Matching Items (49)
Description
Virtual Reality (VR) has been used in the sphere of training and education in the construction field. Research has investigated the different applications of VR in construction-focused simulations to report its benefits and drawbacks in training and education. Although this is significant, they were not albeit explicitly studied through the lens of accreditation at undergraduate educational levels. The American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) established twenty Students Learning Outcomes (SLOs) that equip students with essential knowledge and industry-oriented technical and managerial skills that maintain quality education in undergraduate construction programs. This paper analyzes the trends in VR literature through reported benefits and unexplored learning outcomes of VR in construction training and education and investigates the ways by which these trends do or do not contribute to the learning experience by targeting the content areas associated with the ACCE’s SLOs. To accomplish this, the author reviewed 59 articles from 2014 to 2023 found through a keyword search for “Virtual” AND “Reality” AND “Construction” AND (“Training” OR “Simulation” OR “Education”) AND “Students”. The learning outcomes of the VR training reported in the 59 articles were mapped to their corresponding content areas from ACCE’s SLO(s). The results demonstrate the content areas of SLOs that were addressed in literature (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, and 20) and the SLOs that were not explored (4, 12, 14, and 17) due to lack of studies in some contexts. This study reveals trends and patterns of VR training, some of which exemplify benefits of addressing content areas of SLOs through virtual on-site immersion, manipulation of time, cost efficiency, and ethical measures, while others indicate unexplored learning outcomes of VR training in targeting content areas of SLOs that involve human interaction, complex quantitative calculations or require construction management tools, delivery method and stakeholders’ management, and risk management. While this research does not seek replacement of traditional trainings, it encourages consideration of VR training under the lens of ACCE’s accreditation. This research’s findings propose guidance to educational researchers on how VR training could address content areas from ACCE’s SLOs.
ContributorsElgamal, Sara (Author) / Ayer, Steven (Thesis advisor, Committee member) / Parrish, Kristen (Thesis advisor, Committee member) / Lamanna, Anthony (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
In recent years, many school districts, community colleges, and universities in California have implemented energy management-as-a-service (EMaaS). The purpose of this study was to analyzes how EMaaS has been realized in California schools, including how performance expectations and service guarantees have been met, how value is created and captured, and which trends are emerging in the pay-for-performance models. This study used a qualitative research design to identify patterns in the collected data and allow theories to be drawn from the emergent categories and themes. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted with a diverse pool of facility managers, energy practitioners, superintendents, and associate superintendents working with EMaaS. Four themes emerged (1) peak shaving overperformance, (2) low risk/reward, (3) performance exactly as expected, and (4) hope in future flexibility. This study reveals medium to high levels of performance satisfaction from the customers of cloud-enabled and battery-based EMaaS in California schools. Value has been captured primarily through peak shaving and intelligent bill management. Large campuses with higher peaks are especially good at delivering energy savings, and in some instances without pairing batteries and solar. Where demand response participation is permitted by the utility companies, the quality of demand response performance is mixed, with performance being exactly as expected to slightly less than expected. The EMaaS business model is positioned to help California schools implement and achieve many of their future sustainability goals in a cost-effective way.
