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Construction Engineering and Management Commons™

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2018

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Full-Text Articles in Construction Engineering and Management

Costs And Benefits Of Flood Mitigation In Louisiana, Arash Taghi Nezhad Bilandi Dec 2018

Costs And Benefits Of Flood Mitigation In Louisiana, Arash Taghi Nezhad Bilandi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Assessing the costs and benefits of hazard mitigation efforts is an essential component of disaster management, planning, and resilience assessment. These calculations are particularly important in locations vulnerable to multiple hazards with high frequencies, such as coastal Louisiana. This study aims to provide an improved understanding of the costs and benefits of flood mitigation efforts in Louisiana funded by federal government grants between 2005 and 2015. Project data provided by the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) were summarized and missing values were imputed using robust statistical approaches. Elevation project cost was investigated for prediction by statistical …

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Improving Ductility Of Slender Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls With Frp Sheets And Splay Anchors, Luke M. Ostrom Dec 2018

Improving Ductility Of Slender Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls With Frp Sheets And Splay Anchors, Luke M. Ostrom

Architectural Engineering

The Sylmar earthquake of 1971 caused significant damage to slender, non-ductile reinforced concrete (RC) shear wall buildings in California. A later survey by the Concrete Coalition in 2011, under the guidance of EERI members, indicated that there are over 3000 vulnerable concrete buildings in California [8]. This led to City of Los Angeles (LA) Ordinance 193893 enacted in 2015, which requires mandatory upgrades to these concrete buildings by 2035. Current practice to meet the requirements of this ordinance, with respect to RC wall buildings, involves adding new shear walls to the building plan or increasing the cross-sectional area of existing …

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Implementing Coordination Lab And Lesson Into Cm 413 - Job Site, Connor R. Westover Dec 2018

Implementing Coordination Lab And Lesson Into Cm 413 - Job Site, Connor R. Westover

Construction Management

Coordination can make or break a job. The act of coordination and the millions of pieces that go into a single project can directly affect both the schedule and budget of a construction project. Coordination is not a single part of the job, it is an on-going process that continuously involves all entities of the project. The importance of coordination and what it entails is not yet captured in the Cal Poly Construction Management curriculum. The purpose of this project would be to capture that importance and continue to build upon it to better prepare Cal Poly Builders for the …

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Bridging The Gap: 3d Modeling To Hands On Learning, Tyler J. Hecht Dec 2018

Bridging The Gap: 3d Modeling To Hands On Learning, Tyler J. Hecht

Construction Management

This project is a rework of Cal Poly Construction Management Building Information Modeling class, Revit Activity. The goal of the assignment is to teach the fundamentals and concepts of Autodesk Revit, and the tools that can be used within the construction industry. The model itself is based upon a hands-on lab that the Commercial Construction class builds. The modeling exercise allows students to model several key elements of a building, following a construction sequence. Following the modeling, the students will be able to create sheets and create their own plan set that was modeled. On those plan sets they will …

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Fatigue Performance And Shear Demand Distributions Of Clustered Shear Connectors In Composite Bridge Girders, Brian David Hillhouse Dec 2018

Fatigue Performance And Shear Demand Distributions Of Clustered Shear Connectors In Composite Bridge Girders, Brian David Hillhouse

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Bridge Specifications assumes uniform shear flow demands at the steel-concrete interface of composite bridge girders. As stud pitch increases to beyond 24 in or as studs become clustered to account for pre-cast concrete decks, this assumed shear demand distribution may be unrepresentative. Understanding shear transfer and resulting demands on headed studs in composite beams are important for ensuring adequate composite design. This study investigates stud demands in composite bridge girders using large-scale fatigue testing and direct pressure measurements for stud force calculations. In this study, two large-scale composite beam …

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Meetings Critical To Construction Project Success And Best Practices: A Case Study, Ross Ludwig Dec 2018

Meetings Critical To Construction Project Success And Best Practices: A Case Study, Ross Ludwig

Construction Management

This project is a case study of specific meeting tactics that are being used by “Company X”, a large general contracting company. The case study was completed by conducting semi-structured interviews of “Company X” senior management personnel. The case study looked to discover which meetings were necessary to overall project success, as well as best practices for meetings in the construction industry. Communication effectiveness of the project team is essential to the overall project outcome. The project team is a group of people with diverse backgrounds. Understanding the dynamics of a group is necessary to producing a quality product. A …

