Scott Glick

Reducing electrical energy consumption through behaviour changes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to look at the effect of human behaviour, and efforts to change that behaviour, on electricity consumption in a high school setting. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses a mixed methods design of interviews and historical electrical use data to assess two treatments impacts on electrical consumption over time at two Fort Collins high schools. Findings – Both treatments, the energy efficiency awareness campaign and the energy efficiency charrette, were found to have a positive impact on decreasing levels of electricity consumption. Unfortunately, these decreases lessened over time. The key attributes of communication, motivation, and leadership were identified as necessary at the high school facilities level to ensure long-term success in decreased electrical consumption. Research limitations/implications – The implications of this research focus on awareness of energy use in public schools and how to use awareness as a cost-effective tool in decreasing electr...

Developing a BIM-enabled Bilingual Safety Training Module for the Construction Industry

This research documents and assesses the development of a construction safety training module featuring BIM-enabled 3D visualization narrated in both English and Spanish to test if such information can enhance safety training for construction management students and construction workers. A pilot (English version) of the module was administered to construction management students and their responses were generally positive. Spanish and English versions of the modules were then administered to professional mason laborers on-site in Denver, Colorado. This paper highlights the technical challenges and the lessons learned through the development of training module, particularly for use and research on real construction sites. Findings support and highlight future opportunities to develop more advanced, and custom (project specific) bi-lingual safety training modules.

Review of Construction Lean Research Studies in Support of Lean Transformation to the Construction Operating Platform

The purpose of this study is to foster awareness among lean researchers on the current lean research platform in construction as viewed from the Toyota Production System (TPS) framework. The study draws from the International Group of Lean Construction (IGLC) research papers with the TPS philosophy and framework as embodied in “The Toyota Way” (TTW). Content analysis was chosen as the preferred methodology in conducting the analysis. The study findings revealed that IGLC research studies did not align exclusively around the TPS framework. Of 592 research studies analyzed, 241 (40%) were classified within the TPS framework, consisting of four categories, and 351 (60%) were classified outside the TPS framework, consisting of 15 lean-related proxy research categories. This study has particular implications in knowledge, practice, and teaching as it relates to lean research in construction. This study provides the reader with a brief introduction to the origins of lean construction and a comprehensive analysis of existing IGLC research studies, including a comparison to the TPS framework and expanded thematic categorization. The study fosters awareness among consumers of research in lean construction about the depth and breadth of the lean research platform in construction.

Benefits of owner mandated CM/GC contract amendment templates

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how implementing a standardized/owner-mandated template for Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) contract amendments can minimize errors. The focus is on public owners who manage multiple CM/GC projects at any one time. Design/methodology/approach – A case study format was used to compare contract amendments errors using a baseline project, transition project and best practices project. Six metrics were identified, including factual recital errors, summary formatting errors, schedule of values errors, construction services fee errors, allowance schedule errors and data consistency errors. Findings – The baseline and transition projects both had an average of seven errors per amendment, while the best practices project produced zero errors. The amendment template creation process helped design out common errors. The use of the template can be contract-mandated, while transition projects require owner commitment. Research limitations/implications ...

High performance preservation: research and funding opportunities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the complexities of grant writing to fund sustainable upgrades to historical properties. Highlighted are the complexities of melding grant solicitations, identifying potential partners, defining project scope, securing matching funds, identifying institutional barriers, and the importance of collecting actual building performance data.Design/methodology/approach – A case study was used to document the process of funding energy efficiency upgrades at a national historic landmark.Findings – Grant writers need to look for non‐traditional partners and funding sources. Historic preservation and energy efficiency can be achieved while meeting the Secretary of the Interiors Standards on Sustainability. The importance of funding to conduct field research is discussed relating to the development of measurable outcomes.Research limitations/implications – The ability to conduct long‐term field‐based research is dependent on funding. Policy and funding decisions in...

Life Cycle Analysis for Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Parking Lot Pavements

The use of porous pavement allows water to drain into an aggregate storage layer beneath the pavement for temporary storage as it percolates into the aquifer below. When using this system in a parking lot application, the need for curb and gutter to channel the stormwater into a nearby retention basin is eliminated, as is the retention basin itself. An initial analysis of the porous system appears to solve some of the environmental issues related to stormwater runoff and aquifer recharge. However, these systems have not been evaluated using both life-cycle cost and life-cycle assessment to fully understand the costs and environmental implications of choosing one system over another. A case study was used to compare the two asphalt systems in a large parking lot application. The results show that the conventional asphalt system is both more cost effective and environmentally benign. The emissions area identified as having the greatest CO2 impact is the manufacturing/mining and extraction of aggregates making it an area that could be targeted for increased efficiencies and emission reductions.