ContributorsHawkins, Spencer (Author) / Sullivan, Kenneth (Thesis advisor) / Parrish, Kristen (Thesis advisor) / Standage, Richard (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
Construction project teams expend substantial effort to develop scope definition during the front end planning phase of building projects but oftentimes neglect to sufficiently plan for the complexities of tribal building projects. A needs assessment conducted by the author comprising interviews with practitioners familiar with construction on tribal lands revealed the need for a front end planning (FEP) process to assess scope definition of capital projects on tribal lands. This dissertation summarizes the motivations and efforts to develop a front end planning tool for tribal building projects, the Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI) for Tribal Building Projects. The author convened a research team to review, analyze, and adapt an existing building-projects-focused FEP tool, the PDRI – Building Projects, and other resources to develop a set of 67 specific elements relevant to the planning of tribal building projects. The author supported the facilitation of seven workshops in which 20 industry professionals evaluated the element descriptions and provided element prioritization data that was statistically analyzed to develop a preliminary weighted score sheet that corresponds to the element descriptions. Given that the author was only able to collect complete data from 11 projects, definitively determining element weights was not possible. Therefore, the author leveraged a Delphi study to test the PDRI – Tribal Building Projects. Delphi study results indicate the PDRI – Tribal Building Projects element descriptions fully address the scope of tribal building projects, and 75 percent of panelists agreed they would use this tool on their next tribal project. The author also explored the PDRI – Tribal Building Projects tool through the lens of the Diné (Navajo) Philosophy of Sa’ąh Naagháí Bik’eh Hózhóón (SNBH) and the guiding principles of Nistáhákees (thinking), Nahat’á (planning), Iiná (living), and Sihasin (assurance/reflection). The results of the author’s research provides several contributions to the American Indian Studies, front end planning, and tribal building projects bodies of knowledge: 1) defining unique features of tribal projects, 2) explicitly documenting the synergies between Western and Diné ways of planning, and 3) creating a tool to assist in planning capital projects on tribal lands in the American Southwest in support of improved cost performance.
ContributorsArviso, Brianne (Author) / Parrish, Kristen (Thesis advisor) / Gibson, George E. (Committee member) / Hale, Michelle (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
This is an applied research paper, where a micro campus was designed for the San Carlos Apache Community with a goal of meeting requirements for at least three petals of Living Building Challenge. The end goal was to submit recommendations for attaining the petal certifications. The process of design not only included following spatial requirements of designing the building, but also including a wider perspective of construction and energy management in it. The first step of the research was getting to know the community and their requirements and priorities. This was done in 1st semester as a part of an applied class Indigenous Project Delivery. The second part of the research was to design a micro campus for the community that is in sync with the main campus. The intent of design is to respect the community’s culture and help them pass it on to the next generation while abiding by the Living Building Challenge standards. The third step of this research was to back up the design with recommendations for petal certifications.
ContributorsSingaraju, Meghana (Author) / Costa, Wanda Dalla (Thesis advisor) / Coseo, Paul (Committee member) / Vekstein, Claudio (Committee member) / Parrish, Kristen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
District heating plays an important role in improving energy efficiency and providing thermal heat to buildings. Instead of using water as an energy carrier to transport sensible heat, this dissertation explores the use of liquid-phase thermochemical reactions for district heating as well as thermal storage. Chapters 2 and 3 present thermodynamic and design analyses for the proposed district heating system. Chapter 4 models the use of liquid-phase thermochemical reactions for on-site solar thermal storage. In brief, the proposed district heating system uses liquid-phase thermochemical reactions to transport thermal energy from a heat source to a heat sink. The separation ensures that the stored thermochemical heat can be stored indefinitely and/or transported long distances. The reactant molecules are then pumped over long distances to the heat sink, where they are combined in an exothermic reaction to provide heat. The product of the exothermic reaction is then pumped back to the heat source for re-use. The key evaluation parameter is the system efficiency.
The results demonstrate that with heat recovery, the system efficiency can be up to 77% when the sink temperature equals 25 C. The results also indicate that the appropriate chemical reaction candidates should have large reaction enthalpy and small reaction entropy. Further, the design analyses of two district heating systems, Direct District Heating (DDH) system and Indirect District Heating (IDH) system using the solvated case shows that the critical distance is 106m. When the distance is shorter than 1000,000m, the factors related to the chemical reaction at the user side and factors related to the separation process are important for the DDH system. When the distance is longer than 106m, the factors related to the fluid mechanic become more important. Because the substation of the IDH system degrades the quality of the energy, when the distance is shorter than 106m, the efficiency of the substation is significant. Lastly, I create models for on-site solar thermal storage systems using liquid-phase thermochemical reactions and hot water. The analysis shows that the thermochemical reaction is more competitive for long-duration storage applications. However, the heat recovery added to the thermochemical thermal storage system cannot help improving solar radiation absorption with high inlet temperature of the solar panel.
