Construction Engineering and Management Commons^™

A Case Study In The Improvement Of Construction Efficiency Via The Analysis Of Contemporary Sustainable Practices, Pablo J. Anzoategui

Construction Management

Construction firms can sometimes reflect a lack emphasis over environmental concerns in the design and implementation of building projects. This does not have to be the case however. The following report details some current sustainable construction materials, technique, design, and building practices. It then discusses the implementation of such practices on an individual case basis. The site chosen was Hanover Page Mill, a cutting-edge LEED platinum green built office suite in Palo Alto. Research into sustainable practices was then applied to the building and combined with direct consultation and visual inspection to analyze the effectiveness of the project design and …

Concrete Industry Management In Higher Education, Irl Thomas Barajas

Construction Management

This Paper Focuses on the concrete industry and programs that prepare college students for their future in it and to try and implement some sort of concrete program at Cal Poly. The idea to make Concrete Industry Management first came along at Middle Tennessee State University in 1996, but only a few other programs have started at other schools since then. These programs focus on skills for graduates to enter the concrete industry in production, project management, sales, and marketing. They are structured similar to the way Construction Management programs are structured and have similar courses like estimating, sustainability, and …

Women’S Aquaculture Cooperative Program: A Humanitarian Project Through Journeyman International, Dalton Crump

Construction Management

The Women's Aquaculture Cooperative Program (WACP) is a partnership between the humanitarian platform Journeyman International (JI) and the African energy company Afritech Energy, who aims to provide sustainable, affordable energy to the most remote regions of Africa. The WACP is in the Bihongora region of Rwanda, which currently has no electricity or infrastructure. Afritech plans to build the 5,000 kW Bihongora Hydroelectric Power Plant and create Lake Bihongora in order to power and operate the aquaculture. The project will provide women in the region with the education needed to fully run, operate, and profit from the aquaculture "micro-business." The project …

Remodeling Office For Growing Grounds, Kyle R. Fawley

Construction Management

This project was my first real re-condition project for a portion of an office space for Growing Grounds Farm here in San Luis Obispo. The purpose of this essay is to look back onto my experience and see how much I struggled and learned, and how I can benefit from it in the future. Throughout my project, I made sure there was constant communication between myself and Craig Wilson, program manager for Growing Grounds Farm, with clarifications and several updates. I made sure to fit and complete the project within my tight schedule and adjust it throughout the process. Throughout …

Heavy Equipment As A Topics Course At Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Construction Management Curriculum, Samuel G. Duner

Construction Management

In the construction industry it has been said that no project is the same. That each project awarded to a contractor will have new and unique details that were not faced in the previous projects. However, all the management skills acquired by the project team will be used to complete the current project. One of those skills that seems to be underutilized and does not receive enough emphasis, is the management of heavy equipment. The purpose of this paper will be to highlight details of heavy equipment management that need to be emphasized in the Cal Poly construction management curriculum, …

Preconstruction Services For The Modular House, Trevor Daniel Houghton

Construction Management

The "Modular House", originally named for its composition of 8x8x8 foot steel framed modules, has experienced a rich history of tenants, additions, and tourism. This structure was one of the first to be erected in California Polytechnic’s Poly Canyon. After many great years as a residence and iconic structure the house was ultimately abandoned in 2010. Since then, the building and the canyon have seen increased vandalism and weathering backed by minimal maintenance, resulting in unsafe conditions for the general public. Our mission was to allow this structure to be enjoyed by the public while highlighting its initial architectural features. …

Case Study Analysis Of Improving Productivity Rates For Self-Perform Concrete, Johnny Mcdermott

Construction Management

Productivity is one of the most important aspects of a successful construction project, especially if the work is self-performed and not sub-contracted out to another contractor. Usually the success of a project is directly correlated to how well the production has been throughout the course of the job. Often when a project manager notices their job is not doing well and not making their target profits or man-hours, productivity is usually the answer to that problem. This paper will examine the different ways and methods of tracking production that was used by Overaa construction. The focus of this study is …

A Case Study: Project Scheduling On Quick Serve Tenant Improvement Projects, Robert M. Malone

