Framework for owner's project requirements for total structural systems (OPRTSS)

The objective of this research is to develop a framework for the Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) for Total Structural Systems (OPRTSS) for structural commissioning of multi-story concrete and/or steel frame structures to: (1) assist owners and commissioning provider to identify and establish a proper task outline for the structural system, (2) identify Structural Engineer's responsibilities and expected performance, and (3) guide Structural Engineer's design teams to the owner's desired final product. This framework is expected to help Owners and developers to establish an OPR that will specify the desired final outcome of the projects to meet the demand of end-users in order to minimize key construction/design issues and litigations, and maximize structural performance. To achieve this goal, the researcher visited construction sites to gather of information about obstacles that the construction industry faces for the structural portion of the project's process. These obstacles are construction/design issues that were identified and addressed to improve quality, and prevent further delays and additional costs, and minimize litigation to the construction industry. This research analyzed the data collected from various construction sites. The researcher reviewed construction processes. He conducted a comprehensive literature review in the field of building commissioning and interviewed experts and professionals in the construction field for their expertise and past experience in the construction process. He analyzed construction administration documents of projects such as Request For Information (RFI), shop drawings and change orders to identify major construction/design issues that have impacted the structural performance of projects. The researcher collected comprehensive information by interviewing structural engineers, architects, attorneys, general contractors, and owner representatives. Next, the thesis developed an Owner's Project Requirements framework of the Total Building Commissioning for the Structural System to identify and resolve the main problems that were faced by the industry. Using procedures directed by ASHRAE Guideline 0-2005 as the base and using the established OPR for ASHRAE Guideline 1-2007 and NIBS Guideline 3-2006, the initial framework for Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) was prepared. With the knowledge and agreement of the experts, the identified major construction/design issues were divided in three groups as follows: · Group one of construction/design issues (also indentified as performance indicators) was identified as those items that were beyond the requirements of applicable building codes or engineering principles, but were demanded by Owners due to today's working environment, new technologies and market demands. · Group two of construction/design issues was identified as those items that were not clearly defined in the construction documents or project contracts and there was some ambiguity as to who the responsible party is to fulfill those tasks. These construction/design issues were analyzed and defined and added to the OPRTSS for Owners to address in advance. · Group three of construction/design issues was identified as those items that are related to design and construction quality. These construction/design issues were added to the appendix of this research as a Guideline to help construction teams to address these construction/design issues during document preparation and construction. An initial suggested Framework for the Owner's Project Requirements for the Total Structural Systems (OPRTSS) was developed using the initial OPR to identify construction/design issues related to the structural system. A questionnaire was designed per the requirement of the Delphi technique and was sent to a panel of experts for their use to validate the suggested OPRTSS. The answered questionnaires were analyzed and the original OPRTSS was modified to create the final OPRTSS. This corrected OPRTSS was then sent to the same panel of experts for final verification and valid tion. The intent was to get a consensus of the experts to provide for inclusiveness of the final OPRTSS per the direction of the Delphi technique.