bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Review of Building Renovation Materials for Structural and Non-Structural Components
Authors: Tao Chengcheng , Chang Soowon , Fernández-Cabán Pedro
Published: May 2022

Building renovation materials and strategies have a significant impact on the safety, performance, comfortability, energy efficiency, sustainability, and cost of the building. In this paper, we investigated potential materials for retrofitting both structural and non-structural building components through a comprehensive literature review. The objective of this research is to support decisions for retrofitting building materials. Keywords for the literature review search from the databases include building retrofit, structural retrofit materials, cladding retrofit materials, building renovation. For structural building components, three main categories of renovation materials (the fiber-based, cementitious-based, and metal-based materials) and strategies are reviewed in terms of the mechanical properties and application under extreme loading conditions. Structural retrofitting materials have proven to alter the failure mode of structural members (e.g., from shear failure to flexural failure), increase ductility and energy dissipation capacity, and to improve earthquake and wind performance of the overall structural system. In the case of non-structural building components, we focus our review on renovation materials and strategies applied to building envelope systems. Since structural and non-structural components interact with one another, hybrid solutions including structural and energetic performance using lightweight materials should be considered for the renovation of building envelopes and structural systems.
Detection of Alkali-Silica Reactivity using Field Exposure Site Investigation
Authors: Akhnoukh Amin , Reddy Mallu Adithya
Published: May 2022

The main objective of this research is to study the impact of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) on mitigating Alkali-Silica Reactivity (ASR) of hardened concrete. ASR is a deleterious reaction between alkali content within the cement and highly reactive silica content available in some aggregate sources across the United States. ASR results in the formation of an expansive white-like gel that adds internal tensile stresses within hardened concrete. Increased tensile stress results in the formation of cracks, dissipation of additional moisture, and reinforcement corrosion. In this research project, large scale concrete blocks, with aggregates from different sources, were poured using different percentages of SCMs. An exposure site was developed for the poured blocks to investigate ASR possible impact on concrete. ASR impact was measured by calculating concrete blocks expansion over a time span of two years. The outcomes of the research showed that different aggregates result in different rates of expansion. The use of SCMs resulted in mitigating ASR and limit concrete expansion. The replacement of 25% to 30% of cement weight with SCMs (fly ash) is sufficient to halt ASR, and improve the long- time performance of concrete structures.
Using Historical Bid Data for Enhanced Conceptual Estimating
Authors: Abdelaty Ahmed , Nessalhauf Kevin , Munie Nathan
Published: May 2022

Several small and medium-size contractors store bid day data regarding potential projects creating large datasets of bid day information without meaningful utilization. Many of these companies fail to leverage the archived bid day data because of their format or lack of effort to use historical data. Thus, most conceptual estimates are done using personal judgment and experience with little to no historical data support. Because of this approach, many small and medium-sized companies lack a data-driven approach to develop conceptual estimates. As such, this study aims at leveraging historical bid data to build a data-driven approach for creating conceptual estimates. This objective is achieved by presenting a framework for one company's historical bid day data to develop a conceptual cost estimating model. The framework uses bid day data for the past 45 years to build a data-driven conceptual estimating model using a case-based reasoning approach. The model allows estimators to retrieve the most similar projects from a historical database to create an informed conceptual estimate for potential projects. It is expected that this research will help many small and medium-size contractors leverage their historical bid data by utilizing it.
Assessment of the Relationship between Ethical Decision-Making and Human Dimensions of Construction Students
Authors: Kassa Rebecca , Maali Omar , Lines Brian , Smithwick Jake , Sullivan Kenneth
Published: May 2022

The construction industry could enormously benefit from the young graduates starting their professional journey well equipped with the necessary ethical principles. This study mainly intended to see if there is a relationship between the personalities of construction engineering students and their views of ethics in the construction industry. It evaluated their perceptions of ethical practices in the industry along with their reactions to an unethical scenario of cost inflating payment games in a company. A total of 127 students from across three universities, University of Kansas, Arizona State University and University of North Carolina at Charlotte, participated in the study. The results showed that the students’ views of ethical principles are indeed related to some of their personality descriptors.
Time, Cost, and Construction Intensity Comparison between Design-Manufacture-Construct and Traditional Design-Bid-Build Delivery Methods
Authors: Peng Yikuan , Kim Jeffrey
Published: May 2022

