Construction Engineering Commons^™

Hurricanes And Housing: Highlighting The Ongoing Impact Of Hurricane Michael And The Post-Disaster Housing Problem, Mary Beth Barr

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hurricanes impact individuals and communities on many levels - emotional, physical, mental, financial - to name a few. Every time a hurricane occurs, lives are drastically altered forever. One of the ways that hurricanes impact individuals and communities most powerfully is through the effect that they have on housing. Unleashing uncontrollable damage to infrastructure and the built environment, hurricanes exacerbate housing problems that exist and create new ones where they did not exist before. Hurricane Michael, which catastrophically impacted the Florida Panhandle in 2018, is a case study in which the impact that hurricanes have on housing is prevalent.

By …

Umass Dartmouth Science And Engineering (Seng) Building Systems Upgrades Project, Jillian Cornelius

UMassBRUT Community

Although UMass Dartmouth's Science and Engineering Building has long been viewed as an architectural treasure, its aging interior and structure have presented some challenges to users nearly 50 years after it opened. This talk examines Ellenzweig's extensive retrofitting of the UMass Dartmouth SENG building for accessibility, a new envelope, updated MEP, and fire-safety measures. After looking at the design phase and interactions with the Mass Historic Commission, the talk ends with an examination of the replacement of windows in the building.

Brutalist Structures – Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Theresa Wolejko

UMassBRUT Community

Until they were banned by the Federal Government in 1978, Polychlorinated Biphenyls or PCBs, were used extensively as sealants in Brutalist structures across the United States. As a result, these hazardous chemical compounds still reside in concrete buildings and present a danger to those looking to clean or renovate Brutalist structures. This talk explains the problems the University of Massachusetts Amherst has faced in dealing with PCBs over the last couple of decades and recommends some best practices for owners, designers, builders working on midcentury buildings which are suspected to contain these dangerous chemicals.

Concrete Deterioration And Diagnosis, Matthew B. Bronski

UMassBRUT Community

Built primarily in the 1960’s, mid-century modernist concrete buildings are now at the age when we regard many as historic or architecturally significant (and thus as deserving of careful restoration and stewardship), but also at an age where many now exhibit significant deterioration. In this presentation, Matthew Bronski describes the most common maladies and deterioration mechanisms that can befall exposed concrete facades, outlines investigative and diagnostic approaches, and discuss the pros and cons of different rehabilitation treatment options, and the importance of tailoring the treatment to the malady.

Umass Amherst Case Studies – Campus Center Plaza & Lederle Graduate Research Center, Elliott Hambrook

UMassBRUT Community

This presentation discusses Gale’s recent experience with repair projects at two (2) brutalist structures on the Amherst Campus at UMass. A board-formed concrete retaining wall at the base of the Murray D. Lincoln Campus Center (Marcel Breuer, 1970) was tastefully modified, but retained, as part of a waterproofing replacement project, addressing water infiltration and improving sight lines across the Campus Center Plaza. The panelized precast concrete façades of the John W. Lederle Graduate Research Center (Campbell, Aldrich, & Nulty, 1969) received new exterior sealants, enlarged panel joints, PCB removal and encapsulation, supplemental panel anchorage, and a waterproof coating.

Concrete Diagnostics & Assessment, Michael Schuller

UMassBRUT Community

The process of repairing Brutalist architecture begins with diagnosis and assessment of the material conditions of these buildings. This talk focuses on the processes that engineers undertake in order to document and access historic concrete before conservators and designers can form a plan to save such buildings. The speaker gives insight into the diagnostic techniques, such a visual assessment, nondestructive evaluation, sounding, moisture and metal detection, and chemical analysis.

Concrete Conservation Strategies And Repair, Paul Gaudette

UMassBRUT Community

Drawing on the speaker's many years in the field, this talk gives a comprehensive overview of concrete conservation. Beginning with the goals and approaches to conserving concrete, the talk then covers common protection systems, petrographic and chemical studies, and the design of mixes used in repairs. In order to demonstrate these techniques, two case studies are examined, including a Brutalist building and building with architectural precast. The talk ends with some recommendations on how to best approach cleaning and conservation of historic concrete buildings.

