Myers-Lawson School of Construction

Permanent URI for this community

https://hdl.handle.net/10919/111113

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 62

Virginia’s Public Procurement of Design-Build and Construction Management Services
Mills, Thomas H. (1999)
Both the Commonwealth of Virginia and its local governments have embarked upon a process of using Design-Build and Construction Management services as an alternative to procuring capital projects through competitive sealed bidding. In pursuit of alternative project delivery methods all states, including Virginia, must comply with public procurement acts aimed at obtaining high quality goods and services at reasonable cost. This has typically resulted in public procurement through competitive sealed bidding. Virginia’s state legislature has experimented at achieving the best from creative project delivery options through “fixed price, not to exceed price design-build and construction management contracts.” This paper illustrates Virginia’s legislative strategy; its determination and evaluation process; and explores issues faced by securers and providers when choosing and defending project delivery using Design-Build and Construction Management services. Readers are provided an opportunity to discover how Virginia is approaching its goal of achieving cost and timesavings in procuring capital projects by using Design-Build and Construction Management as project delivery options.
Transformation of Information Flows and Work Processes for Field Superintendents
Mills, Thomas H.; Lewendowski, Lisa; Wakefield, Ron R. (2002)
This paper addresses field information flows and work processes of one of America’s largest residential homebuilders. This residential contractor currently uses a combination of; 1) web based scheduling, allowing subcontractor to self schedule, 2) an e-order process for material procurement, which allows field superintendents to make simultaneously orders for multiple houses, 3) web based subcontractor payment authorization and 4) a mobile phone network internal to subdivision contractors to help deliver a portion of the parent company’s 50,000 houses a year. The objective of the research investigation is to understand which real time information in which format, will best assist construction supervision. The information mapping process for a sample of residential field superintendents is documented. Differences between the corporate workflow and information system and the system actually used by the field superintendents are highlighted. These differences guided the development of a revised information system and workflow that better serves the needs of the field superintendents. The basic field communications mechanisms and connections to the corporate database are documented. Observed ready, set, go points that connect information processes to field task initiation are also, identified within the paper. The reconfiguration of these established trigger points is addressed and identifiable information gaps are discussed. The information exchange techniques to ultimately self-activate work processes are also explored and presented.
Improved Decision Making in Construction Using Virtual Site Visits
Mills, Thomas H.; Beliveau, Yvan J.; Jung, Kyu; Ilich, Mark; Graziani, Chris; Joshi, Ketan (Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research, 2003-02)
This study explored the dynamics of information exchange involving field issues relating to construction and the assistance that a virtual site visit can provide to the field decision-making process. Such a process can be used for inspection and surveillance situations in addition to field decision making. The virtual site visit integrates advanced digital audio/video/data conferencing technology in wired and wireless Internet formats to assist in communicating field situations to remote off-site personnel. At its highest development, project information can be transmitted wirelessly through the Internet from a remote construction site to a residency and then to multiple locations through existing communication networks. This research demonstrates the ability to provide high levels of information transfer at relatively low cost, thus enabling critical and timely decisions. This is done through the use of available hardware and software assembled in a manner that allows interactive real-time audio/video transmission and reception. The research identifies the types and applicability of information critical to design and construction operations and the applicability of the Internet and advanced technologies to improve communication and decision making. In addition, the technical limitations on implementation of low-cost real-time audio-visual information transfer were explored.
Owner Initiated Modernization of Bridge Safety Inspections
Mills, Thomas H.; Wakefield, Ron; Bushman, William (2004)
This paper reports on an “asset management” research program that is applicable to both the private and public sectors. This work presents the strategies and endeavors initiated and driven by a public sector owner in an effort to modernize their current asset management practices. The Commonwealth of Virginia’s Department of Transportation (VDOT) is attempting to modernize a bridge safety inspection processes that requires over 14,000 bridges be inspected at least once every two years. The research effort involved investigating the capability to transform and replace paper-based inspection practices with advanced mobile computing practices. A series of owner-agency initiated research proposals are discussed and the impacts each would have on the procedural processes directed at transforming current work processes with newer mobile handheld computing processes. Ultimately the DOT selected a phased proposal and activated the first phase. This first phase research approach is presented, as are the results. The research determined that field inspections are readily transformable from one that relies on field marking paper reports and then returning to the office for semi-manual reporting to one that is electronically assisted in the field by using handheld computers. Identifiable areas of assistance are field data capture, automated asset inventory updates, and semi-automated report production. From this analysis a series of strategies and recommendations were identified. The owner-agency’s decision to abandon a controlled phased study in favor of an ad-hoc in-house development process is then presented and discussed.