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A Study Of Cal Poly Students' Preferred Career Path: A Focus On Alumni, Jesse D. Longchamps Dec 2018

A Study Of Cal Poly Students' Preferred Career Path: A Focus On Alumni, Jesse D. Longchamps

Construction Management

The construction industry is a fragile system with an intricate mix of field and office – labor and management. Theses two branches are critical to keeping any project running smoothly. However, the industry is noticeably changing and this fragile structure is deteriorating. Field positions are getting tougher and tougher to fill for most companies in the construction industry. Without skilled field employees, the companies are losing one of the two most important aspects of construction. Without field employees, office employees may be tasked with picking up additional duties beyond their expertise – further advancing their stress levels and sacrificing quality …

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Case Study: The Implementation Of Tool Box Talks At A Steel Subcontracting Shop, Joseph M. Freschet Dec 2018

Case Study: The Implementation Of Tool Box Talks At A Steel Subcontracting Shop, Joseph M. Freschet

Construction Management

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing tool box talks at a small iron working shop. A case study of workers at Ironstone Metal Works, Inc. based out of San Carlos were given a series of tool box talks then evaluated on the effectiveness of the implementation of regular safety meetings. The impact focused on this paper will be the effectiveness of the implementation of regular safety training and how it relates to a safer work environment, reduced cost of workplace injuries, and workers knowledge of safe practices. An analysis of worker interviews and survey …

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Solar Parking Lot Analysis: Smart Investment Or Waste Of Capital, Jared J. Davis Dec 2018

Solar Parking Lot Analysis: Smart Investment Or Waste Of Capital, Jared J. Davis

Construction Management

In the last couple decades solar panels have been developed into a sustainable and effective method for harnessing clean energy. Today, solar panels have been engineered into solar roadways. Solar roadways are structurally engineered solar panels which can be installed in the Earth, driven on, and can replace the need for traditional asphalt roads. These solar roadways also include built in LEDs which mimic road lines and light up wildlife crossing the road, making these road panels a very safe alternative to traditional asphalt roads. This senior project is an analysis of solar roadways and their capabilities when applied to …

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A Comparative Analysis Of Regional Productivity Trends, Michael P. Foley Dec 2018

A Comparative Analysis Of Regional Productivity Trends, Michael P. Foley

Construction Management

Throughout recent decades, the construction industry has suffered considerably from its inability to accurately target and measure key aspects of worker output that hinder productivity most. Much research has been conducted to analyze the factors contributing to labor productivity output at the work face, however, this dissertation is primarily focused on discovering key components of the building process that seem to hinder productivity from the perspective of the general contracting team. This paper’s literature review looks to address historical data relating to productivity difficulties specific to the construction industry, laborers’ productivity dilemma at the work face, and the resulting impact …

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Scraper Productivity, Cost, And Size Selection Generator, Zachary C. Rege Dec 2018

Scraper Productivity, Cost, And Size Selection Generator, Zachary C. Rege

Construction Management

In the construction industry we are timelessly looking to increase productivity and find the most cost-efficient way to finish a given project. Like any other sector of the construction industry large earthmoving contractors looks to find the most advantageous way to move dirt and at the cheapest cost per cubic yard. To obtain this goal of calculating and imagining the best way to move dirt, I have created a prototype program that analyzes scraper productivity and cost comparisons through excel sheets. These excel sheets allow a contractor to enter information such as cycles times, load calculations, and costs to create …

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Part-Time Internships With Local Construction Companies, Eddie T. Kennedy Dec 2018

Part-Time Internships With Local Construction Companies, Eddie T. Kennedy

Construction Management

Internships have proven to be beneficial for both the intern and the company. The Construction Management (CM) department has proven to be able to well connect students with the industry for summer internships and full-time jobs. Programs like info sessions, job fairs, and meet and greets have allowed the CM department to make this connection. However, partaking in a part-time internship while taking coursework has not been emphasized in the department. This paper will gauge student interest in obtaining a part-time internship for a local construction company in San Luis Obispo. Student responses to surveys showed a clear interest in …

