Ashutosh

'The Choice is simple Sustainable development, unsustainable development or no development at all.' Sandy Halliday, Build Green 1990." National Perspective Continuing with the conventional constructional technologies for the mass housing is like burning candle from both sides. It is unsafe, polluting, wasteful and may be.... undignified for our times. The negatives multiply in case of high rise construction wherein it is akin to burning candle from all ends. It is the root cause of the poor quality, Project Time + Cost overruns and most tragic of them all most fatal accidents. Indian construction Industry (?) can't afford to continue it  for mass construction projects. Planetary Perspective With the above perspective, achieving mission of Housing for all by 2022 through the present industry practices is likely to be disastrous not only for us but for the whole planet as well. For achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is imperative that w...

“Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” Victor Hugo Sustainability is the idea of which the time has come. In earlier posts  Decision Making Through  Life Cycle Costing- A Simple Practical Example   and  Life Cycle Costing-2: A Practical Project Feasibility Example Solutions  were worked out with side by side generating the cash flows and evaluating the Present Worths of the two alternate cash flows.  The life now is not as simple as say a decade ago when the above solutions were evolved and accepted. The clients are more demanding and we have numerous options & better software tools. Most importantly passionate green professionals have to strive and inch all solutions towards sustainability.  FOCUS:  Supporting Green Decisions With Financial Simulations Sheer inertia and lack of qualified professionals in the Indian Construction Industry are main factors that inhibit innovations. So business goes a...

In an earlier simpler example  ,we have worked out the PV (Present Value) of two  possible cash flows for decision making. The example presented in this blog further works out two scenarios side by side and calculates the Payback period of an expenditure as well. As usual, one need to consult Subject Matter Experts and get the advise on the inputs. Problem Statement Decision is required whether to replace Sodium Vapour  Lights with LED Lights. Cash Flows are created on the basis of expert inputs which may be provided or obtained from Facility Management, Procurement and  Electrical Engineering Departments. Risk Management part may also be deliberated  with Accounts, Finance and Legal Departments and can also be reflected into the cash flow. The Excel workbook has been set in  a user friendly setup and may be understood by even a casual Excel User. Download the work book   The following risk factors (not covered in the sim...

Decision Making Through  Life Cycle Costing- A Simple Practical Example Problem Statement: To compare the life cycle costing by calculating the single Present  Value for different scenarios. A choice is required to be made for air conditioning by Installing AC only Installing AC along with insulation works and solar film . The variables would be the Initial costs and the Cost of Capital. The link below would take you to the Excel worksheet wherein the comments in each cell would make you understand the process fully. It is assumed that the user is a knowledge worker and the input parameters have been evaluated through experts. Excel Workbook has been set in a manner that is fit for a novice excel user. Download The Excel File Related Article - THE ECONOMY OF ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS; AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

This Excel Application Calculates the Points for making a parabolic camber Board and draws a chart for the half road section profile. You are required to enter the road width and the % slope. The parabolic shape is given so that the profile is flat at the middle and steeper towards the edges, which is preferred by the fast moving vehicles as they have to frequently cross the crown line during overtaking operations.  on a two lane highway. Download Application here.

To begin with the single most important reason to adopt the MS Project is that activity sequencing with it is very easy. It is here assumed that your team is already using other MS office applications (2007 or later). The initiation of schedule preparation with MS Project would give rich dividends and justify additional cost and effort on this account only. In Indian scenario especially at locations where construction projects have suddenly grown both in size and complexities, gaining maturity in professional scheduling/work sequencing can be a boon. The construction projects scenario here can be summed up as below. 1.        Projects are getting more complex. 2.        Numerous sub consultants and subject matter experts are involved. 3.    Construction Industry has a tradition of consultants working in silos. 4.        Works have to be got done through subcontracting. ...

Why on earth would one like to do structural and other construction related designs using Excel? Are not there lot of software already? And most tend to get user friendly and simplistic after a few repetitions. The answers to above are, that is why and more so! The software in use are black boxes and don’t really connect with your conceptual engineering (first principles) knowledge. And that is why you can’t be creative or audit it. The questions that must be asked are. Can one relate the process with basics? Can you be creative and generate alternatives?   How does it handle integrated cost optimization and quantitative risk management? In any case, you require the designs to be cross checked with another software application. And the knowledge worker within you would definitely like to connect it with subject basics. It is fun to use advanced Excel skills to address the above. Building Green demands creativity and innovation. Sustainability requires energy and ...