ACT2: Time–Cost Tradeoffs from Alternative Contracting Methods Incentive/disincentive (I/D) and cost-plus-time (A+B) are two of the most widely used alternative contracting methods (ACMs) for accelerating the construction of highway infrastructure improvement projects. However, little is known about the effects of trade-offs in terms of project schedule and cost performance. This study addresses this problem by…

Structural Equation Modeling for the Determinants of International Infrastructure Investment: Evidence from Chinese Contractors International infrastructure investment can effectively accelerate infrastructure development in developing countries and thus support their social and economic progress. However, little is known of the factors that may determine the flow of international infrastructure investment to those countries. This study aims…

We’re excited to share that CM 560 is now approved to teach designated Design-Build Professional® (DBIA®)certification core classes. The DBIA classes incorporated in 560 are: Principles of Design-Build Project Delivery & Procurement Post Award: Executing the Design-Build Project Students who complete CM 560 may qualify to receive credit applied towards DBIA’s “core course” completion should…

Thank you to CM Faculty member Darlene Septelka for a great International Women’s Day event!

Using Four-Wheel Carts in The Roofing Trade This animation is based on the real-life story of a roofing apprentice who left the industry after getting injured while overcoming a poorly-setup ramp with a material cart.  Three scientific, evidence-based solutions are provided to inform supervisors how a similar incident can be prevented through ergonomic workplace layout…

Using Four-Wheel Carts in the Roofing Trade: This animation recreates the real-life story of a roofer who ruptured his Achilles tendon while maneuvering a heavily loaded cart.  Three solutions are recommended with embedded scientific evidence showing that even a simple solution like team pulling could have prevented this injury.  The moral of the Tortoise and…

Student Profile with Matt Novotny Degree program: Construction Management Year: Senior Hometown: Nova Paka, Czech Republic  Transferred from: North Seattle College   Tell me a little bit about yourself: I’m originally from the Czech Republic. I’ve been in the United States for the past eight years. I started as a High School exchange student and…

Appropriate production scheduling of curtain wall systems is essential for the successful completion of construction projects. The construction process of the curtain wall system is mainly on the critical path and accounts for 10–15% of the total construction cost. Should curtain wall products not be timeously delivered to the construction site, construction projects are likely to fall behind schedule with most relevant activities on curtain wall installation on a critical path. However, due-date uncertainty caused by a contractor’s lack of planning reliability causes the curtain wall production schedule to become complex and changes the due date after the initial order. In this regard, this study proposes a discrete event simulation-based dynamic scheduling model for curtain wall production to deliver products on time to the construction site by considering each construction project’s planning reliability. Through simulation experiments, the validity and effectiveness of the proposed model were tested. The results of this study will help the successful completion of construction projects by ensuring the progress of the curtain wall system construction and follow-up activities following the construction schedule.

Information Session and Fellow Panel  09/29/2020, 5:30-6:30pm    FELLOWSHIP: The Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s university faculties by awarding predoctoral, dissertation, and postdoctoral fellowships to students with superior academic achievement who are committed to careers in teaching and research at the college or university level.  Students from underrepresented minority groups are encouraged to apply. The…

The National Academy of Construction (NAC) will hold three Ask Me Anything (AMA) webinars for high school and college students with interest in the design & construction industry. Each AMA features one NAC member who will discuss their careers and answer questions from students. Students who submit a question are eligible to win one of…

Journal of Cleaner Production 257, 120527 Abstract: Precast concrete structures (PCs) are widely used in the construction industry to reduce project delivery times and improve quality. On-time delivery of PCs is critical for successful project completion because the processes involving precast concrete are the critical paths in most cases. However, existing models for scheduling PC…

Journal of Management in Engineering 36 (3), 04020004 Abstract: This study applies empowerment theory to production planning at the level of frontline managers in a construction project. Using structural equation modeling, we investigate how empowering frontline managers impacts their planning performance. In contrast to prior studies, we find that although psychological empowerment of frontline managers…

Production Planning & Control 30 (13), 1064-1071 Abstract:  The research investigates the relationship between the production plan reliability and the project cost performance using project data in the heavy civil construction sector.  The research also investigates the attributes of a make-ready process using statistical analysis.  This study shows that production planning reliability (i.e. Per cent…

Supported by CPWR–The Center for Construction Research and Training (https://www.cpwr.com/), a UW CM research team recently completed a funded study regarding Prevention through Design (PtD) for Solar.  The team consisted of Prof. Hyun Woo “Chris” Lee (PI), Prof. John Gambatese (Co-PI, Oregon State University), and Yohan Min (UW PhD student researcher).  The study aims to…