Construction Engineering and Management Commons^™

Creating A Framework For Quantifying Wildland Urban Interface (Wui) Fire Vulnerability Factors, Ryan L. Delalio

Construction Management

Wildfires have been the focus of geospatial research for decades. Climate change and increased suburban development in California are leading to an increase of Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). These zones are at higher wildfire risk, and a metric is needed to determine the most vulnerable communities to help them assess their personal wildfire risk. By analyzing current WUI wildfire vulnerability literature, the main contributing factors behind the impact of wildfires in California emerge. These factors are then paired with datasets that contain geospatial information about the factors to help us find the locations of highest vulnerability. This paper serves as …

How Modular Construction Techniques Can Be Beneficial To The Nuclear Construction Industry, Samuel Lawrence Maurer

Construction Management

Nuclear energy will soon be needed to supply sustainable and clean power to companies that work with Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing. Across the world, lots of large-scale nuclear power plants that have been recently constructed have had many issues, such as cost overruns, schedule delays, permitting issues, and more. The purpose of this project is to examine how modular construction, specifically in the form of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), can positively impact the nuclear construction industry and potentially reduce some of the common issues that these large-scale nuclear power plant projects typically face. The findings suggest that the use …

International Construction In El Salvador, Daniel Roberts

Construction Management

My senior project focused on participating in international construction operations in El Salvador through hands-on involvement in the construction of a steel warehouse facility and a small residential home. The project emphasized structural concrete placement, field coordination, construction sequencing, and adaptation to regional construction practices. Work included assisting with concrete foundations, slab preparation, reinforcing steel placement, masonry work, and general site coordination activities. The experience provided practical exposure to labor productivity, material availability, scheduling challenges, and construction methods commonly used in developing regions. The project also highlighted the importance of communication, problem-solving, and flexibility when working in an international construction …

Sheep Pen Improvements At City Farm Slo, Rylan Joseph Hickman

Construction Management

This project took place on a non-profit community farming space called City Farm SLO which provides opportunities for local small scale independent farmers to farm and provide crops to the community. Our project provided improvements to the livestock pen that they have on the farm which is home to chickens and a flock of sheep. The main goal of this project was to provide a better living environment for the sheep including a 50 cubic yard sheep hill, a vehicle access gate, a side gate, a front catch pen, a back corral, and protective fencing for a guava tree. Within …

Hvac Ductwork Lab Series - New Curriculum, Dean Cavanna

Construction Management

This senior project developed an HVAC Ductwork Lab Series to support Cal Poly Construction Management’s new mechanical coursework during the semester conversion. The main goal is to connect classroom instruction with practical fieldwork. The project addresses the need for applied learning materials that help students understand how duct design, fabrication, installation, and support affect system performance. The curriculum was created through a sequence of planning, model development, video-supported instruction, student handout design, and instructor guide preparation. The final lab series includes three activities: SimScale airflow modeling of a straight duct, direct 90-degree elbow, and curved 90-degree elbow; fabrication and connection …

Developing A Preparation Manual For The Asc Region 6 & 7 Reno Competition, Addyson Mae Demasters

Construction Management

The Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 6 & 7 Competition is one of the most prestigious student construction management competitions in the United States. Success in the competition requires technical knowledge, effective communication, time management, and strategic preparation. The purpose of this senior project was to develop a comprehensive Competition Preparation Manual for future Cal Poly Construction Management students competing in the ASC Reno Competition. The manual was created through the collection and analysis of information from previous competitors, team captains, competition retrospectives, and the author's personal experience participating in ASC Reno competitions. Surveys were sent to students in …

Small-Scale Rainwater Harvesting: A Sustainable Practice For Single-Family Homes In Southern California, Azzah R. Bensrhir

Construction Management

Southern California is prone to drought and struggles with low water supplies. Los Angeles and San Diego County have enacted outdoor water regulations that aim to reduce the overall reliance on municipal and groundwater supplies. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a feasible way for single-family homeowners in Southern California to contribute to water conservation efforts. To determine the feasibility of installing, maintaining, and understanding overall challenges and costs of small-scale rainwater harvesting systems, four interviews were conducted with residents of Los Angeles and San Diego County who have owned and operated a RWH system for more than five years. The results …

Robotic Layout Systems In Construction: Evaluating Accuracy And Efficiency In Blueprint Marking, Saxon Moseman

