Construction Management & Engineering Masters Papers

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Achieving a Sustainable Concrete Design and Construction
(North Dakota State University, 2010) Agrawal, Ankush Satishchandra
Concrete is one of the key materials in the construction industry. But today, the use of concrete and its production has become a matter of environmental concern throughout the world. This statement is true especially for the manufacturing process of cement. One of the major problems is emission of CO2 gas into the atmosphere during the manufacturing of cement. Every ton of concrete produced leads to emission of one ton of carbon dioxide gas. Hence replacement of cement by alternative materials has been investigated by many researchers. In the past, fly ash has been the most common replacement. This study, however, suggests replacing all the major components of concrete to the extent that would satisfy the standard strength requirements. This paper focuses on the development of a sustainable or green concrete and proposes a set of tools for a sustainable concrete design and construction. Many researchers have been trying to replace one component of concrete to make it more sustainable. Discussion in this paper will not only give a direction to produce more sustainable concrete but also eco-friendly concrete, thus addressing the two important issues of economy and environmental friendliness simultaneously. Defining the idea of sustainability with respect to the concrete and construction industry and doing a literature search on similar grounds was the first step taken towards completion of this research. The findings in the literature search made a survey necessary. This survey was done to have an idea of sustainability from the experts in the construction and cement industry. The survey was done by sending a questionnaire to concrete experts, engineers, designers and contractors to get their ideas for green concrete and its usage in the industry. The findings of the literature survey and inferences from the survey results made the generation of the proposed sets of tools possible. The concrete and the construction industry can achieve an overall sustainability by complete utilization of tools proposed in the paper. Strict usage of these tools will not only ensure environmental sustainability but will also satisfy the ends of economic and social aspects of sustainability.
Causes of Construction Delays for High Rise Buildings: a Quantitative Comparison between the USA and India
(North Dakota State University, 2010) Billa, Arun
High rise buildings are complex, high risk, and multi-contractor projects which make them prone to construction delays. Delays can lead to time overrun, affect the total project duration and the total cost, and could result in litigation. Most construction schedules are deterministic and do not include the uncertainty and risk inherent in the diverse activities which constitute the construction project. Generally, high rise buildings are expensive undertakings and a schedule overrun could lead to significant time and money losses. Therefore, a high rise project manager must be able to estimate the potential delays and eliminate them if possible in order to reduce their impact on the success of the overall project. The research study identified 42 possible construction delays through the literature study and grouped them into six categories according to their source and relevance. These groups include: general delays related to project, owner, contractor, consultant, resource, and miscellaneous delays. A questionnaire was developed to investigate severities of the identified six delay categories; in addition, some questions about project details, critical effects of delays, and most responsible people for the delays were added to ascertain more information from the survey. The questionnaire was sent to pre-identified construction professionals of the high rise construction industry all over the United States and India. The individual analysis of each country shows that change orders, given by the owner during construction, is the most severe cause of delay for the USA, followed by severe weather conditions, as well as mistakes or errors in design and drawing documents. For India, the most severe cause of delay is the lack of communication and coordination among all parties involved in the construction, followed by improper construction methods and payment delays by the owner. The comparative analysis of two countries shows that there is a difference between the results and demonstrates that the presence of construction delays and their effects are more often and severe for India than the USA. It also shows that consultant related delays and miscellaneous delays are more severe for the USA than India and vice versa for the rest of the delay categories (general, owner, contractor, and resource related). All the participants of the two nations agreed that time overrun and cost overruns are the critical effects of construction delays, followed by disputes and arbitration. The present research study also includes the recommendations made by the survey participants.
Conceptual Cost Estimation of Highway Earthwork Construction in Iowa Using Spatial Statistical Modeling
(North Dakota State University, 2022) Hitsanu, Martha Sebsibe
Estimating cost at the conceptual phase of highway earthwork construction projects is challenging owing to the limited amount of information present at the initial stages. Methods that have been applied in the past to perform such estimates are regression, mathematical equations, artificial intelligence, and others. The objective of this research is to use two spatial statistical methods – indicator kriging and empirical Bayesian kriging – together with exponential, whittle, and k-Bessel semi-variograms to build an appropriate model to predict highway earthwork construction cost at the conceptual stage. Iowa Department of Transportation provided the data for the study. The cross-validation results were used to compare the performance of the kriging algorithms. It was observed that the exponential semi-variogram showed better performance for both types of kriging when they were analyzed separately. However, indicator kriging results were more accurate than empirical Bayesian kriging when they were compared for the same type of semi-variogram.
