Construction Engineering Commons^™

Recognizing Construction Equipment Activities Using A Smartphone, David J. Engelhaupt

UCARE: Research Products

The purpose of this research is to develop a smartphone based system to continually analyze construction equipment activity (e.g. a skid loader moving forward, side-ways, or raising its bucket) using a variety of different sensors and give feedback to the equipment operator or the supervisor. Such a system could detect inefficiencies in construction operations and provide valuable information to project managers.

The results have demonstrated that DTW is effective at identifying typical rotation patterns. It has been less effective for slow rotations over long duration or very fast rotations with short durations. The accuracy of DTW is improved when the …

Factors Of Employee Loyalty Among Construction Management Field Personnel, Estimators & Bim/Design Specialists: Insights For General Contractors, Colby Humphrey, Ben F. Bigelow

The Professional Constructor

Since 2008 construction employment has dropped considerably and has remained below 2007 levels, with construction management positions still about 14% down (U.S. Department of Labor 2015). Despite the boom currently occurring in the construction industry, general contractors (GCs) are finding it difficult to fill project management positions (AGC 2014), and construction firms expect these challenges to continue (Mutikani 2014). With greater demand for managers, retaining quality people is a paramount concern. Everyone knows the adage that “money talks”, but what can a GC do to engender loyalty besides just paying more? To explore that question and attempt to better understand …

Measuring Organizational Learning Success In Commercial Construction During Economic Recession, Evan Danforth, Justin Weidman, Clifton Farnsworth

The Professional Constructor

The method through which organizations collect and internalize knowledge, termed organizational learning, has been theorized to significantly influence company performance. Specifically, the speed and accuracy of knowledge transfer boasted by organizational learning proponents is thought to assist companies in dealing with, and even benefiting from, environmental changes such as economic volatility. This research studied the organizational learning of fifteen commercial construction companies in the southwestern United States during the 2008-2009 U.S. recession through semi-structured interviews. It was found that the companies that exhibited dramatically higher or lower levels of organizational learning generally experienced correspondingly higher or lower performance. The contribution …

Ua1c11/81 Robert Eversoll Photograph Collection, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Slides of the Environmental Sciences & Technology Building under construction.

Accident Patterns In Road Construction Work Zones, Tariq Shehab, Leah Phu

The Professional Constructor

Traffic safety in road construction zones has always been a major concern for engineering practitioners, departments of transportation, law enforcement professionals, researchers and many others. Due to the deteriorated condition of road and underground infrastructure facilities in the United States, the number of rehabilitation projects and their associated traffic accidents have increased over the past few years. To perform the needed road and underground utility rehabilitation activities in safer environments, researchers need to understand the causes behind these accidents. Although many researchers have been exploring the safety of many construction activities, research pertaining to road construction projects is lacking and …

A Framework For Small-Scale Construction Projects By Ngos In Developing Countries, James D. Goedert, Bradley Cory

The Professional Constructor

This paper outlines a theoretical framework for NGOs who are building small-scale construction projects in developing countries. The framework is a step-by-step procedure to guide NGOs from developing project parameters at the start of the project with the partner to a locally controlled sustainable project closeout. The authors used the integrative project delivery approach along with past construction research models and personal experience to guide the development of the framework. Steps within the framework are illustrated using five projects from three countries. This work assumes that the ultimate objective of the project is local operational sustainability with the NGO’s presence …

Ua1c11/73 C. Haskel Mccauley Photo Collection, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Photographs by C. Haskel McCauley

Ua3/1/5/3 President's Office-Cherry Campus Building Campaign, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by the President's Office during the Henry Cherry administration regarding the construction of WKU. This series is not completely processed.

Ua11/3 Public Affairs Building & Construction File, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records regarding campus buildings and construction projects used for writing press releases. Includes construction information sheets, press releases and clippings from newspapers around the state.

Engineer Manual 385 Effectiveness: A Study Of Predictive Analytics, Scott Arias

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Under the guidance of the United States Army Corps of Engineering Manual 385 (EM 385), the federal government has taken a stringent stance on construction safety. Using the mandated Occupational Safety and Health regulations and the 29 Code of Federal Regulation as a safety foundation, the EM 385 requires project-specific planning, continuous oversight and direct control of all safety activities. These mandates, required of every Department of Defense entity, focus on safety management not found within other federal agencies, in an attempt to reduce the number and severity of mishaps. This study looks for causation between the use of the …

Assessment Of Future Employment And Competency Skills In Building Information Modeling: A Delphi Study, Joseph A. Raiola Iii

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many mainstream architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals are using Building Information Modeling (BIM). Although more and more firms are using BIM and this trend is forecast to continue, it is unclear what skills and competencies a construction manager will need in five years related to BIM. This research aims to answer that question through the use of a Delphi panel comprised of AEC professionals. The panel consists of members with the following qualifications: a minimum of eight years industry or academic experience or a combination of the two, a minimum of three years BIM experience, and membership in a …