Construction Management

Robotic layout systems represent a significant advancement in construction technology, automating the transfer of Building Information Modeling (BIM) coordinates onto construction surfaces to improve accuracy and efficiency. This study evaluates the implementation of robotic layout systems, specifically the Dusty Robotics FieldPrinter, and their effectiveness in improving accuracy and efficiency during construction blueprint marking. Through a review of existing literature, analysis of the Skanska and Sutter Health healthcare case study, and qualitative interviews with three construction professionals, the research examines impacts on productivity, labor requirements, trade coordination, BIM integration, and project quality. Findings consistently demonstrate that robotic layout systems reduce layout …

Beyond Contract Law: Expanding Legal Education In Construction Management, Grace M. Hetland

Construction Management

The California Polytechnic State University Construction Management (CM) program is designed to prepare students for the managerial responsibilities of the construction industry. However, construction projects involve a broad range of legal considerations that extend beyond traditional contract administration. While the CM curriculum currently includes a course focused on construction contract law, there is limited exposure to other legal disciplines that frequently affect construction professionals throughout the project lifecycle. This research explores the potential value of expanding construction law education in the CM curriculum by implementing an additional topics course as an elective for students. To determine which legal subjects would …

Logistics And Workforce Management In Remote Reforestation Projects: A Case Study Of Ponterra In Panama, Omar Mejia-Meraz

Construction Management

With global efforts in reducing carbon emissions, large-scale reforestation projects are becoming increasingly important. While the environmental benefits of reforestation are well known, the operational and logistical challenges of reforestation projects are often overlooked. This case study examines the reforestation efforts conducted by Ponterra in the Azuero Peninsula region of Panama and analyzes how construction management principles support the planning, execution, and long-term success of restoration projects. Through a qualitative analysis consisting of an interview with Ponterra’s Field Operations Lead and supporting literature, this study evaluates the planning strategies, logistical challenges, workforce coordination, and client engagement involved in large-scale reforestation …

Cost–Benefit Analysis Of Undergrounding Power Lines For Wildfire Mitigation: Construction Management Implications Compared To Conventional Overhead Systems, Max T. Clement

Construction Management

Wildfires in California have increasingly been linked to failures in electrical infrastructure, particularly overhead power transmission, and distribution systems. As wildfire frequency and severity continue to escalate, utility providers, regulatory agencies, and construction professionals are evaluating undergrounding power lines as a long-term mitigation strategy. This research examines the construction management implications of undergrounding power lines compared to conventional overhead systems, focusing on cost, scheduling, constructability, risk allocation, and lifecycle performance. A mixed-methods approach is utilized, incorporating quantitative cost and lifecycle data alongside qualitative analysis of industry reports and case studies. The results indicate that although underground systems require significantly higher …

Analyzing Productivity In California’S Residential Construction Industry, Logan K. Booher

Construction Management

Following technological advancement over past years in California's residential construction industry, productivity levels have fallen short. This has revealed a pressing issue and raises the question of whether advancements in technology correlate with productivity improvements. This study investigates whether the lack of growth is a significant problem, specifically in California's residential construction industry, and what underlying factors are limiting improvements. Using an action-based research approach, the data for this study were collected through surveys that consisted of multiple-choice questions and checklist rankings, given to construction professionals across various roles and project types in California. The objective is to examine how …

Student Perceptions, Advantages, And Challenges Of Artificial Intelligence Tool Use In Higher Education, Olivia Lynch

Construction Management

Increasingly AI tools are being integrated into higher education and are starting to influence students’ access to information, the completion of assignments, and the use of new material. Generative AI-based tools, writing assistants, and automated research tools allow students to get explanations easily, sort out materials, or explore new areas of knowledge. While these technological advancements can improve productivity and make learning more efficient, they also raise questions of accuracy and academic integrity, as well as concerns about excessive reliance. This study focuses on how Construction Management (CM) students perceive AI tools in their academic work. An anonymous survey was …

From Ports To Projects: Estimating The Impact Of Supply Chain Volatility And Trade Policy Changes On Construction Material Prices, Ahmed Shiha, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Construction material markets are often reliant on imported commodities. Import tariffs and temporary trade barriers disrupt supply chains, presenting stakeholders with uncertainties regarding how such disruption impacts construction material prices. Despite the plethora of research efforts that examine the effects of economic conditions on construction material prices, the impacts of the import quantities remain understudied. This paper fills this knowledge gap using a multistep methodology. First, the prices of major construction materials and the quantities of the relevant imported commodities are retrieved. Second, the stability of their historical trends was assessed using econometrics-based tests. Third, a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag …

Construction Project Administration: Course Portfolio, Andre Messner

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio presents a structured framework for the design and implementation of a construction project administration course within a Construction Management program. Emphasis is placed on aligning student learning objectives, instructional strategies, and assessment methods with current industry expectations and professional standards. The course is intentionally designed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application by incorporating real-world scenarios, collaborative learning environments, and experiential activities that mirror industry practices.

