Three-dimensional computer models used in the classroom may help increase student understanding of new and complex course material, and provide an opportunity to enhance visuo-spatial skills. Students lacking these abilities may have difficulty visualizing construction systems and components. This study explores the results of a survey conducted in the Fall of 2009 as part of a curriculum development project in the Construction Management Department at one University. Over twenty 3D models were created from figures in the course text and used, to varying degrees, in three sections of a materials and methods class. Focusing on four CSI divisions, the results indicate that students' perceptions of learning masonry (F (2,123) = 12.01, p = 0.001) and metals (F (2,122) = 3.6, p = 0.031) increased when 3D models were part of the course material presentation. The results were also used to direct resources for additional 3D model development.

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.

Traditional learning methods may not sufficiently engage students and many have studied VR and AR's impact on student learning. Many construction management (CM) students have difficulty visualizing a building structure and understanding the materials and methods used to build it. This research investigated the use of a physical hands-on construction exercise integrated with VR and AR as a way to improve student visualization ability and learning of the course material. In this study, students built a physical model of a wood frame structure using K'NEX viewing either 2D drawings, 3D drawings, VR or AR models. Students perceived the VR, AR, and hands-on activity, as beneficial for improving their visualization of building structures. They also noted improvement in their understanding of construction materials and sequencing compared to using 2D drawings. In addition, the use of VR and AR improved student communications skills. This research is significant because it adds information on integrating hands-on and VR or AR approaches, in the same activity, to further improve CM student visualization skills and their learning of the course material. The integrated hands-on and VR/AR activity could be used by other CM programs that are interested in applying an active, learning-by-doing, approach in their curriculum.

Falls account for about one-third of all construction fatalities with most fatalities in the roofing trade. Even though a personal fall arrest system (PFAS) is required for fall protection, proper placement of PFAS anchor points is an issue evidenced by the high number of fatalities caused by incorrect anchor positioning. The research goal was to proof the concept of optimizing the location of the PFAS anchor points on steep-sloped roofs. This goal was achieved by: (1) Developing an algorithm for converting the required local jurisdiction construction regulations and standards for PFAS anchor positioning into machine-readable rules; and (2) Developing and validating an algorithm for optimizing the location of PFAS anchor points. The K-Nearest Neighbor Search (KNNS) optimization algorithm was selected in this research and was implemented into a standalone computer tool using Python programming language. The tool calculates the potential anchor locations that satisfy the fall clearance and swing hazard requirements and then displays the anchor locations both graphically and numerically. The optimization algorithm was validated using the K-fold Cross-Validation method, which proved the algorithm was adequately accurate and consistent. The research contribution is the proof of the concept that the development of an optimization algorithm and automated field-level tool for optimal selection of PFAS anchor points is possible, further research and refinement could help steep-sloped roofing companies improve their safety practices.

Purpose This study aims to focus on the factors influencing project cost at US public universities and compares them to similar projects in the US private sector. It also presents an analysis of the potential reasons for the difference or similarities in the two sectors. Design/methodology/approach This study utilized an exploratory, comparative case study methodology performed on a small sample of public university projects and two sources of private sector cost data. Findings The results infer that most of the US public projects have comparable costs to that of their US private sector counterparts. The cost data from the university projects were further examined to explore if there were any possible relationships between the types of delivery methods used, sustainability certifications achieved and two project performance indexes – cost and duration. Research limitations/implications A more thorough analysis with a larger dataset is required to make generalizable conclusions. However, the process used in this study does provide a good overview of how facility managers could organize their own cost comparison study to evaluate their project expenditures. Practical implications This research provides a starting point for future research into the topic of US public sector project costs when compared to US private sector counterparts and the impact of delivery system and sustainability on cost of US public sector projects. Originality/value Research on this topic is scant; as such, this paper provides a starting point for future research and offers insights into the potential impacts of project delivery method and choice of following a sustainability certification option.

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.

This paper documents and assesses the development of a construction safety training module featuring interactive, BIM-enabled, 3D visualizations to test if such a tool can enhance safety train ing related to scaffolds. This research documents the technical challenges and the lessons learned through the development and administration of a prototype training module in a required under graduate construction safety course at Colorado State University. Student feedback was strongly positive, and findings suggest that such an innovative teaching method may be more effective than traditional teaching methods based on pre and post knowledge-testing. Such research highlights future opportunities to develop more extensive and advanced training modules using interactive, BIM-enabled, 3D visualization techniques in support of safety training within construction education.

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 – Future research should focus on completed projects’ closeout data that have been consolidated since the transition project was in its final stage and the best practices project was relatively early in the construction process. Practical implications – The findings of this research indicate that by implementing a mature owner-mandated CM/GC contract amendment template, owners can greatly reduce errors that arise during the amendment process. It should be noted, however, that challenges will most likely occur during the implementation phase. Originality/value – No similar studies were found and the results of the research informs Facilities Management departments that they can significantly reduce errors by utilizing a mature, owner-mandated template for CM/GC contract amendments.

We investigate the current status of sustainable value integration in Colorado's real estate markets, an area with limited current / historical value attributed to sustainability. The property appraiser has an opportunistic position to influence stakeholders and potentially increase demand for sustainable building. The appraisal process, necessary inputs, and rules and regulations were studied using an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach to conduct a cross-sectional study through archival research, survey distribution, and the collection of quantitative and qualitative data. We confirm that Colorado's real estate appraisers are increasingly integrating sustainable building features in appraisal assignments, despite existing challenges.