Construction Management

Scheduling is the basis for nearly all construction planning. For small tenant improvement projects, time is often of the essence. However, often times the project’s schedule is not closely followed, monitored, or updated. Discovering why the project’s schedule has not been followed, monitored, or updated will illuminate potential ways to improve the efficiency of planning and managing a quick serve construction project. This report will provide this information through a series of indepth interviews, as well as, observations from a three McDonald’s tenant improvement projects on the California Central Coast. From these interviews, the interviewee’s perspective of the project’s progress …

Montgomery High School Baseball Clubhouse Expansion, Armando Ramirez

Construction Management

After graduating from Montgomery High School (MOH) in 2013, I knew that I wanted to give back when the opportunity was given. More specifically, I hoped to help the baseball team. Throughout my years playing baseball at MOH, the coaches and players constantly expressed interest in expanding the clubhouse as it was deemed too small and uncomfortable. After the first meeting with the owner, Coach Hermosillo, a budget was established and preliminary design ideas were brought up. It was important for him to implement the feedback given from the current players. After several meetings and different iterations of the expanded …

Journeyman International Construction Services Brazil Elementary School, Kotaro Kiriharo

Construction Management

This project-based senior project is a partnership with Journeyman International (JI), an interdisciplinary, non-profit organization that is based in downtown San Luis Obispo. JI matches students and volunteers with humanitarian projects all over the world. For the purpose of this project, students from the College of Architecture and Environmental design were paired in order to compile both design and construction service documents for an elementary school in Brazil. The Elementary School, which will be called Nossa Escola de Terra, will be built in Cabo de Santo Agostinho, a small town located in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. This paper highlights …

South Bay Fire Department: Back Deck, Connor Ray Smith

Construction Management

Local fire station, Station 15, in the community of Los Osos, was in need of a deck to be built in the rear of the station. There was public support, funding, and a desire for an upgrade. With the help of the firefighters and administrative staff at South Bay Fire Department, a 285 square foot structure was constructed to operate as a relaxing area for on duty staff to use between emergency calls. The plan creation, estimating, and building of the deck took approximately a year to complete. An estimated 305 man hours were spent collectively on the project, with …

The Uk Bim Revolution, Wilbert R. Thompson

Construction Management

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a relatively new technology many organizations are trying to efficiently implement in their workflows, as it can provide cost savings, reduce schedules, improve overall quality, as well as reduce conflicts and issues that arise throughout the construction process. In 2011 the UK government released a plan to mandate the use of BIM and collaborative procurement methods on all publicly funded projects with aims to reduce waste and costs, while also improving industry relations by becoming a more knowledgeable client. This paper highlights the challenges of transitioning from traditional construction workflows to collaborative methods, something essential …

The Differences Between Cpm And Resource-Loaded Scheduling And How They Applied To The Martinez Tesoro Refinery Flare Header Replacement Project, Connor Steven Carone

Construction Management

A case study was conducted to analyze the scheduling challenges faced on a refinery construction project in Martinez, California. The main issues on the project were complications experienced by the general contractor in fulfilling a requirement to produce a resource-loaded schedule. Unable to create one, a CPM schedule was produced instead. Research on the differences between a CPM and resource-loaded schedule was conducted in order to uncover how they applied to the refinery project. The most significant differences between the two scheduling methodologies is that a CPM assumes infinite capacity, while resource loading recognizes that resources have finite limits in …

Roman Catholic Elementary Photovoltaic Project, Joe Gugale

Construction Management

The use of photovoltaic panels in construction is rapidly growing all around the world. This paper summarizes the findings of a student-based project in Belize that was installed December 2016. The San Pedro Roman Catholic Primary School is the largest school on the island of Ambergris Caye, Belize with over 700 students in 22 classrooms ranging from Kindergarten to 8th grade. Although the school has power supplied from the local electrical utility, power outages occur frequently and the cost of electricity is considerable.

