Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Building Construction

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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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Degree Series

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School of Building Construction

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 44

Barriers and Potential Solutions to Gender Diversity in the Construction Industry

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-08-04) Washington, Candace H.

The construction industry faces significant challenges filling vacant jobs to match supply with demand. With 20 percent of the construction workforce not returning after the pandemic within a booming housing market and the "Great Retirement" of the baby boomers, the construction sector's current and forecast labor shortage has worsened. Making the construction-related jobs more attractive and welcoming to women and other demographic groups underrepresented in the industry is imperative for the construction industry's future workforce. However, there are persistent barriers to achieving such diversity. This research focuses on the factors influencing women's decision to enter the construction industry. Female middle and high school students aged 11-17 were invited to participate in the survey. The survey questions and results were structured to categorize responses into five categories: Career, Perceptions, Diversity & Mentoring, and College Interest. Survey results with indicators above 50 percent were considered outliers and more significant in understanding females' perceptions and barriers to entry into the construction industry. Based on the survey findings, recommendations to establish a framework for developing strategies for attracting and retaining women into the construction industry focuses on the following: 1. Female students aged 11-17; 2. Academic institutions 3. Female practitioners. The recommendations further suggest that early intervention and introduction of construction management in STEM programs in elementary and middle school programs would demystify the negative perceptions and helps visualize and provide paths for viable career and educational options. In turn, academic institutions can identify strengths and weaknesses inherent in recruiting and retaining female students in construction management programs. Additionally, implementing strategies of industry mentors and role models for new female entrants into the construction industry and the students in construction programs in higher education can strengthen the pipeline of women in construction.
Industry 4.0 And Short-Term Outlook for AEC Industry Workforce

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021-12-13) Quintana, Emilio

Technology is uniquely transforming our society to a significant degree. This transformation has been described as Industry 4.0 and encompasses machine learning, computerization, automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics. Industry 4.0 is currently impacting the United States’ workplace and is projected in continue uniquely changing our society over the next twenty years or so. Looking specifically at the AEC industry, this paper researches how the AEC industry workplace could be impacted by Industry 4.0 over the next several years. The hypothesis that jobs more at risk for automation should see low or negative growth and lower wages over the next several years was tested by using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) occupational wage data and growth projections to create an opportunity value for each occupation, and then evaluating the relationship between the opportunity value and probability of automation. A statistical significance was found between the two variables. The hypothesis that certain skills are particularly associated with high growth/high wage jobs versus low growth/low wage jobs was tested by scraping important skills/qualities from the individual occupational webpages hosted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and then comparing the approximately top 80% of skills scraped between the two groups. Certain skills/qualities were found to be particularly associated with each group. Finally, the occupations associated with the AEC industry were compared with the findings from the first two hypotheses. The discoveries were that the AEC industry is potentially more susceptible to Industry 4.0 than other industries. This research is of significance because research into how the AEC industry workplace will be impacted by Industry 4.0 over the next several years was not found in the research background, and it has implications on potential career choices, skill requirements, and areas of research and development. Recommendations for future work include utilizing new data sources, Monte Carlo simulations, cohort analysis, and cluster analysis to make more specific forecasts on Industry 4.0’s impact on the AEC industry.
Changes in quality management approaches for design-build highway projects

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018-04-27) Lee, Jung Hyun

The purpose of this study is to determine changes in quality management approaches of design-build (DB) highway projects compared to those in design-bid-build (DBB) projects. Identifying the existing challenges in the quality management procedures in DB environment requires conducting a content analysis. This involved reviewing regulations, FHWA policy documents, quality manuals, and state DOT solicitation documents. To obtain a deeper understanding of the state of the practice in state DOTs and to identify best practices in handling the identified challenges, this study conducted structured interviews of DOT personnel and industry experts. The results indicate that responsibility for quality assurance is being transferred to design-build teams. The findings of this study show six areas of changes in DB highway projects: (1) acceptance approaches; (2) selection criteria; (3) independent assurance procedures; (4) non-conformance reports; (5) cost mechanisms; and (6) pay factor adjustment.
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.
The effect of military construction transformation on project cost and schedule within the United States Army Corps of Engineers South Atlantic Division

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2017-11-07) Westcott, Matthew

