Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Building Construction

Series

Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Building Construction

Permanent Link

https://hdl.handle.net/1853/72547

Series Type

Degree Series

Associated Organization(s)

Organizational Unit

School of Building Construction

Full item page

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 26

Statistical analysis of residential housing prices in an up and down real estate market: a general framework and study of Cobb County, GA

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009-11-17) Corsini, Kenneth Richard

The recent economic recession has had a significant impact on residential real estate both nationally and regionally. Our research is focused specifically on Cobb County, Georgia and the impact that the declining economy has had on home buying and property values in this area. Specifically, this research aims to identify changes in the residential market in terms of significant characteristics of housing and their corresponding effect on home values.
Design build project delivery in the Air Force Reserve Command

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009-07-01) Richardson, Kathleen

Design Build is rapidly becoming one of the most commonly used project delivery methods in the construction industry. The United States Corp of Engineers (USACE) has started implementing its own version of Design Build with the introduction of Military Transformation in April 2005. Per the Department of the Army (2008) Military Transformation is a term employed by the Corps to implement the use of alternate project delivery method as a means of achieving best value. The United States Air Force (AF) and the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) are expected to establish a target of 75% of all future Military Construction Projects (MILCONs) executed when using the Design Build method. The use of this delivery method results in significant changes to the relationships between the various parties associated with facility project delivery compared to the traditional Design Bid Build method. AFRC construction project procedures and requirements must also change.
Alternative to low bid selection in Air Force reserve military construction: approach to best value procurement

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009-07-01) Garner, Birtice A.

Best value is becoming one of the most commonly used procurement methods in the facility construction industry. The Federal Government and the Air Force Reserve predominant project delivery approach has been via the low-bid award. This process has not been successful, documented by large numbers of construction modifications, as well as project cost and schedule growth over the past sixteen years. Recently, federal procurement agencies have attempted to move toward construction awards based upon best value principles relative to performance and price. The United States Army Corps of Engineers best value procurement vehicle known as Military Transformation fails to deliver true best value. This pseudo best value delivery process: (1) fails to objectively rate and apply contractor past performance; (2) lacks the means to monetarily quantify contractor proposal risks; and (3) provides no means of transferring control and responsibility for risks and risk minimization to the contractor. Only a true best value project delivery system can provide the urgently required increased efficiency necessary for Air Force Reserve Command to remain a dependable military institution capable of erecting facilities contributory to our nation's defense by perpetually adding value to the project delivery process.
An analysis regarding energy efficiency in metro Atlanta's private office buildings

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009-06-12) Fore, Elizabeth K.

Commercial office building occupants are a significant consumer of electricity, and they subsequently contribute a significant amount of greenhouse gases into the environment in the process. An opportunity exists to improve the energy efficiency in existing buildings, and the Energy Star certification program provides both tools to do so and an independent verification of a building's superior energy efficiency. However, only 16% of metro Atlanta's office space has achieved this certification. The intent of the research was to identify the current state of energy efficiency in buildings, and to identify potential obstacles to obtaining the Energy Star certification. Towards this goal, secondary research was conducted among prominent academic journals, as well as numerous professional and governmental organizations and publications. Primary research was conducted through an online survey of Facility Managers, Property Managers, and Building Engineers of Energy Star office buildings and comparable non-Energy Star office buildings in the metro Atlanta area. The survey was conducted mostly using closed-ended questions using a Likert scale so as to provide a basis for statistical analysis among responses, and open-ended questions were also included to identify the current state of energy efficiency practices. The research identified three areas which hold statistically significant differences between Energy Star and directly comparable buildings. An analysis also determined that building age does seem to play a role in the building representatives' responses. Four conclusions were found regarding characteristics of Energy Star buildings themselves. The research also identified five conclusions regarding the expected result when pursuing the Energy Star certification. These conclusions include the best method to achieve the Energy Star certification, the expected energy savings, the expected time spent to achieve the certification, the expected cost to achieve the certification, and the main reasons to recertify the building. Finally, this research highlights innovative practices in other states and cities, such as financial incentives and legislation which require commercial buildings to obtain a building rating. Such innovative practices are currently not employed in the Atlanta metro area, but would be beneficial to both the Atlanta area and individual buildings.
Comparison of module usage of project management information system and success rate of construction projects: case study

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009-04-09) Sweet, Coretta A.

