Interdisciplinary nature of modern construction projects
Summary
TLDRThis lecture delves into the interdisciplinary nature of modern construction projects, using metro construction as a case study. It emphasizes the shift from traditional civil engineering-centric projects to those requiring a blend of civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering expertise. The lecture explores various components of metro systems, highlighting the importance of understanding each aspect's engineering challenges and the evolving role of project managers with diverse backgrounds. It concludes with an assignment encouraging students to analyze metro systems globally, considering technical complexities and historical developments.
Takeaways
- 🏗️ The lecture emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of modern construction projects, highlighting the shift from traditional civil engineering to a more multidisciplinary approach.
- 🌐 It discusses the urban built environment's focus on various infrastructural aspects, including commercial buildings, malls, metros, airports, roads, and rails, all requiring a multidisciplinary approach.
- 👷♂️ The importance of a project manager having an awareness and knowledge of diverse issues is stressed, as the manager's background may vary depending on the project's stage and requirements.
- 🚇 The lecture uses metro construction as an illustrative example to demonstrate the integration of civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering disciplines in a single project.
- 🔧 The different stages of construction are noted to have varying predominating activities, such as civil engineering in the initial stages and mechanical or electrical engineering becoming more important as the project progresses.
- 🛠️ The necessity for civil engineers to have a basic understanding of mechanical and electrical engineering issues even when primarily involved in civil engineering tasks is highlighted.
- 🚊 The components of a metro system are broken down into stations, maintenance yards, operations rooms, tracks, tunnels, bridges, and rolling stock, each requiring different engineering expertise.
- 🛤️ The script discusses the complexity of planning for different types of tracks (underground, on grade, above grade) and the technical challenges associated with each.
- 🔄 The lecture touches on the importance of understanding the operational phase of projects, such as the need for non-destructive testing, monitoring, and repair in the case of metro and railway systems.
- 👥 It suggests that the execution of a project involves not only on-site operations but also procurement, material decisions, and planning with technical considerations in mind.
- 🤔 The 'food for thought' section encourages students to analyze well-developed metro systems in various cities, understand their history, technical issues, and the roles of different engineers involved.
Q & A
What is the main focus of Lecture no. 2 on Principles of Construction Management?
-The main focus of Lecture no. 2 is the interdisciplinary nature of modern construction projects, using metro construction as an illustrative example.
How has the perception of construction projects evolved from traditional views?
-Traditionally, construction projects were seen as largely civil engineering projects, but now they are recognized as multidisciplinary, involving various engineering disciplines.
What is the significance of understanding the interdisciplinary nature of construction projects?
-Understanding the interdisciplinary nature is crucial as it helps project managers to be aware and knowledgeable about diverse issues, which is necessary for managing complex modern infrastructure projects.
Why is it important for a project manager to have a basic understanding of different engineering domains?
-A project manager needs a basic understanding of different engineering domains to oversee various activities that dominate at different stages of a project, ensuring smooth project execution.
What are the different engineering domains involved in metro construction?
-In metro construction, the different engineering domains involved include civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering, with each playing a significant role at different stages of the project.
How does the role of civil engineers differ during the construction and operation phases of a metro system?
-During construction, civil engineers are primarily involved in building infrastructure. In the operation phase, their role shifts to maintenance, non-destructive testing, monitoring, and repair.
What are some of the key components of a metro system that require planning and construction expertise?
-Key components of a metro system requiring planning and construction expertise include stations, maintenance yards, tracks (underground, on-grade, above-grade), tunnels, bridges, rolling stock, controls and monitoring systems, and power supply.
Why is it challenging to plan and design metro systems with multiple lines and stations?
-Planning and designing metro systems with multiple lines and stations is challenging due to the complexity of ensuring efficient passenger movement, safety, and the technical aspects of how lines intersect and share infrastructure.
What is the significance of studying the depths of metro lines in different cities?
-Studying the depths of metro lines helps understand the chronological development of the system and the technical challenges associated with constructing deeper lines as systems expand over time.
What are some of the operational considerations in metro systems that affect planning and design?
-Operational considerations in metro systems that affect planning and design include passenger traffic management, peak demand handling, safety measures, emergency evacuation plans, and the integration of services like lighting, ventilation, and communication.
How does the lecture suggest students gain a deeper understanding of metro systems?
-The lecture suggests students gain a deeper understanding of metro systems by studying the history and technical aspects of well-developed systems in cities like Tokyo, New York, London, Moscow, and Delhi, and by analyzing the layout, depth, and structural components of these systems.
