Engineering, Construction, and Development April 13, 2004

1

Villanova UniversityDept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering

LAS 1100 - SeminarDrs. Dinehart and Gross

Engineering, Construction, and Development

April 13, 2004

Dr. David W. Dinehart and

Dr. Shawn P. Gross

2



What disciplines of engineering does Villanova offer?

• Chemical• Mechanical• Electrical• Computer• Civil

• Live in the glass building• Live in the basement of CEER • Live on the 3rd floor CEER • Live in the Computer Lab• Live to serve you

3



What do Civil Engineers do?

The water you drink,

Our mission is to enhance the quality of life.

The roads you drive,

The bridges you cross

The environment you value.

4



What is Infrastructure?

Webster’s Definitions:1. the underlying foundation or basic

framework (as of a system or organization)

2. the system of public works of a country, state, or region; also : the resources (as personnel, buildings, or equipment) required for an activity

5



Infrastructure for Travel

6



Water and Power

7



What do you need to develop an infrastructure?

NATURAL RESOURES

$$$$

KNOWLEDGE LABOR

8



The Process of Project Development

• Need• Financing (Economics)• Planning• Permitting• Design• Construction• Maintenance

9



Example - VU Student Health Center

• What is the need?• How is the project financed?• What steps were involved in

planning?• What permits were required?• What design considerations were

involved?• Who will construct the facility?• What will be required to maintain it?

10



How is the process different in Latin

America?

Let’s look at the individual steps ...

11



Need

• How are the needs different?• Urban vs. Rural• Examples

– Cable TV vs. Electricity – Water: Taste vs. Quality concerns– Roads: How many lanes vs. no

pavement

Fundamental needs still exist!

12



Latin America’s Mega-Cities

• Cities with est. population > 10 Million– Mexico City – 19.3 Million– Sao Paulo – 18.5 Million– Buenos Aires – 13.4 Million– Rio de Janeiro – 11.2 Million

• 3 out of every 4 people in Latin America live in urban areas

• approximately 1 in 8 live in these four Mega-cities

13



Latin America: Urban vs. Rural

• Nearly 70% of people in Latin America who live in poverty live in urban areas

• Challenges in Latin American cities:– Shanty towns, air pollution, water

pollution, traffic congestion– Problems with transport, housing, and

crime– Advantages in employment,

infrastructure, and services

14



Statistics on Squatter Settlements (c. 1990)

City Population% in

Squatter Settlements

Mexico City 15.8 Million 60

Sao Paulo 10.4 Million 31

Buenos Aires 10.9 Million 5

Rio de Janeiro

9.7 Million 10

Lima 6.2 Million 38

Bogota 4.8 Million 26

15



Financing/Economics

• Whose needs come first?• Where does the money come

from?

16



Example - Major Concrete Projects in Honduras

• 5 US corporations• 3 Japanese corporations• 2 US government• 2 Local government• 5 other foreign corporations

(Finland, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Argentina)

17



Financing/Economics

• Other important factors– Inflation– Taxes

What did you find in your assigned reading?

18



Planning and Permitting

• Vary by project– type– scope– owner/financier

• Less red tape … less structured• Environmental considerations?

19



Design

• Building Codes• Natural Hazards• Material Availability/Costs• Knowledge - training and

experience• Cost factors

20



Building Codes

• What is a building code?• US codes are based on life safety • Building codes reference material

codes• Consider natural hazards

21



Natural Hazards

22



Hurricanes for the 1998 season

Mitch

23



Hurricane Mitch

24



Seismic Activity

25



26



Building Codes continued

• Continuous improvement– Based on recent events– Based on the latest research

• Are there building codes in Latin America?

27



Materials

• Steel• Concrete• Wood• Masonry (Concrete block and brick)• Innovative materials

28



Availability of Materials

• A major concrete company in Honduras

• 3 plants in the country– 2 San Pedro Sula– 1 Tegucigalpa

• 16 different companies listed in the greater Philadelphia area– with as many as 15 plants each!

29



Knowledge

• Education - formal vs. hands-on• Training - on the job• Experience - different jobs• Licensure

– in the US this means responsibility and liability

30



Design to Construction

• In the US these are different tasks• In Latin America these are often

combined– The same people may do both

31



Engineering Education

• Historical Development in Latin America– 1st University in Santo Domingo in 1538– State sponsored institutions– Financially dependent on civil authority– Autonomous in academic matters– Followed the Spanish model

32




• Historical Development in North America– Followed the English model (Oxford and

Cambridge)– Emphasized religion, humanities, and arts– Harvard established in 1636 (100 years

later)– Introduced developing concepts in natural

science and mathematics (Newton)

33




• Historical Development– Latin America … Spain … Practice

Oriented– North America … England … Theory

(Religion, Arts, Math, Science)

• Are teachers transmitters or creators of knowledge?

