Prefabrication – Rami Mansour

September 4, 2013February 25, 2018

2013 New York City Bridge Conference

On August 26th and 27th, the world’s top bridge engineers and architects congregated to New York City for the 2013 New York City Bridge Conference. This conference was first hosted by the Bridge Engineering Association in 2003, but has quickly emerged as one of the leading bridge conferences in the world.

This year, the conference played host to a number of esteemed guests and industry leaders. The lead designer for Istanbul’s new Bosphorus Bridge presented the design and discussed the current specifications for long span suspension bridges. In addition, Thomas Lavigne, a partner in Lavigne Cheron Architects, presented his design for the new Jacques Chaban-Delmas lift bridge in Bordeaux, France. The projects are illustrated below.

The conference also included many other speakers from around the world. The topics discussed include: Cable Supported Bridges; Bridge Rehabilitation; Seismic Analysis and Design; Bridge Monitoring; and Bridge History and Aesthetics.

Innovation in Bridge Rehabilitation

Corrosion of reinforcing, concrete degradation and concrete spalling are the three main concerns when dealing with concrete bridges. Traditional technologies employ a host of testing machines, causing the process to be quite inefficient; typically only 1000 sq. ft. of bridge deck can be inspected within one hour. Not only does this inefficiency increase the total cost of the project, but it creates traffic congestion and puts the worker’s lives at risk.

Researchers from Rutgers University have now developed a fully autonomous robotic non-destructive-evaluation platform. This product is an ‘all-in-one’ bridge inspection tool, and has the potential to drastically change the face of the industry.

The new product comes equipped with four resistivity probes, two surface imaging cameras, a laser scanner,and a GPS tracking system. This allows the robot to conduct all necessary testing, including: impact echo; ground penetrating radar; ultrasonic surface waves; and electrical resistivity testing. Furthermore, it is designed to move laterally and to turn at zero radius along a pre-set inspection path.

This product is able to inspect 4000 sq. ft. of bridge deck per hour (four times faster than traditional techniques). It also requires fewer workers on site, providing a higher level of project safety and efficiency. In addition, real-time data analysis is undertaken in a nearby van, allowing engineers to quickly address any concerns that arise.

Rapid Replacement of US 6 Keg Creek bridge

In an effort to reduce traffic congestion and fatalities during bridge construction, the US Congress approved the formation of the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) in 2005 (Transportation Research Board). The SHRP has since developed an aptly named Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) process, which makes use of pre-fabricated modular construction.

The US 6 Keg Creek Bridge replacement in Iowa took place in 2011 and was a pilot project for the new system. This project would typically take six months to complete. However using ABC, the replacement took only two weeks. The fourteen day bridge assembly was made possible by the use of an on-site fabrication plant. However, this could not be done in densely populated areas. A time lapse of the bridge replacement is presented below.

The old bridge was demolished in just one day, using what Bala Sivakumar of HNTB Architects refers to as a “chop and drop” system. The cost of the replacement totalled $231 per sq. ft..

To connect the ‘lego’ pieces, joints were filled with ultra high performance concrete (UHPC). This created full moment connections, emulating a typical cast-in-place construction. The use of UHPC also allowed the six inches of overlapping reinforcing steel at joints to fully develop. However some problems did arise when applying the UHPC to the old concrete. This was resolved by installing post-tensioned rods which created compression within the joints.

Further Advancement

The new concepts and ideas discussed at the conference show how advanced the industry has become. However, there are still many aspects of bridge engineering that require improvement and optimization. As the industry grows, new research will continue to bring forth ideas that revolutionize construction practices. It is therefore imperative that conferences continue to occur, providing a platform for researchers to both share and inspire.

August 5, 2013February 25, 2018

Modular Structures: A Lesson from LEGO

With the recent advent of modular construction, a number of new and interesting projects are popping up all around the world.

Gluck+, an architectural firm based out of New York City, has designed a medium-income, seven storey, 28 unit apartment building in Upper Manhattan. The buildings lot size posed a serious concern for builders, as it does not provide the area required for traditional construction projects. Therefore, the architects at Gluck+ chose to assemble the residence using 56 pre-fabricated modules, all of which are built in a factory in Berwick, Pennsylvania (Architectural Record).

