Construction Engineering and Management Commons^™

Additional Business Courses In The Cm Curriculum, Jordan A. Thrailkill

Construction Management

With the growing size of the Construction Industry, an increased knowledge and understanding of the business side of the operation is becoming more important. This study attempts to look at construction management student’s interest in adding more business topic courses into the CM curriculum and if adding more business topic courses will better prepare students for industry. Students were asked to answer six questions -five survey and one free response. These questions were designed to provide quantitative and qualitative data that would allow for an increased understanding of student interest in regards to business.

Conclusion: Results indicated that students would …

Discovering The Benefits Of Integrating Bim Workflows Into Residential Construction Estimating, Trey R. Garcia

Construction Management

As Building Information Modeling tools become increasingly more prevalent within the construction industry, primarily the commercial sector, it is important to recognize how it can impact and/or improve other sectors of the industry. This paper will focus primarily on residential construction and the potential cost benefits that could be achieved with the implementation of model-based estimating. Other benefits that the commercial sector currently thrive on will also be noted and explained for potential implementation for residential construction. The project explained in this paper has a dual purpose; which is to discover if both cost and time benefits can be developed …

Legal Issues And Feasibility Of Construction Under Railroad Tracks At Cedar Creek Apartments, Brendan Donovan

Construction Management

This paper describes the impediments of initiating construction of a local tunnel underneath the railroad tracks approximately 50 yards South-West of the Foothill Blvd and California Blvd intersection. This tunnel is used by hundreds of students every day and acts as the primary route for these students to get to and from the Cal Poly campus. This tunnel has no lighting, is constantly flooded with water, and has multiple safety hazards. The author discusses the feasibility of starting construction to make this pathway a safe accessible route for all students. Throughout the paper, the author introduces the multiple parties with …

Spanish Language Topics Course With An Emphasis On Construction Safety, Austin Changras

Construction Management

The end goal of this research-based project is to evaluate whether a Spanish course with an emphasis on construction site safety would be beneficial to Cal Poly’s Construction Management (CM) program and how it might also benefit the industry. The research orchestrated will be to decipher whether or not there is even a need for this type of class to be included into the curriculum. Along with data research, two separate surveys have been conducted, one administered to the Construction Management student population and the other to industry professionals. Furthermore, George Healy, a fellow CM student, is working on the …

Community Service Project For Senior Citizen, Adam J. Bloomer

Construction Management

This community service project for a local senior citizen consisted of a complete construction package including: obtaining funding, purchasing necessary materials, schedule planning, design, development and construction of a mid-sized concrete staircase. Using the knowledge and prior practices I acquired while studying Construction Management at California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo I was able to fulfill every aspect the client had requested. This staircase not only served as an easier walkway into the backyard of the home but also as a stormwater accessway allowing for minimal puddle and mud accumulation outside the clients front door. The projects material cost of …

An Embedded Sensory System For Worker Safety: Prototype Development And Evaluation, Chunhee Cho, Jee Woong Park

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

At a construction site, workers mainly rely on two senses, which are sight and sound, in order to perceive their physical surroundings. However, they are often hindered by the nature of most construction sites, which are usually dynamic, loud, and complicated. To overcome these challenges, this research explored a method using an embedded sensory system that might offer construction workers an artificial sensing ability to better perceive their surroundings. This study identified three parameters (i.e., intensity, signal length, and delay between consecutive pulses) needed for tactile-based signals for the construction workers to communicate quickly. We developed a prototype system based …

The Skilled Framing Carpenter Shortage On The Central Coast Of California: A Focus On Residential Construction, Trevor John Nally

Construction Management

The residential construction industry has many critical components. When one of these components is not operating optimally, it can be detrimental to the system as a whole. A critical component to residential construction is skilled craftspeople. Without them, there can be no significant physical work completed on any residential project. Currently the component of skilled craftspeople in residential construction is in a state of short supply. Throughout the United States, there is an inadequate amount of craftspeople to fill the demand for their skills. The Central Coast of California is experiencing this issue much like the rest of the nation …

Analysis Of Student Understanding Of The Change Order Process, Austin C. Eberle

Construction Management

Effective project management comes from controlling cost, time, and quality on a project. As construction projects become more complex, changes in the original contract documents will arise due to the nature of human error. How a project manager documents and addresses change events can alter the successfulness of a project. This study attempts to look at senior level construction management major student’s understanding of the change order management process. The goal of the study is to ascertain how well the students feel the construction management curriculum prepared them to manage change events in industry. Students were asked to demonstrate their …