Approaches To Renewing Brutalist-Era Lab Buildings, Jean Caroon

UMassBRUT Community

Given the immense amount of embodied carbon that mid-century Brutalist structures represent, we must redirect our focus from demolishing these concrete structures to renovating them to fit our needs in the 21st century. Higher education laboratory buildings from the 1960s and 1970s are a particularly challenging type of facility. This talk describes the work that Boston architecture firm Goody Clancy has recently undertaken in renovating over 1 million square feet of lab building space. The talk not only covers specific retrofits and envelope improvements to science buildings, such as the Gant Science Complex at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, …

Modern Heritage: Why It Matters, And What Gci Is Doing To Help Conserve It, Chandler Mccoy

UMassBRUT Community

The Getty Conservation Institute entered the field of conserving modern heritage in 2013, with the establishment of its Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative (CMAI). The CMAI aims to advance the practice of conserving modern heritage and feels that the best way to retain and reuse modern buildings is by knowing how to maintain, repair and upgrade them, and does this by providing useful tools, case studies, and training to help promote this effort. There has recently been a wave of notable demolition cases which raises the question about the environmental impact of replacing existing buildings with new ones, with many concerned …

Construction Of An Apartment Building And Parking Garage, Kirsten Wilson, Kirsten R. Wilson

Honors College Theses

Construction projects are known far and wide to all people. Buildings we need for daily survival would not exist if it were not for the construction industry. Our homes, healthcare facilities, groceries, and other necessary amenities would be gone if it were not for the structures they are housed in. This project aims to simulate the lifespan of a construction job from the design phase to the preconstruction phase and stops at the final presentation before an agreement to start construction.

To create the simulation for the students, a fake RFP, or request for proposal, was created and given to …

Twisted Buildings: Concepts And Approaches, Amani Marmar, Sally Zouia, Sahar Ismail, Ahmad Hallik

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

With the emerging of new technologies, the look for more sustainable towers appears. Through designing twisted towers, an aerodynamic and energy efficient structure can be made to reduce materials and wind loads towards it. By definition, a twisted building is one that has gradually rotating floor plates along its height. The problem here rises due to the risk of structural failure and lack of load transfer and unorganized interior function. Thus, this research aims to detect the design solutions used to execute the twisted buildings achieving stability, safety, and withstanding climatic effects. In order to accomplish the mentioned aim, the …

3d Printed Concrete & Polymer Concrete For Infrastructure Applications, Daniel Heras Murcia

Civil Engineering ETDs

Additive manufacturing technology has been established as one of the fastest-growing building technologies worldwide. Three-dimensional concrete printing (3DCP) has developed an increasing interest in the last decade due to its prospects as a transformative technology for industries such as the concrete precast. Besides the improvements in automation technologies in construction, traditional construction has faced considerable challenges: high accident rates, labor dependency, significant potential for automation, and high costs associated with the use of traditional formwork. In this context, three-dimensional concrete, also referred to as physical prototyping, is a novel construction technique in which the concrete is extruded layer-to-layer. 3DCP is …

A Proposal To Harmonize Bim And Iot Data Silos Using Blockchain Application, Zulkefly Abu Bakar, Malachy Mathews Dr

Conference papers

The integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Internet of Things (IoT) provide significant end-to-end benefits for the architecture, engineering, construction, and operations (AECO) industry. Example applications include on-site assembly services, data localization for built environment, occupancy performance measures and many other analyses that can be used to improve the built environment. However, silos in the BIM and IoT data exchange have impacted the digital process adoption in AECO industry, which aims to change the dynamics and behaviors of the current working process. Penzes, (2018) in his report, acknowledges the AECO industry as one of the most fragmented sectors with …

Introduction To Prefabrication And Automation In Construction, Luciana Debs, Jiansong Zhang, Yunfeng Chen

School of Construction Management Technology Open Educational Resources

New developments and recent advances in construction methods have the potential to change the future of the architecture, engineering and construction industry. Prefabrication, along with modular construction, provides a safe and controlled environment for the production of building construction elements and raises the need for improved collaboration and coordination from design to manufacturing and from transportation to final assembly. Prefabrication also provides relief from the skilled construction labor shortage while opening up new opportunities for mass customization within the building industry. Prefabrication and modular construction automation are emerging expansion routes for the construction industry. In addition, integral to developing the …

