Volume of water
Weight of cement
4.27 tons
10
"
11
"
sand aggregate
9.49 tons
143.00
8
b
17.26 tons 544.19 gallons
158.88
15252.48
C
2.94
C
0.67
2.26
9151.48
e
67.00 E 27.12
A
The whole (simple) computation had taken 25 seconds. The process was repeated for the remaining four rectangular areas and the total labour- time was:-
Quantity Surveyor (Taking-off and writing down variables for each of 5 areas.) Typist
(Feeding in magnetic card and 4 variables and typing results for each of 5 areas.)
Total
- 1 min. 10 sec.
= 8 min. 40 sec.
9 min. 50 sec.
The next stage of the test was pro- grammed and recorded by the architect (which occupied 58 minutes of his labour) as shown at figure 3. The quantity surveyor supplied the typist with the following five variables:-
S1 = 50.75 ft. (length of of 1st side
of BWK)
Cy
= 20.75 ft. (length of 2 of 2nd side
of BWK)
S
-
S1
*
S1
=
50.75 ft. (length of 2 of 3rd side of BWK)
20.75 ft. (length of of 4th side of BWK)
10.00 ft. (height of BWK)
These she fed into the computer and as a variation of procedure the typist manually printed out the com- puted results:-
SSSS S
V
50.75
20.75
50.75
20.75
AREA No. I
-
She then typed:— Length of of BWK = Area of BWK Quantity of bricks Volume of mortar Weight of cement Weight of sand Cost of bricks Cost of cement Cost of sand
=
143.00 f. lin.
158.88 f.s. 15,253.00 Nos.
2.94 y.c.
0.67 tons.
2.26 tons. 9,151.48 HK$ 67.00 HK$ 27.12 HK$
Here it should be noted that con- stants had been written into the programme for the local unit-cost of bricks. cement and sand but if fluctuating prices are envisaged, these may be entered as variables instead.
Again the process was repeated for the remainder of the five areas and timing was as follows:-
Quantity surveyor (Taking-off and writ- ing down 5 variables for each of 5 areas) Typist
(Feeding in magnetic card, enter code- letter and 5 variables for each of 5 areas, awaiting computation (40 seconds each), and typing out results in tabulated form as above)
Total labour time
= 2 min. 35 sec.
- 10 min. 35 sec.
= 13 min. 10 sec.
It was noted here that it would be possible to accumulate computed re-
sults, printing out all items for each area as a check, but adding to each former total simultaneously and finally printing out a list of grand totals.
Application
methods it appeared By these methods feasible to produce material by which the typist could produce a simple costed bill of quantities with minimal effort by the architect and the quantity surveyor.
To this end the architect sketched out a foul-drainage manhole, and wrote and recorded (on a magnetic- storage card) a computer programme. This occupied 2 hours and 35 minutes. The quantity surveyor measured off and wrote down 37 variables which occupied 16 minutes.
The typist fed in the magnetic card, started the sequence, fed in the 37 variables, awaited computation (1 minute 40 seconds) typed out Bill of Quantities from the architect's speci- fication clauses (written in bill clause form) and the computer's printed out results. This occupied 22 minutes.
As a norm the quantity surveyor measured-off, entered to dimension sheets, abstracted and wrote a draft bill (i.e. in the traditional method) which occupied 1 hour and 30 minutes of his time.
In comparative form:
hr.
min.
20
2 8819
Traditional Method
Architect (sketch &
specification clauses)
Quantity Surveyor (taking-
off, abstracting, draft Bill) Typist (Typing Bills)
1
30
20
Total
2
10
Computer Method
hr.
min.
2
35
16
PLAN No.1
AREA No. 3
PLAN No. 2
HEIGHT OF BRICK WALL=
= 10′- 0*
6 THICKNESS OF 1:2.4 CONC. 0.57 W/CT. RATIO
9" BRICKWORK
RETURN FILL AND RAM
AREA No.2
GAD. LEV.
9 HARDCORE
AREA No.
4
AREA Ne.S
PLAN No. 3
Fig. 1. Three building plan shapes
42
-
5 areas — as set out for first and second tests
Architect (sketch spec., programming, recording) Quantity Surveyor (taking- off & writing variables) Typist (feeding programme & variables awaiting computation, typing)
Total
3
22
22一18
13
From this there would appear to be no direct advantage to the architect who must, per se, be the originator of all information. (The programme would normally be written by a tech- nician member of the architect's staff.) There is however a consider- able saving in the quantity surveyors' time in this case 1 hour 14 minutes (for the first manhole) which would largely accrue with each manhole subsequently billed.
By such saving, the architect may receive from the quantity surveyor, cost-planning data in one-quarter of the former time taken; or, conversely, the architect can receive four sets of cost-planning information for the labour cost of one set previously.
From the above example it may be seen that the advantage lies in the machine's use for a series of repeti- tive and manually-expensive com- putations.
Far East BUILDER, May 1968.
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