Browsing by Author "Valdes-Vasquez, Rodolfo, advisor"

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Open Access
Adoption of building information modeling in developing countries: a phenomenological perspective
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Sahil, Abdul Qadeer, author; Glick, Scott, advisor; Valdes-Vasquez, Rodolfo, advisor; Folkestad, James, committee member
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a cutting edge technology that has addressed prominent challenges in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industries in most of the developed countries. Construction industries in developing countries due to identified challenges and unavailability of the clear understanding of best practices, are dithering whether to adopt this technology. The scope of this study was how to facilitate BIM adoption in developing countries. A phenomenological design approach was considered to seek early adopters’ and BIM professionals’ lived experiences on similar situations and how did they triumph over the hindrances against BIM adoption and made its implementation successful. A total of six participants with extensive BIM experience and first hand BIM application knowledge were interviewed. The result confirms BIM adoption issues similarities in both developed and developing countries. Recommended best practices for new BIM users in four categories of education requirement, infrastructure requirement, sound practices, and working with partners with no previous BIM experience is represented in chapter five. The study limitation was the inability to reach out BIM professionals in developing countries therefore, considering the similarities of BIM adoption issues, five of the participants selected for this study were from the United States whereas one participant was selected from developing countries. The study concludes with recommendation for further study in this field.
Open Access
An investigation of perceived behavioral control (PBC), and environmentally responsible behavior (ERB): a case study of occupants in a high performing building
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Jebackumar, Swaetha, author; Valdes-Vasquez, Rodolfo, advisor; Nobe, Mary Ellen, committee member; Cross, Jennifer E., committee member
Energy efficiency continues to be a challenge faced by the built environment. Research on determinants of energy efficiency identifies occupant behavior as the weakest link in attainment of energy efficiency goals set for high performance building designs. Environmentally Responsible Behavior (ERB) could be the answer to the improved daily functional energy efficiency of buildings. Previous studies suggest that if ERB and Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC) are positively correlated, indicating that the rate of ERB will be higher by building occupants in high performing buildings. This study focuses on the relation between ERB and PBC in regard to thermal conditions. The data used for this study comes from building occupants through an online survey, which includes both open-ended and close-ended questions that act as multi-item indicators to measure ERB, PBC, and building features. The lack of control experienced by the building occupants over the thermostat posed challenges to adequately studying the correlation between ERB and PBC in this case study. Analysis of the responses to the open–ended questions provides a better understanding of occupants' discomfort and their behavior intentions related to energy efficiency. The results of this study show that for high performance building to obtain the aggressive goals for energy efficiency, the building design not only needs to well-thought out and coordinated, but it must also meet building occupants' need for both comfort and productivity.
Open Access
Assessing the perception of compressed earth block (CEB) among contractors in the Piedmont region of North Carolina
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Hughes, Evan G., author; Valdes-Vasquez, Rodolfo, advisor; Vaske, Jerry, committee member; Elliott, Jonathan, committee member
The earliest earthen dwellings in the U.S were made by manually pressing a mixture of moist earth and straw into wooden molds to produce roughhewn blocks, which were left to dry in the sun before being stacked and mortared with earth slurry. This method, known as adobe, is free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), is less energy-intensive than concrete and steel, and allows for local block production if the soil meets certain criteria. However, adobe construction requires more time and manual labor than most conventional materials, and as a result has been largely ignored by U.S. contractors with the exception of those working in New Mexico. This is true of most earthen building techniques, including compressed earth block (CEB). CEB retains many of the environmental benefits of adobe, but unlike adobe CEB can be produced with automated soil mixers and hydraulic presses, allowing for rapid and consistent block production in large volumes. Despite these advantages, CEB remains relatively unknown, occupying only a niche market in certain regions of the country. With the advent of labor and time-saving technology, the practical barriers presented by traditional earth building methods have been greatly reduced, necessitating an exploration of the non-technical barriers to CEB acceptance and adoption in the U.S. Studies conducted in Africa and Southeast Asia have shown that home-buyers often associate earthen structures with poverty, transience, and poor performance. While research on earthen block construction is limited in the U.S., studies performed in Midwestern states have indicated similar results. The current study seeks to determine what, if any, perception barriers to CEB acceptance and adoption exist among contractors in the North Carolina Piedmont region, which lies between the Appalachian Mountains to the west and the Atlantic coastal plain to the east. The Piedmont was chosen because the soil of the region is rich in