Architecture Commons^™

The Professional Constructor, Full Issue, Volume 44, Number 01

The Professional Constructor

No abstract provided.

Measuring Element (31) External Walls Completion. An Introductory Demonstration, Tony Cunningham

Other Resources

This demonstration is addressed to Irish students taking measurement or quantities modules at first year or entry level of quantity surveying related programmes.

The worked example has been carried out using traditional handwritten quantity surveying processes on traditional dimension paper. It is acknowledged that, in actual practice, this would be carried out using measurement software or on-screen measurement technology. The traditional handwritten approach, however, has been retained in order to enable novice students to develop the necessary measurement skills and build confidence through direct contact with drawings and written taking off processes. In addition the presentation illustrates how the work …

Latex Modified Concrete - Very Early Strength, Bobby Steele

Purdue Road School

INDOT came out with specifications for a very early strength concrete to use on bridge deck overlays. This concrete is fast setting, which allows overlays to be performed over a weekend and benefits the traveling public with a short duration of traffic interference. Cure time to reach the strength requirement is 3 hours. E&B Paving performed the first application with the new spec on August 26, 2018. Many changes were also made to the INDOT Specification Section 722.

Final Design Review: Mascoma River Greenway Extension, Sebastian Strong, Sarah Atac, Eleanor Dowd, David Ruiz, Isalys Quiñones

ENGS 89/90 Reports

This report outlines current conditions surrounding the extension of the Mascoma River Greenway (MRG) to downtown West Lebanon, NH and recommends a route to completion. Included in the report are maps detailing potential route alignments and recommendations based on outside research and interviews with numerous stakeholders, Lebanon City officials, and community members. The report is intended to provide context and updated insight into the present and future of the MRG, following in the spirit of the 2010 MRG Action Plan, a document that created a vision for redevelopment of the Northern rail corridor and motivated stakeholders to move the project …

Study Of Various Construction Job Functions To Address Workforce Challenge, Abraham Bonilla, Dhaval Gajjar, Kenneth Sullivan

The Professional Constructor

Lack of construction workforce is one of the most predominant challenges faced by the construction industry. It is predicted that the industry will have a major shortage of skilled labor in the next decade due to the retirement of baby boomers and the lack of new talent entering the industry to replace these baby boomers. To attract young talent into the construction industry, it is critical to make them aware about the industry regarding various job functions as it relates to job satisfaction, compensation and career fulfilment. The purpose of this study is to gain insight of various construction job …

Consumer Perception And Willingness To Pay For Extended New Home Warranties, C. Todd Usher, Joseph M. Burgett

The Professional Constructor

Construction standards and methods for building new homes has improved over the last two decades resulting in significant improvements in energy efficiency, comfort, indoor air quality, and durability of new homes. Despite these improvements, the most common builder warranty for a new home in the United States ranges from 6 months to two years in duration. During the past two decades, manufacturer warranties on other durable goods such as automobiles has increased significantly. This study measures consumer perceptions of extended 12 year new home warranties with a survey completed by 162 adults in the United States. The results indicate that …

Architectural Engineering Institute: 2019 Student Design Competition - Jack H. Miller Center For Musical Arts, Mark W. Wright, Logan D. Wright

Architectural Engineering

The 2019 Student Design Competition is an annual interdisciplinary competition for students in Architectural Engineering (AE) programs around the nation. The central focus of the project was exploring interdisciplinary workflow and collaboration between the disciplines of the built industry. The 2019 Cal Poly design team, Sotto Voce, consisted of 3 Architecture, 2 Architectural Engineering, and 2 Construction Management students. The team was given a set of architectural drawings of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts at Hope College in Holland, Michigan and tasked with finalizing the design. The primary design challenge, to create an innovative venue and community …

Implementing Unbiased Decision-Making In Construction: A Lean Approach, Somik Ghosh, Michelle Robinette, Howard Tapia