Participation in Construction Management Student Competitions: Perceived Positive and negative Effects

In the discipline of construction management (CM) student competitions are well thought of and typically have good construction industry support. However, little published research is available addressing them. This study provides empirical research documenting the positive and negative effects of CM competition participation. Data was collected via interviews and a survey. Using a grounded theory design eleven positive and four negative themes emerged including: confidence, connecting all the dots, industry involvement, leadership, motivation, presentation skills, problem-solving, real world experience, teamwork, and time management. The negative effects include: false expectations, resources, scoring methods, and time. As a grounded theory study, a three step coding process was used. The first step, open coding, identified the specific positive and negative effects. Construction industry involvement was identified as the central phenomenon through the second step, axial coding. Selective coding, the third step, then identified a cyclical pattern showing a connection between the positive effects, leadership, key CM graduate competencies, and construction industry involvement to tell the story of the phenomenon of student construction management competitions. This study found that the positive effects of competition participation outweigh the negatives and that competition participation should be encouraged for as many students as possible.

ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF RESIDENTIAL GREYWATER SYSTEMS FOR TOILET USE

The use of greywater for residential toilet flushing could decrease freshwater demand considerably if adopted nationally. Before this is done, a full understanding of the estimated environmental and economic impacts for greywater systems is needed. New and retrofit residential systems were studied using life-cycle assessment (LCA) and life-cycle cost (LCC). Health considerations were not evaluated as part of this study. The LCA results indicate that both systems have a net environmental benefit over their lifetimes. Based upon current potable water costs, the net present value of the LCC indicates that both systems have net costs. As water rates increase to reflect scarcity, these net costs should decrease or become net savings. Using grey water systems for toilet flushing is environmentally feasible for individual homes whether new or retrofitted. Implementing these systems on a larger scale would reduce the demands on potable water supplies and on sewage treatment facilities and may improve their economic feasibility.

Student perceptions of model-based estimating

ABSTRACT The use of building information modeling (BIM) is well established in architecture, engineering and construction. However, previous studies note a lack of BIM expertise in academia, leading to slow adoption and limited knowledge on which to base BIM-related content. To improve course development, it is important to understand students’ perceptions of BIM-related subject matter. This study exposed estimating students (n = 214) to a model-based quantity takeoff (QTO) tutorial using Revit. Students’ perceptions of a Revit-based BIM’s usefulness for easily providing reliable and accurate material quantities were measured using a pre-test, tutorial and post-test design. Results revealed significant differences in students’ mean levels of agreement that an accurate QTO is completed for an estimator with the click of a button when a design team generated BIM model is available. Results also revealed significant differences in students’ level of agreement that a Revit-based BIM makes performing QTO by hand obsolete. This study provides educators’ insight into students’ perceptions of BIM use in QTO. Understanding student perceptions is paramount for construction management educators when designing a course and attempting to convey the value of foundational estimating skills while acknowledging the existence of more technologically advance estimating methods. Limitations and opportunities for further research are discussed.

Construction Management Dissertation Abstracts: A Bounded Qualitative Meta-Study

ABSTRACT A bounded qualitative meta-study framework was used to examine 61 dissertation abstracts found in the ProQuest Dissertation and Theses TM digital database from 2000 through 2014. The search terms construction management/industry and business and research were used. The overarching research question was: What can we learn from examining doctoral dissertations abstracts focusing on construction management research? The findings provide an overview of doctoral research and discussion regarding: our meta-study framework, methods and procedures, findings, and possible discussion items. The peak year for PhD awards was 2005 with 10 dissertations. Only 34% mentioned a guiding framework, and 23% used a model. Topics focused on Leadership, 33%, Management, 60%, CM Education, 5%, and Social Issues, 2%. Evidence suggests that construction education research may be relatively hidden due to the unstructured nature of the abstracts and the low number of results returned using the construction focused keywords. It is recommended that advisors and students working to complete a dissertation establish and use a structured abstract that clearly identifies among other elements the guiding framework. The use of keywords identifying Construction Management may help to increase awareness of the discipline and return more articles when construction management is used as a key search term.