LEARNINGS AND CONCLUSION

Even though my time spent working for Allado Construction Co., Inc. was brief, the
experiences, lessons, and knowledge that the organization and its employees shared with
me were precious and unmatched. With the careful direction, understanding, and
comprehension of our project engineer, Engr. Russell An Lucernas, our host training
establishment coordinator, Ms. Analyn Arenduque, and all the people working in the
company. I was able to gain a thorough understanding of how a field project is managed and
carried out as well as how an engineer handles the various projects or operations daily and
this knowledge will be one of my strongest assets for my future career in this industry. We
received an introduction to the company's background, history, and both past and present
projects throughout the first day. I discovered during the orientation that the company is
strict about adhering to the Quality, Environmental, Health, and Safety Management System.
Additionally, I now understand the key components of an operational process, which forms
a crucial aspect of the company's organizational structure. These components range from
business planning and bidding through accounting, review, and warehousing.
My first day in the field was insightful since I witnessed how the project engineer
had a toolbox meeting and how the day's duties are distributed among the team members.
By chance, my colleagues and I also got to see how an engineer manages and talks about a
potential project and negotiates with a client. I've seen firsthand how having a cool head
and a calm manner may be beneficial when dealing with some clients. I've also learnt that
having the right experience and the ability to read plans correctly can help a lot when
managing projects because it offers previous knowledge that can be applied to the current
task. In addition, we were asked to map the lot titles for the projects that the company was
managing, and we were astonished to find that some of the lots for those projects did not
adhere to the typical lot forms that we were accustomed to seeing. We discovered that lot
sizes rely not only on the area of the property but also on its topography. I now understand
that elevation significantly affects the scope of the lot because it can change the usable
surface area. Given that the project was situated in a mountainous area, it was expected that
the lots would differ slightly from typical lots in appearance.
Along with plotting, Phase II of Diamond Heights needed to be surveyed so that a
Road Profile could be made for the "As-Built" plan. I've come to realize that there is a
significant distinction between "as-planned" and "as-built". One significant distinction
between the two is that there is always a margin of error when it comes to the execution of
the designs, such as the elevations, separations between the pavement and gutters of the
roads, etc. I've also discovered that not being able to visit a site before making plans for a
certain area has a significant impact on the project because it is impossible to build designs
without first considering the topography of the place, its scope, slopes, elevations,
surroundings, and other factors. Phase II's surveying also taught me how to work quickly
and to avoid taking short cuts because doing so would just produce a product with faults.
I've also discovered that in the field, performing your duty requires you to be keener and
more vigilant. Working while distracted will seriously harm the project and could have a
negative impact on the personnel. Additionally, we have seen firsthand how the effects of
the weather may significantly slow down the development of any jobs or projects.
The second week, we basically kept working on the survey while also being tasked
with assessing and completing the costs for the AQUAGEM wastewater treatment facility
planned for Diamond Heights. I've discovered that the purpose of estimating is to ensure
that the contractor for the project will make a profit rather than a loss as well as to
determine the cost of materials for the project. Because it guarantees that the liquid assets
will be distributed effectively, estimating is a crucial step in the construction process. The
process of construction is not complete without construction estimates. They entail
forecasting and computing the estimated expenditures related to a construction project.
Throughout the construction process, accurate estimates are essential for planning,
obtaining financing, and making wise decisions.
During our third week, I've gained a lot of knowledge about the procedure and
significance of the work done in road construction. We were able to carry out the field
density test of the soil prior to the completion of the concrete pour for route 11. Since we
were unable to execute this experiment during the pandemic and instead primarily focused
on the theoretical side of geotechnical engineering, this was a particularly memorable
aspect of our internship because we were able to perform the test personally. I now
understand how crucial the field density test is while building roads. One reason is that it
aids in determining if the soil is sufficiently compacted and may be regarded as "passed"
before the concrete is poured. This will guarantee that the failed soil won't eventually cause
the concrete pavement to crack. Concrete is not just poured haphazardly, as I've discovered
to my surprise in the field. It is necessary to adhere to standard operating procedures, such
as signing a pouring permit. A pouring permit confirms that the client has already given the
contractor permission to execute the pouring and records that the contractor followed
standard operating procedure without skipping any crucial steps.
My time working for this company as an intern also gave me a unique perspective on
concrete pouring. I had never given much thought to the smaller machinery used in the
pouring and curing of concrete, but after witnessing the procedure firsthand, I was
educated. The grader and the compactor are vital pieces of equipment, but so are the
troweller, vibrator, and screeder. For instance, a screeder is a piece of machinery that
vibrates and flattens freshly poured concrete while also assisting newly poured concrete's
aggregates in settling towards the base of the pavement to prevent bleeding.
After the concrete was poured, we concentrated on making the road profile for
Phase II's "as-built" plan and sampling concrete to determine the design mix that would be
used to make manholes and culverts. Since our proposal for that subject was also a road
profile, we were able to incorporate the knowledge we learned from our Route Survey
subject during this time. After completing our road profile, I discovered that "as-built" plans
are utilized as a guide when contrasting what is written in a plan and what has been
completed. Proceeding on, the coordinator of our host training facility showed us how to
create concrete test cylinders using the right procedures. Starting with the pouring of
concrete from the second batch into a concrete mold, 25 thumping repetitions, 10 hits with
a rubber mallet, repeating steps 2 and 3 twice, and concluding. Again, we were fortunate to
witness this because the pandemic prevented us from carrying out this experiment.
Another important realization I gained from this work was the requirement that the
consistency of the concrete poured for the road meet the inspector's criteria. According to
our project engineer, there have been situations in the past where the inspector was
unsatisfied with the consistency because it was either too dry or too wet, and the
contractor was told to re-batch the concrete in accordance with their specifications. One
thing I've discovered is that these projects are in some ways long-term investments, so
maintaining consistency is essential to ensuring the material lasts as long as possible and
preventing more failures, redo, and setbacks.
Our goal was to bring our concrete samples to the EB Testing Center so they could be
tested for compression during the final week after we had finished surveying Phase III of
Diamond Heights and preparing its road profile for the "as-built". We dealt with Phase III by
using the knowledge we gained from completing Phase II, which allowed us to complete it
swiftly. We also completed the road profile rather quickly and discovered that Phase III was
located at a somewhat greater elevation than Phases I and II. There were still a few blocks
without finished concrete pavement, which allowed us to complete Phase III more quickly
than Phase II. We were finally ready to put the concrete samples we had produced for the
compression test to the test. The design mix ratio was intended to be used in the
construction of manholes and culverts as well as the pavements for the Diamond Heights
and Nazareth projects. We were happy to see that all our samples passed the compression
test, did not break, and were able to bear more weight than they were designed to, which
was about 3500 psi. The conversation I had with the inspector about the uniformity of the
design mix brought me full circle because of this action. I now completely understand how
crucial the mix's uniformity is to how much weight it can support.
In conclusion, I had a memorable and insightful experience with the organization
that will help me in my future career. The experiences will help me become a better
professional, enlighten and strengthen my decision-making abilities, improve my analytical
and theoretical skills, and, with the support of everyone from the company, help me grow
into a better, all-around person who is capable of meeting all the challenges and obstacles
head-on. My experience with Allado Construction Company Inc. has been the greatest a
host training facility can provide. Many skills and experiences were taught by the
organization, the people, and the surroundings, which cannot be matched in a traditional
classroom setting.