Choosing the most appropriate method of construction with computer assistance

A method of analysing costs and durations of alternative methods of construction is presented as a possible way of solving some of the problems of the construction industry, especially in developing countries. The method involves simple use of any commercially available computer database package. The type of data required, the possible sources and the effects of variation of the data are presented. To demonstrate the use of the method three projects have been analysed using data from Kenya. The resulting accurate and fast assessment of the relative merits of alternative methods of construction enables selection of the methods of construction that are most appropriate for any given conditions. The methods are simple and can be applied without specialist computer knowledge.