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Osha-30 Lab Topics Course On Construction Safety And Hazard Identification, Patrick Garcia Dec 2018

Osha-30 Lab Topics Course On Construction Safety And Hazard Identification, Patrick Garcia

Construction Management

The end goal of this research-based project is to evaluate whether an OSHA-30 integrated lab course would be beneficial to Cal Poly’s Construction Management (CM) program and how it might also benefit the construction industry. The research conducted will be to interpret whether or not there is a need for this type of class to be included into the Construction Management Curriculum. Along with data research, two separate surveys were conducted, one survey taken by the Cal Poly Construction Management student population and the other survey taken by industry professionals. Additionally, a fellow Construction Management student, Mathew Bramlett, is working …

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A Case Study: Farrell Drilled Displacement Column Ground Improvement, Cody T. Flechsig Dec 2018

A Case Study: Farrell Drilled Displacement Column Ground Improvement, Cody T. Flechsig

Construction Management

The objective of this study is to document the ground improvement techniques employed by Farrell Design-Build Inc. to allow for the construction of the Emeryville Public Market. The market is a Mixed use building, housing tenants, a ground floor grocery, and parking structure. By showing the effectiveness of this system, it is the hope that other industry professionals will be more capable to undertake and solve complex soil issues. Ground improvement is a technical, and necessary part of construction, allowing for vertical construction to begin. Farrell’s technology has the ability to transform industry standards, and create new methods of dealing …

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Overcoming The Challenges Of Asbestos Containing Materials In Remodels - A Case Study, Noah W. Champlin Dec 2018

Overcoming The Challenges Of Asbestos Containing Materials In Remodels - A Case Study, Noah W. Champlin

Construction Management

This is a study of one project’s experience with delays caused by the need for asbestos abatement. It will also cover the best approaches for limiting both safety and financial risks to the contractor, subcontractors and owner. I wanted to gather information on this type of issue within our industry because there will be an increased need for large scale remodeling within major cities to keep them up to the level of standard people expect. This includes the more modern infrastructure of a building to accommodate for the technological improvements made in recent years and to provide a more comfortable …

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Abandoned Projects: The Economic Impact In San Luis Obispo, Andrew Steven Horton Dec 2018

Abandoned Projects: The Economic Impact In San Luis Obispo, Andrew Steven Horton

Construction Management

San Luis Obispo is in the midst of a housing crisis. This small college town cannot keep pace with the growing number of students and residents. The problem is that there are very few new housing options being developed. Other than the new freshman dorms, the housing market in San Luis Obispo has been stagnant for years. The housing market cannot afford inefficiency and waste, but there are still many abandoned construction sites around the city. These sites are not only eye sores and safety hazards, but they are wasted opportunities. They cost the city millions of dollars every year. …

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Building A Handicap Accessible Entrance And Gabion Wall, David C. Marter Dec 2018

Building A Handicap Accessible Entrance And Gabion Wall, David C. Marter

Construction Management

As people age, their bodies naturally deteriorate and often times people are confined to wheelchairs in order to get around. Uneven and unstable ground is a large obstacle for people who live confined to a wheelchair. This project was derived and designed in order to help a family with multiple family members bound to wheelchairs to allow them an easier point of access into the home. The project itself consists of the construction of a concrete walkway and a gabion wall to provide some additional aesthetics. The concrete pathway ranges from the driveway to a paver pathway that curves around …

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Solar Parking Lot Analysis: Smart Investment Or Waste Of Capital, Jared James Davis Dec 2018

Solar Parking Lot Analysis: Smart Investment Or Waste Of Capital, Jared James Davis

Construction Management

In the last couple decades solar panels have been developed into a sustainable and effective method for harnessing clean energy. Today, solar panels have been engineered into solar roadways. Solar roadways are structurally engineered solar panels which can be installed in the Earth, driven on, and can replace the need for traditional asphalt roads. These solar roadways also include built in LEDs which mimic road lines and light up wildlife crossing the road, making these road panels a very safe alternative to traditional asphalt roads. This senior project is an analysis of solar roadways and their capabilities when applied to …

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Meetings Critical To Construction Project Success And Best Practices: A Case Study, Ross L. Ludwig Dec 2018