A VR-Based Training Program for Conveyor Belt Safety
Lucas, Jason D.; Thabet, Walid; Worlikar, Poonam (2008)
The mining industry is characterized by the need for high volume of production which has forced its adoption of large and fast moving equipment for transporting bulk material. Belt conveyors have attained a dominant position in transferring material due to such inherent advantages as their economy of operation, reliability, versatility, and practically unlimited range of capabilities. With all of these factors comes an inherent danger. From 1995 to 2007 there have been a total of 534 equipment related fatal accidents in the United States as recorded by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, 50 of which are conveyor belt related. Most accidents around belt conveyors are caused by human error, improper maintenance procedures, lack of effective training or lack of awareness of possible hazards. To counteract this high number of accidents, virtual reality (VR) is being looked at as an alternative to current safety training programs. The structure and program being proposed consists of 4 steps in creating a two phased program. This paper discusses the step by step structure of creating a safety training program for belt conveyors and the first phase of implantation of the program. The first phase includes an instructional-based phase that allows for the presentation of the information compiled for the areas of training that were determined within the structure of the program. This paper will discuss the framework used in developing the VR safety training application, the first phase of the prototype development, how the data has been retrieved and organized, and how industry feedback was gathered and used to develop the application.
3D Model-Based Collaboration in Design Development and Construction of Complex Shaped Buildings
Ku, Kihong; Pollalis, Spiro N.; Fischer, Martin A.; Shelden, Dennis R. (2008)
The successful implementation of complex-shaped buildings within feasible time and budget limits, has brought attention to the potential of computer-aided design and manufacturing technologies (CAD/CAM), Building Information Modeling (BIM), and the need for integrated practice. At the core of an integrated practice vision lies the intimate collaboration between the design team and construction team and a digital three-dimensional model, often with parametric and intelligent characteristics. With the shift from two-dimensional (2D) paper-based representations to threedimensional (3D) geometric representations in building information models (BIM), architects and engineers have streamlined 'inner' design team communication and collaboration. However, practice conventions have posed significant challenges when attempting to collaborate on the designer's 3D model with the 'external' design team-involving the architect (or engineer)-of-record, and contractor, construction manager or fabricator, etc. Focusing on the execution of complex-shaped buildings, the objective of this paper is to illustrate varying collaborative approaches to understand how design teams use 3D models to control geometry. The authors attempt to provide specific responses to the following questions: What are the issues when collaborating on 3D models? What are the mechanisms that design teams adopt to surpass practice conventions? The findings from three case studies suggest that collaboration methodologies on 3D models differ with the architects' approaches to geometry control. The authors will demonstrate that successful model-based collaboration occurs either on a contractual or non-contractual model issued by the architect.
Implementation and Evaluation of a VR Task-Based Training Tool for Conveyor Belt Safety Training
Lucas, Jason D.; Thabet, Walid (2008)
Conveyor belts are dangerous to the working environment and the source of many injuries and fatalities that end up costing the industry a lot of money. In order to reduce the injuries that occur on an annual basis, better training techniques are examined. Virtual reality is examined as a way to enhance current training practices that consist mainly of slide show presentations and videos. Virtual reality is examined for task-based training where the user can interact with a working environment safely. The user is given tasks to complete within the virtual environment similar to tasks a worker would have to complete on a day to day basis. The purpose of the program is to be a method of rapidly training younger miners while supplementing on-the-job training practices and ultimately reduce accidents. The model was developed using CAD software and then imported into Deep Creator's Right Hemisphere where animations were added and functions were programmed to objects. The user's performance is tracked through the use of LISP programming and scores are tallied to judge user performance. The application was tested for quality of information, usability, and learning potential over other training methods.