The Design-Manufacture-Construct (DMC) technique is a novel delivery method that decreases construction time and cost while increasing construction intensity compared to a traditional delivery method. The purpose of this study was to understand the time, cost, and construction intensity differences between DMC and the conventional Design-Bid-Build (DBB) delivery method. The study utilized semi-structured interviews (SSI) and quantitative data analysis for investigation. The study included interviews with employees from BLOX LLC (a firm specializing in the DMC delivery method) and includes an analysis of data collected on multiple free-standing emergency department (FSED) projects constructed using both the DMC and DBB delivery methods. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to test hypotheses based on the two delivery methods' time, cost, and construction intensity performance factors to analyze the project data. The results suggested that DMC outperforms DBB in cost performance, supported by inferential statistics data (p≈0.00). Moreover, although inferential statistics do not show any significant difference between DMC and DBB (p > 0.05) concerning time and construction intensity performance, descriptive studies indicated that DMC still performs better than DBB in both these factors.
Perceptions for Natural Disaster Preparedness among Historic Houses of Worship
Authors: Langar Sandeep , Vannette Anthony , Lombardi Angela
Published: May 2022

Historic houses of worship have traditionally been cornerstones for society and have the potential to become resilience hubs for the community in response to the increasing impacts of natural disasters. However, given that most historic houses of worship are decades or centuries old, the maintenance paradigm for such buildings is unknown and should be investigated before they can be considered resilience hubs. Therefore, the research investigated the building maintenance paradigm of historic houses of worship in coastal Texas counties impacted by Hurricane Harvey. The study also determined the role played by the historic houses of worship in response to a natural disaster. The study utilized an online survey method in which the instrument was shared with historic houses of worship stakeholders. Pre-established criteria were used as parameters to determine respondents. About 17 out of 40 historic houses of worship in 16 counties responded to the study. The study found considerable vulnerabilities in building maintenance protocols, maintenance budget, and the lack of professionals to maintain the historic houses of worship. Most respondents also indicated the need for standard guidelines to support historic houses of worship’s maintenance. The study also found that historic houses of worship volunteer in response to natural disasters.
Benefits of Multicultural Project Team Setting: Views of Professionals in the Ghanaian Construction Industry
Authors: Kissi Ernest , Babon-Ayeng Prosper , Kyewaa Agyekum Amma
Published: May 2022

The management of culturally diversified team can most often create exasperating management quandaries. However, studies indicate that multicultural project team settings have the potential to achieve higher productivity than homogenous team. Hence, this study is conducted to explore the benefits of multicultural project team settings using the views of professionals in the Ghanaian Construction industry. The study adopted a data reduction technique to examine the benefits of multicultural project team setting. The data was subjected to principal component analysis after passing all of the requisite tests of survey instrument reliability, sample size adequacy, and population matrix, resulting in the identification of three thematic multicultural project team setting benefits. The findings of the study reveal that the three key benefits of multicultural project team setting are promotion of personal and professional growth, provides a strong competitive advantage and an avenue for effective decision-making. The findings of this study are intended to help organisations in managing multicultural team settings in bringing out the best in terms of increased organisational performance. The findings of this study will serve as an important document for the management of multicultural project teams.
Integrating Learning Management Systems and Faculty Performance Evaluation for Continuous Program Assessment and Improvement
Authors: Strong Kelly , Avila Jacob
Published: May 2022

The use of technology and learning management systems (LMS) has significantly advanced program assessment in higher education. Accreditors and researchers have affirmed that systematic approaches to program assessment are paramount for improving student learning and making strategic decisions in academic units. These structured approaches contribute to providing consistent and reliable data that can be used to make more informed decisions for planning and determining resource allocations. One of the challenges institutions face is creating a system that is adaptable and can be used across academic units and accrediting bodies. Another challenge is finding new ways to encourage or incentivize faculty to actively engage in assessment related activities. This study focusses on the development and implementation of an assessment framework for three construction related degree programs. The system was designed to be adaptable to accommodate the reporting needs of multiple accrediting bodies and to encourage faculty engagement in the process. The framework has been implemented and used in writing an accreditation self-study. The system has undergone a complete implementation cycle with most courses in the curriculum and this study can be viewed as ongoing in nature.
Situational Impact on Leadership Styles with Emerging Construction Managers
Authors: Perrenoud Anthony , Patterson Meagan
Published: May 2022