Digital Construction And Bim Research In Ireland 2016-2020, Barry Mcauley, Roger P. West, Alan V. Hore

Conference papers

As the construction industry opens up post pandemic, new and significant challenges will demand considerable expertise, not least in financial viability, solving the housing crisis and facing the very significant climate change pressures to make the industry less wasteful and less carbon intensive. This presents an excellent opportunity to further inculcate aspects of lean construction, particularly BIM into many aspects of construction not traditionally associated with digital construction, provided the necessary expertise is available and known to exist. Following a well-received recent conference paper summarising BIM-related research published by academics in Ireland’s higher education institutions in 2020, this paper will …

Take Heart School, Quentin John Porter

Architectural Engineering

Journeyman International, also known as JI, is a non-profit organization that groups together design and construction students with organizations looking to build humanitarian projects around the world. This pairing is beneficial for both the organization because they get free design and construction expertise, as well as for the students who get real-world experience. The Take Heart School is a planned school and grounds for the region of Migori Kenya. Take Heart Africa is a fair trade store with all profits going to help the impoverished communities of Kenya. The three-acre site will have a school with eight classrooms, offices, a …

Computational Design Of Nonlinear Stress-Strain Of Isotropic Materials, Askhad M.Polatov, Akhmat M. Ikramov, Daniyarbek Razmukhamedov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

The article deals with the problems of numerical modeling of nonlinear physical processes of the stress-strain state of structural elements. An elastoplastic medium of a homogeneous solid material is investigated. The results of computational experiments on the study of the process of physically nonlinear deformation of isotropic elements of three-dimensional structures with a system of one- and double-periodic spherical cavities under uniaxial compression are presented. The influence and mutual influence of stress concentrators in the form of spherical cavities, vertically located two cavities and a horizontally located system of two cavities on the deformation of the structure are investigated. Numerical …

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Into The Impact Of Bim On The Social Dynamics Of The Aec Professional In The Workplace., Malachy Mathews Dr.

Doctoral

A review of the literature published surrounding new digital design and construction technologies and associated processes described within the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) community as Building Information Modelling (BIM) or Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) reveals a gap in the theoretical understanding of the impact these technologies are having on professionals who work in this industry. The central aim of this research is to discover if there has been a shift in social dynamics as a result of the adoption of BIM in the workplace and, if there has been, to discuss the meaning of this for the industry …

To What Extent Can Innovative International Project Delivery Strategies (Which Leverage Bim) Improve The Cost Certainty Of Large Complex Public Procurement Projects In The Context Of Irish Public Procurement?, Bim Tudublin, Roqaya Abouklaib

Capstone Reports

Cost overrun is one of the biggest issues in the construction sector, and cost certainty is one of the main aims of the public construction sector in Ireland. Studies have shown that multi-disciplinary collaboration will benefit a construction project throughout its lifecycle. BIM, Lean, and IPD are independent methodologies that encourage collaborative work, and there are existent effective synergies among these concepts. The synergetic innovative international strategies were utilised for delivering large complex projects successfully globally, and many authors have studied large complex public projects that have adopted innovative international project delivery strategies collaboratively and have shown that the cost …

A Critical Analysis Of The Application Of Augmented Reality (Ar) For Monitoring And Documentation Of Construction Site Progress In The Irish Aec Industry., Bim Tudublin, Lukasz Sarnot

Capstone Reports

Sarnot, L. (2021) A critical analysis of the application of augmented reality (AR) for monitoring and documentation of construction site progress in the Irish AEC industry, Capstone Project from the MSc in aBIMM

A Critical Examination Of Visual Programming And Generative Design For The Compliance Checking Of Open Plan Office Layouts Against Hse Guidelines Post Covid-19., Bim Tudublin, Ronan Byrne

Capstone Reports

The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility of Visual Programming (VP) and Generative Design (GD) in assisting employers review open plan office layouts against Ireland’s HSE guidelines implemented in May 2020 in response to Covid-19. The pandemic has affected all areas of life with workplace standards requiring a complete overhaul. This study will attempt to ascertain compliance with natural ventilation and social distancing requirements through the completion of an experimental research study, utilising Computational Design (CD) tools. A GD study will be undertaken to provide the designer with numerous office layout design solutions to evaluate and evolve. …