An Analysis Of Safety Culture & Safety Training: Comparing The Impact Of Union, Non-Union, And Right To Work Construction Venues, Harry Miller Csp, Tara Hill, Kris Mason, John S. Gaal Edd

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

The construction industry is one of the most dangerous sectors of the US economy. As such, the safety attitudes and climate within small (residential) contracting firms may play a role in providing a safe culture and working environment. The intent of this practitioner-based research study is to compare and determine if there is a difference in safety practices—based on documented field inspections and their related original number of violations observed by OSHA—between union residential carpentry contractors in the St. Louis area and:

1) non-union residential carpentry contractors in the St. Louis area;

2) non-union residential carpentry contractors across Missouri; and …

Assisting A Local Animal Shelter, J. J. Potvin, Jim Strande

Posters

Construction Technology students, JJ Potvin and Jim Strande assisted Pintler Pets, Montana's Anaconda-Deer Lodge Animal Shelter, with its recent major influx of feral cats by constructing a "lean to" addition to the building.

Redesigning The Warren Animal Shelter, Bandar Alotaibi, Nicholas Baldasarre, Sean Barrett, Jacqueline Brauer, Perry Cry, Erin D'Allesandro, Joseph D'Oria, Jason Doughty, Alison Fredericks, Samantha Howard, Anthony Izzo, Matthem Jesi, Jozef Karpiel, Daniel L'Esperance, Robin Sharp, Emily Sperini, Gary Graham, Frederick Gould, Arnold Robinson

Architecture and Urban Design

The new shelter should incorporate improved natural lighting and ventilation, adequate space for laundry facilities and more space for the animals' living and bathing needs. The design should consider how to prevent dogs from barking and disturbing one another while in the kennels. Increased storage is necessary for the animal shelter to contain the food and living amenities for the incoming animals.

Ua61/3 Wku Nursing & Physical Therapy - The Medical Center - Wku Health Sciences Complex, Wku Health & Human Services

WKU Administration Documents

Fundraising brochure regarding The Medical Center – WKU Health Sciences Complex constructed from 2012 through 2014. Features architectural renderings of each floor.

2:1 The Paper Tube Project, Noel Brady

Articles

Review of applied technological solution to rapid building techniques using paper tube and analogous materials to create space enclosing geodesic systems.

A Financial Impact Assessment Of Ld 1725: Stream Crossings, New England Environmental Finance Center, Muskie School Of Public Service

Water

This report looks at the potential financial impact of LD 1725 on the estimated 30,000 stream crossings in the State of Maine that would be affected by the law. Our research for this report included the analysis of nearly 2000 stream crossings and the data collection necessary for the development of extensive stream crossing replacement cost models. We found that the 1.2 bankfull requirements in LD 1725 would result in a 75% ‐ 250% increase in structure widths for stream crossing projects across the state. An upsize of this magnitude would increase the cost of replacing stream crossings statewide by …

Bs News January/February

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Ua3/4/2 President's Office-Downing Construction File, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records regarding the planning, construction and maintenance of buildings on the WKU campus. Downing held several positions at WKU before becoming president. Some of these records date to that earlier period.

Culvert Material Cost Comparison, New England Environmental Finance Center

Water

The following tables provide a detailed look at the role that culvert material and culvert diameter play in the overall cost of a culvert replacement project.

Bs News November/December

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Bs News September/October

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Construction Cost Models, Barry Dikeman

Economics and Finance

The following are a series of cost estimate models similar in format to a typical engineer’s estimate that were developed in support of our financial impact assessment report for LD 1725. The models us current material costs, labor costs, and equipment costs for the region to provide a comparative cost analysis of seven culvert replacement scenarios. The models provide information about what the cost impact of LD 1725 would be for typical culvert replacements in Maine. However, due to the inherent restrictions of the cost modeling framework we were not able to include the abundance of variables that would be …

Bs News July/August

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Bs News May/June

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Bs News March/April

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Ua3/3/4 President's Office-Thompson Construction File, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Construction file regarding construction of new buildings, renovation of existing buildings and bond issues during Kelly Thompson's tenure as WKU President.

B S News January/February

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Leadership, Libraries, Leed For The Future, Kathryn S. Ames, Greg Heid

Georgia Library Quarterly

The article discusses the use of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) principles in the design of the modern public library. It is stated that an LEED-certified library will have lower costs in energy, systems replacement and maintenance through the use of light-emitting diode (LED) lighting and efficient heating and air conditioning, but that due to special materials, the up-front expense is higher. The inspection of the facility throughout its construction is also noted.

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.