Outlines
🏗️ Introduction to Interdisciplinary Construction Management
The lecture introduces the concept of modern construction projects as interdisciplinary endeavors, moving beyond traditional civil engineering to encompass various engineering disciplines. The speaker emphasizes the importance of urban infrastructure development in the 21st century, including commercial buildings, malls, metros, airports, roads, and rails. The course aims to provide a civil engineering perspective while acknowledging the necessity of borrowing knowledge from other engineering fields. The role of a project manager is highlighted, noting that they may come from different engineering backgrounds depending on the project stage, and must possess a basic understanding of multiple disciplines, especially during the construction phase.
🚇 The Multidisciplinary Nature of Metro Construction
This paragraph delves into the complexities of metro construction as an example of a multidisciplinary project. It discusses the various engineering domains involved, such as civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering, and the importance of understanding the distinct activities and expertise required at different stages of the project. The paragraph also touches on the operational phase of metro systems, where civil engineers continue to play a crucial role, but with a different set of skills compared to the construction phase. Additionally, it provides examples of other projects like automobile plants and transmission lines to illustrate the interdisciplinary nature of construction management.
🛤️ Breakdown of Metro System Components
The speaker breaks down the components of a metro system to illustrate the diverse expertise needed for its management and construction. This includes stations, maintenance yards, operations rooms, and offices, each with its own set of engineering challenges. The paragraph discusses the planning of stations with a focus on passenger movement, safety, and emergency measures. It also covers the civil engineering aspects of tracks, sleepers, and maintenance yard infrastructure. Furthermore, it explains the complexities of designing and constructing tunnels, above-grade tracks, and the necessary considerations for lighting, ventilation, and emergency evacuation in underground metro systems.
🚊 Technical Aspects and Planning of Metro Systems
This section examines the technical aspects of metro system planning, including power supply, signaling, ticketing, and emergency management. The importance of efficient passenger flow and the design of stations to prevent congestion are highlighted. The paragraph also addresses the challenges of line layout planning, especially how metro lines intersect and the engineering solutions for grade-separated systems. The need for in-depth analysis of existing metro systems in cities like Tokyo, New York, London, and Delhi is suggested as a means to better understand the historical development, technical issues, and the roles of various engineers in metro system construction and management.
📚 Assignment and Further Study on Metro Systems
The final paragraph presents an assignment for the audience to research and analyze well-developed metro systems around the world. It encourages the study of historical construction, technical challenges, and the roles of different engineers in the development of these systems. The assignment also prompts the audience to consider the complexities of metro line layout, depth of lines, and the average passenger traffic, urging them to look beyond surface-level information and engage in a deeper analysis of the subject matter. The paragraph concludes with a reminder to refer to relevant books and materials for a comprehensive understanding of construction management and metro systems.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Interdisciplinary
💡Metro Construction
💡Urban Built Environment
💡Project Manager
💡Engineering Domains
💡Maintenance Yard
💡Operations Rooms
💡Safety Measures
💡Rolling Stock
💡Control and Monitoring Systems
💡Emergency Management
Highlights
Lecture 2 focuses on the interdisciplinary nature of modern construction projects, moving beyond traditional civil engineering.
Modern infrastructure projects are increasingly interdisciplinary, involving various engineering disciplines.
Project managers may come from different engineering backgrounds depending on the project stage and expertise required.
The initial stages of construction projects are predominantly civil engineering-focused.
As projects progress, mechanical and electrical engineering aspects become more significant.
Organizations may change project managers or require a basic understanding of multiple disciplines.
Metro construction serves as an illustrative example of the interdisciplinary nature of modern projects.
Automobile plants and transmission line projects also demonstrate the need for diverse engineering expertise.
Civil engineers play a crucial role in metro construction, even during the operation phase.
The skills required for civil engineers differ between construction and operation phases.
Transmission line projects involve electrical engineering for power transmission and civil engineering for structural design.
Project managers must understand the various facets of a project, including non-civil engineering aspects.
Metro systems can be broken down into components such as stations, maintenance yards, and tracks for better management understanding.
Planning of metro stations involves considerations for passenger movement, train operations, and safety measures.
Maintenance yards require civil engineering for infrastructure and systems for water supply and waste removal.
Operations rooms and offices need specific planning for the setup required for metro operations.
Tracks in metro systems can be underground, on grade, or above grade, each with different engineering considerations.
Metro systems involve a combination of civil structures, rolling stock, controls, and power networks.
Project execution includes not only on-site operations but also procurement and material decisions.
The lecture concludes with a Type-2 assignment encouraging students to research and analyze metro systems in various cities.