ContributorsZhang, Yanan (Author) / Wang, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Milcarek, Ryan (Committee member) / Parrish, Kristen (Committee member) / Phelan, Patrick (Committee member) / Rykaczewski, Konrad (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Due to extreme summer temperatures that regularly reach 122°F (50°C), cooling energy requirements have been responsible for 70% of peak demand and 45% of total electricity consumption in Kuwait. It is estimated that 50%-60% of electric power is consumed by the residential sector, mostly in detached villas. This study analyzes the potential impact of energy efficiency measures (EEM) and renewable energy (RE) measures on the electric energy requirements of an existing villa built in 2004. Using architectural plans, interview data, and the eQUEST building energy simulation tool, a building energy model (BEM) was developed for a villa calibrated with hourly energy use data for the year 2014. Although the modeled villa consumed less energy than an average Kuwaiti villa of the same size, 26% energy reductions were still possible under compliance with 2018 building codes. Compliance with 2010 and 2014 building codes, however, would have increased energy use by 19% and 3% respectively. Furthermore, survey data of 150 villas was used to generate statistics on rooftop solar area availability. Accordingly, it was found that 78% of the survey sample’s average total rooftop area was not suitable for rooftop solar systems due to shading and other obstacles. The integration of a solar canopy circumvents this issue and also functions as a shading device for outdoor activities and as a protective cover for AC units and water tanks. Combining the highest modeled EEMs and RE measures on the villa, the energy use intensity (EUI) would be reduced to 15 kWh/m2/year from a baseline value of 127 kWh/m2/year, close to net zero. Finally, it was determined that EEMs were able to reduce the entire demand profile whereas RE measures were most effective at reducing demand around mid-day hours. In future studies, more effort should be spent on collecting hourly data from multiple villas to assist in the development of a detailed hourly bottom-up residential energy modeling methodology.
ContributorsAlyakoob, Ali (Author) / Reddy, Agami T (Thesis advisor) / Addison, Marlin (Committee member) / Parrish, Kristen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
The International Energy Agency (IEA) anticipates the global energy demand to grow by more than 25% by 2040, requiring more than $2 trillion a year of investment in new energy supply (IEA, 2018). With power needs increasing as populations grow and climate extremes become more routine, power companies seek to continually increase capacity, improve efficiency, and provide resilience to the power grid, such that they can meet the energy needs of the societies they serve, often while trying to minimize their carbon emissions. Despite significant research dedicated to planning for industrial projects, including power generation projects as well as the pipeline projects that enable power generation and distribute power, there are still endemic cost overruns and schedule delays in large scale power generation projects. This research explores root causes of these seemingly systemic project performance issues that plague power generation projects. Specifically, this work analyzes approximately 770 power and pipeline projects and identifies how project performance indicators (i.e., cost and schedule performance) as well as planning indicators, compare in two regulatory environments, namely nonregulated and regulated markets. This contributes explicit understanding of the relationship between project performance and regulatory environment, both quantitatively and qualitatively, to the pipeline and power project planning and construction bodies of knowledge. Following an understanding of nonregulated versus regulated markets, this research takes a deeper dive into one highly-regulated power sector, the nuclear power sector, and explores root causes for cost overruns and schedule delays. This work leverages gray literature (i.e., newspaper articles) as sources, in order to analyze projects individually (most academic literature presents data about an aggregated set of projects) and understand the public perception of risks associated with such projects. This work contributes an understanding of the risks associated with nuclear power plant construction to the nuclear power plant construction body of knowledge. Ultimately, the findings from this research support improved planning for power and pipeline projects, in turn leading to more predictable projects, in terms of cost and schedule performance, regardless of regulatory environment. This enables power providers to meet the capacity demands of a growing population within budget and schedule.