The United States Corps of Engineers (USACE) has been the primary Construction Agent of the United States Army and Air Force. Its members are considered the experts in project delivery for the Department of Defense (DoD). In 2006, the Base Realignment and Closure Program (BRAC) and the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) led to increased workload which caused the USACE to adopt the Design-Build project delivery process as a primary means of project delivery in an effort to leverage the method’s ability to deliver projects at a lower cost and faster delivery time as compared to conventional methods. The focused use of the Design-Build process was to become the primary business practice of USACE after the BRAC/GWOT period, replacing the traditional Design-Bid-Build process that had dominated the USACE landscape for 50 years. The USACE Commander’s intent behind the Design-Build incorporation was to realize a 15% cost savings and a 30% reduction in delivery time over the traditional method. This measure of success would serve as a guide to the USACE for future business practices. Military Construction Transformation, or MILCON Transformation, was the name designated to the Design-Build process when it was approved as the primary form of project delivery in the USACE in 2006. Since then, the four-year spike in project workload brought about during the BRAC and initial GWOT period has been diminished, and the business practice has taken some time to incorporate refinements based on lessons learned during the BRAC/GWOT period. In 2009 the Engineer Inspector General (EIG) was commissioned to measure the performance standards given by the USACE Commander, but after conducting only interviews of district chiefs across the USACE, the EIG was unable to quantify any project data that was relatable to the Commander’s metric (EIG, 2009). Independent studies evaluating the performance of Design-Build in various domains of the public sector have been conducted in the past, however a measurement of this specificity has yet to be conducted. The scope of this thesis is to evaluate the MILCON Transformation performance of the of the South Atlantic Division during 2002-2014. Project data was gathered from the USACE-internal automated information system, Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW). Only MILCON, vertical construction project data was collected from EDW, and four hypothesis based off cost and time were developed for testing. Five project milestones for 304 projects that qualified for evaluation were evaluated using 180 separate Welch’s T-tests to test for a statistically significant difference between Design-Bid-Build and Design-Build. Of the 180 T-tests conducted, 37 were in support of the alternate hypothesis, which stated that there was a statistically significant difference with 95% confidence between the two project delivery models. Projects were analyzed in three different ways. First, projects were distributed between the two project delivery populations and all performance metrics regarding cost and time were analyzed from the Division level. Next, projects were analyzed by building type, to find out if there were any specific types of buildings where Design-Build performed better than Design-Bid-Build. Finally, projects were analyzed by District, where projects from each of the 5 Districts within the South Atlantic Division were analyzed to determine if any one District executed Design-Build more successfully than another District. From this analysis, it was found that the 15% reduction of cost by use of Design-Build was realized from a Division level. However, in no circumstance was the target 30% reduction in time realized for the Division, any District, or any specific building type. Results were then presented to a focus group of leaders within the USACE South Atlantic Division to gather insight on why the USACE Commanders goals were not completely met. Since literature pointed to Design-Build as being a source of lower cost and time in the public sector, data results warranted further insight as to why the USACE struggled to gain full value from the Design-Build delivery model. The focus group validated the data and findings while attributing discovered performance metrics to operational tempo, manpower, and conservative management. From these results, the researcher submits recommendations on how the USACE can realize greater value from the use of Design-Build.
Change order insurance policy (COIP) in the U.S. design and construction industry: Is there any likelihood of acceptance?

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2016-11-15) Ghaziri, Louay

Throughout the construction industry and for a long period of time, the issue of change orders poses as an undesirable problem in maintaining the efficiency and cost of construction projects. This research study will investigate a new mechanism for dealing with such problems. Accordingly, it will propose sharing the risk of cost overrun as a consequence of change orders, with a third-party insurance company, which can also be known as Change Order Insurance Policy (COIP). In order to check for the possibility of implementing such a policy in the U.S. market, this study will primarily test for the acceptance rate of design and construction professionals spanning the industry. Accordingly, participants were chosen from a list of 25 top construction firms found in The Atlanta Business Chronicle. Two anonymous surveys were then administered to assess the extent to which construction-affiliated professionals accept the concept of using COIP. Accordingly, results showed that the majority of participants do not accept the idea of using such a policy. However, program managers and owners did portray higher acceptance rates, as opposed to architects and contractors.
Factors influencing energy consumption among moderately low income residents in multifamily rental apartments

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2016-05-03) Mosale Krishne Gowda, Achala Parameshwari