Perceptions Of Efficiency In Construction Jobsite Safety, Jay Doyle

Construction Management

This project is to examine the perception of jobsite safety practices of California contractors. Preliminary research found that jobsite safety practices are not a hinderance on a project schedule when managed well. A survey of students and industry professionals was the methodology used to gather this information. This survey consisted of various questions about the perception of safety practices on jobsites the respondent has worked on themselves, as well as their perception about safety in the construction industry as a whole. Significant findings were that half of the surveyed individuals had worked on a job site in which they lost …

Assessing The Application Of The Unmanned Aerial Systems (Uas) In Earthwork Volume Measurement, Xi Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Earthwork operations are often one of the major cost items on infrastructure construction projects. Because earthwork is largely influenced by unstable construction conditions and organization plans, it becomes the emphasis and difficulties of the cost control in the construction process. Therefore, precise estimates of actual earthwork volumes are important for both owners and contractors alike to ensure appropriate payments are made. However, measuring work on site requires lots of time and labors because of various and irregular site conditions. Conventional measurement methods, such as planned quantities from the drawings or estimates from equipment activity, are rough estimates with significant opportunities …

Building Information Modeling (Bim) Impact On Construction Performance, David D. John

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study is designed to address the need for having a measure for Construction Performance on BIM-assisted construction projects. Through this study a new Construction Key Performance Indicator (CKPI) matrix is identified and created by the author. The CKPI could be used to assess BIM-assisted projects. Utilizing a sequential mixed methodology approach, academic and practitioner perspectives are assessed. A qualitative content analysis and quantitative descriptive analysis based on demographics are conducted to establish a better understanding of BIM and Construction Performance. The academic perspective is used to assess the relevance of BIMM and CKPI indicators, and the practitioner perspective is …

Construction Of A House In Tijuana, Mexico, Adam Scianna

Construction Management

No abstract provided.

Integrating Radiant Flooring With Insulation, Zachary J. Faber

Construction Management

Radiant flooring has gained traction in recent years becoming very common in residential construction, especially in custom homes. There are different types of radiant flooring that has been deployed into the construction of residential homes, but not all of them have been effective. Currently, radiant flooring must be installed either during construction of a new home, or requires the removal of existing flooring in order to place radiant components below and then reinstall the flooring. Not only does it require the removal of flooring, it is also quite expensive to purchase and install. This paper looks into whether or not …

Preconstruction Services For The Simpson Strong-Tie Lab Crane, Peter James Schoemann

Construction Management

For several years the Construction Management Department faculty have discussed implementing a better system of lifting heavy items in the Simpson Strong-Tie Lab. Currently, student assistants and faculty use a forklift to perform heavy lifting, there are definitely more safe and efficient alternatives available. An under running single girder crane system is in the process of being built in the Simpson Strong Tie lab. A full structural analysis has been calculated assuring the crane can lift up to two tons. This crane will help students and faculty use the lab to build the tiny house as well as other projects …

Datumate, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Datumate is digitally transforming civil engineering processes used in construction, surveying and infrastructure inspection markets with fully automated, highly precise, cost effective and safe tools. It utilizes state-of-the-art image processing and advanced drones and camera technologies dramatically reducing the amount of time surveying crews spend in the field, speeding up construction progress checks and shortening infrastructure inspection duration, while maintaining survey grade accuracy. The intuitive, simple and automated solutions increase productivity by saving field and office time in civil engineering and inspection projects of roads, intersections, stockpile volumes, topography, piping, industrial facilities, bridges, property surveys, building facades, railways, cellular infrastructure …

Case Study: Implementation Of Electronic Documentation On Heavy Civil Construction Projects, Andrew William Jenco

Construction Management

This paper identifies perceived benefits of transitioning to an electronic-based documentation program in a heavy civil subcontractor setting. Electronic documentation has shown to reduce costs through organization, review and retrieval methods. This study provides insight of heavy civil construction managers regarding the efficiency of transitioning to a shared document control system. RFI data among projects utilizing electronic documentation and traditional methods were compared. The RFI turnaround times among six projects that utilized traditional document control methods were compared to the RFI turnaround times of a project utilizing electronic documentation. The data collected from this study suggests that electronic documentation benefits …