non-expansive clay that is well-suited to earthen construction in humid climates. Despite these favorable conditions, the North Carolina Piedmont has yet to develop a significant market for earthen architecture and virtually no research has been conducted to investigate this phenomenon. To address this gap in the research, a survey instrument was designed and piloted in New Mexico. Pilot data and feedback were used to refine the survey instrument, which was then distributed to general contractors in the Piedmont. A third survey was distributed to select contacts in the researcher’s professional network to compare the perceptions of building professionals with experience using CEB to those of general contractors in North Carolina with little to no CEB experience. These surveys, based on instruments developed in previous research, aimed to assess contractors’ awareness of CEB, their experience with CEB, and their perception of CEB’s practical merits and drawbacks. Two telephone interviews were also conducted, one with a North Carolina contractor who specializes in CEB construction and another with a Texas-based manufacturer of automated CEB block presses. Quantitative data gathered from survey distributions in the Piedmont and within the researcher’s network revealed disparate opinions of CEB’s cost-effectiveness, aesthetic value, and structural worth. Respondents with no CEB experience provided largely neutral opinions in these areas, indicating that they may have been unable or unwilling to provide definitive positive or negative opinions due to their lack of experience with the material. Responses from those who had used CEB were either neutral or positive. Qualitative data gathered from these two survey distributions indicated a similar divergence of opinion between respondents who had used the material and those who had not. When asked to provide the first three words they associate with CEB, respondents with no CEB experience associated the material with a wide variety of terms, such as “mud,” “costly,” “hippie,” and “future.” Respondents who had used the material associated it with positive terms and technical properties, such as “non-cementitious” “non-toxic,” and “fire-proof.” This suggests that A.) These respondents may have gained a better understanding of CEB’s technical properties after using it in professional practice, or B.) They have become accustomed to providing these technical properties to skeptical clients or their peers. Both phone interview subjects, despite their differences in profession and geographic location, recommended increased education and exposure to CEB to overcome skepticism and lack of knowledge among the construction industry and the general public. The results of this study assist building professionals and their clients in understanding how non-technical barriers (i.e. barriers not related to time, infrastructure, technology, or capital) may impede the acceptance and adoption of CEB and other non-conventional materials. Identifying and addressing these barriers is a necessary step for increased market penetration of CEB in the North Carolina Piedmont and elsewhere.
Embargo
Marshall Fire's impact on Colorado housing market
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Sharma, Rukuma, author; Arneson, Erin, advisor; Valdes-Vasquez, Rodolfo, advisor; Bhattarai, Niroj, committee member
The devastation caused by wildfires not only results in the loss of human lives and property but also significantly impacts the residential housing real estate market in the United States. With the rise in urban and suburban wildfires and brushfires, as well as increased human settlement across the Wildlife Urban Interface (WUI) zone, it is imperative to analyze how wildfires in less rural areas impact the housing market. While previous studies have explored the impact of disasters on the housing market, only a few studies have focused specifically on how wildfires affect the residential housing market in the United States. Out of those, there are only limited studies about wildfires in suburban and urban communities. This research focuses on examining the aftermath of the Marshall Fire, a brushfire that occurred in a suburban region near Boulder, Colorado, in December 2021, causing damage to over 1,000 residential homes. The study investigates the impact of the Marshall Fire on the residential housing market in Colorado, aiming to achieve two primary objectives: 1) determine the extent and timing of changes in housing values following the Marshall Fire, and 2) assess how geographical proximity to the fire zone affected housing values. The study collects secondary data on the monthly housing values for Marshall Fire-affected zip codes and surrounding areas in Colorado from Zillow. Data from before and after the wildfire was analyzed to identify the extent of the impact of the Marshall Fire on home values. Results indicate a significant increase in median housing values in the fire-affected region. Housing values spiked two months post-fire, remained inflated for six months post-fire, and gradually returned to pre-fire trends after six months. Before the Marshall Fire, housing values in fire-affected zip codes consistently lagged behind surrounding and other Colorado zip codes for 14 months. Statistical tests, including paired t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA tests, indicate that the changes in housing values pre-fire and post-fire are statistically significant. The geographic proximity of a home to the Marshall Fire also played a statistically significant role in housing value changes. This surge in housing values could be attributed to supply and demand dynamics in the real estate market. The research contributes valuable insights into the effects of suburban fires on the residential housing market, aiding stakeholders in making informed decisions for the future. The study's findings offer valuable guidance for homebuyers, sellers, and the general public in predicting housing market trends in the event of similar incidents, facilitating informed decision-making.