Contractual Standards for Enhanced Geometry Control in Model-Based Collaboration
Ku, Kihong; Pollalis, Spiro N. (2009)
This paper discusses the definition of contractual standards for ICT-enabled business models and value-driven business models, focusing on model-based collaboration for enhanced geometry control. While a growing number of highly publicized international complex-shaped buildings have demonstrated the usage of three-dimensional (3D) modeling as the primary means for geometric representation, the authors have observed a lack of contractual standards around the 3D model. Process complexities that are deeply embedded in practice conventions, along with legal constraints and risk allocation, pose challenges to the establishment of standard agreements. As a result, individual project teams often struggle to define and find adequate design agreements to facilitate effective control of geometry around the 3D model. Ineffective geometry control may result in schedule delays when project participants disagree on the representation of the 3D model, or even change the original design intent, eroding the integrity of the design. Thus, the proliferation of 3D tools and owner demand for complex-shaped buildings creates a great need for standard design agreements over the control of the architect's geometric 3D model, in order to define control and authority, as well as a mechanism to access and verify the validity of the 3D geometry. The study presents an in-depth review and analysis of (1) the existing body of literature on effective geometry control; (2) case study examples of geometry control as a project metric; (3) an analysis of sample contract terms and the effect on geometry control approaches; and (4) recommendations for effective geometry control contract terms, processes, and strategies for owner-architect and owner-designer standard agreements. The paper's principal value lies in (1) its definition of geometry control as a performance metric and (2) its guideline for standard contract terms to facilitate effective geometry control via design agreements. The results will complement existing industry efforts by owner organizations such as the Construction Users Roundtable and design organizations such as the American Institute of Architects.
The Myers-Lawson School of Construction Spring 2009 Report
(The Myers-Lawson School of Construction, 2009-04)
Introducing Organizational Intelligence to the Construction Industry
Jung, Younghan; Mills, Thomas H. (2010)
The construction industry, which is inherently multidisciplinary, has adopted intellectual and technical business improvements from many other industries with the intent to optimize productivity. Therefore, there is a need to implement new managerial strategies that incorporate standardized and structured repeatable procedures. As part of the effort to establish a better understanding of management from organizational resources through final construction, this paper introduces a new theoretical approach for Organization Intelligence in Construction (OIC) that is based on the procedural ability of an organization to efficiently process, support, measure, and reason through management issues. Organizational intelligence is applied in all organizations to enhance the understanding of managerial processes and assets/resources within the organization. The measured performance of a managerial process depends on the capability and quality of resources that are available within the organization and/or the acquisition and management of resources that are outside of the organization. This paper suggests a mechanism to standardize construction processes by identifying the role of relationships in an organization's operation and the organizational cognitive abilities that subsequently determine the effective and efficient use of resources to aid in successfully completing an operation. A case example provides the foundation for a replicable template that reveals how construction processes, personal and organizational knowledge, skills, and resources contribute to managerial activity functions.
Building Interactive Modeling for Construction Education in Virtual Worlds
Ku, Kihong; Mahabaleshwarkar, Pushkar S. (2011)
The number of design and construction professionals who are using Building Information Modeling (BIM) is rapidly growing and simultaneously the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) community is faced with the challenge of remote collaboration as offshore outsourcing continues to grow. While BIM facilitates information sharing between AEC professionals via purpose-built three-dimensional (3D), 4D design, analysis, evaluation, and documentation models, the communication of such 3D data-rich models if often fragmented and typically limits real-time communication and interaction of users who may be geographically dispersed and/or lack the modeling and analyses skills to interact with these models. AEC education needs to expose students to these emerging practice changes while finding new ways to more effectively address the fundamentals of design and construction. Virtual worlds - in this research the Second Life platform - have the potential to address the communication issues and effectively complement traditional teaching approaches and furthermore integrate with BIM to enhance construction education. Nevertheless, despite the potential benefits of virtual worlds, various obstacles exist. This paper presents the concept of Building interactive Modeling (BiM) which complements the capabilities of BIM with social interaction to enhance collaborative information and knowledge sharing. Role-playing scenarios developed in Second Life demonstrate specific opportunities of BiM.
An Evaluation Approach of Socio Economic Factors Affecting Household Energy Consumption
Bhattacharjee, Suchismita; Reichard, Georg (2011)
Residential energy consumption in the United States has been marked by a steady growth over the past decades, in spite of the implementation of various energy efficiency policies. To frame effective energy policies for the residential sector it is important to understand the cause and impact of factors affecting residential energy consumption. A vast majority of earlier research has explored the role of individual human factors that are responsible for the increase of household energy usage, whereas, a few studies have discussed the effect of standard-of-living and income on overall household energy consumption. However, there is a dearth of literature and research on plausible ways to modify and manipulate factors that influence household energy consumption. This paper builds on previous research by the authors that identified a list of factors affecting residential energy consumption and grouped them under five major categories, i.e. demographics, consumer attitude, economic variables, climate, and technology. The here presented investigation analyzes the root causes for each of the identified consumption factors such as household size, dwelling characteristics, etc. through Cause & Effect diagrams. Finally, all energy efficiency control elements under each of the energy consumption factors are generated and sorted using the Affinity Diagram method. Our research shows how the identified control elements govern energy consumption factors to a great extent. Ultimately these control elements will assist policy makers in ameliorating and targeting the most critical factors that will help to curb the increasing household energy consumption in the United States.