ContributorsSherman, Rachael Paige (Author) / Parrish, Kristen (Thesis advisor) / Gibson Jr., G. Edward (Committee member) / Lamanna, Anthony (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
This research is a comprehensive study of the sustainable modifiers for asphalt binder. It is a common practice to use modifiers to impart certain properties to asphalt binder; however, in order to facilitate the synthesis and design of highly effective sustainable modifiers, it is critical to thoroughly understand their underlying molecular level mechanisms in combination with micro and macro-level behavior. Therefore, this study incorporates a multi-scale approach using computational modeling and laboratory experiments to provide an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of interaction between selected modifiers and the constituents of asphalt binder, at aged and unaged conditions. This study investigated the effect of paraffinic wax as a modifier for virgin binder in warm-mix asphalt that can reduce the environmental burden of asphalt pavements. The addition of wax was shown to reduce the viscosity of bitumen by reducing the self-interaction of asphaltene molecules and penetrating the existing nano agglomerates of asphaltenes. This study further examined how the interplay of various modifiers affects the modified binder’s thermomechanical properties. It was found that the presence of wax-based modifiers has a disrupting effect on the role of polyphosphoric acid that is another modifier of bitumen and its interactions with resin-type molecules.
This study was further extended to using nanozeolite as a mineral carrier for wax to better disperse wax in bitumen and reduce the wax's adverse effects such as physical hardening at low service temperatures and rutting at high service temperatures. This novel technique showed that using a different method of adding a modifier can help reduce the modifier's unwanted effects. It further showed that nanozeolite could carry wax-based modifiers and release them in bitumen, then acting as a scavenger for acidic compounds in the binder. This, in turn, could promote the resistance of asphalt binder to moisture damage by reducing the quantity of acidic compounds at the interface between the binder and the stone aggregates.
Furthermore, this study shows that iso-paraffin wax can reduce oxidized asphaltene molecules self-interaction and therefore, reduce the viscosity of aged bitumen while cause brittleness at low temperatures.
Additionally, a cradle to gate life-cycle assessment was performed for a new bio-modifier obtained from swine manure. This study showed that by partially replacing the bitumen with bio-binder from swine manure, the carbon footprint of the binder can be reduced by 10% in conjunction with reducing the cost and environmental impact of storing the manure in lagoons.
ContributorsSamieadel, Alireza (Author) / Fini, Elham H (Thesis advisor) / Kaloush, Kamil (Committee member) / Parrish, Kristen (Committee member) / Sharma, Brajendra Kumar (Committee member) / Parast, Mahour M (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
In 2018, building energy use accounted for over 40% of total primary energy consumption in the United States; moreover, buildings account for ~40% of national CO2 emissions. One method for curbing energy use in buildings is to apply Demand Side Management (DSM) strategies, which focus on reducing the energy demand through various technological and operational approaches in different building sectors.
This PhD research examines the integration of DSM strategies in existing residential and commercial buildings in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area, a hot-arid climate. The author proposes three different case studies to evaluate the effectiveness of one DSM strategy in buildings, namely the integration of Phase Change Materials (PCMs). PCMs store energy in the freezing process and use that stored energy in the melting process to reduce the energy demand. The goal of these case studies is to analyze the potential of each strategy to reduce peak load and overall energy consumption in existing buildings.
First, this dissertation discusses the efficacy of coupling PCMs with precooling strategies in residential buildings to reduce peak demand. The author took a case study approach and simulated two precooling strategies, with and without PCM integration, in two sample single-family homes to assess the impact of the DSM strategies (i.e., precooling and PCM integration) on load shifting and load shedding in each home.
Second, this research addresses the feasibility of using PCMs as sensible and latent heat storage in commercial buildings. The author documents the process of choosing buildings for PCM installation, as well as the selection of PCMs for retrofitting purposes. Commercial building case studies compare experimental and simulation results, focusing on the impact of the PCMs on reducing the total annual energy demand and energy cost.