Open Access
Quality control of front-end planning for electric power construction: a collaborative process-based approach using systems engineering
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Nguyen, Frank Bao Thai, author; Grigg, Neil, advisor; Valdes-Vasquez, Rodolfo, advisor; Gallegos, Erika, committee member; Glick, Scott, committee member
Controlling construction costs in the electric power industry will become more important as the nation responds to new energy demands due to the transition from gasoline to electric vehicles and to emerging trends such as artificial intelligence and use of cryptocurrency. However, managing electric utility construction project costs requires that the risk of field change orders (FCOs) during construction be controlled. In the electric power industry, utility companies face increasing risk from FCOs, due to conversion from overhead to underground systems required by security and climate change factors, and subgrade work is more challenging and less predictable than the more visible overhead work. Change orders cause cost overruns and schedule slippages and can occur for reasons such as changes in scope of work, unforeseen jobsite conditions, modifications of plans to meet existing field conditions, and correction of work required by field inspectors to meet safety standards. The best opportunity to control FCOs comes during front-end planning (FEP) when conditions leading to them can be identified and mitigated. This study utilized systems engineering methodologies to address risk of FCOs in three phases: (1) defining the root causes and identifying severities of FCOs, (2) evaluating stakeholder responsibilities to find and mitigate root causes of FCOs, and (3) developing a process to identify and find solutions for the risk of FCOs. The first phase involved using a descriptive statistical analysis of the project database of an electric utility company to identify and analyze the magnitude, frequency, and causes of FCOs in overhead and underground electrical construction. The results showed that FCOs with added scopes occurred more frequently in underground projects than in overhead projects. The analysis also indicated that most causes of FCOs could be managed during the FEP process, and it laid a foundation for the next phase, to promote collaboration among stakeholders to allocate responsibility to identify and mitigate risk of FCOs. In the second phase, the study used Analytical Hierarchy Process methodologies to distribute weights of stakeholder votes to create an integrated metric of front-end planning team confidence that a desired level of quality had been achieved. This study was significant in that it showed how effectiveness of collaborative working relationships across teams during front-end planning could be improved to create a quality control metric to capture risk of FCOs. In the third phase, the study used results from the first two phases and additional tools based on Swimlane diagrams and logical relationships between tasks and stakeholders to formulate a quality control roadmap model. This model is significant because it creates a roadmap to enhance the effectiveness of interdisciplinary teamwork through a critical path of the FEP process. The roadmap model shows a streamlined process for decision-making in each phase of front-end planning to minimize risk of FCOs through a logical path prior to final design. While there have been efforts to improve the design process, this study is the first one known to the researcher to address quality control of FEP using a roadmap process for quality control in electric power construction projects. The primary contribution is to enrich the body of knowledge about quality control of FEP by creating a roadmap model based on systems engineering and enhancing the effectiveness of collaborative working relationships in a logical process that captures risk of FCOs early in the FEP process. Besides the contribution of a method to reduce the risk of FCOs, the study points to another important concern to the construction industry about safety on the jobsite. The contractor normally requires a time extension to complete the work due to an FCO, but to reduce the impact to the project schedule, overtime is normally provided to the construction workers to perform the task. Additional research on this issue is required, but it is apparent that due to the fatigue of long working hours, this overtime may impact the task performance as well as the physical and psychological well-being of the construction workers, and they may lose safety awareness and have higher risk of accidents on the construction site. Thus, reducing the risk of FCOs will lead to less overtime and is an effective way for the construction project team to reduce the risk of construction accidents.
Open Access
The perceived value of using BIM for energy simulation
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Lewis, Anderson M., author; Valdes-Vasquez, Rodolfo, advisor; Clevenger, Caroline, committee member; Atadero, Rebecca, committee member
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is becoming an increasingly important tool in the Architectural, Engineering & Construction (AEC) industries. Some of the benefits associated with BIM include but are not limited to cost and time savings through greater trade and design coordination, and more accurate estimating take-offs. BIM is a virtual 3D, parametric design software that allows users to store information of a model within and can be used as a communication platform between project stakeholders. Likewise, energy simulation is an integral tool for predicting and optimizing a building's performance during design. Creating energy models and running energy simulations can be a time consuming activity due to the large number of parameters and assumptions that must be addressed to achieve reasonably accurate results. However, leveraging information imbedded within Building Information Models (BIMs) has the potential to increase accuracy and reduce the amount of time required to run energy simulations and can facilitate continuous energy simulations throughout the design process, thus optimizing building performance. Although some literature exists on how design stakeholders perceive the benefits associated with leveraging BIM for energy simulation, little is known about how perceptions associated with leveraging BIM for energy simulation differ between various green design stakeholder user groups. Through an e-survey instrument, this study seeks to determine how perceptions of using BIMs to inform energy simulation differ among distinct design stakeholder groups, which include BIM-only users, energy simulation-only users and BIM and energy simulation users. Additionally, this study seeks to determine what design stakeholders perceive as the main barriers and benefits of implementing BIM-based energy simulation. Results from this study suggest that little to no correlation exists between green design stakeholders' perceptions of the value associated with using information from BIMs to inform energy simulation and their engagement level with BIM and/or energy simulation. However, green design stakeholder perceptions of the value associated with using information from BIMs to inform energy simulation and their engagement with BIM and/or energy simulation may differ between different user groups (i.e. BIM users only, energy simulation users only, and BIM and energy simulation users). For example, the BIM-only user groups appeared to have a strong positive correlation between the perceptions of the value associated with using information from BIMs to inform energy simulation and their engagement with BIM. Additionally, this study suggests that the top perceived benefits of using BIMs to inform energy simulations among green design stakeholders are: facilitation of communication, reducing of process related costs, and giving users the ability examine more design options. The main perceived barrier of using BIMs to inform energy simulations among green design stakeholders was a lack of BIM standards for model integration with multidisciplinary teams. Results from this study will help readers understand how to better implement BIM-based energy simulation while mitigating barriers and optimizing benefits. Additionally, examining discrepancies between user groups can lead the identification and improvement of shortfalls in current BIM-based energy simulation processes. Understanding how perceptions and engagement levels differ among different software user groups will help in developing a strategies for implementing BIM-based energy simulation that are tailored to each specific user group.