2024-2025 Course Catalog
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Overview of the construction engineering and management profession specialty areas. Introduction to the undergraduate program of study. Fundamentals of effective oral, written and visual communication skills. Professionalism, ethics, and legal issues relating to the industry. Contemporary issues facing the industry. Engineering library resources. Project drawings, computer aided design (CAD), and responding to Requests for Proposals (RFPs).
Interpret design documents for construction projects. Analyze project documents to select appropriate construction engineering methods. Quantify materials using appropriate methods and technology. Review and comparison of construction documentation in various industry sectors. Identify information required for construction that is missing or ambiguous in the design documentation. Create and analyze a request for information (RFI) to modify and update the project documentation.
Introduction to construction safety and the importance of safety, health, and wellness in the construction industry. Identify systematic safety issues and safety management systems, evaluation of safety systems through MEAD (MacroErgonomic Analysis and Design) methodology to recommend safety management systems to improve safety outcomes on construction operations. Assess health, safety, and wellness initiatives for construction worker safety and well-being. Pre: Sophomore Standing
Geospatial information, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), surveying, and aerial photography for condition assessment, solving construction engineering problems, and managing construction control processes. Topographic survey methodology for field layout and stakeout processes in construction. Geospatial data collection techniques for construction risk analysis. Document existing site conditions. Use of software, and custom program tools. Individual and team projects and presentations.
Introduction to estimating and scheduling of construction operations using construction documents. Quantity takeoff, resource and crew enumeration, network logic, activity durations, Critical Path Method (CPM) and Location-Based Management System (LBMS). Bid assembly with markups. Construction decisions based on ethical principles. A grade of C- or better is required in prerequisite.
Introduction to Lean Construction thinking, principles, and practices, definitions, history, theory, and fundamentals related to project production systems. Operating system, organization practices, commercial terms. Pull planning and Last Planner System, teh Big Room concept, and Integrated Form of Agreement (IFOA). Conventional Lean practices A3 problem solving, 5 Whys Root Cause Analysis, and 5s Methadology. Continuous improvement, respect for people, elimination of waste, reducing variability and increasing plan reliability.
A collaborative approach for applying engineering systems and design to global issues. Design, engineering, and construction focused on social responsibility in the global village. Multi-disciplinary teamwork requiring identification of client needs and design considerations, development of site layouts, selection of resources, management of schedule, cost, materials, personnel, quality, and jobsite safety. Applied conflict handling skills and self-reflection on social responsibility, service, intercultural global awareness, and evaluating the success of sustainable projects. May be repeated one time with different content for a maximum of six credits. Multi-day field trip required. Pre: Junior Standing.
Engineering economics, accounting, finance, and entrepreneurship. Construction financial management and financial decision-making. Construction financial risk, estimation, and generation of financial statements. Construction company creation and business plan development. Assessment of construction project delivery methods and impacts of retainage, bonding, and taxation.
Introduction to temporary structure systems used to support construction operations. Concrete formwork, scaffolding systems, excavation shoring systems, dewatering techniques, and hoisting operations. Assessment of systems, cost, quality, safety, sustainability, and schedule impacts.
Introduction to smart construction, definitions, principles and practices. Exploration of inefficiencies associated with the traditional approaches to construction. Intelligence requirements of the building lifecycle. Smart planning and contracting practices, and facilitating technologies. Smart design principles, techniques, technologies, strategies for involving down-stream stakeholders in the design of buildings for constructability and maintainability. Overview of digital infrastructure, types, selection and role in integrating the design and construction phases.
Introduction to fundamentals of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) for the construction industry. History of OHS regulation and specific governmental regulations, standards and laws. Health, safety, and environmental hazards identification. Methods of quantifying exposure and estimating risk. Design and prioritization of control solutions to mitigate hazards. Contemporary issues and theoretical frameworks in the field of OHS management relevant to the industry. Prevention through Design, behavior-based safety, different construction project delivery methods, safety climate and culture, control banding, and systems safety.