Students are prompted to study the history, technical issues, and roles of different engineers in well-developed metro systems.
The assignment challenges students to understand the complexities of metro system layouts, including line crossings and depths.
Attention to depths of metro lines can reveal insights into the chronological development and technical challenges of the system.
Understanding the total length, special structures, and average passenger traffic of metro systems provides insight into their design and capacity.
Transcripts
Namaskar and welcome back to our lectures on Principles of Construction Management.
And today is Lecture no.
2 where we will talk about the interdisciplinary nature of modern construction projects.
Traditionally, construction projects were seen to be largely civil engineering projects.
Now, it is not so anymore.
And that is what we will see through an illustrative example of metro construction.
Now, before we get into a discussion on metro construction and the example and the issues
involved and so on, let us go over the course once again.
Urban built environment in the 21st century is focusing on various infrastructural aspects,
such as commercial buildings, malls, metros, airports, roads and rails.
And accordingly, modern infrastructure projects are getting increasingly interdisciplinary
or multidisciplinary in nature, in that they span several disciplines of engineering.
Though most of our treatment here will be with a civil engineering bias, but we will
not try to use a lot of knowledge of technical civil engineering, or, the specifics of civil
engineering, but of course we will have to borrow from civil engineering issues.
As a manager of these projects, a certain level of awareness and knowledge of diverse
issues is required.
Needless to say, depending on the stage of construction of a project, the project manager
could be with a civil engineering background, or it could be from a mechanical engineering
background, or an electrical engineering background, and so on.
It is important to understand that in the construction phase at different points in
time, different activities are predominating.
In the initial parts, there is a lot of civil engineering that goes on.
As we go along in the project, perhaps, depending on the nature of the project, mechanical engineering
and electrical engineering; these kinds of issues become more important.
So, organizations tend to change the project manager from time to time depending on the
expertise.
Similarly, or having said that, even when civil engineering activities are going on,
and, the project manager is a civil engineering background person, that person should have
a basic understanding of the mechanical and electrical engineering issues also.
. So, that is what is the backdrop against which you should try to understand our treatment
of construction projects.
So, now coming to interdisciplinary nature of projects let us take some illustrative
examples like metro construction, or an automobile plant, or, even a transmission line project.
Let us broadly divide the engineering domains- the civil, mechanical and electrical.
Of course, there could be other disciplines also involved depending on the nature of the
project, depending on the stage in which the project is and so on.
If it is a metro construction, there are definitely civil engineering aspects, mechanical engineering
aspects, and electrical engineering aspects.
Similarly, in an automobile plant, once the plant has been commissioned and is in operation,
it is not necessarily a great civil engineering operation.
It is a mechanical engineering operation with controls, electrical engineering, software
people, etc.
All these people come into play as far as management of that operating plant is concerned.
But at the time of construction, it is largely a civil engineering activity.
In the case of metro construction, however, even during operation the civil engineers
continue to play a very important and a vital role.
It is not only metros, but in fact if you think about it, if you look at the railways
for that matter, you will realize that even in the operating phase, the civil engineers
have a very important role, but the training and the kind of specific skills required are
not necessarily those required at the time of construction.
At the time of operation, you require skills in non-destructive testing, monitoring, repair,
and so on.
So, the skills required is different, but the background is the same.
Now, let us look at the third example which is sited here, the transmission line project.
An electrical company can decide to lay a transmission line from Point 1 to Point 2.
There will be electrical engineering issues of course, because what are the characteristics
of power to be transmitted, what kind of towers to be used, what height the towers will be,
and so on those are issues which need to be resolved in consultation with the regulatory
authorities.
. But once the electrical part of it is completed,
the loads, etc are handed over to civil engineers for structural design of towers.
There is a construction part where the towers are erected, and once the towers have been
erected, civil engineers are obviously not the best people to identify the kind of wires
to be used, the kind of fabrications to be done or for that matter, the kind of laying
of the lines is concerned or the substations on the way.
The construction of the substations is a civil engineering issue, but the equipment that
goes into them is definitely not civil engineering.
So, the project manager who manages these projects has to have some understanding of
all the different facets of the project.
Now, getting back to our example which we will deal today – metros.
So, now if you look at metros we need to break it down.
It would be easier if we break down a metro system into components and then try to see
what kind of expertise would be required to manage it, or, to be able to implement a particular
part of the construction.
So, now there are different ways of looking at this breakdown.
One is to look at what are the different components in terms of let us say, the stations.
So, there are stations where the metros or the trains come, and stay there for a certain
amount of time.