Meetings Critical To Construction Project Success And Best Practices: A Case Study, Ross L. Ludwig

Construction Management

This project is a case study of specific meeting tactics that are being used by “Company X”, a large general contracting company. The case study was completed by conducting semi-structured interviews of “Company X” senior management personnel. The case study looked to discover which meetings were necessary to overall project success, as well as best practices for meetings in the construction industry. Communication effectiveness of the project team is essential to the overall project outcome. The project team is a group of people with diverse backgrounds. Understanding the dynamics of a group is necessary to producing a quality product. A …

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Virtual Reality And Its Applications In The Mockup Process: A Case Study, David B. Friend Dec 2018

Virtual Reality And Its Applications In The Mockup Process: A Case Study, David B. Friend

Construction Management

Mockups are an important part of the construction process as they provide numerous benefits in both constructability review and aesthetic approval. Virtual Reality is an emerging technology that could prove to be a valuable addition to the mockup process. Many construction firms are attempting to incorporate virtual reality into any process they can --ranging from impressing owners in order to procure jobs to training employees so they can more adeptly adjust to field conditions. This paper will introduce virtual reality and some of its applications in the construction industry, specifically analyzing virtual reality and its applications in the mockup process …

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Exploratory Analysis Of Accuracy Monitoring Techniques In Vehicle Detection Systems For Intelligent Transportation Systems Applications And Maintenance, Manasi Sanjay Palod Dec 2018

Exploratory Analysis Of Accuracy Monitoring Techniques In Vehicle Detection Systems For Intelligent Transportation Systems Applications And Maintenance, Manasi Sanjay Palod

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of transportation management is to ensure the mobility of people and goods, in a reliable and efficient manner. Operation and maintenance of transportation infrastructure is key to accomplish their objectives. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) applications rely on massive detection networks that collectively demand significant maintenance resources. Resource constraints force transportation agencies to look for innovative ways to optimize their operational and maintenance costs while serving their users at intended performance levels. The system inputs come from vehicle detection system (VDS), acting as field data collection devices, enabling traffic monitoring and management through response to specific conditions. This research …

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A Study Of Career Path Interest Amongst Cm Students At Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Travis J. Tollstrup Dec 2018

A Study Of Career Path Interest Amongst Cm Students At Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Travis J. Tollstrup

Construction Management

With the labor shortage being experienced in the modern construction industry, it is important that office and field management personnel stay balanced to support the gap in skilled labor. However, for the students of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, there is a trend that students are more interested in pursuing a career path in Office management, specifically that of a Project Manager. This paper determined the lack of interest in field management career path choice, specifically that of a Superintendent, by surveying the Junior and Senior students to gauge their career interests. It is concluded that there is indeed a …

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Unexpected Setbacks When Excavating - Using Gpr For Mitigating Risk: A Case Study, Sam Marcum Dec 2018

Unexpected Setbacks When Excavating - Using Gpr For Mitigating Risk: A Case Study, Sam Marcum

Construction Management

Whether constructing on undeveloped land or on an existing developed site, there is a risk of encountering unexpected objects when excavating. With today’s technology in Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), this risk can generally be mitigated. Using Whiting-Turner’s construction of Stanford University’s new ChEM-H & SNI Building as an example, this case study discusses the use of GPR for underground mapping, as well as various ways to implement GPR technology. The ChEM-H & SNI site had many underground utilities that required precise pot-holing to verify locations. Although pot-holing is widely used, it is a destructive method, it is time and labor …

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Case Study: Effect Of Rideshare And Autonomous Vehicles On Parking Requirements In The Bay Area, Ryan J. Macintosh Dec 2018

Case Study: Effect Of Rideshare And Autonomous Vehicles On Parking Requirements In The Bay Area, Ryan J. Macintosh

Construction Management

With our streets becoming over crowded with many different modes of transportation, parking has followed this trend and proven to be much more difficult for people. This has frustrated citizens and developers alike because there never seems to be enough parking when it’s needed and finding the space and resources necessary to provide sufficient amounts is becoming increasingly difficult. The objective of this report is to create more awareness of how rideshare and autonomous vehicles are affecting parking requirements imposed by cities. The world we live in can change very fast and in order to accommodate for these changes, we …

