which risk management, risk information, data collection, risk identification, risk analysis, output analysis and discussion, recommendation for its improvement and future plans and steps will be talked about in detail. INTRODUCTION To understand the different aspects of risk management it is very important to first understand what exactly this whole practice is all about. Risk is basically the effect of ambiguity on the goals and objectives; it can be both positive and negative. In management of risk, the recognition, evaluation and prioritization of risks is done which is then followed by synchronized and estimated application of revenue and resources to reduce, supervise and control the probable happening of an unfortunate incident so as to maximize the usage and benefits of opportunities. There are different principles of risk management; the following are as proposed by the International Organization for Standardization. They are: To create value To be an essential part of the processes within the organization To play a role in the decision making process Openly discuss the risks Maintain a structured approach which is systematic Be tailor made The human factors be given importance and acknowledgement The policies should be fool proof BURJ KHALIFA Burj Khalifa which was initially known as Burj Dubai is located in Dubai and its construction was carried out by Emaar Properties. Its construction lasted for six continuous years starting from 2004 to 2009 and it is used for a lot of purposes be it residential, entertainment or business facilities; Burj Khalifa offers all. Its construction was done with the aim of making it into such a building which is diversified and convenient in its use; its interior boasts a dining area, a fitness club that stretches up to four stories, 37 floors that are dedicated for office use, 160 rooms that serves as the residing area for guests, 144 private residential suites, a park of 11 hectare, 6 features of water, swimming pools, a are garage that has the capacity to accommodate 3000 cars, an observation deck and approach to the scrupulously planned Dubai downtown which grants more packages and facilities to the investors of Burj Khalifa. (Frederic, 2010) RISK MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS OF BURJ KHALIFA Risk is a term that applies to an uncertain happening that may occur and impose a positive or negative effect on a certain task. Risk has a 100% chance of occurring or otherwise hence risk management aims at contemplating the possible causes that may contribute to a risk; thus strategies are developed to cope with it and prevent. Risk taking is a bold step and is often considered by some organizations during a project since it might in cases produce positive results. Certain risk management strategies are meticulously applied in the construction of Burj Khalifa. A few of them will be discussed here in detail. The frontage of the 01 tower in Burj Khalifa is constructed in a unique manner; the entire facade is perforated with openings which are 1,000 in number. If looked from a distance, these perforations look like O’s however a close glance at them reveals them to be as diamond or oval shaped. This design was an innovative attempt to design Burj Khalifa and was presented by Reiser-Umemoto and RUR Architecture. A competition held by the Dubai Properties gave birth to this exclusive concept in which Shahab Lufti had encouraged the group to come up with a design for the new building that would become the tallest skyscraper in the world. It is a very simple structure in which a diagrid is made of concrete and has openings that change through 4 different scales that range from 2.5m to 6.5m. This would prove to be very beneficial since the concrete frontage was designed in such a manner that would serve the purpose of a sunscreen in Dubai’s extremely hot climate. The space that exists between the perforated frontage and the glass walls serves as a chimney drawing in cool air from the glass walls. This reduces the heat in 014, preventing it from getting too warmed up and also lays lesser loads on the cooling system and service providers of Dubai. Secondly heat strengthened glass was used instead of the tempered glass; this strategy was employed so as to minimize the risk of glass breakage which can possibly occur due to high temperature and heat. Apart from taking heat resistant measures, steps are also taken to make the building earthquake proof. The municipality of Dubai has ensured that all the towers of Burj Khalifa were constructed along the Uniform Building Code 97 which complies that buildings built under this code can bear earthquakes up to 5.5 Richter scale. (United States, 2006) RISK INFORMATION AND DATA COLLECTION The process and system of risk information and data collection holds great value during project management since it enables the workers to base their day to day activities on it and make the necessary decisions and alterations. Hence it is very important that the information that is being used is accurate, up to date and relevant. Risk information and data collection should be very well defined so that attention and focus should be directed only towards the most important matters thus it is also helpful in prioritizing and streamlining the resources. It is a known fact that the place where Burj Khalifa is located; Dubai is a very humid place and the humidity can be as high as 98% in most months of the year. Before Burj Khalifa was constructed, extensive data was collected regarding all the aspects and keeping in mind all these issues, the risk factors were