Leadership in the construction industry can determine the success of a project. However, many emerging construction managers do not understand the different styles of leadership. Three common leadership styles are Autocratic, Democratic, and Laissez-faire. Adapting leadership styles to the situation will have an immediate impact on the success of the leader. The objective of this study was to examine the impact that the situation has on leadership styles with early-career construction managers. Forty-five early career construction managers participated with the study and examined their preferred leadership styles in two different situations. The survey examined the differences in their responses with the two situations. The preferred leadership style that the participants selected was democratic, however in the second situation that presented more stress the participants were more likely to demonstrate Autocratic leadership.
Real-time Construction Inspection in an Immersive Environment with an Inspector Assistant Robot
Authors: Halder Srijeet , Afsari Kereshmeh
Published: May 2022

Construction project management requires frequent inspections to ensure the quality and progress of the construction work. Multiple stakeholders are involved in the inspection process during the project lifecycle. Some project stakeholders, such as architects, owners, structural engineers are involved with multiple construction projects at a time and are responsible to conduct timely inspection and monitoring tasks. This paper studies the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) and robotics for real-time remote inspection. The benefits and challenges of using VR for construction inspection and monitoring were identified and ranked through a systematic literature review. The top 5 benefits were found to be enhanced collaboration, realistic and immersive visualization, remote presence, reduction in inspection time, and support for decision-making. The top 5 challenges identified in this study include low- resolution displays, limited integration with existing technologies (such as BIM), causing disorientation and dizziness for the user, cost of adoption, and job site internet access limitations. Finally, a new approach was investigated for using VR to enable an immersive experience in remote inspection with an inspector assistant robot for real-time remote construction inspection. The experimental investigation verified the identified benefits and challenges.
Virtual Collaborative Spaces for Online Site Visits: A Plan-Reading Pilot Study
Authors: Sun Yuan , Albeaino Gilles , Gheisari Masoud , Eiris Ricardo
Published: May 2022

Site visits or field trips are widely recognized by construction educators to engage students in active learning, supplement traditional lessons, and achieve better student learning experiences. However, site visits pose significant logistical and accessibility challenges for educational institutions and teachers, limiting the number of students who can benefit from them. Moreover, the restrictions on site visits have widened recently, as the reality of COVID-19 public health concerns have compelled instructors to fast-transition to online course delivery, canceling most site visits. The purpose of this study is to present construction students with online site visits to supplement contextualized learning in risky, unsafe, or impossible-to-achieve situations. In this project, Mozilla Hubs® was used to establish a virtual collaborative environment that resembled a real-world site visit to a building facility. A pilot study (i.e., a plan-reading assessment) was employed within the virtual environment that provided affordances involving an in-depth learning experience through collaborative communication. The findings demonstrate that virtual collaborative site visits give unique chances to deliver spatiotemporal contexts of sites online and provide an effective remote alternative when these learning opportunities are unavailable.
Integrating Technology Adoption Theories into the Construction Management Education: A Pilot Study
Authors: Wang Xi , Hasanzadeh Sogand
Published: May 2022

Technology adoption and innovation play important roles in maintaining a competitive advantage for construction companies and are known to have considerable influences on the performance of construction projects. However, the construction industry is very slow in technology adoption because of a wide range of cultural and organizational barriers. More importantly, one of the main barriers that have merely been discussed is the industry readiness for implementing new technologies. To prepare the next generation of professionals to adopt and diffuse new construction technologies, construction education needs to “set the pace” by understanding current and future construction industry challenges and potential technological developments solutions. With the notion that there are disparities of current construction education regarding adopting new construction technologies, this pilot study aimed to examine the undergraduate engineering student learning outcomes through an active and interactive-learning activity about technology adoption theory with the industry professionals. The feedback obtained from students demonstrated that their understandings of new construction technologies, teamwork skills, and intellectual and critical thinking skills were improved through the activity. The results will contribute to a larger-scale study that aims to identify the areas that need improvements and realignments to the construction management curriculum for both academia and practice.
Analysis of Learning Outcomes of a Baccalaureate Degree Program in Construction Management
Authors: Subedi Jishnu
Published: May 2022

This paper presents an analysis of the learning outcomes of a four-year baccalaureate degree program in construction management. The learning outcomes usually contain an action verb, a statement of the content to be learned and a description of the context of the learning. A textual analysis is performed to assess the distribution and frequency of occurrence of action verbs and to find most frequently occurring key words in the courses. The action verbs used in the learning outcome statements are tabulated in the schema of a revised Bloom’s taxonomy. The analysis shows that although the action verbs can describe different cognition levels of the learners as they progress from 1st year to 4th year, the frequency of occurrence and distribution of the action verbs are not sufficient descriptors of the depth and breadth of the content covered. The analysis presents an approach that can be used to map learning outcomes of different courses and their correspondence with general learning outcomes of the program and to compare and standardize programs in construction management. The level of cognition and the content of cognition both are equally important when mapping courses within a program or using learning outcomes in benchmarking and standardizing two different programs.
The Role of Self-Determination Theory within a Redesigned Construction Management Technology Curriculum
Authors: Sparkling Anthony E. , Sengupta Ramyani
Published: May 2022