The Professional Constructor

Construction project-teams are frequently faced with the task of decision-making as part of their responsibility. The positive effects of the decisions made at various stages of the projects lead to improved project performances, while negative effects can hinder the performances. The project teams take up the task of decision-making surrounded by multiple criteria, which can be arduous and clouded with subjectivity. This paper presents an approach based on the Lean principle of providing more autonomy to the project-teams and supporting collaborative and decentralized process in pursuit of unbiased decision-making. This Lean way of decision-making is formalized as Choosing by Advantage …

Attracting And Retaining Future Top Performing Employees: A Student Perspective, Julia Allen

The Professional Constructor

This essay provides insight as to how construction companies can both attract and retain top performing employees. By making the standard interview and recruiting processes more personal, construction companies can evaluate potential hires to see is they are a good fit for the company for years to come. Once employees are hired, companies then need to provide opportunities for both personal and professional growth. From personal experiences, I share the characteristics I find most important in an ideal employer and emphasize the importance of having an in-depth, genuine conversation with potential hires.

Attracting And Retaining Top Employees By Placing Proper Value On Their Contribution To The Company, Joseph Franklin Iii

The Professional Constructor

Due to an optimistic economic future, construction companies want to attract and retain the best employees to ensure company success. Because of a larger job market, employees now look for the optimal work values to be met in long-term employment opportunities. Construction companies have many challenges when attracting and retaining top employees in a growing market. Therefore; it is beneficial for employers to consider the evolving work values of employees and for these values to be promoted throughout company culture. Offering employees good value for their contribution to the company attracts and retains top employees.

Social Resources Of Mechanical Contracting Management Personnel, Blake Wentz, Sarabeth Gandara

The Professional Constructor

The construction industry in the United States is projected to grow faster than average compared to other industries through 2026. The Baby Boomer generation is leaving a significant gap in the labor force as they reach retirement. Retention of high quality management personnel is a priority for all companies in the construction industry, including mechanical contracting companies. Firms that fail to retain these employees will be left with an understaffed and underqualified workforce, which will hinder their ability to be competitive in the marketplace. In order to aid in retention efforts, mechanical contracting firms need to focus their attention on …

Essay Winners, American Institute Of Constructors

The Professional Constructor

No abstract provided.

Attracting And Retaining Future Top Performing Employees, Caleb Bardin

The Professional Constructor

The goal of this essay is to explore the key factors that influence top-performing employees’ decisions to change companies or remain with their current employers. A few of these factors are salary and benefits, work environment, and corporate advancement. This essay will address such factors and propose solutions using my own educational and professional experience. A key theme to note is the constant evaluation of employees and workplace environment by employers. No company can hope to be successful or have the best people if this skill is not enhanced and implemented well.

Building Homes And Hopes In Bangalore, India, Sherry S. Saroufeem

Construction Management

Habitat for Humanity Global Village is an organization that continuously sends volunteers to work on construction projects around the world. My team and I were chosen to go to a village in Bangalore, India, where we dug and poured home foundations for three families in need. Given the opportunity to combine my love for construction and my passion for helping those in need, I was certain that this was the senior project for me. I wanted the capstone of my college educational experience to reflect a hands-on approach, where I had the opportunity to make a difference and see an …

Bs News March/April

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Toughness, Tenacity And Maximum Initial Strength Of Rubber Modified Asphalt Binders, Kazem Jadidi, Mehdi Khalili, Moses Karakouzian, Serji Amirkhanian

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

The toughness and tenacity test method, which was developed in the 1980s, is popular for evaluating a polymermodified binder. Several states like Nevada require performing this test to evaluate non-modified binder samples, as well as other types of modified binders. In this regard, a toughness and tenacity test was performed on rubber-modified samples produced from virgin binder PG58-28, PG64-16 and AC-20. In order to take the rubber size, type and content into account, two rubber sizes, mesh #20 and #40, two rubber types, ambient and cryogenic, and three rubber contents, 10%, 15%, and 20% were produced and tested. The results …

Ua1c2/39 Home Economics Building Photos, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Images of the Home Economics Building, razed Oct. 21, 1982.