carefully evaluated so that the possible problems could be mitigated. After proper research, it was concluded that water condensation can be a problem owning to the skyscraper attribute of Burj Khalifa. Due to the humid climate, condensed water would collect in large quantity which could cause staining on the windows, damage to the electrical systems and other components of steel. Precipitate condensed water could also be developed if ample warm air of the exterior is introduced to the inner part of the building hence resulting in hazardous condition. Thus this information contributed to the installation of plants that daily generated 191,000 liters condensed water which was then carried to another system that collected this condensed water and water from the air conditioning systems and exterior as well which was then carried through a framework of pipes which was ultimately used in the irrigation of Burj Khalifa’s park. (David, 2005) RISK IDENTIFICATION Risk identifications are of different types and they vary from business to business and project to project. In risk identification a lot of features need to be kept in mind out of which a few are weather, structure, height of the building, trend of natural as well as man made disasters etc. All these can contribute to risks of their own nature hence it is very important to deal with them devising the appropriate and accurate strategies. The identification and recognition of risks is of crucial importance since its absence can give rise to major problems and any task will not be carried out to its fullest advantage. In the case of Burj Khalifa, height became the reason of most of the tricky risks and posed problems for the engineers as well as the architectures. The most persistent problem throughout its construction was how to get construction material to the top floor of the world’s tallest building. The building which is almost 800 meters high definitely made it difficult for the transfer of sufficient quantities of concrete. Secondly, although the building was opened for the public, some interior construction was still left incomplete; materials that featured combustibility were yet to be installed. In such a situation, there were high chances of exposure to fire. The constructors and planners of Burj Khalifa were fully aware of this risk and had it identified at the right time which enabled them to install efficient fire extinguishing systems and in the former case, such devices were installed which could assist in the transfer and transport of construction materials. As far as the height issues were concerned, Burj Khalifa required the electrical system to be very efficient and flawless which would work without even the slightest disruption especially as far as the elevator system was concerned. The organizers at Burj were sure that being the tallest and one of the most magnificent skyscraper, Burj Khalifa would attract a lot of attention coaxing in lots of visitors, for this they ensured that along with all eh facilities, their elevators functioned perfectly and the fire extinguishing system is perfect and up to the mark so that the people visiting different floors did not have to face any inconvenience. (Tom, 2009) RISK ANALYSIS AT BURJ KHALIFA The analysis of risks is evaluating the severity of the factors that would pose a threat to the overall performance and working of a task or project. Burj Khalifa as stated earlier is the tallest building of the world. It was rather aimed to be one before its construction; this brought along with it a lot of complexities and technicalities, as far as the construction of this building was concerned. The best engineers and architectures were hired so that only the best plan could be implemented during its construction which took a total period of 5 years. Since the building boasts height, hence it was contemplated and decided that the best concrete and steel would be used and the techniques employed would ensure its reliability and safety. The structural uniqueness and is its characteristic of reinforced cement and concrete. 58,900 cu yd of concrete which weighed more than 110,000 tonnes was used in the construction of steel and concrete which produced 192 piles, each pile being 1.5 meter diameter* 43 meter in length which was buried to a depth of 164 ft. the concrete that was used in the foundation of this building was of low permeability and high density. Cathodes that guaranteed protection from the chemicals of the ground water were used. The concrete was vertically pumped to the 156th floor setting a record while the rest of the floors above 156th floor are built of comparatively lighter steel. After every 35 floors, well air-conditioned floor is built which aims at providing refugee to people in case there is a fire emergency. The concrete is mixed in special quantities so that it can hold the pressure and weight of the entire building, special mixes as well as reinforced concrete ensured the required safety. Every batch of concrete was tested before it was put to use to minimize the risks. The testing of creep and sinkage was done by a well known company which promises the better quality and fulfills the security of Burj Khalifa. The consistent chemicals and ingredients used in the concrete were of great importance such that they could with hold the pressure as well as the scorching heat and humid weather that very frequently reached 50 Celsius. To counter this problem it was made sure that the concrete is not mixed in the day and in summers; ice was made a necessary component to add in the mixture and was poured in the night when