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Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Building Construction

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https://hdl.handle.net/1853/72547
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search.filters.applied.f.advisor: Yang, Eunhwa × End date: 2019 × Start date: 2010 ×

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Lost to lucrative: A study of the Atlanta BeltLine
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018-04-27) Foster, Amanda
    How does a designer know how to transform a lost space into a place that people will revisit? This study explores the revitalization of lost spaces into public trails by using the Atlanta BeltLine as a case study. Over 100 people in the Atlanta area were asked general questions about their experiences of the Atlanta BeltLine and perceived safety questions. Additionally, some respondents submitted photos of things they liked and disliked about the trail. The data gathered regarded the Atlanta BeltLine East trails. Environmental measurements were taken to help interpret the results of the survey. The study results showed that wide, permanent pathway material, adequate lighting, opportunity for social outings, and interest pieces such as art or scenic views all play a part in providing the perceived safety needed and reason for a person to revisit a space that was previously lost or abandoned.
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    Air Force asset management: preventive versus reactive work
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2017-12-11) Peebles, Gemma
    To combat reactive maintenance and the “run-to-failure” asset management model, the U.S. Air Force has taken steps to ensure facility condition assessment tracking and asset service life monitoring. The purpose of this study is to investigate how effectively the Air Force has embraced the sustainment of assets and to determine if such trends can be observed at the base level. To do this, a study of the Air Force’s overall spending is analyzed, comparing the amount of funds requested to support asset preservation versus asset restoration over the last four years. A hierarchical linear analysis is then accomplished for a case study of five bases for fiscal years 2010 to mid-2017. This has determined the possible effects of preventive maintenance on reactive maintenance and repair work orders. Results of the macro-study reveal that the percentage of total funds requested for sustainment projects has increased since 2013. In the fiscal year (FY) 2013, only 10% of the total requested funds were assigned to sustainment projects. By the FY 2017, sustainment funds requested made up 36% of the total. Though the transitioning nature of asset management, project-type descriptions, and the continued optimization of the scoring model are factors to consider, it appears that asset sustainment has become more prevalent. The results of the case study suggest that there is little correlation between preventive maintenance and corrective maintenance trends. More data as preventive asset management integrates into practice may reveal different results, but at this stage, preventive maintenance has neither consistently increased or appear to have effected reactive maintenance frequency, labor hours, or cost.
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    The relationship between energy use and quality of the facility management function in small to medium enterprises (SMEs)
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2016-11-28) Ross-Bain, Jeffrey
    The hypothesis of this research study is that the level of energy consumption within a commercial building is associated with the quality of the facility management function. The constraints of this study are limited to the Small to Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) which includes most businesses and building types in the United States. There is little available literature on facility management functions within the SME. Most literature related to facility management is directed towards larger organizations that would most likely support a facility management department. To evaluate the association between energy use and facility management quality a comparison was made by graphing energy performance against the quality of the facility management function (FM Quality). The energy metric used is the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star rating system. Energy Star is a building rating platform created to allow building operators a means for tracking performance and performance improvements. The Energy Star score is derived for each facility in this study. The inputs for arriving at a score include building type, size, climate zone, past energy bills, and quantity of computers in the building. The FM Quality metric was developed as part of this research and was derived through literature review, peer review, field study, and observation. The FM Quality metric is based on four primary factors that include corporate organizational structure, facility management expertise, facility condition, and data management practices. Within each primary factor are five individual performance, or “Quality” indicators which are graded on a 1-5 point scale from poor to excellent. In developing the FM Quality score, both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Data was collected by visiting each of the small businesses and conducting an on-site walkthrough to observe conditions and, at the same time, conduct interviews with the building operators and/or managers to understand their facility management practices and organizational culture. Upon completion of the walkthrough and interviews, the data for each building was compiled into the Energy Star and FM Quality score and then transferred to a graphical format for analysis and display. The eleven subject buildings were all located in the Southeast United States (Climate Zone 3A). The conclusions of this study confirm the fundamental aspects of the hypothesis; namely, that there is a positive association with building energy use and the quality of facility management practices. However, a larger number of subject properties would be necessary to determine this association with certainty. The development of the FM Quality metric, a direct result of this study, is an important foundation for measuring the FM function and can form a basis for future studies. This metric will help to increase understanding of how SMEs manage their facilities and can facilitate further research intended to improve the performance of facility management. Furthermore, this line of research would help to raise awareness, especially among upper level managers, that quality facility management practices have a significant impact on operation costs, energy use and facility condition.