Therefore, the kind of issues that go into the planning of a metro station would include
movement of passengers coming in and going out and the movement of trains coming in and
going out.
If you look at the planning of stations, primarily the issue is movement of passengers, embarking
and disembarking, and how we will transport them from the outside of the metro area.
So, if you look at any metro station, you are approaching the metro station from an
area which is not really metro.
So, first thing is that the passengers will come into the metro area, then, they will
come to the platform and take the train.
On the other side, people will disembark from the train, get out of the platform to the
station area and then leave the metro area.
So, one of the parts of planning and construction of stations is the movement of passengers.
Similarly, there is this issue of trains which are coming in and going out.
There is the related signaling issues, and so on and so forth.
In both these cases there have to be appropriate provisions for safety measures or emergencies
that may arise.
So, if there is a fire in this station, there have to be emergency evacuation systems in
place and so on, and that goes into the planning and construction of stations.
Moving from there, there are maintenance yards where the coaches and the locomotives are
maintained, that is they are overhauled, some kind of minor repairs are carried out and
so on.
If you look at the movement of trains – the trains move on tracks which are laid on sleepers
and the load is then transferred to the ground.
So, apart from the coaches and the engines, everything is basically a civil engineering
domain story, whether it is the tracks, whether it is the sleepers, whether it is the ballast
or whatever goes on, in transferring the load to the ground.
So, as far as the maintenance yard is concerned, depending on where the maintenance yard is,
somebody will tell you that okay, this is the length of the trains which need to be
parked so that they can be cleaned.
But, the layout and the civil engineering infrastructure that goes with it - water supply
there, removal of waste water from there and so on, that remains a civil engineering domain
issue.
Similarly, you look at the operations rooms and offices - so there is the need for having
operations rooms, offices where different people associated with the metro operations
will work from, and, that has to be again planned.
Continuing with the story, there could be tracks.
And now, if you just pause to think about some of the metro systems that you may have
seen, you would realize that the tracks could be underground, or, they could be on grade,
or, above grade.
Now, depending on whether the tracks are underground or on grade or above grade, different aspects
come into play.
And as engineers, we need to understand the issues so that we are able to handle them
as they come during design or during construction.
A proper understanding of all these things helps us plan the system better and ensures
that as we go along in a construction project or in the project of metro construction, we
do not have to make sudden changes.
Another way of looking at some of these systems would be, let us try to divide them into civil
structures.
Now, if you look at similar structures, there could be buildings; operations rooms, and
stations can all qualify as ‘buildings’.
Similarly, they would be tracks, there would be tunnels.
If the track is underground, we’ll have to make tunnels.
There would be bridges; now, bridges can have two functions here.
One would be crossing a river or any other obstacle.
The other way of looking at a bridge would be all kinds of track which are above grade.
They could also be looked upon as bridges in one form or the other.
So, depending on what view we take, these are basically inclusive of all kinds of above
grade structures which are designed to carry the metro above ground.
Then, there is rolling stock which is definitely not a civil engineering story, and that consists
of coaches and the locomotives.
Besides that there are also controls and monitoring systems, there is an entire power network,
which has to be laid down and so on.
So, depending on which way we break down a particular system, we will have a better understanding
as to what is the kind of expertise is required for executing a project.
Now, execution of the project does not necessarily mean only on-site operations.
If it comes to rolling stock, for example, these coaches and locomotives have to be procured.
When it comes to buildings or tunnels, we need to decide what kind of material we will
use, and that decision is also an engineering decision and needs to be taken with proper
planning with technical issues being kept in mind.
Now, here is an example of a station and you can see that apart from the train and the
platform there are so many other things which are a part of the station.
There are signages which tell people which way to move in case of an emergency, which
way is the ‘exit’.
There are signages to tell people how much more time to the next train and there could
be signages relating to whether a train will stop at that station or not, what is the next
stop for that particular train coming into the station, and so on.
So, all these things need to be properly planned, included in a drawing, which is used for communicating
among engineers from different walks of life.
Similarly, if you look at a maintenance yard, here is a place where you need a lot of water
supply, a lot of systems to make sure that certain amount of testing can be carried out.
So, now, here is a maintenance yard where you had need facilities which are required
to maintain the coaches and the locomotives, that could include water, that could include
some amount of power since there would definitely a need of some amount of lighting depending
on where that yard is. , and so on and so forth.
In operations rooms and offices of course, you need different setup and that needs to
be planned.
When it comes to an underground track which is essentially a tunnel, we have to understand
what are the issues that go into the planning, design and construction of a tunnel.