Proposed Modular Building in Upper Manhattan. Photo Credit: Gluck+

Building the modules in a factory allowed for high levels of quality control, and provided a much more comfortable building environment for workers. In addition, the project could proceed notwithstanding weather conditions. This has lead to an estimated 15% savings in total project cost. The construction time has also been drastically reduced, and the project will take just under one year to complete (four modular units are installed per day, after the initial foundation has been constructed). The residence, which is expected to be completed in October, is also quite aesthetically pleasing. By pulling some stacks forward and pushing others back, several terraces and overhangs are created, giving the structure a distinct look. The assembly process for the modules is presented in the following video:

A number of other modular residential buildings have been popping up in New York. A 32 storey residential housing unit in the Atlantic Yards development site is under construction. When completed, the building will be a whopping 322 ft tall and will hold the title of tallest modular building in New York. Skanska, the company building this project, has estimated that the total cost of the modular building will be 20% less than a traditional building (Skanska News Report). Similar to Gluck+’s design, 60% of the construction will occur off site. The modules will be built in a controlled environment in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard, and will be transported to site. As a result, the building is expected to attain LEED Silver certification, and produce 70 to 90% less construction waste (than traditional construction).

Final Render of the Tallest Modular Residential Building in New York. Photo Credit: Skanska

However, there are often risks when implementing new technologies. The Plumbing Foundation of New York City is suing the Department of Buildings for ignoring a number of major building safety rules. Stewart O’Brien, the executive director of the Plumbing Foundation stated, “It’s a dangerous path we walk down when the city appears to be willing to circumvent the clear words of the law so that wealthy and influential developers can make a few extra dollars by using lower paid and untrained assembly line workers” (The Real Deal).

Despite the issues that builders face with this new technology, it is apparent that modular buildings are becoming very popular with engineers and designers. Projects like this, as well as Sky City in China, are indicators of the shift in construction practices within the industry.

It seems quite ironic that the construction industry, which has a history of using immensely creative and complex building techniques, is now reverting quite successfully to the intuitive building style of LEGO.

July 26, 2013February 25, 2018

The Future of High Rise Construction

In the new age of technology, the concept of “slow and steady wins the race” is becoming less and less applicable. In particular, China has recently constructed a series of buildings using pre-fabricated modular sections, cutting the time spent on the construction site to a matter of days.

The world was shocked when they first saw this phenomenon performed in Changasha China, where a thirty storey building was constructed in just fifteen days. If you have yet to see it, here is the amazing time-lapsed footage of the construction process:

The foundation for the structure was already installed prior to the thirty day count, reducing the overall “construction time”. In addition, the project used pre-fabricated modules that were constructed in a manufacturing plant and later shipped to the construction site. Once the pieces were on site, it was just a matter of putting the pieces in place (similar to a standard LEGO set).

The company behind all this, Broad Sustainable Building, is part of Broad Group which also works on a number of different products (i.e. Air Conditioning Equipment, Air Quality Technology, etc.). Their website has very minimal details, but claims that their buildings can withstand magnitude 9 earthquakes. They also allege that they are 5 times more energy efficient, have 20 times purer air, and use 6 times less material. To find out more about Broad Group, you can visit their website at the following link:

Broad Group Website

In addition to this, construction has begun on the soon-to-be tallest building in the world, the aptly named Sky City.

Sky City, which will cost less than 1 billion dollars US, will rise to a height of 838 meters (10 meters taller than the Burj Khalifa). The building is set to be completed in April 2014, less than a year before the start of construction. To put that into perspective, the Burj Khalifa took more than five years to build and had a total cost of 1.5 billion dollars US (see CNN Report).

It is quite amazing to think that the processes used in construction have been nearly stagnant for thousands of years. The Egyptians employed a similar style of on-site construction when they began building the pyramids. Over the years, construction times for the worlds largest structures have reduced from 20 years to just over 5. With the new prefabricated structures, construction times have been reduced to less than one year, a truly magnificent feat. This allows engineers to think both ‘bigger’ and ‘higher’ as the cost of constructing buildings using the new technique is greatly reduced.

The concept of prefabrication is not new, but employing it at such a scale is quite revolutionary. It takes the work typically performed on the construction site and moves it into the much more comfortable, controlled environment of the manufacturing plant. As this industry grows, there will be much debate as to which construction process provides the safest, well-rounded structures. Either way, the entire industry is in need of a much needed facelift, and this new process may be just the spark it’s been waiting for.