The structural design process is iterative and involves many design parameters. Thus, this paper presents a controlled framework for selecting the adequate structural floor system for reinforced concrete buildings and efficiently utilizing the corresponding construction materials. Optimization was performed using an evolutionary algorithm to minimize the total construction cost, considering the costs of concrete, steel reinforcement, formwork, and labor. In the problem formulation, the characteristic compressive strength of concrete was treated as a design variable because it affects the mechanical performance of concrete. The design variables included the column spacings, concrete dimensions, and steel reinforcement of different structural components. The constraints reflected the Egyptian code of practice provisions. Because the choice of the structural floor system affects the design details, three systems were considered: solid slabs, flat slabs with drop panels, and flat slabs without drop panels. Two benchmark examples were presented, and the optimal design results of the structural floor systems were compared. The solid slab system had the lowest construction cost among the three structural floor systems. Comparative diagrams were developed to investigate the distribution of construction costs of each floor system. The results revealed that an adequate choice of design variables could save up to 17% of the building’s total construction cost.

Building constraints hinder building operations from meeting a project’s time, budget, and quality objectives. For a construction project to provide satisfying results, it is essential to recognize and address such constraints early on. Unfortunately, research on the causes of building constraints and their implications for building management has been limited. Therefore, there is a pressing need to study the sources of constraints and how they impact project results. Consequently, this study addresses this gap by examining the hurdles confronting Egypt’s general building construction projects. Building constraints were identified from previous studies, which were then contextually investigated using a survey questionnaire within the Egyptian construction sector. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) findings indicated that the constraint factors could be divided into six constructs: environment, stakeholders, regulations, policies, management, and traditional beliefs and ownership. Partial least square structural equation modeling was also utilized to create a constraint factor model. The findings demonstrated that environmental restrictions were significant obstacles to the effective execution of a project. The results of this research can assist decision makers in Egypt’s building sector in cutting costs and improving sustainability by easing the effects of limiting variables.

In recent decades, there has been considerable interest in developing underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) due to their vital role in exploring ocean depths to perform missions in various applications, including offshore oil and gas, military and defense, scientific research, and aquaculture. To this end, researchers must consider multiple aspects to develop ROVs, such as general design, power and thrust system, navigation and control, and obstacle avoidance. Accordingly, this paper proposes an integrated framework for designing and implementing an ROV prototype, considering the mechanical, electrical, and software systems. Eventually, image processing was implemented using Python to examine the ROV’s capabilities in performing underwater missions. The proposed design employs six thrusters to provide controllability of the ROV in six-degrees-of-freedom (DOF). We coated the track width of the printed circuit board (PCB) with a composite mixture of tin, silver, and gold to resist corrosion and harsh environments, enhance the circuit performance and solderability, and increase its life span. The PCB was designed to sustain 30 A with 10 cm × 10 cm dimensions. The image processing results revealed that the proposed ROV could successfully identify the benthic species, follow the desired routes, detect cracks, and analyze obstacles.

This paper investigates the effects of concrete grades and column spacings on the optimal design of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings. To this end, cost design optimization was performed for buildings with three different floor systems: flat plates (FS), flat slabs with drop panels (FSDP), and solid slabs (SS). The evolutionary method provided by the Excel solver was used as the optimization algorithm because it can deal with the complex nature of structural design problems. The objective function was the total construction cost of the building, including the costs of concrete, reinforcement bars, labor, and formwork, while still fulfilling the constraints of the Egyptian code of practice (ECP-18). The applicability of the presented algorithm was investigated in a design example, where the tuning of the evolutionary algorithm control parameters was sought, and the best parameters were investigated. Two case studies were employed to study the impacts of changing the column spacing and concrete grades on the optimal cost for each floor system. The results showed that low concrete grades, (i.e., characteristic strength up to 40 MPa) and column spacings up to 5 m are preferred in terms of direct construction costs for low-rise RC residential buildings.

The construction costs of hospital buildings are relatively high due to the need to fulfill their complex functions and avoid mishaps. In this context, this study aims to minimize the total construction costs of hospitals while still satisfying the special architectural, practical, and structural requirements specified by design codes. To this end, 48 design alternatives with two floor systems (flat slabs with and without drop panels), three column spacings, and eight concrete grades were optimized using genetic algorithms provided by Palisade Evolver. The objective function included the materials and labor costs per square meter of the floor plan. The decision variables involved the concrete dimensions and steel bars of floors and columns. The hospital buildings were subjected to gravity, earthquake, and wind loads to thoroughly examine the realistic loading conditions. The design was performed in accordance with the Egyptian code for the design and construction of concrete structures and the Egyptian guidelines for hospitals and healthcare facilities. The results revealed that using low-strength concrete, and flat slabs without drop panels could achieve the best design. The slab thickness had a governing impact on the total cost of both floor systems.