College graduates entering the workforce today are being trained to meet the future needs of their rapidly evolving industries. As such, educators are constantly adapting their curriculum to the dynamic changes to prepare well-rounded professionals. Some are leveraging classroom teaching strategies that include new and hybrid learning methods such as flipped classrooms and self-paced independent studies. The Construction Management Technology (CMT) program at Purdue University underwent a sweeping change in its curriculum four years ago, with courses redesigned to better fit the dynamic expectations of the construction industry. However, such radical changes can unintentionally create a learning environment which affects students’ motivation to learn and their self-determination. This study dives into the learners’ perspectives using Small Group Instructional Diagnoses (SGIDs) and connects it to self-determination theory (SDT). Ethnographic data from 334 students across five courses were collected. Data were conceptually and thematically linked to three student motivation factors based on SDT. It was found that learners were approving of the structure of the redesigned curriculum. Findings also showed that while the students’ motivation was mainly built around competency and autonomy, students also identified relatedness as a supporting factor for success.
Mental and Physical Health for Construction-related Employees: Effects of Work from Home (WFH) and Demographic Indicators
Authors: Wu Hongyue , Guo Xingzhou , Chen Yunfeng
Published: May 2022

The rapid and broad shift to Work from Home (WFH) caused by the COVID-19 creates great changes for construction-related employees, which may impact their mental and physical health and further influence organizational management. Demographic indicators are also critical factors influencing mental and physical health. However, the impacts of WFH on mental health were unclear. Also, limited studies explored specific health-related symptoms and demographic differences for construction-related employees considering WFH. This study aims to explore the mental and physical health of construction-related employees considering WFH and demographic indicators using an online survey in the U.S. Based on responses from 73 construction-related employees, two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) results showed that age had a significant impact on depression, pain in the neck, shoulders, or back, and eyestrain symptoms, while WFH, gender, and marital status were not significant factors. Employees between 40 – 59 years old had worse mental and physical health, while participants older than 60 years old reported the best mental and physical health. The potential reason is the differences in pressures, abilities, and past experiences among age groups. The findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of construction-related employees’ health and its related factors. The study also helps construction- related employees to improve mental and physical health under the WFH arrangements considering demographic differences and prepare them for future challenges.
Women in the Construction Industry Preferences to Working in the Field vs. in the Office
Authors: Rodgers Charner , Williams Brandi , Kim Yujin , Yang Eunhwa
Published: May 2022

This study aims to gain insight into the preference of field versus office jobs for women in the construction industry. As more women enter this workforce, identifying the reasons for their choices may provide valuable information to remove barriers to their success. Many factors exist that create barriers for women entering the construction field, thus keeping the percentage of females in construction lower than other industries. Likewise, many women in the industry have successful careers and can identify the factors that influenced their preference for field or office. The survey respondents were limited to females that worked or currently work in the construction industry in the U.S. This study found that women in construction preferred work locations depending on their work experience, but they tended to prefer the field when they had experience in both field and office. The intended audiences for this study are construction companies and human resources professionals who would like insight into the factors that influence women’s decisions related to jobs in the industry. Globally, this sector faces a shortage of skilled workers, and creating a more welcoming environment for women workers may alleviate this issue.
Blockchain Applications through the Lens of Project Managers
Authors: Rokooei Saeed , Shojaei Alireza
Published: May 2022

This paper succinctly addresses the initial results of the first phase of a study aiming at the application of blockchain technology in project management. In the first stage, the perception of project managers toward the application of blockchain technology in professional areas was explored. After briefly reviewing the concepts of blockchain technology, smart contracts, and integration of the BIM and blockchain, a blockchain network is introduced as a case application in project management. This paper shows that blockchain is a viable system for governing project contracts by automating the consequences of each transaction and maintaining a tamper-proof record of project progress, which would be valuable in any kind of dispute resolution. In addition, the familiarity of project managers with potential applications of blockchain in project management was investigated through a quantitative method via a survey distributed to project managers. The results indicate that the advent of blockchain sets a platform for further integration of technology in various project management areas. The results also show that practical knowledge of project managers through blockchain-based cryptocurrencies correlates with their perceptions toward blockchain applications. The results suggest project managers can plan accordingly to embrace blockchain potentials along with other industries.
Empirical Analysis of Lump Sum Pay Item Prices for Highway Projects
Authors: Baek Minsoo , Li Mingshu , Ashuri Baabak
Published: May 2022