That would include things like lighting, ventilation, emergency communication, the kind of slopes
that you have to have, you have to make sure that there is no leakage of water from outside
into the tunnel, what are the kind of emergency evacuation plans from the tunnel, and so on.
In fact, it is sometimes important and required that along with the tunnel, we run what is
called a ‘service tunnel’, which serves as a parking space, or, which serves as a
place where people who may have to evacuate from a train in the case of an emergency can
leave the tunnel and assemble in a service tunnel.
The service tunnel also serves as an area through which service lines such as water
and power can run, in addition to the space within this tunnels.
When it comes to an above grade track of course, the situation is more or less similar to that
of a bridge and you can see that we have the standard bridge piers and the slab and so
on which is designed for the kind of loads that is to be carried by the structure.
So, now other components in a metro system would include power supply, signaling, ticketing,
etc.
We have to make sure that there is no rush of people at ticket counters, and at places
where there are wickets to check the tickets when the passengers are coming into the station
and the passengers are going out of the station.
Then, there is a very important component of emergency management.
It could arise on account of power failures, it could arise on account of a terrorist threat,
and, any kind of an unforeseen event.
It could arise on account of an accident, where a derailment has occurred or where the
trains have collided and so on and so forth.
Apart from these, once we are talking of these things like I mentioned, there are issues
related to lighting, ventilation, communication, air conditioning and power supply, besides
fire fighting.
All these plans have to be put in place so that the metro system can be designed.
Now, it is no single engineer’s cup of tea, to be able to put together or have all the
knowledge that is required for lighting and air conditioning, communication systems and
so on.
So, different people come together, form a team and carry out this exercise of planning
and designing a metro system; it could be stations, it could be the track, it could
be the control room, it could be the maintenance yard, and so on.
So now, coming to the food for thought, this is a Type-2 assignment as I said we will probably
not give you a solution because there is no solution to it.
Find out the different cities in the world with well-developed metro systems.
Now, in this day and age where information is not really at a premium, you can get information
from a lot of sources, it is easier to find information.
The more important issue, or, the trickier part is analyzing that information and using
it to understand the subject matter of the system better.
So, look at places like Tokyo or New York, London, Moscow which have well-developed metro
systems; now of course we can include Delhi in that list.
If we try to understand, look into the history and find out when were these systems built,
what was the kind of technical issues addressed and how; that will make us understand the
roles of different engineers better.
The second question that I want to leave for you is, study the details the metro system
in any three cities which could include important stations in the network.
Delhi may have a certain number of stations, if you look at the Tokyo metro network you
will find certain number of stations, if you look at the New York metro system, it will
have a different number of stations; and the more the number of stations, the more the
number of lines, the more complex the system becomes.
And that makes the planning that much harder.
Have you ever thought that when we change lines at a particular platform, how do those
lines go?
So, for example, if you are talking of a line which connects Point A to Point B, and, the
line which connects Point C to Point D; how do these lines actually go as far as their
layout is concerned?
As far as the roads are concerned, we can easily have a crossing; we can have traffic
signals to control, whether the traffic is moving between A and B or the traffic is moving
C and D and whether the left turns are allowed right turns are allowed and so on and so forth.
When it comes to metros, those kinds of degrees of freedom, if you want to call them, do not
exist, but how do the lines cross?
The lines will cross means that there have to be tunnels, or, it will be a grade separated
system.
And if it is a grade separation what should be the minimum clearance.
So, these are the kind of things which are technical details we have to keep in mind
when we try to do the layout planning of a metro system.
So, I would like you to pay special attention, when you try to study the metro systems in
different cities, as to what are the kinds of depths involved in these lines.
The thumb rule basically is that if the line is very shallow, the line was probably one
of the earlier lines that was built in that system.
As we moved in time 10 years later, 15 years later, we want to add a line, and obviously,
we will have to go deeper in the system.
And that poses technical challenges which we need to address.
Try to determine the total length of the metro system, try to understand the total number
of special structures in that metro system, and try to see what is the average passenger
traffic in a day in those metro systems.
So, that will give you an idea that okay, this system is designed to handle a million
people at hundred stations.
So, what is the peak demand?
So, how is the passenger movement being controlled at different stations in different trains?
and so on.
Let me assure you that if you do a thorough literature survey on this, or, if you look
at some videos which are available for different metro systems, you will be able to make some
very interesting observations.
With this, I must repeat the reference books, but these reference books are not really centered
on metro construction, they are more related to the course on construction management itself.
So, in fact, you will probably have to look for some material on your own and try to understand
the metro systems better.
Thank you.
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