The project had several issues related to preparing the design, acquiring the materials and equipment, and developing …

Aei Student Design Competition: Texas Tech Sports Performance Facility, Jacob G. Kockrow

Construction Management

The AEI Student Competition is an annual event that pushes students in the disciplines of engineering and construction management to collaborate and demonstrate creative solutions to the challenges presented. This year, the competition is focused on the new Texas Tech Sports Performance Sports Facility located in Lubbock, Texas, where they tore down the existing building and are in the process of completing the new facility. Instead of recreating the plans given, we designed a brand new building to meet the project requirements, which included a $48 million budget and a 34-month construction duration. As the Construction Manager for the project, …

Implementing A Working Bim Model Halfway Through A Public Cm Multi-Prime Project: A Case Study, Jim Roth

Construction Management

The development of a BIM (building information model) model is a standard practice in today’s construction world. While the process of model adoption nearly has a written formula, implementing a BIM model in the midst of a project is a rare occurrence. This paper will examine the implementation of a working BIM model halfway through a public multiple prime contractor project managed by a construction manager (CM) in California. The project cost is roughly $20 million and of moderate complexity. This paper will outline the factors leading up to the ultimate decision of creating a working model, the process of …

Investigation Into Feasibility Of Off-Grid Small Dwelling In Slo County, Sam Labberton

Construction Management

The trend towards green, sustainable living has grown more and more in the housing industry each year since before the turn of the century; solar in the last decade alone has grown by 60% (http://www.seia.org/research-resources/solar-industry-data). Living on a grid that runs on unclean sources of energy already has led us into an environmental disaster some call irreversible. This paper takes a detailed look into the feasibility of a small, off-grid, dwelling that utilizes modern technology in order to live more modestly. In conjunction with great advancements in solar technology along with energy storage such as deep cycle lead-acid batteries, on-site …

Tidal Energy And How It Pertains To The Construction Industry, Armin Latifi

Construction Management

Renewable Energy is on the forefront of many global discussions. The concern of numerous scientific findings on the impact humanity has had on the environment has grown in recent years. Since alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind, have already made substantial progress, I have decided to focus my attention on tidal energy specifically. This topic will serve as the main focus of this essay. Within this essay, I will examine how tidal energy pertains to the construction industry through four distinguished chapters: (1) What kind of tidal technology exist and what does the construction aspect of these tidal …

Photovoltaic System Installation In Belize, Austin J. Stewart

Construction Management

California Polytechnic State University’s National Electrical Contractors Association Student Chapter (NECA) was selected by the ELECTRI Council to take part in its Student Passport Initiative program, through which participants engage in meaningful service-learning experiences in developing communities. The team was tasked with the design and construction of a photovoltaic system for San Pedro Roman Catholic Primary School in San Pedro, Belize, with the purpose of enabling the school to achieve carbon neutrality with respect to utility grid power consumption. The team of five students collaborated primarily with two professors, two alumni, and an accomplished electrical contractor from Belize to perform …

An Analysis Of The Benefits In Estimating At Different Pipe Union Labor Rates, A.J. Chamorro

Construction Management

This paper is an analysis of the costs and benefits of estimating at different union labor rates, based on the location of the project and which jurisdiction the project falls in. The basis of the research is a case study of a Bay Area mechanical contractor (Contractor X) which previously estimated at a single labor rate, and recently developed variable estimating. Through that case study, best practices are developed for union pipe trade estimating. The results of the case study show that estimating protocol should be determined on a project by project basis, and company resources and manpower have to …

Value Of Prefabrication Of Fire Sprinkler Components In The Fire Sprinkler Industry, Matt Fisher

Construction Management

Every day the construction industry is looking for new ways to improve time efficiency and project profitability. Companies in the past have tried value engineering and schedule crashing to save time and money. As the industry continues to grow and innovate, new concepts are being applied. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is one of these ideas that has made a large impact in the construction industry. BIM is a digital 3D modeling system that allows the user to create a complete rendering of a construction project complete with mechanical, electrical, and plumbing integrated into the model. With this model a prospective …

Case Study: Laborer Safety Training For Small To Mid-Sized General Contractors, Shawn Kuehter

Construction Management

The purpose of this study is to determine a relationship between safety spending and the resulting safety records for small to mid sized construction companies, particularly general contractors, and build on existing safety practices. It will shed light on why safety spending in construction is a very important aspect to include in any company’s budget. A case study of Quiring General, LLC, a small to mid sized general contractor based out of Fresno, CA will be the core of this paper as it includes examples of injuries of laborers and their impact they have. The impact focused on in this …