34



Engineering Education - Faculty

• Latin America– Part-time– 1 – 40% are full-

time– Practitioners– Limited facilities

and resources– Slowly changing

• North America– Advanced degrees

required– Full-time– Teachers and

Researchers– Experimentalists

35



Engineering Education - Curriculum

• Latin America– Highly variable– Emphasis on

practice– 5 to 6 years to

complete degree– Some do not

include pure science and math

• North America– ABET, ASCE– 4 years, 5 yr BS/MS– Rigid minimum

requirements, including math, science, design, and humanities

– Social, ethical, global issues

36



Current Trends and Future Considerations

• Non-ABET accredited programs (technology schools)

• 5 year degrees • Should we teach principles or

application?• Should we move towards the

middle?• Should the first professional degree

be a Masters degree?

37



Construction• Equipment • Material • Labor

– Training– Experience– Subcontractors

• Quality Control/Inspection• Safety

38



Maintenance

• Recurring costs• Design life• Recall - Building Codes are based on

life safety, not on zero damage …

How do the US and Latin America deal with disaster damage, respectively?

39



Disaster Recovery

• United States– Hazard Reduction Societies– Government Declaration of Disaster Areas– FEMA, Red Cross, etc.

• Latin America– Hurricane Mitch– Venezuela Mudslides– El Salvador Earthquake

40



The Internet Around the WorldInternet Users as of October 2000

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

# o

f U

sers

(M

illi

on

s)

Middle East Africa Latin America Asia/Pacific Europe US/Canada

41



Communications Infrastructure in L.A.

Telephone Lines Per 100 People

Internet Users Per 100 People

42



Will L.A. Ever Catch Up?

• “Leapfrog” effect needed to catch up

• Promise of cellular & wireless technologies that require different infrastructure needs

• Wireless infrastructure: – Capital costs, trained users,

technicians, illiteracy and language

43



A Positive Statistic

• Catholic University of Chile project aimed to enhance efficiency, quality, and equity in education and integrate children into the Internet culture

• As of 2000, about 50% of grammar schools and nearly 100% of high schools in Chile have Internet-connected computer labs

44



Our Experiences in Honduras

45



Amigos De Jesus - boys orphanage

46



Amigos-Villanova Relationship

• Amigos and Villanova agree on the scope of the project

• Villanova Seniors design the project (with our “guidance”)

• Faculty and students aid in the construction process over spring break

47



Projects• 2000 – 25’ tall reinforced concrete cross on top of

a hill overlooking the orphanage• 2001 – Foundations for a two story reinforced

concrete building to serve as a chapel and volunteer center

• 2002 – Concrete columns for the chapel and volunteer center

• 2003 – Elevated concrete slabs supporting for the same building

• 2004 – Preliminary design of an elementary school and surveying the site

48



A Unique Course

• Transfer of knowledge– US to Honduras– Honduras to US

• Service related to engineering profession– Design (all students)– Construction (some students)

• Insight into a very different culture • Theory meets Practice

49



Introductions

50



View of the hill in 2000

Cross site at top of hill

51



View of the hill in 2002

52



Construction Equipment

• Construction schedules must consider that they do not have access to:– Backhoes– Concrete Trucks– Concrete Mixer– Lifting Crane

53



Lifting and transport of heavy objects ...

54



must be done by hand ...

55



… or by wheelbarrow

56



Construction Materials

• Wood– Plywood and Structural Lumber very

expensive and not readily available– Most lumber is cut by hand from trees

on site

• Typical of many rural locations

57



Hand-cut Lumber

58



All Scaffolding and Formwork Must be Built by Hand

59




• Steel– Access to sheet metal, light gauge

tubes, bars, ties, etc.– Rebar available, but sizes are limited– Welding unit (Not typical of most rural

locations)

60



Typically automated in the US, done by hand at our site

61




• Concrete– Cement available– Aggregates taken from nearby river

62



Year 1 - Oxcart Used to Haul Aggregates From Nearby River

63




• Concrete– Cement available– Aggregates taken from nearby river– Concrete mixed by hand using

shovels

64



Concrete is Hand-mixed with Shovels

65




• Concrete– Cement available– Aggregates taken from nearby river– Concrete mixed by hand using shovels– If it wasn’t for the students, there would

be no quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) program

– Dramatic improvements have been made

66



Recommendations on the Cement Bag

67



Quality Control

68



Quality Control

69



Labor• The workers at the orphanage take

pride in their work• Unskilled, but high quality of

construction

70



Ubil - runs the orphanage and is in charge of engineering and

construction

71



72



Infrastructure: Site vs. Town

73



Infrastructure Site vs. Town

74



Non-engineered Structures

75




76




77



Infrastructure: Rural vs. Urban

78



Infrastructure: Rural vs. Urban

79



Summary• Infrastructure development• The process of project development

and the factors that affect the process • Differences between US and Latin

America• Differences between urban and rural

areas• Our experiences

80



Possible Paper Topics

• Natural disaster effects• Major infrastructure initiatives• Development of internet in Latin America • Development of the Panama Canal or any

other significant/historical engineering accomplishment (a historical perspective!)

• Regulatory agencies and/or building codes • Engineering education history and recent

initiatives• Come see us (144 and 146 Tolentine)

81



I will be grading your papers

Engineering, Construction, and Development April 13, 2004

Documents

Transcript of Engineering, Construction, and Development April 13, 2004