Future Construction Industry Trends | Page 53

Tidal power - Also called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into useful forms of power, mainly electricity. Although not yet widely used, tidal power has potential for future electricity generation. Tides are more predictable than wind energy and solar power. Among sources of renewable energy, tidal power has traditionally suffered from relatively high cost and limited availability of sites with sufficiently high tidal ranges or flow velocities, thus constricting its total availability. However, many recent technological developments and improvements, both in design (e.g. dynamic tidal power, tidal lagoons) and turbine technology (e.g. new axial turbines, cross flow turbines), indicate that the total availability of tidal power may be much higher than previously assumed, and that economic and environmental costs may be brought down to competitive levels. Timber framing and "post-and-beam" construction - are methods of building with heavy timbers rather than "dimension lumber" such as 2"x4"s. Traditional timber framing is the meth od of creating structures using heavy squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs (larger versions of the mortise and tendon joints in furniture). It is commonplace in wooden buildings from the 19th century and earlier. The method comes from making things out of logs and tree trunks without modern high tech saws to cut lumber from the starting material stock. Using axes, adzes and draw knives, hand-powered auger drill bits (bit and brace), and laborious woodworking, artisans or farmers could gradually assemble a building capable of bearing heavy weight without excessive use of interior space given over to vertical support posts. Since this building method has been used for thousands of years in many parts of the world, there are many styles of historic framing. These styles are often categorized by the type of foundation, walls, how and where the beams intersect, the use of curved timbers, and the roof framing details. Three basic types of timber frames in English-speaking countries are the box frame, cruck frame, and aisled frame. Time management - the act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity. Source: Wikipedia Tools and equipment - Any tool is any physical item that can be used to achieve a goal, especially if the item is not consumed in the process. Informally the word is also used to describe a procedure or process with a specific purpose. Tools that are used in particular fields or activities may have different designations such as "instrument", "utensil", "implement", "machine", or "apparatus". The set of tools needed to achieve a goal is "equipment". The knowledge of constructing, obtaining and using tools is technology. Source: Wikipedia Value added - The amount by which the value of an article is increased at each stage of its production, exclusive of initial costs. Source: Wikipedia Value Engineering - Value engineering (VE) is a systematic method to improve the "value" of goods or products and services by using an examination of function. Value, as defined, is the ratio of function to cost. Value can therefore be increased by either improving the function or reducing the cost. Source: Wikipedia Values matrix alignment - Maps the value of your recommendations for features and services across business needs and defines the criteria by which you would judge each recommendation successful. The Value Matrix communicates with product stakeholders and business owners in a language they understand. “The Value Matrix succinctly communicates to all stakeholders the reason—not just the business objective, but also the specific customer need—for each feature or process.” The process of creating the Value Matrix can fill that gap. The Value Matrix succinctly communicates to all stakeholders the reason—not just the business objective, but also the specific customer need—for each feature or process. In essence, the Value Matrix provides a means of summarizing and applying your customer research. The Value Matrix is not a magic bullet. It provides a summary of a variety of documents and ©Copyright 2014, North Central Texas InterLink, Inc. All rights reserved 53