Residential electricity consumption is responsible for approximately 30% of global electricity consumption. Further, residential electricity consumption in the United States of America is 25% of the total energy consumption in the United States. Hence the residential energy sector will play a critical role in the future of the electricity industry, especially given the increasing global demand for affordable electricity services, as well as the urgent need to reduce climate change emissions from the electricity sectors. Recent studies estimate that behavioral changes can reduce residential energy consumption by about 7.4%. So, by providing more detailed feedback to consumers about their energy usage at the appliance level can potentially encourage such behavioral changes. However, achieving a better understanding of the nature of household electricity consumption is challenging, due to the heterogeneity of the residential sector, the complexity of the under-lying drivers and the lack of comprehensive data. Relevant data includes household demographics, including occupant numbers, age distributions, and income; household behavior such as how often occupants use certain appliances and the interest and effort that they devote towards energy conservation; building types, such as the type of dwelling (free standing or unit), different appliance ownership and access to alternatives to electricity for some services such as gas for heating and cooking; and the climate zone of the households as well as the daily weather conditions. As explained before, the wide variation seen across all of these drivers’ leads to considerable differences in households’ electricity consumption. But data on these drivers is not always available. There has generally been only limited electricity consumption data available. Energy Conservation has become one of the first sustainability issues to be addressed through combination of national and local government policies. Human behavior is the major link to the environmental issues like global warming. Making domestic energy consumption visible to the end users has become more challenging due to metering methods. The only commonly visible record of consumption comes in the form of quarterly bills or monthly statements, by which time the links between specific activities and the energy consumed are severely dislocated, a situation described elsewhere as similar to a supermarket not displaying any individual product prices but merely providing the shopper with a total non-itemized bill at the checkout. Such issues create a negative effect on awareness towards sustainability. Many studies has proven that giving feedback on human behavior has significantly affected the energy consumption. To most consumers in developed countries, the fuel used within homes has become, to a large extent, an invisible resource. So, there should be some policy to guide consumers and to make them understand the importance of energy saving. Several test statistics procedures were performed to understand the relationship between residents’ behavior and energy consumption: Impact of indoor and outdoor temperature on energy consumption, Impact of residents’ behavior and awareness on energy consumption, and Impact of all variables in the study on energy consumption.
Assessing the effects of augmented reality on the spatial skills of postsecondary construction management students in the U.S.

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2016-04-18) Kim, Jeff

There is a continual challenge within the construction industry to meet schedule, budget, and quality expectations. At the same time, there is an underlying problem where the older and more experienced workforce is retiring from industry at a faster rate than the newer workforce can replace them. As the more experienced workforce departs from the industry, they are taking with them much-needed skills and experience that fail to get transitioned to the newer and less experienced workforce. Among these skills are spatial skills. The construction industry has already caught on that this is a serious problem that they must contend with, and so, they have looked to the postsecondary institutions to help resolve it. However, the postsecondary institutions have a problem of their own, whereby they commonly default to passive teaching techniques that are not well suited to teaching spatial skills. So, therefore, there is a need to graduate construction management students with better spatial skills in order to meet the necessities of industry. Along with this, is the need for academia to reconsider teaching styles to better train spatial skills. Spatial skills, it has been found, are better retained when active and collaborative teaching engagements are arranged. Therefore, identifying and testing a practical and non-interfering classroom tool that students can easily use, would be the most favorable way to overcome academia’s tendency towards passive teaching. Spatial skills are needed in every part of the construction industry. In fact, everyday simple tasks require spatial skills and while these skills are honed over time, more refined skills, capable of interpreting abstract space, are required to assemble a complex construction project. Construction projects are getting more complex and often the design involves some measure of abstract thinking. Teaching these abstract-based spatial skills in postsecondary institutions has typically been done through drafting and plan reading courses, with some success. However, the need from industry is not being fully met with these skills and so an alternative solution is recommended. While Building Information Modeling (BIM) has become an adequate solution to aid in the understanding and planning of highly abstract designs, successfully using it requires excellent spatial skills. Consequently, it would be advantageous if those spatial skills were developed before students were introduced to BIM. Augmented reality is a collection of technologies that allows a user to view the “real” world with additional information that is intended to provide a better understanding of what is being observed. Augmented reality already has applications in many industries and is fast becoming a proven technology. With the availability of smaller and more powerful consumer mobile devices, augmented reality has the potential of becoming a more ubiquitous and practical tool. Recognizing that this technology can be practical, non-interfering, and known by the masses makes it an excellent solution for the classroom. Therefore, this research will study the use of an augmented reality tool to determine if there is an improvement of spatial skills in terms of accuracy, time to execute, and the retention of concepts over time. Furthermore, a separate analysis will be conducted to determine if the teaching tool is a benefit or disruption to the overall learning experience.
A process for evaluating the benefits of near-infrared reflective roof coatings used on asphalt shingle roofs

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2015-12-04) Powers, Catherine N.