Cost estimates for Lump Sum (LS) pay items are typically completed using historical information from similar projects or knowledge from subject matter experts. Since LS pay items are mainly unitless and do not have a consistent relationship with their quantities, it imposes a critical burden on estimating accurate prices of LS pay items for highway projects. State highway agencies (SHAs) often encounter significant variations in prices of LS pay items throughout the project development process. Inaccuracies of prices of LS pay items can cause significant cost escalation, project delay, and scope change. However, the current literature indicates that few studies have focused on exploring factors affecting the prices of LS pay items for highway projects. Thus, the overarching objective of this study is to identify and analyze factors affecting the prices of LS pay items used for highway projects. This study analyzed Traffic Control Lump Sum (TCLS) and Grading Complete Lump Sum (GCLS) pay items collected in the state of Georgia, using statistical analysis. This study identified the relationships between the prices of the LS pay items and important project-related factors, such as construction cost, estimated contract time, and major projects. The findings of this study help SHAs estimate more accurate prices of LS pay items and develop more accurate construction costs for highway projects.
Distance Discrepancies in T-LiDAR, Point-Cloud Models Georeferenced via RTK and Static GNSS
Authors: Maldonado Gustavo , Ibrahim Usman , Purcell Roger C. , Nam Soonkie , Maghiar Marcel
Published: May 2022

This article analyzes two virtual 3D point-cloud models, generated via terrestrial light detection and ranging (T-LiDAR), to compare the relative inaccuracies in distances introduced by two different georeferencing approaches. One is rapid (~30 seconds per ground point) and commonly used in practice, the Real-Time, Kinematic (RTK) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) approach, and the other is a more accurate, but time consuming (4 hours per ground point), Static GNSS scheme. The goal is to determine statistical length discrepancies in the same distances extracted from two differently georeferenced 3D models of the same spatial geometry. Currently, this type of comparison is not readily available to practitioners and could assist in selecting the type of GNSS-based georeferencing procedure. The modeled area encompasses ~30,000 ft2 of a university campus and includes the exterior portion of a building. To determine the discrepancy in measured distances from the two differently georeferenced models, the same one hundred points were identified simultaneously in each of them, and the same 600+ distances were virtually extracted from each model. Then, the discrepancy of each pair of corresponding distances was calculated and its statistics were determined. A full analysis of those discrepancies is presented in this article.
Feature Engineering for development of a Machine Learning Model for Clash Resolution
Authors: Harode Ashit , Thabet Walid , Leite Fernanda
Published: May 2022

To automate clash resolution tasks, it is important to capture domain knowledge for the Machine Learning (ML). One way to add domain knowledge is by training data that divides tasks into input and output variables. The selection of input variables that are most relevant to a task is an important step towards automation. In this paper, the authors detail framework that uses literature review, industry interviews, and Modified Delphi to capture domain knowledge for clash resolution. The features identified through this paper can in future be processed through Feature Selection, that can provide empirical evidence of why the selected features or set of features are important to ML algorithm. Data collection processes discussed in this paper is not finalized and is discussed to help provide readers with framework of the proposed systematic method. Factors considered when resolving clashes were identified through literature review (22 factors) and industry interviews (16 factors). 14 factors identified from the interviews had a similar matching factor in the literature reviewed, the other 2 factors were not mentioned in any publications found during the initial literature review. After comparing results from literature review and interviews, 13 factors were considered critical for automating clash resolution.
Evaluating Viable Additive Manufacturing Alternatives In Comparison to Traditional Construction Methods
Authors: Boll Dakota , Suermann Patrick
Published: May 2022

Additive manufacturing, also known as three-dimensional printing (3DP), is a technique of producing desired objects from feedstock, typically filament, input. This process currently has several applications in construction, some with potential for large-scale implementation in industry. Five applications, or alternatives, were considered and compared based on their equipment costs, unit production savings, scalability, output time, and operational crew size. Three alternatives showed the most potential value for implementation into industry. Viable alternatives include 3DP walls, 3DP small offices, and 3DP concrete roof tiles. These viable alternatives were further explained with benefits and impediments that could affect real-world production. Entities that would consider implementing 3DP as a construction method would join other innovative companies at the forefront of utilizing new construction techniques.
BIM for Fast-track Construction under COVID-19 Circumstances: A Comparative Case Study in the African Context
Authors: Bouhmoud Hanane , Loudyi Dalila , Azhar Salman
Published: May 2022

