Construction Technology: Building Materials, Techniques, and Safety

This report on construction technology provides a comprehensive overview of various aspects within the field. It begins by discussing construction materials, highlighting the significance of clay and the economic impact of construction material manufacturing. The report then delves into innovative techniques such as self-healing concrete, warm bridging, and photovoltaic glazing. It explores structural systems for buildings and civil engineering, categorizing them into high-rise, long-span, and long-rise arrangements. A significant portion of the report is dedicated to health and safety, emphasizing prefabrication's role in enhancing worker safety and the importance of site-specific health safety plans. The report also examines sustainability in construction, particularly focusing on prefabrication's contribution to energy efficiency, waste reduction, and the use of green building practices. Finally, it addresses stakeholder management in prefabrication projects, emphasizing the need for effective communication and collaboration among stakeholders throughout the construction process, from design to operation. The report concludes by referencing various sources to support its findings.

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Construction Technology
Author’s name
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Construction Technology
Construction materials in Civil Engineering
Building and civil engineering needs one to make use of efficient materials to achieve the desired
structure specifications at the end of the day. The materials used for such activities vary greatly.
They include metals, aggregates, cement wood, clay, and concrete. The most used building
material is clay. The need to ensure that one observes cost effectivity leads to many having
significant variations in the kind of stuff to be used for construction activity. The economy of
several countries has experienced massive growth based on manufacturing construction
materials. The segmentation of the elements into specific specialty trades has made the industry
even wider and accommodating an increased number of individuals. The materials can either be
natural, mud and clay, fabric, thatch, rock and many others depending with the construction area
(Andrea Benedetto, 2015).
Techniques in Civil Engineering
There are several techniques currently coming up making civil engineering better. The current
method has been the need to have a self-healing concrete. The method mainly ensures that a
strong bond is maintained in the materials utilized for construction. Apart from that, there is too a
warm bridging technique. Regarding the method, diverse useful protection material is gradually
being converted to being used in construction activity. Photovoltaic glazing is also a recent
technique being applied in the civil engineering field. The building has to be incorporated with
photovoltaic power. The structure will be in a position to produce its power. The process is
achieved through a complete transformation of the entire building into a sun-powered board.

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Active footfall has also been a current technique in the civil engineering field. The method sees
to it that power is produced from walker footfall (Samali, 2012).
Structural systems for building and civil engineering
They are methods used in assembling and constructing structural elements of a building. The
systems are to be set in a manner that they transmit the loads safely to the ground. The
transmission should at no time exceed the allowable stresses in the members. Some of the
underlying systems include the bearing-wall, membrane, frame, post-and-lintel and suspension.
The arrangements are primarily categorized into three. The high-rise, long-span and long-rise
arrangements (Xu, 2017).
Health and safety and prefabrication
A construction site will always prioritize worker safety. Apart from that, the sites closely
consider the insurance and liability issues. There is an increased use of technology in the field of
construction. The result has been the safety issue becoming more multifaceted. Prefabrication as
a construction method, has ensured to adopt almost all the safety practices during the
construction process. Safety programs have been widely adopted in most areas implementing
prefabrication as a construction method. Different firms have resorted for the use of
prefabrication as a way of improving construction site safety (Smith, 2011). The method has a
positive influence on the safety of the workers. The approach embraces some site practices that
contribute to the positive contribution realized regarding safety. The individuals in charge have
to ensure that they develop a site-specific health safety plan. Each person working with the firm
has to ensure that they stick to the written plan. Different measures will be set that will provide
the steps are correctly followed. Project safety personnel are significant in ensuring construction

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safety. The many staff working in the firm have to understand the essence of the safety practice.
Apart from that, they have to be educated on how to make use of the safety tools properly. The
responses given after an accident at a site is of much importance. The various project safety
personnel have to be well informed about the response. Apart from that, the essence of the
reaction is fully explained. The project safety personnel plays the roles. Surveying a project
before the beginning of the construction process allows for better preparation regarding safety
(Garrigos, 2018). Prefabrication has strategic safety strategies. The contractor has to involve
themselves in the project before the construction is set to go. The approach is significant in
improving the safety of the working personnel.
Being struck by objects is one of the major causes of accidents at a site (Burt, 2015).
Prefabrication ensures that the needed machinery, vehicles and any other construction equipment
are not all stored at the same site. Prefabrication also cuts down on the individuals working in an
environment. The result is that there will be increased oxygen. The temperatures, on the other
hand, will be cooler. Such conditions have a significant contribution to the safety of individuals.
Sustainability and prefabrication
Efficiency in terms of energy significantly contributes to defining a sustainable structure (Kibert,
2012). Apart from that, the degree of preference may also vary with the sustainability properties
of different structures. Traditional construction methods were once termed as being sustainable.
However, the extra materials required to complete the construction led to increased waste. The
condition led to the reconsideration of traditional construction as being sustainable.
On the other hand, prefabrication calls for the construction of sub-assemblies in a factory. There
have been cases of having extra materials after constructing such assemblies (Staib, 2013).