Camp Ocean Pines Aviary Extension, Matthew R. Stephens

Construction Management

This paper describes the construction process of an additional 192 SF storage area for an existing Nature Center, along with a new 1000 SF deck around the entire structure. The scope of work included the excavation and pouring of concrete piers and stem walls, framing of the subfloor, shear walls, roof, and deck, electrical rough-in and finish, roofing system, windows, doors, insulation, drywall, and decking. All work on this project was managed by the author, and construction was done by the author, subcontractors, local hires, and volunteers. Construction of the project took place between December 2016 and June 2017, and …

Confidence Analysis Of Superintendents: Trades Vs. School, Paul S. Lavanne

Construction Management

Today, knowledgeable and reliable superintendents are in high demand throughout the construction industry. However, it seems to becoming more and more uncommon for a superintendent to come up through the more traditional route via the trades. It appears that it is becoming more common for superintendents to attend a university and attain a degree relating to construction. This begs the question though, does this new generation have what it takes to match their counterparts that come up through the trades? With this new direction being taken, it makes us wonder if universities are helping set a solid foundation for these …

A Case Study On Project Engage, A Step To Solve Alcoholism In The Construction Industry, Tyler Addison Lee

Construction Management

Alcohol is very prevalent in most industries around the globe, but the construction industry has been placed at the top, ranking number two for the most people suffering from alcoholism in the industry according to SAMHSA’s study. Some experts have said this is due to the hard and physical requirements of the job, time requirements of the job, and the stress involved within building a construction project. Common practice in the industry is that when a person is cited for being under the influence while at work, they will be let go, fired, or given a warning depending on the …

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 …

Netpoint®, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

The vast majority of construction scheduling software uses a combination of spreadsheets and Gantt charts for developing and depicting Critical Path Method (CPM) schedules. While this paradigm works for the expert scheduler, it is not conducive to collaboration, and it is prohibitively difficult for non-scheduling experts to understand.

NetPoint® provides a dynamic, visual interface conducive to touch and gestural input. Activities are drawn directly on a time-scale and may be placed on the same row or arranged automatically using codes or the WBS. Such control of the presentation makes it easier to communicate the plan to any type of audience. …

Smartvid.Io, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

The collection, organization, and retrieval of industrial media is a pervasive challenge that is especially glaring for companies in the AEC industry. Construction projects often generate large volumes of pictures & videos from the field for tracking progress and communicating between engineers, contractors, and subcontractors. It is not uncommon for field personnel to capture hundreds of photos per week on any given jobsite.

Smartvid.io is a cloud-based software solution designed for the specific needs of industrial media. The application’s internal deep-learning engines, collectively nicknamed VINNIE (for ‘Very Intelligent Neural Network for Insight and Evaluation’), use speech and image recognition to …

Hillman Composite Beam (Hcb®), Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

The Hillman-Composite Beam (HCB®), is an innovative structural member for use in highway and railroad bridges as well as marine facilities. The HCB is essentially a lightweight reinforced concrete beam strengthened and protected by a corrosion-resistant and resilient Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer (FRP) shell.

The beam is comprised of three main components, a concrete arch (compression reinforcement), an FRP bottom flange encapsulating steel strands tying the ends of the arch together (tension reinforcement) and the FRP shell. Galvanized Rebar “shear connectors” are used to make the beam composite with the concrete deck in the same manner as pre-stressed concrete beams.

The …

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, …

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 …

A Proposed Method Of Correcting The Construction Entries In The 2006 Philippine Input-Output Table, Albert E. Lamberte, Krista Danielle Yu, Caesar Cororation

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

The construction of national input-output (IO) tables follows internationally acceptable standards such as the United Nations Systems of National Accounts (UN SNA) and European System of Accounts (ESA). These standards are used to ensure tractability and coherence between country tables. The 2006 Philippine IO table published by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) assumes that the construction sector does not provide any input to the production of output for any economic sector. With the booming infrastructure development in the Philippines, this assumption that intermediate demand for construction output has a value of zero is unreasonable. This study proposes a corrective approach …

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 …

Portable Modular Conveyor, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

The Portable Modular Conveyor-Material Placer (PMC) is a quick, easy, dependable and cost effective way to place materials in the limits of the confined grade or work area. This specialized piece of equipment was developed to place concrete in front of a concrete slip form-paving machine. The typical method of placing concrete requires a self-propelled belt placer, which is very expensive to purchase and mobilize to the jobsite. The PMC creates a significant cost savings in labor and equipment with the PMC. It is a direct replacement for conventional material placing equipment, including all in grade belt placing machines. As …

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 …

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 …