If construction is about delivering a built asset that is of high quality and efficiency, wouldn t most companies use all the tools and processes available at the highest organizational level possible? A major assumption is made that Prolog Manager is an effective Project Management Information System. Saying Company X will benefit from more module use with Prolog Manager system is not the same as saying they will suffer from lack of module usage. If a company has already attained success using manual systems it successes may continue. To be as successful as possible, maximum utilization of all modules of Prolog Manager at the unique project type organizational level is necessary, and correlations can be made between higher module usage and greater project successes with this type of company size and structure.
Leadership in project management

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008-11-19) Xiong, Riyue

Project management is a carefully planned and organized effort to accomplish a specific one-time task. For example, constructing a building or implementing a new computer system, all need to be well-managed. Projects are conceived and completed by people, who are involved in the whole process of project execution and completion. Thus, project management not only requires an efficient project manager, but also a qualified leader who can lead the team effectively. This research will provide a clearer understanding of the concept of leadership in projects, discussing how and why it works, and the ways to make project teams more dynamic and effective. The results from the study are applied to these leadership concepts, in an effort understand the role of effective leadership in reducing costs across the whole project process and increasing the project value.
Business reasons for utilizing renewable energy applications in facilities to assist in extending the life of the heating ventilation and air conditioning systems

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008-04-02) Thompson, Glendon Raymond

This research is intended to discover business reasons for utilizing renewable energy applications in buildings to help extend the life of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. It is designed to focus on gleaning information from the United States and China. These two countries differ politically, socially, economically and culturally. In history, trading and other economic activity has always been a point of common ambitions. Therefore studying business and economic reasons for applying renewable energy applications will be edifying.
Holistic Analysis of Fuel Cells for Residential Application

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007-11-06) Ospina Alvarado, Angelica Maria

The development of an index to compare different sources of energy is presented; the index address the appraisal of the source of energy from its sustainable performance and also using the factors that influence the user's decision making process of adopting an alternative energy. The index is used to compare the fuel cell system and the traditional grid system powered by coal fired power plants, for a typical residential unit located in the rural Appalachian region in Ohio.
Design-Build Interoperability and Conceptual Design and Development of a Design-Build Management Control System

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007-04-10) McClain, Lewis Robert

The design-build construction industry has recognized the advantages of a collaborative contracting method; however it has yet to create information systems that can truly support the industry. Many software applications have been created to assist the Design-Builder; however no software provider has created an application that can completely manage the design-build process from beginning to end. Although some software providers have attempted to integrate data between various project management activity modules (estimating, scheduling, accounting, etc), no software provider has resolved the need to integrate data between both project management activity modules and the various phases of the design-build life cycle. The advancements of the design-build industry method of contracting will never be fully achieved until an information system is designed to specifically support the industry. This paper details the conceptual development of a management control system designed to not only integrate data among various project management activities modules but also to integrate data between all phases of the design-build project life cycle.
Engaging the Senses for Performance: a Framework for Researching Sensory Design Elements and Their Effects on Productivity in the Workplace

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005-11-29) Hyatt, Abigail

In conjunction with an investigation of past research, this study provides a measured account of changes in worker productivity resulting from changes including the application of new sensory design elements in a typical office environment. A case study is presented that follows a collection agencys relocation of offices in order to provide confirmation of a relationship between employee productivity and changes in the office environment. As noted, these changes included a general application of color in the new environment as compared to the neutral palette of the previous site. Data representing the total dollar amounts collected by individual employees is compiled for the two months directly prior (November and December 2004) and immediately following (January and February 2005) the companys relocation of offices to a space integrating various colors (red, blue, green, and gold) into the work environment. Information relating to a total of 10 client groups and the average volume per employee are compared for each of the months. In order to substantiate the findings, the monthly numbers are also compared to the same periods (November/December 2003 and January/February 2004) in the previous year.