Under COVID-19 circumstances, the majority of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) contractors around the world found themselves handcuffed, facing the sudden restrictive measures to be mandatorily applied in worksites imposing a necessary shift in the typical practices for building. Building Information Modeling (BIM) technologies associated with fast-track construction were found to be an efficient solution for several countries to quickly build health care facilities to meet the rising number of COVID-19 cases. Based on a comparative study, this paper explores the applicability of BIM-based building operation for fast-track construction in the African context and discusses the associated challenges as well as needed elements for its implementation. The study reveals that to reach the full performances of BIM, the African AEC industry has to mainly handle the aspects related to skills, bidding, payment, infrastructure, and availability of local construction materials and technologies.
Strategic Imperatives of Soft Skills Training and Development; An exploratory investigation into the key factors influencing soft skills training and development participation and decision-making
Authors: Meekel Sonya , Kirke Éamonn
Published: May 2022

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that influence training and development participation from an employer and employee perspective. A mixed-methods research approach was used to uncover underlying perceptions among employers and employees in relation to soft skills training and development participation decision-making. The employer’s perspective was based on semi-structured interview data from market leading international construction companies. This was triangulated with survey data from the employee’s perspective to generate richer insights. Results suggested a lack of priority among leadership is the main barrier to soft skills training and development for employees, primarily because of the perception of its worth and a lack of time to release employees for training. The research indicates a critical role for leadership to take a lead in enabling soft skill training and development beyond the management layer and allow wider access across the organization. Ongoing training and development in soft skill competencies should be consistently incorporated into the training and development strategies across all levels and disciplines to enhance individual employee productivity as well as overall organizational performance. Furthermore, the findings bring to light the need to measure and link soft skills training and development to individual and organizational performance indicators.
Single Image based Volume Estimation for Dump Trucks in Earthmoving using Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Deniz Mercan , Alam Faria , Yuan Chenxi , Ko Hoo Sang , Lee H. Felix
Published: May 2022

Earthmoving is one of the key activities in most heavy civil construction projects. The dump truck is one primary construction vehicle for earthmoving. Two popular approaches are currently used to estimate earthmoving volume by trucks, i.e., manually counting the number of loaded trucks and weighing loaded trucks on a scale station. Considering both methods are either error-prone, time-consuming, or costly, this study aims to estimate different earth volumes in dump trucks from a single image using the machine learning approach. By establishing a pre-trained deep learning neural network from 3663 images with sixteen different volumes of the earth using a scaled dump truck model, the proposed approach is tested to estimate the truckload in a quantitative manner in real-time. Another 1221 images are used for verification in six case combinations out of the sixteen different volumes. The preliminary results show that the classification accuracy by using the pre- trained network is 100% if the volume gap between adjacent classes is more than 5%, while 76.67% if the volume gap is 1%. The preliminary test results show a great potential that the proposed methods could be applied to the field and provide a fast and accurate estimate of truckload with minimal cost.
Case Study: Construction Site Utilization Planning for Custom Multifamily Residential Developments
Authors: Saadatian Armin , Olbina Svetlana
Published: May 2022

Previous research studies on the best practices for Construction Site Utilization Planning (CSUP) have been generic leaving decisions about the project-type specific delineation methods to the developers of site utilization plans (SUPs). This case study explored how construction industry professionals working in custom multifamily residential sector implement CSUP. The research objectives were twofold: 1) identifying the factors that affect CSUP for custom multifamily residential developments, and 2) determining the best CSUP practices for custom multifamily residential developments. Six industry professionals working for a custom multifamily residential developer were interviewed in this study. The research findings indicated that CSUP for custom multifamily residential projects should begin during early preconstruction phase, an integrated approach for CSUP should be used, and incorporation of hauling routes and typical temporary facilities at medium level of detail was critical. Some of the best CSUP practices included holding regular meetings with all stakeholders to discuss SUP, its associated updates, and enforcement policies. The interviewees suggested the SUP’s efficacy should be monitored regularly depending on size and complexity of the project. The study findings are significant as they can help construction industry professionals develop more robust SUPs that are unique to the needs of custom multifamily residential developments.
Unmanned Aerial Systems in the U.S. Construction Industry: Exploratory Study on Current State of Practice
Authors: Prakash Spoorthy Venkatesh , Clevenger Caroline , Tummalapudi Manideep
Published: May 2022