the temperature was comparatively lower and the air cooler. This proved to be very effective since cooler concrete settled at a slow pace and does not have the tendency to crack very easily because in the other case cracks would have created huge problems and could have hindered the pace of construction. All these facts and figures indicate that proper research was carried out as far as the risk analysis issues and areas were concerned and it was made sure that each and every problem was catered to using the best technologies and strategies which is the best method to combat and tackle issues. Everything from the concrete to its pumping, from keeping the temperature in mind to the cooling system, everything entails that Burj Khalifa emphasizes only on best standards and quality construction. (John, 2009) OUTPUT ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION The entire building of Burj Khalifa has a lot to offer owing t its huge size and design. It not only provides residence and offices but is also a source of great entertainment for the masses simultaneously adding value to the stakeholders who find interest in this project. This is the basic reason why Burj Khalifa is in the frame of record breaking owing to its attribute of being the world’s tallest building, attracting attention of the tourists and visitors who in return bring a lot of profit and literally flooding of dollars. This is all due to the magnificent building Emaar builders have put up in the heart of Dubai keeping in all mind all the required safety measures and risk mitigating features. Being the centre of attention, Burj Khalifa attracts a lot of attention and speculations also come along with appreciation. Up till now, Burj Khalifa has never really given a chance to the masses to object on its design, height, operations, location etc. except for one event that took place soon after its construction in 2009; this was the temporary shutdown of Burj Khalifa’s observation deck due to some electrical issues and power supply shortage. It was reported that some visitors including tourists were visiting the observation deck when all of a sudden the elevator containing them got stuck in midway creating havoc and confusion among the individuals. The 14 individuals who were on their way to the observation deck were subjected to this agony for an hour until they were rescued by the concerned officials who later decided and announced the closure of the observation deck for some time until the problem had been fully resolved. A reporter on behalf of Burj Khalifa was efficient to come to the rescue of this building’s reputation claiming that the safety and security of the visitors was of high importance and one of the top priorities, the elevators are checked using the highest safety measures and standards. This incident however reveals information that does not go in the favor of these words and Burj’s image in the eyes of the world. Another incident that took place before the inauguration of this mighty building was the observation of a crack in the glass window of the 124th floor and also the restrooms that are especially built for the observation deck were held down due to some plumbing problems. All these mishaps and occurrences definitely dent and stain the reputation and the image of this building and demands for the officials to take the necessary steps so that its reliability can be maintained and sustained. FUTURE WORK In this paper the basic issue that was under consideration was risk management for which the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa had been selected. The risk factors involved and the methods for their reduction and mitigation have already been discussed. A few discrepancies and flaws were observed during the course of study for which the necessary recommendations will be put forward for future references and so that the problems can be countered making use of the possible solutions in order to avoid any future mishaps and accidents. First of all the power supply should be continuous and should work without any disruption so that in future the visitors do not have to face any inconvenience and difficulty while touring the building, secondly the elevators should be ample in oxygen supply so that if any such problem does occur, it does not cause suffocation among the people present in it. The maintenance team should ensure that any cracks or shortcomings related to the construction areas are covered and the people coming to Burj Khalifa do not get a chance to pinpoint anything that might prove to be hazardous for the overall position of the building that has set records as far as the height and construction strategies are concerned. CONCLUSION Burj Khalifa is a very elaborate and large scale project which demands the outsourcing of project managers and reduction in the percentage of risks. Burj Khalifa has been rewarded the title of world’s tallest building however the journey does not end here. The fast pace growth demands continuous maintenance and risk controlling techniques to be practiced so that the technologies and progress mesh together thus procuring the position over and over again. REFERENCES David, John. (2006) Reliability, Maintenance and Risk. Butterworth- Heinemann. Frederic, Miller. (2010) Burj Khalifa. VDM Publishing House Ltd. John, Raftery. (2009) Risk Analysis in Project Management. E&FN Spon. Business and Economics. Tom, Kendrick. (2009) Identifying and Managing Project Risk. Amacon Div American Mgmt Assn. Unites States. National Park Service. Management Policies 2006. Government Printing Office. Read More