Development of a Knowledge Base on Alternative Construction Methods
Abstract
Several building technologies and practices have emerged in recent years as alternatives to traditional design and construction in meeting cost, time, and quality goals of owners and builders. Some of these methods have been adopted within private industry, but have not yet seen wide use for military construction. However, legislation from Congress has mandated that the military services now consider using such methods when they have a potential to reduce Federal expenditures for construction. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which is responsible for construction within the Army and Air Force, has a limited background in using alternative methods due to the long reliance on traditional approaches to facility procurement. To expedite the learning process and capitalize on lessons learned from projects using alternative methods, USACE proposed that knowledge base be prepared. The U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (USACERL) is responsible for its development. This report describes the knowledge base concept and prototype. The prototype uses dBase III Plus software and IBM-compatible personal computers. Data will be both factual listings (e.g., project name, date, location) and informational (e.g., comments about a problem in the design phase). Access will be via a local data base containing installation-specific projects and through a centralized mainframe system containing USACE-wide projects. Although useful by itself, the conceptual knowledge base would be a more effective tool if it were incorporated into an expert system. Such a system would provide support in addition to an advisory function. (aw)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA217146
Entities
People
- Ruth K. Garrett
- Thomas R. Napier
Organizations
- Construction Engineering Research Laboratory