Recent advancements in the construction industry include the expanding application of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) throughout the lifecycle of construction projects. These advancements result in significant increases in technical capabilities within construction as well as time and money- savings. Despite their abilities to improve efficiency by enhancing construction processes and practices, little is known about the current state of applications and the barriers to UASs successful adoption. The purpose of this exploratory study is to investigate the current state of UASs practice for various applications within the construction industry by providing a literature review and a series of interviews with construction professionals and UAS pilots. The outcome identifies key UASs applications including pre-construction, surveying, project progress monitoring, safety management, and quality management. In addition, the study documents low awareness of UASs applications among construction professionals, and outlines professional training requirements, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) licensing requirements, capital requirements, and a range of implementation challenges. Understanding the applications of UASs in construction supports construction firms to achieve improved efficiencies in various construction activities where UASs can be deployed.
A Step Towards Automated Tool Tracking on Construction Sites: Boston Dynamics SPOT and RFID
Authors: Wetzel Eric M. , Umer Muhammad , Richardson Will , Patton Justin
Published: May 2022

Tool tracking and inventory management on a construction project is often more reactive than proactive. It is not that tools are not of value, but to larger firms, a certain comfort level exists with a loss to a relatively small line item, especially when compared to the resources that may be expended to track the tool inventory. With current market construction robotics serving a number of uses, testing multiple applications of autonomous robots creates more return for end-users. This research aims to execute a proof of concept for automated tool tracking using an autonomous robot and RFID technology. The research was carried out with three types of scans namely: Human held RFID reader; Robot mounted RFID reader in manual mode; Robot mounted RFID reader in autonomous mode. A total of 39 tools were tagged using passive UHF RFID tags and the study looked at the average cycle count time it took time to read 39 tags for the three scan types and the reliability of the robot and RFID technology. Results show reliability of the autonomous robot in acquiring RFID information, including zero failures in tag identification and autonomous guidance.
Effectiveness of Collaborative Learning in a CM Flipped Online Course: A Case Study
Authors: Shim Euysup , Adomako Frederick , Xie Haiyan
Published: May 2022

The collaborative learning approach has been used for Construction Management (CM) courses to enhance students’ learning. Few existing studies reported the effectiveness of collaborative learning in terms of assessment score in CM online courses: existing literature found the effectiveness of collaborative learning in CM courses based on students’ perception. This research aimed to study the effectiveness of collaborative learning approach in an online CM course in two ways: in terms of 1) student’s assessment score and 2) students’ perception. Students in a CM course taught by the first author were grouped into two: the experimental group with collaborative learning experience and the control group without collaborative learning experience. Their assessment scores and their perceptions on collaborative learning experience were examined in this research. The test scores and students’ response to the questionnaire survey showed a mixed result. While the students in the experimental group perceived that collaborative learning was helpful in their learning, there was no significant difference in the assessment scores between the two groups. The finding from this study can help CM educators by providing a quantitative and qualitative study on the effectiveness of collaborative learning in online CM courses.
The Impact of Virtual Construction Field Trips on Students’ Perceptions in Commercial Construction
Authors: Kline Andrew , Cleary Joseph , Kelting Scott
Published: May 2022

Field trips are an integral part of students’ education, especially for those pursuing a degree in construction or engineering where practical experience is needed to understand the complexities of the profession. University programs struggle to provide adequate field trip experiences due to several reasons, including limited project availability, travel costs, and safety concerns. One option that has become increasingly prevalent, is the implementation of virtual field trips (VFTs). VFTs provide educators and students a flexible option to view and experience various projects from their personal computer or mobile device. This paper provides an exploratory overview of students' perspectives of real field trips (RFTs) in comparison to VFTs. A VFT was created using StructionSite, Inc. and a 360-degree camera, and compared to the same project that was visited in person, as a RFT by a different group of students. Pre and post surveys were used to sample construction management students studying commercial construction at a major university. The main findings were VFTs and RFTs both contributed to students’ interest in commercial construction. Students perceived VFTs as a valuable resource that can be used to contribute to knowledge and skill attainment. In addition, VFTs were viewed as a valuable aspect in a students’ education that can supplement certain types of RFTs, but students agreed VFTs should not replace RFTs completely.
Immersive Virtual Field Trips with Virtual Reality in Construction Education: A Pilot Study
Authors: Luo Yupeng , Wu Wei , Morales Gustavo , Mohammadiyaghini Elnaz
Published: May 2022