The Pace of Technological Innovation in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Education: Integrating Recent Trends Into the Curricula
Becerik-Gerber, Burcin; Gerber, David J.; Ku, Kihong (2011)
The U.S. AEC industry is faced with the ever-increasing challenge of managing the public and private facilities and infrastructure to support the accomplishment of its economy. The increasing global emphasis on sustainable approaches and the need to increase efficiency and improve cost over the lifecycle of projects, demand new approaches to architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) education. This study was initiated to look for insight into the current educational environment and to provide a baseline for possible solutions to cope with the complexity of the challenge. This paper examined 101 U.S. AEC programs focusing on emerging subject areas of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and sustainability, and reviewed how educational innovations of distance learning, multidisciplinary collaboration, industry collaborations, are incorporated to develop core competencies in those two subject areas. The researchers reviewed and categorized the AEC disciplines based on the respective accrediting bodies of ABET, NAAB, and ACCE, and surveyed the internal factors (e.g., program resources, expertise, etc.) and external factors (e.g., accreditation requirements, sustainability initiatives, etc.) that affect the pedagogical approaches. This study illustrates the challenges incorporating new knowledge areas into constrained curricula and the various approaches that the university programs are undertaking. A comparative analysis also reveals the similarities and differences and specific advantages and disadvantages of particular approaches across the AEC programs. The findings reinforce the notion that there are disparities in these educational programs, which need realignment to develop the workforce of the future that will lead the AEC industry transformations.
Utilizing a 3D Game Engine to Develop a Virtual Design Review System
Shiratuddin, Mohd Fairuz; Thabet, Walid (2011)
A design review process is where information is exchanged between the designers and design reviewers to resolve any potential design related issues, and to ensure that the interests and goals of the owner are met. The effective execution of design review will minimize potential errors or conflicts, reduce the time for review, shorten the project life-cycle, allow for earlier occupancy, and ultimately translate into significant total project savings to the owner. However, the current methods of design review are still heavily relying on 2D paper-based format, sequential and lack central and integrated information base for efficient exchange and flow of information. There is thus a need for the use of a new medium that allow for 3D visualization of designs, collaboration among designers and design reviewers, and early and easy access to design review information. This paper documents the innovative utilization of a 3D game engine, the Torque Game Engine as the underlying tool and enabling technology for a design review system, the Virtual Design Review System for architectural designs. Two major elements are incorporated; 1) a 3D game engine as the driving tool for the development and implementation of design review processes, and 2) a virtual environment as the medium for design review, where visualization of design and design review information is based on sound principles of GUI design. The development of the VDRS involves two major phases; firstly, the creation of the assets and the assembly of the virtual environment, and secondly, the modification of existing functions or introducing new functionality through programming of the 3D game engine in order to support design review in a virtual environment. The features that are included in the VDRS are support for database, real-time collaboration across network, viewing and navigation modes, 3D object manipulation, parametric input, GUI, and organization for 3D objects.
Energy Efficient Technology Diffusion Factors: A Systematic Review
Bhattacharjee, Suchismita; McCoy, Andrew P. (IJSER Publications, 2012-11)
Due to the escalating population and the resulting increase in energy use, the world is faced with the challenge of energy crisis. To mitigate the rise in energy crisis, innovation, adoption, and diffusion of energy efficient technologies is imperative. Review of available literatures indicates that expected improvement in energy consumption has not been achieved in spite of the innovation and improvement in energy efficient technologies. This imbalance points towards the lack of proper adoption and diffusion of these technologies. This paper has looked into prior arts to determine the factors responsible for this diffusion process. Upon identifying the factors, it is evident that some factors can be improved to act as accelerators to the diffusion process. The other set of factors tend to remain as hindrances which can be reduced to an extent, but not removed completely. The paper further investigates the reasons behind these factors and categorizes them under three groups – financial, informational, and behavioral. Findings prove that most of the factors can be attached to a financial cause. Thus research and development alone is not the answer to the rising energy demand, but effective economic motivation is necessary to curb the demand. Future research will look into the present energy policies and group them based on their targeted sector. This will enable to locate the gaps in the policies already implemented and subsequently help in the creation of new policies.
