Professional Documents
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Site Layout Facilities For Complex Projects
Site Layout Facilities For Complex Projects
Jonathan S C Siu
Former Project Manager, Meco Services Ltd., Hong Kong, China
Dr.Christabel Ho
Lecturer, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China
ABSTRACT:
The effectiveness in site layout and construction planning for extremely large-scale and complicated construction projects not only affects productivity and cost, it also controls whether a project can be handled and
completed in a practical, safe, orderly, efficient and engineering feasible manner.
Projects qualified to be extremely large and complicated can be in a variety of forms. Take for examples in
Hong Kongs situation. Construction cost of projects sometimes exceeds billions of dollars. Site covers more
than a few hectares of land with building areas in term of hundred thousands square meters. Or, projects
sometimes involve the construction of super high-rise buildings with more that 60 or 70 storeys in height.
This kind of building development projects, very often, consists of a number of annexed facilities such as a
very deep basement, or a podium with very large interior space and long-span elements. Special structures
like buildings constructed in structural steel or in composite manner. Some projects are located within very
congested urban environment, or located in close proximity to steep slope, or adjacent to sensitive facilities
like underground tunnels. In case of civil engineering projects, sometimes they also involve special provisions,
diversion and interfacing arrangement to very busy servicing traffic and other urban facilities.
This paper will identify various types of construction cases qualified to be of extremely large and complicated
nature under the built environment of Hong Kong. The paper will also illustrate how builders solve such
problems using innovative methods. Relevant brief case examples from civil engineering works in particular
for transportation facilities will also be referred in order to substantiate the explanation of the subject matter.
1 INTRODUCTION
Usually when we are talking about site layout facilities we refer to essential temporary facilities that are
required to be provided during the period of construction in order to assist in the completion of the
construction works. Site layout facilities and construction planning usually has a close relationship
for some of the major construction activities are
highly depended on the provision of these facilities
in order to have the works completed effectively, efficiently and according to a complicated schedule
which in most cases is set under a well coordinated
manner. In a general sense, these facilities include:
Photo 1 Tower crane used in high-rise building construction projects can be mounted in a number of ways. This
photo shows a climbing crane used in the construction of a
steel frame building.
(iii) hoisting equipment (for delivery of materials or components to structurally completed floors),
(iv) handling spaces for building materials and
semi-completed components including precast items, (Photo 2)
Photo 2 Storage of material can be very difficult for single tower type high-rise building. This photo shows the
temporary storing of semi-prefabricated steel components
on partially completed steel floor beams
Photo 4 Super-sized building site (the International Finance Centre) with major excavation for basement construction and other associated work activities in various locations
carried out at the same time.
Photo 13 Erection of a launching gantry in a highway project which took 2 months and a 3000 m2 work area for the
completion of the works.
Photo 16 An extremely complication diversion arrangement for a large storm water discharge in newly
reclaimed area. Tunnel tube for a new railway line will
be constructed under the new discharge culvert system..
A. Require additional time in the setting up, maintenance, relocating and dismantling the facilities,
as well as the touching up of the related areas after their removal.
Some equipments may need a very long time to
have it set up, tuned, tested and commissioned
before it can be put into actual operation. Routine
maintenance is also essential to ensure they can
work effectively and safely. Sophisticated access
provision is also required for the placing or final
removing of the equipments that may introduce
large amount of additional cost input. Typical
situation can be found in, for examples, tunneling
project using TBM, construction of elevated
bridges using precast segments erected by launching gantry, or the hoisting of extremely large and
heavy prefabricated component like sections of
long-span trusses onto the roof
Photo 17 Erection of an 8.5m diameter tunnel boring machine inside a 60m x 200m x 25m deep tunnel
portal. The tunnel machine will be dismantled after
the completion of the tunnel drilling at an access shaft
which is about 1.8 km away from the portal.
.
B. Require additional resources and handling arrangement in the setting up of the site layout facilities, equipments or other associated works.
Besides requiring a long period of time to set and
erect, some layout facilities need much additional
equipments or facilities to have them set up. Examples such as the forming of a series of large diameter bored piles for marine works, in which
temporary access ramp up to a few hundred meters long and supported on temporary marine
piles and steel deck, has to be provided for the
purpose.
C. Require additional working space for the smooth
operation of the installed facilities.
Projects such as large-scale site formation, slope,
foundation or tunnel works require huge and sophisticated equipments for the carrying out of the
job. Very large working space, sometime on very
vanced planning and coordination is essential before works can be carried out on time.
Examples for these works include large and complicated precast or prefabricated components, or
sophisticated equipments such as a bridge launching gantry or large-diameter tunnel boring machine. Sometimes for building works such as prefabricated construction using structural steel or
large amount of precast components, production
and installation of the curtain wall. These works
often require a long lead time in the design, subcontracting, internal decision, prefabrication,
quality control, testing and commission, coordination (including approval) and transportation of
the items before they can be delivered to site for
the actual operation.
Photo 18 A temporary service shaft formed in the midway of a 3.5km-long tunnel as emergency access as well
as for the transportation of working plants and materials.
I. Sometimes a site may be handed over to contractor to commence work in separated stages or required to complete the works in various phases
for handing back to the client.
Under this kind of project situation, beside the resource planning or contractual consideration issues, alternative or teething arrangement in the
site layout and the related provisions will obviously be much complicated and sometimes may
affect the overall planning of the construction. In
some extreme circumstances, another main contractor may also be working at the same time
within the site that make the situation even complicated.
J. Possible occurrence of unforeseeable risks.
Numerous variable factors co-exist with largesize and complicated construction projects. One
common characteristic is that these projects often
involve a great number of work parties both inhouse or within the contract. Sometimes the extent of works may even extend across countries
(e.g. prefabricate a 400-ton steel roof truss in
Philippine and send it to China for final touch-up
and transport back to Hong Kong for assembly).
The occurrence of risk is not so uncommon for
the unimaginable involvement of huge amount of
variable factors. These factors leading to risks
may come from contractual, managerial or subcontractors matters; engineering, technical, financial, resources issues; the occurrence of work accidents, or even come from other natural or social
matters such as extreme inclement weather, industrial strike or other human errors. To minimize
the loss coming from these risks, thorough risk
management in all aspects and a feasible reaction