Reflective roof coatings keep the roof cooler by minimizing solar absorption and maximizing thermal emission. Keeping the surface of the roof cooler allows less heat to be conducted into the interior of the building which reduces the cooling load in air-conditioned buildings and improve comfort conditions in non-air conditioned buildings. A number of cool white materials, compatible with most roofing products, are available on the market. To appeal to homeowners, special cool “color” products have been developed to match the dark colors of conventional residential roofs but are highly reflective in the invisible near-infrared (NIR) spectrum. Although many studies highlight the benefits of cool white coatings on roof membranes of low-slope roofs, knowledge of NIR reflective coatings on asphalt shingles of steep slope roofs remains limited. The intent of this exploratory study is to present a process that can be used to evaluate the perceived and actual benefits of NIR coatings field-applied to asphalt shingles on single-family houses. The proposed process can be applied to a large sample of homes and occupants in a future study. A questionnaire was designed to attempt to evaluate occupants’ perceived benefits in regards to their indoor environment and occupant satisfaction following applications of NIR coatings. Along with subjective data collection, a field-experiment was developed to objectively compare the thermal performance of an NIR reflective field-coated asphalt shingle roof system with that of a conventional asphalt shingle roof system. Questionnaire results indicated that occupants did not perceive any significant changes to their indoor environment but were satisfied overall with the application and appearance of the roof coating. Additionally, 50% of occupants stated that their monthly energy costs somewhat decreased after the application. Interestingly, 63% of respondents experienced some form of roof leak following the coating application. Among those who experienced roof leaks, 100% of the roofs were 10 years or older. Field results showed that the coated roof surface was 2 to 5℉ cooler than the uncoated roof surface at midafternoon. Statistical testing for correlation between coated roof surface temperature and external conditions revealed that relative humidity was negatively correlated with coated roof temperature, while solar altitude angle was positively correlated with coated roof temperature. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to develop a model for predicting the surface temperature of the coated asphalt shingle roofs from the ambient temperature, sky conditions, dew point temperature, relative humidity, solar altitude and azimuth angle.
Feasibility of implementing prefabricated U.S. products and methods for residential construction in Thailand

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2014-06-24) Ngoenchuklin, Chawin

Prefabricated construction has been a common construction method for American construction for more than a century. The concept of build it fast in the most economical way has not changed since the beginning; however, the new technologies have been developed to suit the modern world prefabricated construction. The new technologies are not only help contractors and owners get their building faster and more economical but they also help reduce construction waste and produce high energy efficiency buildings which result in a long term benefit to projects. On the other hand, prefabrication for residential construction has been used in Thailand for only less than two decades. However, the prefabrication construction in Thailand has grown rapidly from the past five years. Recently, there are many new developers, and contractors who have switched from a traditional construction to prefabrication to keep up the rising in Thai residential market. Moreover, the new minimum wage policy from Thai government has hit Thai construction business very hard. The labor cost has raised more than 40% in some area (Thai Department of labor, 2013) since 2012. Thai developers see prefabrication as a future and ready to invest more in this type of construction. (Krunthep Thurakit, 2013) Currently, there are many construction products from the U.S. which have been using in Thai construction. Thai people are familiar with American product, therefore, U.S. prefabricated products and methods can easily make a quick transition to Thai prefabricated construction. The intention of this research is to find the prefabricated residential construction products or method from the U.S. that can be used for developing the new or similar products that compatible with Thai market. There are a lot of strong potential prefabricated construction products and method in the U.S. which can be very useful in Thailand. Those can be benefit to both American investors and Thai construction. The selected products or method will be review and investigate in the categories such as performance, compatibility, availability, price and ability to adapt to Thai market.