Field trips or site visits provide valuable learning opportunities in construction education. However, traditional field trips often face challenges such as accessibility, logistics, weather, safety, to name a few. The recent global pandemic and its stipulations on social distancing add another layer of complexity to implement. Alternative field trips such as virtual field trips (VFTs), which are usually enabled by technology innovations, can help overcome these barriers. Previous VFT researchers shared promising results in providing a rich learning experience to students while also noting the lack of robustness and immersiveness. This study aims to develop a prototype of an immersive VFT solution with virtual reality (VR) to facilitate field knowledge transfer in construction education. The paper presents the VFT development process and shares preliminary results of student learning and user experience data from the first prototype. Findings of this pilot study suggest that a key advantage of VFTs over traditional field trips resides in the opportunity of learning iteration, which is essential to successful knowledge acquisition in the cognitive learning domain. The preliminary analysis on the correlation between student performance and media types of information also provides insights into future VFT design based on the multimedia learning framework.
Effects of COVID-19 on the Safety Procedures Implemented in the Construction Industry: A Survey
Authors: Alzarrad Ammar , Akbar Haseeb , Awolusi Ibukun , Song Siyuan
Published: May 2022

COVID-19 has significantly impacted the construction industry when it comes to the safety of workers. While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has come up with some requirements for improving workplace safety for COVID, no study has been done on its effects on construction companies. The guide provided by OSHA talks about topics such as which workers are more at risk, how to stop the spread, and what Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to use, but not about the overall effect it could have on workers. Also, as it is still quite a recent problem, there is not enough data for it. The purpose of the study is to assess the effects of COVID-19 on safety procedures in the construction industry. In this study, a questionnaire survey was used to collect important data about the safety-related issues faced by workers in the construction industry during COVID-19. The study mainly focused on the impacts of the virus on the safety of construction workers in the U.S. The collected data regarding the safety practices during COVID-19 provides some useful information that could be used to improve workers’ safety in construction while keeping the business running.
A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Study of Wood and Steel Materials on a Virtual Office Building at the Project End-of-Life Stage
Authors: Bi Bin , Gao Zhili , Banawi Abdulaziz
Published: May 2022

The disposal of construction and demolition waste has an impact on the environment. This study focuses on the end-of-life stage to assess a virtual office building, by applying a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) and used Athena software. The study determined LCA methods, and software tools based on a thorough literature review and then assessed the environmental impact of steel versus wood materials on a virtual office building model that was created from an actual construction project. The study quantifies the environmental impact of steel and wood materials into nine categories, including Global Warming Potential, Acidification Potential, etc., by using life cycle inventory (LCI) and life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) analyses. The results of this study show that the wood structure building has greater impact on environment than the steel structure building at the end-of-life stage in four categories of (1) Acidification Potential, (2) Eutrophication Potential, (3) Ozone Depletion Potential, and (4) Smog Potential, but has less impact on other five categories with actually a positive environmental impact in the Global Warming potential. The results of this study can provide valuable information about the environmental impact of different materials to reduce the environmental impact at the end-of- life stage.
A Review of Genetic Algorithm as a Decision-Making Optimization Tool in Project Management
Authors: Okonkwo Chinedu , Garza Richard , Sulbaran Tulio , Awolusi Ibukun
Published: May 2022

Project Management requires a lot of decision-making, with chances of making a better decision increasing with an increase in available data. However, decision-making becomes increasingly difficult and complex as available data increases. The problem that this paper address is the lack of the ability of the rational human mind to process a large amount of data within a short period, thereby making poor decisions that could be influenced by lots of biases and reducing the chances of finding an optimal solution. This presents the need for optimization in decision-making with the aid of non- human intelligence/Artificial Intelligence. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to access the impact of Genetic Algorithms as a tool that can facilitate decision-making without sacrificing useful data that could optimize decision making. This study provides a review of genetic algorithms as an optimization tool for decision-making in project management. A comprehensive study is conducted on relevant literature from reputable journal databases. The study highlights the concept and benefits of genetic algorithm, followed by the drivers, as well as the barriers to its adoption. Findings from this paper will provide an insight into the research trend, level of adoption, and potential research areas in the use of genetic algorithms as a decision-making optimization tool. This study is expected to help project managers make a more informed decision in the adoption of decision-making optimization tools as using the right decision tool will free the human mind from mundane tasks to perform more creative tasks.