In addition to outlining the course structure, this paper examines the pedagogical foundations that support student-centered learning, including constructivism, scaffolding, and project-based learning. These approaches are used to foster …

Investigating Affordable Indoor Mobile Lidar Sensing For Bim-Based Facility Management: A Usability And Condition Sensitivity Study, Amr Mousa, Ahmed Elyamany, Mohamed Nabawy

Civil Engineering

This paper analyzes how capture parameters affect indoor mobile LiDAR scan fitness for-purpose for BIM-based facilities management. Despite extensive research on geometric accuracy and automated modelling performance, limited work has systematically examined how acquisition conditions influence the practical usability of raw scans for BIM/FM applications. A controlled experimental investigation used an Apple iPhone 16 Pro's integrated LiDAR sensor to capture 36 indoor scans under twelve factorial combinations of scan speed, illumination level, and motion pattern. Each condition was repeated three times. Usability was assessed using several components,Fco a gate-based pass/fail criterion, enclosure geometry, openings, ceiling services, and geometric clarity using …

Steel Corrosion In Underground Transportation Infrastructure, Amr M. Morsy, Islam A. Ebo, Shiv K. Janardhanan

Mineta Transportation Institute

Corrosion of buried steel, a critical component of American transportation infrastructure, remains one of the most insidious challenges due to the uncertainty associated with its estimates. Predicting when and how this corrosion happens is very difficult. This uncertainty grows exponentially with time, making corrosion estimation in the long term even more challenging, especially with buried steel and steel structures, which cannot even be monitored visually. While significant advancement has been made to understand the effect of the various corrosion parameters on soil corrosivity, there is a lack of a comprehensive understanding of how these factors collectively contribute to corrosion as …

A Machine Learning Framework For Early-Stage Cost Estimation Of Transportation Projects, Pritom Paul

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To address the limitations of traditional planning-level cost estimating methods, such as reliance on statewide averages, heavy reliance on engineering judgment, and high levels of inaccuracy, this study developed two data-driven frameworks and corresponding tools. The first framework focused on resurfacing projects and used treatment-specific simple linear regression based on lane miles and geographic location. The second addressed a broader group of construction projects and used multiple linear regression with project length, route type, and right-of-way cost as key predictors. In both frameworks, the final estimates are computed by aggregating multiple estimates produced by county-, region-, and state-level models. The …

An Evaluation Of Leading Indicators In The Construction Industry And Their Relationship With Incident Rates, Kitti Miller Whalen

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Improving safety programs has been a focus of organizations for decades. Historically, focus has been directed towards lagging indicators such as recordable incident rates and experience modification rate (EMR). While these remain beneficial, they are only one component of the broader framework. In recent years, companies have started to examine what occurs prior to an incident, which are known as leading indicators. The research into leading indicators is promising, however research into the area is limited. The focus of this study is to identify which leading indicators are most strongly associated with improved incident rates in the construction industry specifically. …

Exploring Determinants Of Value For Money And Bundling Effects On Public–Private Partnership Projects: A Data-Driven Empirical Study, Gaurav Khadka

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Public–private partnerships (P3s) are widely used to deliver public infrastructure, yet current understanding of what drives variation in Value for Money (VfM) and the effectiveness of project delivery strategies such as bundling remains largely conceptual and grounded in perception-based evidence. Consequently, governments lack empirically validated guidance on which project, financial, and macroeconomic conditions meaningfully influence VfM outcomes and whether bundling improves project performance within the P3 context. This study addresses these gaps through an integrated analysis of 180 Canadian P3 infrastructure projects (1992–2020), one of the most comprehensive datasets of realized VfM internationally, incorporating project characteristics, financial arrangements, and macroeconomic …