Construction Management Education in Canada: The History of the Establishment of Ontario's First Bachelor's Degree in Construction Management
(North Dakota State University, 2010) Durazno, Herman
This study examines the establishment of the first construction science and management degree program in Ontario. It illustrates the circumstances that led the Ontario construction industry to recognize the need for such an undergraduate degree program and to seek an educational institution as a partner in the planning, development and establishment of the undergraduate program. The paper displays how the industry faced obstacles such as a plan to regulate the industry by the Ontario government and the lack of incoming construction management degreed professionals from overseas. In addition, the paper displays the differences between existing engineering technology diplomas and the new bachelor degree in construction management and why the degree option will be beneficial to new students as well as graduates of the engineering technology diploma program. Finally, it displays how the Ontario construction industry leadership and reactiveness was the major factor in the establishment of the program and how industry participation and involvement is a key component in the success of undergraduate degree programs in construction management.
Developing a Framework for Sustainable Design/Build/Own Buildings
(North Dakota State University, 2010) Gore, Alexander Keith
The objective of the research paper was to investigate the development of a workable framework for Sustainable Design/Build/Own buildings. Research from case studies, a literature review, and a design exercise was completed to form this framework. Currently certification programs have been slow to infiltrate small-to-medium markets. In this study, it was found that the current sustainability assessment guides can be improved by reorganizing information to reflect the driving factors of time and cost as well as by increasing access to information with the abundant sources of videos, on line guides, and internet references in a more approachable manner.
Feasibility Study for Building Information Modeling (BIM) Education at the Community College
(North Dakota State University, 2015) Bawinkel, Daniel Vincent
With limited time and minimal skill sets of students at the community college, it is challenging to integrate new course material into a two-year degree or technical certificate in Building Construction Management while maintaining course structure that the construction and related industries value. This paper studies the feasibility of adding BIM components to the Building Construction Management program at Rock Valley College. Research was conducted through development of a pilot BIM course, surveys of industry and educational professionals, and a review of post-secondary institution. After studying the current state of BIM education in the United States, literature and survey data were analyzed. Analysis suggests that the program can incorporate BIM topics into course material. This inclusion of BIM skills will assist with successful student placement into the construction industry. The regional construction market is ready to embrace BIM technology. Study limitations are further discussed in the paper.
Identification of the Root Causes of Construction Accidents: Method-Related Causes
(North Dakota State University, 2014) Chintalapudi, Venkata Siva Ganesh
Safety in construction is a problem that has been gaining increased attention in recent years. Although lots of research is being done to address different aspects of improving safety, the challenge remains in narrowing the focus by identifying specific problems. This study attempts to find problems in safety by collecting data from construction sites and performing an analysis. The data collection involved obtaining 205 incident investigation reports from a number of refinery and thermal power plant sites that belonged to the same contracting firm. Out of the 205 incidents, 120 were attributed to root causes that were method related. A software model is proposed, with the aim to reduce a considerable amount of effort and time spent writing method statements. Very few activities are covered, and the most important advantage is that the method statement can be implemented more efficiently with accurate data, design and accessibility within the standards.