Opportunities In The Irish Reinforced Concrete Industry For Lean And Bim Adoption, Bim Tudublin, Kieran Mcconnell

Capstone Reports

The Irish Reinforced Concrete (RC) sector has yet to realise the full potential of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Lean construction. The positive impacts and benefits of both BIM and Lean in the wider Architecture, Engineering and Construction sector are widely recognised; many of these are transferable to the RC sector, but there is limited research and knowledge on practical transference, uses and advantages. This research aims to fill some of the existing knowledge gaps by examining BIM and Lean adoption and awareness in the Irish RC sector across sub-sectors, professions, and organisational levels, and by exploring opportunities for increasing …

A Critical Analysis Of How Large Irish Architectural Practices Responded To Initial Covid-19 Restrictions And The Affect Implementing Remote Working Had On Bim Processes, Policies, And People, Bim Tudublin, John Mcenroy

Capstone Reports

The unprecedent events which transpired in the 88-day period from the 31st of December 2019 to the 27th of March 2020 have changed the world in which we live and work. The outbreak of Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) and the ensuing pandemic which has evolved are descripted as one in a hundred-year events. This paper researched and critically analyses the operations which large Irish Architecture firms initiated during this period in order to facilitate the ability of its employees working from a remote location, focusing on how the People, Processes and Policies of BIM (3 Ps of BIM); adapted to …

To What Extent Can Lean Construction Processes And Principles Be Utilised In The Design Stage Of A Bim Project In The Irish Design And Construction Industry, Bim Tudublin, Barry Sheramn

Capstone Reports

Although different in many ways, Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Lean Construction are two processes that are having a significant impact on the Design & Construction Industry. In recent years, the Irish AECO industry has seen a tenfold increase across numerous construction disciplines with the adoption of new workflows and processes centred around both BIM and Lean methodologies. Existing literature identifies a strong synergistic relationship between the two processes and highlights the opportunity for Lean processes and principles to be implemented into the design stage workflow. This paper investigated existing literature relating to several lean processes currently implemented in the …

Should Acoustic Simulation Technology Be Utilised In Architectural Practice? Does It Have The Potential For Bim Integration?, Bim Tudublin, Keith Harvey

Capstone Reports

The research presented in this paper, firstly, aims to convey the importance of our acoustic environment through focusing on the effects of undesirable acoustic conditions on cognitive abilities in spaces where cognitive performance is of the utmost concern, our learning environments. Secondly, it aims to investigate current state-of-the-art acoustic simulation methods, available platforms, and their levels of interoperability with architectural BIM authoring software. Structured interviews were carried out with 7 Irish architects and architectural technologists to determine if a disconnection between architectural design and acoustic performance exists and to identify the advantages and disadvantages of current workflows for acoustic performance …

An Examination Of The Use Of Geotechnical Bim To Provide Value Engineering Solutions For Coastal Infrastructure., Bim Tudublin, Eric Brennan

Capstone Reports

The digitisation of construction is taking root as Building Information Modelling is becoming more prevalent across the industry. From an Irish context, the adoption rate of BIM has been slow; nationally its advantages and merits have been welcomed and the appropriate government support is either available, soon to be implemented or in the early conceptual stage. Within the Irish governments Project Ireland 2040 framework there are significant infrastructure developments looming ahead, in particular regarding ports and harbours. The importance of this type of infrastructure is only further compounded due to the UK’s departure from the EU and the need for …

Analysing Bim Implementation In The Egyptian Construction Industry, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman, Mohamed Marzouk, Heba Elsaay

Architectural Engineering

Purpose – This research is built up upon exploring the concepts of building information modeling (BIM) adoption and strategy formulation with the aim to develop a strategy for implementing BIM in the Egyptian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach – The development of the BIM implementation strategy was based on two pillars, namely the literature review and results of the survey questionnaire and interviews. First, the review of literature helped investigating the BIM challenges and international strategies developed to implement BIM worldwide. Findings – The research presented recommendations to assist policymakers in Egypt to facilitate BIM implementation. Originality/value – Although multiple frameworks have …