Finally, this research proposes a novel process for selecting PCMs as energy efficiency measures for building retrofits. This process facilitates the selection of a building and PCM that are complementary. Implementation of this process has not yet been tested; however, the process was developed based on experimental and simulation results from prior studies, and it would alleviate many of the PCM performance issues documented in those studies.
This PhD research examines the integration of DSM strategies in existing residential and commercial buildings in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area, a hot-arid climate. The author proposes three different case studies to evaluate the effectiveness of one DSM strategy in buildings, namely the integration of Phase Change Materials (PCMs). PCMs store energy in the freezing process and use that stored energy in the melting process to reduce the energy demand. The goal of these case studies is to analyze the potential of each strategy to reduce peak load and overall energy consumption in existing buildings.
First, this dissertation discusses the efficacy of coupling PCMs with precooling strategies in residential buildings to reduce peak demand. The author took a case study approach and simulated two precooling strategies, with and without PCM integration, in two sample single-family homes to assess the impact of the DSM strategies (i.e., precooling and PCM integration) on load shifting and load shedding in each home.
Second, this research addresses the feasibility of using PCMs as sensible and latent heat storage in commercial buildings. The author documents the process of choosing buildings for PCM installation, as well as the selection of PCMs for retrofitting purposes. Commercial building case studies compare experimental and simulation results, focusing on the impact of the PCMs on reducing the total annual energy demand and energy cost.
Finally, this research proposes a novel process for selecting PCMs as energy efficiency measures for building retrofits. This process facilitates the selection of a building and PCM that are complementary. Implementation of this process has not yet been tested; however, the process was developed based on experimental and simulation results from prior studies, and it would alleviate many of the PCM performance issues documented in those studies.
ContributorsAskari Tari, Neda (Author) / Parrish, Kristen (Thesis advisor) / Bryan, Harvey (Committee member) / Reddy, T. Agami (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
Project teams expend substantial effort to develop scope definition during the front end planning phase of large, complex projects, but oftentimes neglect to sufficiently plan for small projects. An industry survey administered by the author showed that small projects make up 70-90 percent (by count) of all projects in the industrial construction sector, the planning of these project varies greatly, and that a consistent definition of “small industrial project” did not exist. This dissertation summarizes the motivations and efforts to develop a non-proprietary front end planning tool specifically for small industrial projects, namely the Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI) for Small Industrial Projects. The author was a member of Construction Industry Institute (CII) Research Team 314, who was tasked with developing the tool in May of 2013. The author, together with the research team, reviewed, scrutinized and adapted an existing industrial-focused FEP tool, the PDRI for Industrial Projects, and other resources to develop a set of 41 specific elements relevant to the planning of small industrial projects. The author supported the facilitation of five separate industry workshops where 65 industry professionals evaluated the element descriptions, and provided element prioritization data that was statistically analyzed and used to develop a weighted score sheet that corresponds to the element descriptions. The tool was tested on 54 completed and in-progress projects, the author’s analysis of which showed that small industrial projects with greater scope definition (based on the tool’s scoring scheme) outperformed projects with lesser scope definition regarding cost performance, schedule performance, change performance, financial performance, and customer satisfaction. Moreover, the author found that users of the tool on in-progress projects overwhelmingly agreed that the tool added value to their projects in a timeframe and manner consistent with their needs, and that they would continue using the tool in the future. The author also developed an index-based selection guide to aid PDRI users in choosing the appropriate tool for use on an industrial project based on distinguishing project size with indicators of project complexity. The final results of the author’s research provide several contributions to the front end planning, small projects, and project complexity bodies of knowledge.
ContributorsCollins, Wesley A (Author) / Parrish, Kristen (Thesis advisor) / Gibson, Jr., G. Edward (Committee member) / El Asmar, Mounir (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015