A Pilot Model for a Proof of Concept Healthcare Facility Information Management Prototype
Lucas, Jason D.; Bulbul, Tanyel; Thabet, Walid (2013)
Within the healthcare industry it is important that facility information is efficiently and effectively managed to aid in the successful operation and maintenance of the facility and provide a safe and well-maintained environment of care for patients and staff. In order to do this, a healthcare facility information management prototype was proposed. The goal of the prototype is to allow facility managers to more efficiently and effectively respond to facility related events within the healthcare environment. The prototype was designed by using case analysis methods to identify information needs and draw connections between clinical information and facility management operations. This information was organized into a product model which is used as an ontology to capture, store, and retrieve the information. A conceptual model is developed to demonstrate the potential use of the developed product model in aiding facility managers' responses to facility related events. The conceptual model uses developed Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) that are mapped to the product model to demonstrate the information interactions. Information from one of the analyzed case studies is used as an example to describe the conceptual model development. A walk-through of the model is included to demonstrate how the different GUIs would be used to respond to the example event. This paper discusses the system architecture, the goals of the conceptual model and prototype, and the conceptual model development and validation. Future research strategies for the proposed healthcare facility information management framework are also addressed.
Energy Efficiency Opportunities for Tobacco Curing Barns
Reichard, Georg; Pearce, Annie R. (Virginia Tech. Myers Lawson School of Construction, 2013)
This project report discusses a theoretical assessment model for investigating the savings potential of retrofit scenarios for curing barns. The authors evaluated the most practical and also typical retrofit scenarios, such as envelope improvements and the installation of an automated control systems. In terms of their anticipated impact on energy savings the different opportunities ranged from around 6% for added control strategies to around 12% for typical standard envelope improvements. A total upper limit of savings around 25% has been established, if more aggressive envelope improvements are paired with automated control systems. While the commonly known retrofit scenarios tackle all consumption domains other than the dehumidification/ventilation domain, it became apparent that the most promising savings lay in recovering some of the ventilation losses that are a result of controlling for the relative humidity in the curing compartment of the barn.
The Safety and Health of Construction Workers on “Green” Projects: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Green Construction Rating System Analysis
Pearce, Annie R.; Kleiner, Brian M. (2013-08-14)
Impact of Fume Hood Retrofits on the Energy Performance of Laboratory Spaces
Reichard, Georg; Priya, Shashank (Virginia Tech. Myers Lawson School of Construction, 2014-09)
There are probably more than a million fume hoods operated in laboratories throughout the United States. Most of these fume hoods still run under more or less continuous conditions and thus consume an enormous amount of energy per year. There seems to be a significant savings potential if the total exhausted volumes could be reduced while all safety requirements are met. Researchers have meanwhile developed and identified high-performance fume hood solutions that could facilitate a reduction of up to 75% of the consumed energy required to condition make-up air. However, most of these solutions are geared towards new construction as they require specific spatial and system design configurations. There is a lack of knowledge regarding retrofit options and their expected savings potential on energy consumption for existing laboratories. Since fume hoods interact with other systems and fulfill design requirements that are already in place, any modification will consequently impact other performance requirements within the same environment. This project set out to gain a broader understanding of direct and indirect impacts of various retrofit scenarios for individual fume hoods, their integrated function within a laboratory space, and their overall impact on energy consumption of a space.
Adoption of High-Performance Housing Technologies Among U.S. Homebuilding Firms, 2000 Through 2010
McCoy, Andrew P.; Koebel, C. Theodore; Sanderford, Andrew R.; Franck, Christopher T.; Keefe, Matthew J. (HUD, 2015)
This article describes foundational processes of a larger project examining U.S. home builders’ choices to adopt innovative housing technologies that improve the environmental performance of new single-family homes. Home builders sit at a critical juncture in the housing creation decision chain and can influence how new housing units change related to energy consumption, and the units they produce can also reflect shifting technology, demography, and policy landscapes. With some exceptions, U.S. home builders have been characterized as being slow to adopt or resistant to the adoption of product and process innovations, largely because of path-dependent and risk-averse behavior. This article focuses on home builder choices by analyzing a summary of innovation adoption literature and that literature’s relationship to homebuilding. Researchers then describe analytical approaches for studying home builders’ choices and markets at a Core Based Statistical Area level, the data and statistical methodologies used in the study, and the policy implications for promoting energy efficiency in housing. Future work will draw on the foundation presented in this article to specify versions of this generic model and report results using improved quantitative analyses.

Browse

Browsing Myers-Lawson School of Construction by Issue Date

Results Per Page

Sort Options