On January 3, 2011, the City of Boulder, Colorado implemented the SmartRegs ordinances updating the city's housing and rental licensing code by mandating baseline efficiency requirements for rental housing units. We examine the SmartRegs inspector training program relative to the prescriptive path checklist for compliance and quality assurance controls from inception through the first quarter of 2014. We find that discrepancies in quality control audits may be the result of the training and certification program not adequately preparing inspectors for the field observations needed to competently complete inspections. This may be due to improper planning of implementation policies.

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 electrical consumption. The limitations are the inability to isolate HVAC consumption loads and the small study size. However, this is one of, if not the first, effort to use awareness campaigns and charrettes in a high school setting to decrease electrical use. Additional research would answer questions like: how to increase the charrette impact time; could these programs be adopted district wide at all grade levels; how could energy awareness be institutionalized so periodic charrettes are not necessary? Limitations include the inability to isolate heating and cooling electricity loads from the data. Originality/value – This study is the first of its kind and has value to facilities management personnel, custodians, faculty and administration members, particularly in a high school setting. This research provides a framework and potential guidance for a school organization to conserve electrical energy and achieve cost savings and environmental benefits.

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.

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.

Making U.S. infrastructure more sustainable by reducing long-term infrastructure costs is a stated goal of the U.S. EPA. A case study of a small development in northern Colorado used both life-cycle cost (LCC) and environmental life-cycle assessment (LCA) to better exemplify how this goal might be attained and also provide environmental benefits. By choosing community-scale technology (CST) for wastewater treatment application, the developer obviated the need to construct 10.46km of main sewer line needed to connect to an existing centralized wastewater treatment facility. By eliminating the need for the 10.46km main sewer line, the LCC, global warming potential from greenhouse gasses, energy use, and hazardous waste creation and disposal were reduced significantly. In the future, the use of CST in redevelopment planning for shrinking cities may have additional benefits to area residents and landowners. This work is significant to decision makers in the wastewater treatment community for two reasons. First, it provides alternatives for sewer districts to consider in the design phase of new and redevelopment projects that could impact scope, first costs, and LCC, all of which flow through to the user in a fee structure. Second, it is the first study using LCC and LCA to focus on sustainability considerations of wastewater infrastructure in shrinking cities and redevelopment applications. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.

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.

PurposeThe 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/approachA case study was used to document the process of funding energy efficiency upgrades at a national historic landmark.FindingsGrant 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 Interior's Standards on Sustainability. The importance of funding to conduct field research is discussed relating to the development of measurable outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThe ability to conduct long‐term field‐based research is dependent on funding. Policy and funding decisions in the future would be enhanced by applied research with measurable outcomes.Practical implicationsGrant sponsors need to broaden the scope of historical preservation grants to include energy improvement research. Capacity building in the area of field‐based measurement will ensure that grant funds meet stated expectations while increasing historic building performance.Social implicationsSustainability is the focus of legislation, building performance tools, and is economically important. This research would help shift the perception that old buildings cannot perform efficiently once classified as historic.Originality/valueThis paper provides information to preservationists, builders, homeowners, grant sponsors, and policy makers in the form of a multifaceted approach to using grant monies to improve the outcomes of monies spent on historical preservation.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to measure student perceptions of accessibility at a public university based on campus, new building, and old building accessibility and perceived impacts this may have on the student's quality of education.Design/methodology/approachA survey was administered to students registered with the office of Resources for Disabled Students at a large university. ANOVA and regression were used to evaluate the survey results.FindingsThe campus was found to be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant, with several areas identified for improvements based on disabled students' reported perceptions. Many of the improvements were between groups with cognitive and mobility impairments. All groups reported a positive relationship between improved accessibility and improved educational experience.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focused on one institution but the results and existing literature may be useful to other facility management departments.Practical implicationsThe results of this work may help facility managers and resource for disabled student groups target limited resources to improve the quality of education at public universities.Social implicationsThe ability to fine‐tune institutional facilities to improve the experiences of disabled persons improves the outcomes and stated goals of the ADA.Originality/valueThis work supports many previous studies while expanding the population studied to include looking at building users on a college campus with both physical and mental impairments. This helps facility managers increase their understanding of the accessibility issues that may still remain on college campuses that are technically ADA compliant.

Population growth requires increases in supporting infrastructure and nowhere is this more important than in the provision of water supplies to support new residential development. The use of greywater (GW) systems in residential applications provides promise for more efficient use of existing water supply systems while new sources are brought online. In addition, GW system use provides benefits to water, sewer, and electrical infrastructure which culminate in reduced CO2 emissions. A case study of these potential impacts was performed using environmental life cycle assessment and found significant reductions in CO2 emissions and water consumption resulting from decreased electrical use for treating both potable and wastewater in two Northern Colorado cities.

The need to evaluate wastewater treatment systems for their application to sustainable neighborhood design has become increasingly important in the last few years. New advances in wastewater treatment, called community-scale technology, indicate it may be possible for small communities to manage their own wastewater. This case study used the "triple bottom line" tenants of economic, environmental, and social factors to evaluate the use of community-scale wastewater treatment in a rural town in Northern Colorado. The study found that many features of the wastewater treatment system, including lower capital costs, less resource use, energy-efficient systems, the potential for water reuse, a smaller plant footprint, odor-control systems, and high-quality effluent are sustainable within the neighborhood, but there are also challenges. From a municipal perspective, a wastewater treatment system that requires more development to pay for the infrastructure gives a community the potential to create unwanted sprawl. However, a small-scale system may allow a community to be more self-sustaining in municipalities that employ good land use practices and strive for positive relationships with other governing bodies. Innovative approaches to municipal services, such as small-scale wastewater treatment systems, can offer new alternatives in this field. Cooperation with nearby governing bodies and rural service providers, as applicable, is essential to the implementation of such innovative technology for sustainable rural development.