Why are big projects often complete late and out of budget Essay

Why are big projects often complete late and out of budget - Essay Example uth Wales Labor Government ran an international competition for a design for a complex including 2 main halls, a restaurant and meeting rooms with 234 architects from 9 countries submitting designs. An extraordinarily ambitious design by Jorn Utzon was initially rejected by an assessment committee, however, respected Finnish architect Eero Saarinon convinced them to change their minds and Utzon was awarded the prize. Before The Opera House, Utzon had won 7 of eight competitions he had entered but not one of his designs was ever built. It was estimated that construction would take 5 years and would cost A$7 million. The â€Å"Opera House Lottery† was born in 1958 as an extra source of funding before construction had begun. The original completion date was set down for 26th January, 1963 (Australia Day) and it didnt reach completion until 1973, 10 years late and the costs had blown out to A$103 million, 14 times over budget. Because of the complexities of his design, Utzon, was aware that technical problems would arise and as advanced technology that was not yet available would be needed to address these problems. He pleaded that he had not yet fully completed the design for the structure and asked for more time to tackle these problems, however his request was denied with the government fearing that funding and public opinion would turn against them and construction began in 1959, two years ahead of Utzons schedule. The lack of preparation had immediate consequences and many structural issues remained unsolved. With unexpected difficulties such as bad weather and the inability to have a suitable avenue for rain water to be diverted along with the fact that appropriate construction drawings had not been drafted, work was already running 47 weeks behind schedule. The roof of the Opera House was to be formed with a series of precast concrete shells and covered with Swedish made white glazed tiles. It was discovered, after the monumental Grand Podium, with its

Discuss a new technology or recent technological change Article

Discuss a new technology or recent technological change - Article Example According to a research, â€Å"7 out of 10 kids in households with tablets use them on a regular basis (Nielsen defines â€Å"kids† as those aged 12 or younger). This is a 9% increase from stats reported a year ago† (Wolford, 2012). Children’s use of tablets is growing particularly in the first world countries and this has many implications on their psychological, physical, and social development. My motivation to write this paper comes from the fact that I have a son that is only four and a half years old and has a tablet that he uses at least three hours a day. I think that is too much for a child only that old. I often think if I should take steps to limit my child’s interaction with the tablet, but I am equally worried about the fact that this might stop my child from learning its use and acquainting himself with the fundamentals of the technology that he would be frequently encountering in the future. I think the sooner he learns these things, the better it would be for him in the future throughout his education and career. I tend to make sure that my child goes out for playing for some time to nurture his body physically and facilitate its growth. I also make sure to spend some time with my child when I monitor his home work and narrate him stories so that his connection with his family or the normal development style traditionally experienced by the children is not lost. Today, entertainment is omnipresent but good entertainment is scanty. The solution to the problem is not to limit children’s access to tablets, but to provide them with such programs and games on them that are not only entertaining and engaging, but are also educational for them. In a way, a new educational system needs to be regulated in which education is conveyed to the children through the tablets not necessarily related to the curriculum they should study at a particular point in time since schools serve that