CONSTRUCTIO

N FIELDWORK

CONSTRUCTION

Is theprocessof creating and

buildinginfrastructureor afacility. It differs
frommanufacturingin that manufacturing
typically involves mass production of similar
items without a designated purchaser, while
construction is typically done on location for
a known client.

TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION

Building Construction
Residential construction
New construction
techniques and
sustainability

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

Building construction is the process of adding structure

toreal propertyor construction of buildings. The vast
majority of building construction jobs are small
renovations, such as addition of a room, or renovation of a
bathroom. Often, the owner of the property acts as
laborer, paymaster, and design team for the entireproject.

RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION

Residential constructionis the business of

building and selling individual and multi-family
dwellings. The market fragments into single-unit,
manufactured, duplex, quadplex, and apartments
and condominiums. Manufactured housing further
divides into mobile homes and pre-built houses.

NEW CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES AND

SUSTAINABILITY

New techniques of building construction are being

researched, made possible by advances in3D
printingtechnology. In a form ofadditive building
construction, similar to the additive many facturing
techniques for manufactured parts,building
printingis making it possible to flexibly construct
small commercial buildings and private habitations
in around 20 hours, with built-in plumbing and
electrical facilities, in one continuous build, using
large 3D printersWorking versions of 3D-printing
building technology are already printing 2 metres
(6ft 7in) of building material per hour as of January
2013, with the next-generation printers capable of
3.5 metres (11ft) per hour, sufficient to complete a

CONSTRUCTION PROCESSES

Design team

In the modern industrialized world, construction

usually involves the translation of designs into
reality. A formal design team may be assembled
to plan the physical proceedings, and to integrate
those proceedings with the other parts. The
design usually consists of
drawingsandspecifications.

Financial advisors

Construction projects can suffer from preventable financial

problems.Underbidshappen when builders ask for too little
money to complete the project.Cash flowproblems exist
when the present amount of funding cannot cover the current
costs for labour and materials, and because they are a matter
of having sufficient funds at a specific time, can arise even
when the overall total is enough.Fraudis a problem in many
fields, but is notoriously prevalent in the construction
field.Financial planning for the project is intended to ensure
that a solid plan with adequate safeguards and contingency
plans are in place before the project is started and is required
to ensure that the plan is properly executed over the life of
the project.

TRAINING REQUIRED FOR

CONSTRUCTION WORK

Construction site work to be done by any engineer will depend on

the size and complexity of the project. Smaller projects may
require a single engineer who would have to handle all aspects. As
project sizes grow, workloads in various branches of the project
increase and may require an engineer to supervise and oversee
only the particular department to which he is assigned. Engineers
during their professional education and training are given the
necessary skills and knowledge in all aspects of engineering and
the trades to provide supervisory and supporting roles in the
construction field. In addition they also have knowledge of
scheduling, planning, design, surveying, management, and the
cost aspects of a project. One thing that has to be constantly kept
in mind by anyone seeking opportunities in construction is that
such works are of a temporary nature and only last until the
completion of the project.

FIELD WORK ON CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

Engineers concerned with directfieldworkhave to allocate

the work to the various agencies under their control, arrange
for materials and equipment, and ensure that the works are
carried out by the workers as per the specifications laid down
and as per drawings given to them by the planners. They
would have to also ensure that the work is carried out as per
the given schedule, and this would require constant
monitoring of the productivity of the workers under their
control. Thesafetyaspect of the workers has also to be
ensured by the engineer. On larger sites, separate engineers
would be concerned with the laying out of the work and the
measuring it after it is completed. A separate QA QC section
would also oversee the necessary quality.

OFFSITE WORK AND COORDINATION

There is also a substantial amount of work that has

to be done off site in any construction project. This
can involve detail scheduling and monitoring of
progress to ensure that the work is within the time
schedule envisaged by the owners orstakeholders.
Attention is also required to be paid to procurement
of the materials to ensure that the schedule of
construction is not interrupted. Provision of
temporary facilities like offices, storage space,
water supply, electricity, and security may require
the attention of the engineer.

OPPORTUNITIES IN CONSTRUCTION FOR PEOPLE

IN TRADES

Opportunities in construction depend on the

educational background and vocational training
people have acquired before their entry into the
industry. Unskilled and semi-skilled site labor, which is
required on most project sites, form a large part of the
workforce on any construction project. There is no
educational or vocational training required if you are
looking for opportunities to work at construction sites.
However, contractors who hire such labor will give
preference to people who have experience in working
on similar projects. Thus experience becomes a must
when you look for such opportunities.

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENTS

Dump trucks or production trucks are those that

are used for transporting loose material such as
sand, dirt, and gravel for construction. The typical
dump truck is equipped with a hydraulically
operated open box bed hinged at the rear, with the
front being able to be lifted up to allow the contents
to fall out on the ground at the site of delivery.

Front Loader. Also known as a front end loader, bucket loader,

scoop loader, or shovel, the front loader is a type of tractor that is
normally wheeled and uses a wide square tilting bucket on the end of
movable arms to lift and move material around.The loader assembly
may be a removable attachment or permanently mounted on the
vehicle. Often times, the bucket can be replaced with other devices
or tools, such as forks or a hydraulically operated bucket.

Forklift. Sometimes called a forklift truck, the forklift is a

powerful industrial truck that is used to lift and transport
material by steel forks that are inserted under the load.
Forklifts are commonly used to move loads and equipment
that is stored on pallets. The forklift was developed in 1920,
and has since become a valuable piece of equipment in
many manufacturing and warehousing operations .

Mobile Cranes. The most basic type of crane

consists of a steel truss or telescopic boom mounted
on a mobile platform, which could be a rail, wheeled,
or even on a cat truck. The boom is hinged at the
bottom and can be either raised or lowered by
cables or hydraulic cylinders.

Telescopic Crane. This type of crane offers a boom

that consists of a number of tubes fitted one inside of
the other. A hydraulic mechanism extends or retracts
the tubes to increase or decrease the length of the
boom.

Compact Excavator. The compact hydraulic excavator

can be a tracked or wheeled vehicle with an approximate
operating weight of 13,300 pounds.Normally, it includes a
standard backfill blade and features an independent
boom swing. The compact hydraulic excavator is also
known as a mini excavator.