Master of Science in Building Construction and Facility Management

Series

Master of Science in Building Construction and Facility Management

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https://hdl.handle.net/1853/72867

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Degree Series

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Organizational Unit

School of Building Construction

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 15

Understanding the issues of project cost and time in sustainable construction from a general contractor's perspective: case study

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-03-17) Weeks, Jason A.

The green building market has seen tremendous growth in the past decade. Organizations such as the US Green Building Council have emerged to become a dominant leader in the building industry. Although the green building rating systems are cross-disciplinary, much of the focus has been directed towards design-related input. General Contractors play an important role in delivering successful sustainable construction projects. If an integrated project delivery method is chosen, the General Contractor may offer insightful preconstruction assistance by providing ideas on green construction methods and materials. As sustainable building practices become more prominent in the construction industry, General Contractors must remain knowledgeable on current green building standards in order to stay competitive. Two of the most important aspects of business for a General Contractor involve time and money. Through qualitative literature review and quantitative results from a case study, this research analyzes time and cost in sustainable construction projects from a General Contractor's perspective. The research also examines whether the management of a sustainable construction project is substantially different than a non-sustainable construction project for a General Contractor. Finally, because the green building process involves multiple parties, the collaboration effort from all parties involved in a green building project will be studied.
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.
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.
Next Generation Military Housing Privatization

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005-06-08) Williamson, Marcus Eaton

Military personnel are faced with having to move every three to four years, making it extremely difficult to build any equity in a home when they are forced to refinance their loan every time they buy and sell their home. This continuous churn of home loans over a 20 year career, results in military personnel ending their career with little equity in a home because they have primarily only paid the high interest portions of the loans to financial institutions and any equity gained from rising home prices is offset by closing costs. This research will review the current approaches to housing for military personnel, develop the stakeholders needs, propose new approaches to meet these needs, analyze these new approaches and identify the recommended new approaches. The major players in military home purchases have been the service member, Department of Defense, local real estate services, and financial institutions. Local real estate services and financial institutions are currently the groups benefiting from the churn of homes by service members so they have no obvious incentive to change. The research will break down the resources of each of these players and align them with new approaches to real estate. The new approaches listed below will establish the need for large property management/developers that have purchasing powers within the real estate markets similar to Wal-Mart/Sams Club within the consumer goods market. With the military base realignment and closure almost complete, Department of Defense looking to get out of the housing business and the military clearly at a low manning level, the markets are now primed for this transformation. New approaches include planned communities that are built specifically for military personnel and owned by the corporation. These communities can be strategically located near the bases (real estate values are often low adjacent to military bases), constructed according to the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rate for each location, constructed for frequent resident moves, service contracts for maintenance, utilities maintained by corporation and then billed directly to residents, community center geared toward spouse and military activities and key business (veterinarian, pet boarding, video store, coffee shops, restaurants, military gear store, etc). If the corporation owned 2000 houses, there would be 4000 members with 30 year loans to maintain the equity for the homes.
Case Study on Residential Humidity Control at U.S. Coast Guard Bayamon Housing

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004-11-21) Meneses, Ivan R.

The intention of this study is to investigate the main source of unacceptable humidity levels at the U.S. Coast Guard Housing located in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The aim of this research is to use a systematic approach to resolve the humidity and mold issues by testing the least expensive solutions first. This study involves the recording of indoor air quality conditions for six months as an analysis tool to investigate current air conditions and to document how physical changes to the air conditioning units will affect the resulting air conditions. This research will investigate and implement different approaches geared to solving the high humidity issues. Some of the most relevant changes that will be tested are the installation of heat pipe technology, the addition of fresh air to existing air conditioning units to create positive pressure, and the review of the space load design of currently installed air conditioning units to determine if the units were over-designed. In addition, this study will verify the relationship between energy-saving thermostats and high humidity, determine any connection between roof leaks and high humidity indoors, and determine the estimated cost to the Coast Guard to implement the recommended changes.
Framework of a facility management code based decision model to evaluate and predict placement of fire alarm audible and visual notification devices

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004-06-07) Armwood, Creshona Witmyer
Facility Management Process Improvement for Small National Parks in the Southeast Region of the United States

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004-04-12) Jackson, James Charles

This thesis illustrates a process by which small organizations in the National Park Service can implement minor changes in current management and contracting practices to achieve measurable improvements in economy and efficiency by applying the principles and procedures outlined for competitive sourcing studies in Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 (May 2003).
A Proactive Design Strategy For Facility Managers of Laboratory Environments.

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004-04-02) Sandlin, Darrell R.

The Facility Manager of a laboratory environment continuously walks a fine line between safe and economical operation of that facility. The primary responsibility of the laboratory is to provide a safe environment for personnel while optimizing the space for experiment. Energy efficiency is not a necessary goal. Laboratories typically require HVAC systems utilizing 100% outside air to protect the occupants. Facilities demanding the basic design requirement of 100% outside air can result in annual energy costs 4 to 5 times greater than that of the typical office building requiring 20 CFM per person. With energy costs typically representing a substantial part of an organizations operating budget is it prudent for facility managers to seek opportunities to reduce these costs. The intent of this research is to show that participation of a knowledgeable Facility Manager, during the initial design phase of a laboratory facility, can result in a finished product capable of easily incorporating a variety of energy efficiency technologies. The scope of this research is limited to smaller chemical laboratories supported with less than 20,000 CFM of comfort air. When the Facility Manager actively participates in the design process for laboratory environments there is potential for increased HVAC energy efficiency. A substantial portion of this research has been conducted from the authors daily experience and responsibility for a small chemical laboratory. Additional data was collected using personal interviews among industry experts and fellow colleagues working in the Atlanta metropolitan area with significant laboratory experience. This research focused on the mechanical systems supporting laboratories as they represent the largest percentage in first costs, energy consumption, and offer the greatest opportunity for energy reduction. The results of this research are intended to provide guidance to Facility Managers to incorporate cost effective energy recovery systems in either new construction or at a future date. The results of this research project the impact of energy consumption in a small chemical laboratory from the hypothetical installation of a customized energy recovery system.
Integrated planning, design and construction of a United States Courthouse

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2003-12-01) White, Debra Karen
Enhancing the value of value engineering

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2003-08) Hunt, William H.