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However, the recycling of such materials is quickly done in-house, terming the construction
method as sustainable. The landfills form harbors of the extra waste resulting from construction
activities. Use of prefabrication significantly cuts down on the number of landfills. Effects
related to dumps are reduced considerably. Sustainability is achieved at the end of the day.
The factory providing for the construction of subassemblies in prefabrication method of
construction serves as a significant controlled environment. The environment substantially
contributes to the construction accuracy being embraced. The joints providing for the stability of
a structure are made tighter. The ability of the structure to stand adverse weather will contribute
to its sustainability. Air filtration is highly considered in the prefabrication type of construction
(Michail Kagioglou, 2010). The factory ensures that sufficient air is filtrated to the construction
sites during the activity. The ability helps in providing healthy living of the individuals dealing
with the construction. Walls are well insulated at the end of the day leading to increased energy
efficiency (Construction World, 2016).
Fiscal spending contributes to defining the sustainability of a structure. The economic times in
the present days are currently harsh. Business survival will call for high levels of efficiency and
innovation. The current state has led to more embracing green remodeling and building which is
seen with prefabrication kind of construction method. However, there is a need to note that the
cost needed in procuring and installing the green building is slightly more expensive. Benefits
are realized after the existence of the structure over a long period. The technology embraced in
the method of construction leads to the resources being used efficiently. The owners at the end of
the day face a massive reduction in the construction cost. Most construction firms are gradually
embracing the prefabrication type of construction entirely as a way of embracing sustainability in
the building (Pearce, 2013).

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Stakeholder management and prefabrication
Prefabrication construction project calls for lots of processes before a complete structure is
achieved. Numerous stakeholders are needed to materialize the prefabrication process. Despite
the many stakeholders, many focus on their individual goals. Individual goals promote separated
working. Cooperation is hardly realized in such a kind of working environment. Lack of
collaboration means that information sharing is weakened. The power that comes with
information is, therefore, eliminated. The result is that the efficiency in the prefabrication ends
up being significantly reduced (FMI, 2016).
Strategic measures have to be set to improve on the stakeholder management state. Through the
managerial perspective, the level of supply chain integration has to be developed. Stakeholder
management will be achieved with cooperation at all stages of prefabrication building. The
typical steps of prefabrication include the design of the building, procuring the needed items for
the structure, transportation of materials from one location to another, assembling of equipment
on site, implementing the construction process, facilitating the required installations, declaring
and finally actualizing the operation.
The transportation of materials to the site is one of the major causes of challenges facing
stakeholder management. Failure to transport the materials on time results in delays of
construction phases. The construction stage does also have similar challenges. Efficient
communication is realized with the contractors and designers. The interface is tampered with
when it comes to designers and manufacturers. There are several prefabricated components used
in the prefabrication construction projects. Functional communication will see to it that the
components are well transported from one place to another. Apart from that, hoisting has to be
done efficiently. Each person has to actualize and complete the information made to them.

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Assembling requires several experts coming together. The experts can only work with efficient
communication. Some of the standard prefabricated components include air-conditioning panels,
facades, slabs, stairs, and balconies (Pomponi, 2018).

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Reference
Andrea Benedetto, L. P., 2015. Civil Engineering Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar. 3
ed. New York City: Springer.
Burt, C. D. B., 2015. New Employee Safety: Risk Factors and Management Strategies. 3 ed. New
York City: Springer.
Construction World. (2016). 7 Benefits of Prefabricated Construction - Construction World.
[online] Available at: http://www.constructionworld.org/7-benefits-prefabricated-construction/
[Accessed 14 May 2019].
FMI. (2016). Prefabrication: The Changing Face of Engineering and Construction | FMI.
[online] Available at: https://www.fminet.com/fmi-quarterly/article/2016/12/prefabrication-the-
changing-face-of-engineering-and-construction/ [Accessed 14 May 2019].
Garrigos, A. G., 2018. Building Information Systems in the Construction Industry. 2 ed. New
Forest: WIT Press.
Kibert, C. J., 2012. Sustainable Construction: Green Building Design and Delivery. 3 ed. New
York City: John Wiley & Sons.
Michail Kagioglou, P. T., 2010. Improving Healthcare through Built Environment
Infrastructure. 3 ed. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Pearce, A. R., 2013. Sustainable Buildings and Infrastructure: Paths to the Future. 3 ed.
London: Routledge.
Pomponi, F., 2018. Embodied Carbon in Buildings: Measurement, Management, and Mitigation.
New York City: Spro.

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Pomponi, F., 2018. Embodied Carbon in Buildings: Measurement, Management, and Mitigation.
3 ed. New York City: Springer.
Samali, B., 2012. From Materials to Structures: Advancement through Innovation. 4 ed. Florida:
CRC Press.
Smith, R. E., 2011. Prefab Architecture: A Guide to Modular Design and Construction. 2 ed.
New Jersy: John Wiley & Sons.
Staib, G., 2013. Components and Systems: Modular Construction – Design, Structure, New
Technologies. 2 ed. Basel: Birkhäuser.
Xu, Y.-L., 2017. Smart Civil Structures. 3 ed. Florida: CRC Press.