Kihefo Vocational Center: Kabale, Uganda, Jason Matthew Angerer

Construction Management

Journeyman International (JI) is a non-profit organization which acts as a platform for bringing together volunteer Architects, Designers, Engineers, and Construction Managers with humanitarian projects around the world. Kigezi Healthcare Foundation (KIHEFO) a non-profit NGO located in Kabale, Uganda is a client seeking to build a vocational center to educate the workforce of Uganda. The center will include multi-purpose class rooms, a dining hall, rabbit farm, carpentry shop, and living complex. The Architect on the project was Courtney Wedel from Cal Poly. As the Construction Manager on the project my responsibilities include; Design Assist, Feasibility Analysis, Scheduling, Estimating, and Managing …

Carpenters Apprenticeship Internship: Student And Industry Perspectives, Chris Falco

Construction Management

The Carpenters Apprenticeship Internship program is designed to provide students the opportunity to work as a construction laborer and get hands-on work experience. The goal of this study is to address the perceived benefits of the Carpenters Apprenticeship Internship with respect to the students, the industry members, and the union. In looking at the benefits this opportunity presents, any value that is aligned among the parties involved will be highlighted to convey the mutual advantages. Lastly, the demand among students for experience such as this will be assessed to see what the perceived value of labor experience is among students …

Technology Adoption By California Central Coast Contractors, Nicholas A. English

Construction Management

Technology is trending in Construction, but it is unclear if smaller contractors have kept up with these trends like larger national companies have. This survey of San Luis Obispo County specialty and general contractors queried technology adoption, specific software use, estimator age, and opinions of various estimating attributes. It found that the majority of contractors use traditional estimating and quantity takeoff methods, the majority of contractors are 31 years old or older, and that local estimators value experience and knowledge as opposed to computer expertise. Local contractors recognize the value technology can provide, but have not adopted it in a …

Construction Of A Chicken Coop For Use By An Early Education Facility, Luke Cypress

Construction Management

There is a demand in the early education field for methods of exposing early learners to where our food comes from and how it’s produced. An excellent source of this exposure is commonly utilized in an onsite chicken-coop. These coops are in essence working farms, producing eggs and in some cases meat. While coops are not prohibitively expensive they often fall outside the scope of normal operating or educational budgets and can be difficult to fund. The purpose of this project was to identify a school that could use and benefit from a coop at no cost to the school. …

Feasibility Study Of Using Recyclable Polyethylene (Pet) Materials As Coarse Aggregate For Concrete Mixtures, Philip M. Angelo

Construction Management

The feasibility of using recyclable household plastics, specifically those made of polyethylene, commonly used in water and soda bottles, as a replacement for concrete coarse aggregate, was assessed. A method was developed for cutting polyethylene materials into fibrous strips. These strips were then used as a replacement for the rock coarse aggregate in batches of concrete. Standard 6” x 12” test cylinders were made using the concrete mixture and subject to destructive compressive testing in order to yield the compressive strength of the concrete mix 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after pouring. Three mixtures were tested, one control with …

Photovoltaic Installation In Ecuador And The Amazon, David Mulder

Construction Management

The Photovoltaic Installation in Ecuador and The Amazon is part of a collaborative effort between two major construction clubs at Cal Poly: NECA and MCAA. Four students, two from each club, traveled with two faculty to install photovoltaics for two different communities. The first project was a solar installation to provide fresh water for the community of Santa Rosa. Project number two, was a sixteen-panel installation in Shell, Ecuador for the non-profit Reach Beyond. The main goals of each project were to provide fresh water, and achieve net zero electrical consumption.

A Case Study On Achieving 100% Customer Satisfactory Homes In Production Home Building, Garrett Whitlock

Construction Management

No abstract provided.

Pervious Pavement Systems For High Traffic Roadways, Kevin M. Smith

Construction Management

This report highlights the benefits and detriments of pervious pavement systems through research of existing knowledge and multifaceted experiments to determine the feasibility of implementing a pervious pavement system on high traffic roadways. With over 40,000 miles of highway in the United States alone and severe water crises in states like California and growing environmental and safety concerns, the need for pervious pavements is abundantly clear. The research conducted utilizes existing knowledge on pervious pavements and applies it to the application of high traffic roadways. The experiment tests four different pervious concrete mix designs to determine compressive strength and water …