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A Comparative Analysis Of Regional Productivity Trends, Michael P. Foley Dec 2018

A Comparative Analysis Of Regional Productivity Trends, Michael P. Foley

Construction Management

Throughout recent decades, the construction industry has suffered considerably from its inability to accurately target and measure key aspects of worker output that hinder productivity most. Much research has been conducted to analyze the factors contributing to labor productivity output at the work face, however, this dissertation is primarily focused on discovering key components of the building process that seem to hinder productivity from the perspective of the general contracting team. This paper’s literature review looks to address historical data relating to productivity difficulties specific to the construction industry, laborers’ productivity dilemma at the work face, and the resulting impact …

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Case Study: Environmental Requirements And Its Impacts Upon The Conservation Center For Wildlife Care, Chase Flemmer Dec 2018

Case Study: Environmental Requirements And Its Impacts Upon The Conservation Center For Wildlife Care, Chase Flemmer

Construction Management

As the population of California continues to grow, urban spaces are rapidly being developed into areas considered to be environmentally sensitive. In order to prevent extensive damage to our state’s delicate ecosystems, environmental regulations are often enforced by local organizations during the course of impactful operations such as construction projects. These regulations will often vary from one site to another, depending on a given site’s location and proximity to the environmentally sensitive areas. No two jobs will posses the exact same specifications for dealing with this aspect of construction, and as such some will require more intense regulations than others. …

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Lean Construction Implementation: Case Study, Devin J. Merker Dec 2018

Lean Construction Implementation: Case Study, Devin J. Merker

Construction Management

Lean construction offers a collaborative approach to traditional construction practices and has the primary goal of increasing value to the client. With the proper use of lean construction tools on projects and the adoption of a lean culture, construction companies have recognized real benefits in terms of cost, productivity, and schedule while increasing customer satisfaction. The construction industry has been slow however in adopting the lean construction practices that have proven to be successful. The research in this study will familiarize the reader with the principles of lean construction, and address why the demand for lean construction is rising. In …

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Unexpected Setbacks When Excavating – Using Gpr For Mitigating Risk: A Case Study, Samuel L. Marcum Dec 2018

Unexpected Setbacks When Excavating – Using Gpr For Mitigating Risk: A Case Study, Samuel L. Marcum

Construction Management

Whether constructing on undeveloped land or on an existing developed site, there is a risk of encountering unexpected objects when excavating. With today’s technology in Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), this risk can generally be mitigated. Using Whiting-Turner’s construction of Stanford University’s new ChEM-H & SNI Building as an example, this case study discusses the use of GPR for underground mapping, as well as various ways to implement GPR technology. The ChEM-H & SNI site had many underground utilities that required precise pot-holing to verify locations. Although pot-holing is widely used, it is a destructive method, it is time and labor …

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Noise Induced Hearing Loss Accountability On Jobsites Within The Construction Industry, Joseph O. Lamphere Dec 2018

Noise Induced Hearing Loss Accountability On Jobsites Within The Construction Industry, Joseph O. Lamphere

Construction Management

Noise induced hearing loss is a major issue on jobsites within the construction industry. Every day workers are exposed to hazardous levels of noise, but they are not being properly managed to mitigate this issue. Workers have misconceptions about the topic, but more surprisingly are sometimes indifferent to the effects; believing hearing loss is inevitable, or it can be cured with a hearing aide. Construction has inherent dangers that workers have to deal with every day. Hearing loss might not be on the top of their lists, but the effects are permanent, and they cannot be cured with a hearing …

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Growing Grounds Nursery - Outdoor Plaza And Education Space, Keenan Brekke Dec 2018

Growing Grounds Nursery - Outdoor Plaza And Education Space, Keenan Brekke

Construction Management

This paper describes the planning, both design and financing, as well as the construction of an 800 square foot outdoor plaza area and education space. After six months of Planning and Fundraising, the scope of work included clearing and grubbing, relocation of irrigation lines, site grading and footing excavation, forming and pouring four architectural board form concrete benches and a planter, installing a perimeter French drain for site drainage, and installation of serpentine rock retaining walls, steel planters, a sail shade structure, outdoor string lights, a koi pond, and all significant landscaping. The author, over 100 volunteers, and various industry …

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