Perceive, recognize (cognitive recall), and examine/classify (decision making) construction safety hazards and their underlying energy sources. To control hazards, the construction hierarchy of controls guides a safety by design methodology. Accident investigation or forensic processes using design-based arguments to determine root causes of incidents. Pre: Sophomore Standing
Application of contract law, torts, and statutory law in construction. Legal context, parties, interpreting contracts and specifications, contract changes, differing site conditions, delays, disruptions, and acceleration. Dispute avoidance and resolution. Ethics and risk management. Pre: Senior Standing.
Analysis and design of wood structures comprised of solid wood and/or composite wood products. Evaluation of mechanical properties of wood materials. Design of individual tension, compression and bending members, and wood-steel dowel connections. Lateral loading design of diaphragms and shearwalls.
4445: Preliminary design of infrastructure, planning and scheduling of design and construction, cost estimating and budgeting, life cycle cost analysis, application of technology to support construction, maintenance, and facilities operation, and project risk management. Collaboration-based course utilizing design-build project delivery methodology. Design and construction considerations include public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors. Underpinning themes include safety and constructability by design, sustainability, resilience, and reliability. 4446: Final design of infrastructure, planning and scheduling of design and construction, cost estimating and budgeting, life cycle cost analysis, application of technology to support construction, maintenance, and facilities operation, and project risk management. Collaboration-based course utilizing design-build project delivery methodology. Design and construction considerations include public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, ethical, environmental, and economic factors. Underpinning themes include safety and constructability by design, sustainability, resilience, and reliability. The final deliverable includes a comprehensive written proposal and oral presentation. Pre: Senior standing.
4445: Preliminary design of infrastructure, planning and scheduling of design and construction, cost estimating and budgeting, life cycle cost analysis, application of technology to support construction, maintenance, and facilities operation, and project risk management. Collaboration-based course utilizing design-build project delivery methodology. Design and construction considerations include public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors. Underpinning themes include safety and constructability by design, sustainability, resilience, and reliability. 4446: Final design of infrastructure, planning and scheduling of design and construction, cost estimating and budgeting, life cycle cost analysis, application of technology to support construction, maintenance, and facilities operation, and project risk management. Collaboration-based course utilizing design-build project delivery methodology. Design and construction considerations include public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, ethical, environmental, and economic factors. Underpinning themes include safety and constructability by design, sustainability, resilience, and reliability. The final deliverable includes a comprehensive written proposal and oral presentation. Pre: Senior standing.
Automation and its application in construction. Automated problem-solving methodologies in Building Information Modeling (BIM) and data interoperability solutions. Robotics and the application of robotic technologies in construction considering safety and technical operation requirements in construction environments and robot programming and controls. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones in construction projects. Emerging areas of research in the field of construction automation and robotics. No programming background is required.
Introduction to data analysis and visualization theories and techniques applied in the construction and facilities management domain. Data collection, processing, storage, analysis, and visualization methods in the context of construction and building management. Data-driven decision making.
Evaluate the basic concepts and computational tools of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and deep learning in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. Appraise the history and potential to improve automation, digitalization, and diversity and inclusion in the industry. Develop practical expertise in formulating, deploying, and evaluating deep learning models, including convolutional neural networks, pretrained computer vision models, sequential models, and generative AI, through hands-on projects such as infrastructure health monitoring, safety management, and building energy consumption prediction. Foster real-world application of knowledge through project-based learning.
Examination of construction safety culture and climate and the role of organizational leadership in ethical safety practices. Analyze safety cultures within the construction industry for recommendations of change to shape safety practices.
Evaluate the future of the construction industry dynamics (trends, drivers, and disruptors) relative to their impacts on safety, health, and wellness. Compare global construction safety performances and practices. Design adaptable safety, health, and well-being management systems of the future based on technology-human interfaces, climate change, and globalization in construction.
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