The Impacts of A-76 on the Personnel of Air Force Civil Engineering Squadrons
(North Dakota State University, 2010) Pauly, Adam Preston
The Office ofM:magement and Budget Circular A-76, revised 2003, is changing the manning of civil engineering squadrons throughout Air Force Air Education and Training Command. Although the circular is attempting to make the most efficient organization for budget purposes, it is important to see how manning will change as a result. The objectives of this paper were to evaluate what types of performance outcomes were occurring within the A-76 competitions within Air Education and Training Command and also to see how these decisions were forming the personnel changes within the organization. Three separate databases were utilized: one for personnel data retrieval, one for A-76 data retrieval, and one to research the history of contracts involved. The types of competition outcomes were analyzed and compared with how manning had changed over the same period of time. It was found that there were only two A-76 studies within AETC since the 2003 revision: Keesler AFB and Sheppard AFB. Both of these studies had resulted in a performance decision in favor of the private contractor for base operation services, those which include general building maintenance and grounds keeping, as well as utility and power management. When investigating the personnel outcomes, it can be inf erred that A-76 performance decisions definitely have an impact on personnel changes within the organization. As to what those changes are, it appears that when the decision is in favor of a private contractor, civilian and enlisted engineers are negatively affected, where the effects on officer engineers and the enlisted squadron as a whole are not so straightforward. This paper helps to define the changes occurring in today's Air Force as a result of fewer airmen available. The results may be useful to policy makers, squadron commanders, and those mterested in contracting with the Air Force.
Implementing Building Information Modeling (Bim) at AEC Firms in India
(North Dakota State University, 2014) Nanajkar, Aarti
The Indian Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is still at the very infancy stage with the adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to improve the design, construction, and facility management of construction projects. Therefore, several issues about data acquisition and management arise during the design creation and development of a construction project due to the complexity, ambiguity, and fragmented nature of the Indian construction industry. This paper suggests a strategy for India’s AEC firms to successfully implement BIM in their current working processes. The research method involves studying the current state of BIM knowledge in the Indian construction industry along with the online survey used for data collection regarding the problems faced by the Indian AEC firms. These data were analyzed using inferential statistics to discover effective ways to introduce BIM by India’s AEC firms. Based on the analysis, a roadmap for the transitioning steps is developed for use.
State of Bridge Management in Canada
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Khanzada, Kamran Majeed
Bridges are key elements of all horizontal transportation networks. The primary objective of this paper is to investigate and document bridge-management practices in Canada at the federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal levels. The research methods used include a literature review, data collection (surveys), data analysis, and conclusions. The survey was sent to all provincial/territorial and federal jurisdictions. Nine of ten provincial, three of three territorial, and two of nine federal agencies responded to the survey. Currently, only four provinces have computerized Bridge Management Systems (BMS). The Ontario Structure Inspection Manual (OSIM), developed by province of Ontario, is the most widely used bridge inspection system in Canada. At present, five provinces employ this system to conduct bridge inspections. This paper identified six important municipal bridge-management challenges. It is recommended that higher tier of government, i.e., federal and provincial, should play a larger role to support municipalities with bridge management.
Study of Factors Affecting Labor Productivity at a Building Construction Project in the USA: Web Survey
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Gundecha, Mahesh Madan
Construction projects suffer various problems and complex factors such as cost, duration, quality and safety. Construction sector is diverse as it contains, contractors, consultants, designers, owners, and others. The aim of this paper is to identify factors affecting labor productivity at a building construction project. A literature review and factors recommended by experts were considered to categorize the factors. 40 factors, categorized into 5 groups, were analyzed and ranked considering Relative Importance Index. The questionnaires were distributed to Project Manager, Project Engineer, Architecture, and Others (Scheduler, and Estimator). It was concluded, final cost of the projects were higher than estimated cost. It’s recommended to develop human resources through proper and continuous training programs frame a strong assignment, vision and a planned approach to overcome the disturbances on the performance of the construction projects. The discussed factors are expected to assist in completing construction projects successfully.
The Suitability of Warm Mix Asphalt for Use in North Dakota
(North Dakota State University, 2011) Gullickson, Michael
Compared to hot mix asphalt (HMA), warm mix asphalt (WMA) offers several potential benefits, including reduced fossil fuel use and increased workability. The research presented in this paper examined the suitability of WMA for use in North Dakota, through review of previous research and experiences of North Dakota and other states, including those with similar weather to North Dakota. This review suggested that North Dakota and its neighboring states are looking to similar types of WMA to suit their varying needs. While more than one type of WMA may be suitable for use in North Dakota's climate, there could be some types that work better than others depending on aggregate sources, traffic volume and loads, and overlay versus new construction. North Dakota should continue to try various types of WMA and determine which additives or processes work best in the areas of the state's greatest need.

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