Ua3/2/3 President's Office-Garrett Building File, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Artificial collection related to the construction of Cherry Hall and the Kentucky Building using Works Progress Administration funds.

Ua1c2/37 Facilities Services & Heating Plant Photos, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Images of Facilities Services and the Heating Plant.

Ua1c2/46 Maintenance Service Building Photos, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Images of the Maintenance Service Building

Ua66/9/1 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Engineering Administration, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

No abstract provided.

Ua3/1/5/2 President's Office-Cherry Campus Buildings, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by the President's Office during the Henry Hardin Cherry administration regarding the construction and maintenance of buildings.

Ua1c2/27 Environmental Sciences & Technology Building Photos, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Images of the Environmental Sciences & Technology building.

Ua1c11/102 Wku Planning, Design & Construction Photo/Video Collection, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Photographs and video created by WKU Planning, Design and Construction.

Ua1c2/17 Cravens Graduate Center & Library Photos, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Images of the Cravens Graduate Center & Library.

Ua1c2/2 Academic Complex Photos, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Images of the Academic Complex.

Efficient Excitation Of Micro/Nano Resonators And Their Higher Order Modes, N. Jaber, M. A. A. Hafiz, S. N. R. Kazmi, M. H. Hasan, F. Alsaleem, S. Ilyas, M. I. Younis

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

We demonstrate a simple and flexible technique to efficiently activate micro/nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) resonators at their fundamental and higher order vibration modes. The method is based on the utilization of the amplified voltage across an inductor, L, of an LC tank resonant circuit to actuate the MEMS/NEMS resonator. By matching the electrical and mechanical resonances, significant amplitude amplification is reported across the resonators terminals. We show experimentally amplitude amplification up to twelve times, which is demonstrated to efficiently excite several vibration modes of a microplate MEMS resonator and the fundamental mode of a NEMS resonator.

Method Of Monitoring Charge Condition Of Heat Pump System, Fadi M. Alsaleem, Gregg M. Hemmelgarn

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

A heat-pump circuit may include an indoor heat exchanger, an outdoor heat exchanger, a compressor adapted to circulate a working fluid between the indoor and outdoor heat exchangers, and an expansion device disposed between the indoor and outdoor heat exchangers. A monitor for the heat-pump system may include a return-air temperature sensor, a supply-air temperature sensor, and a processor. The return-air temperature sensor may be adapted to measure a first air temperature of air upstream of the indoor heat exchanger. The supply-air temperature sensor may be adapted to measure a second air temperature of air down stream of the indoor …

Heat Pump And Air Conditioning Grading Systems And Methods, Fadi Mohammad Alsaleem

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

An expectation module determines an expected average power consumption of a heat pump for a predetermined period as a function of indoor and outdoor temperatures of the building during the predetermined period. A difference module determines a power difference between an average power consumption of the heat pump during the predeter mined period and the expected average power consumption of the heat pump for the predetermined period. A grade determination module determines a grade of the heat pump for the predetermined period based on the power difference of the predetermined period. A reporting module generates a displayable report including the …

Voltage And Deflection Amplification Via Double Resonance Excitation In A Cantilever Microstructure, Mohammad H. Hasan, Fadi Alsaleem, Abdallah Ramini

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Cantilever electrostatically-actuated resonators show great promise in sensing and actuating applications. However, the electrostatic actuation suffers from high-voltage actuation requirements and high noise low-amplitude signal-outputs which limit its applications. Here, we introduce a mixed-frequency signal for a cantilever-based resonator that triggers its mechanical and electrical resonances simultaneously, to overcome these limitations. A single linear RLC circuit cannot completely capture the response of the resonator under double resonance excitation. Therefore, we develop a coupled mechanical and electrical mathematical linearized model at different operation frequencies and validate this model experimentally. The double-resonance excitation results in a 21 times amplification of the voltage …