Construction Management Our Research Goals
- Pursue applied research opportunities.
- Engage in the development of continuing education classes for the construction industry.
- Promote the dissemination of research findings through peer reviewed journals, conference presentations, and other outlets.
- Maintain a close association with the needs of the regional industry through participation in the CM Department’s PADB Research and Outreach Committee to establish and review future directions for the Center’s initiatives.
- Prepare reports of research productivity for the department.
Research Areas of Interest
The CM faculty members pursue applied research opportunities by maintaining a close association with the needs of the regional, national, and global Architecture/Engineering/Construction industry. In pursuing this applied research, the faculty members have identified five core research alliance areas that span research, teaching, and engagement activities and provide a common ground for interaction between faculty, students, and industry members. As the demands of the AEC industry change over time, these research alliance areas may evolve and additional areas may be established.
Faculty Research Research Alliance Areas
Construction Education and Workforce Development
Education research focuses on increasing K-12 student interest in CM disciplines and the development of undergraduate and graduate curricula. Workforce research deals with recruiting, retaining, promoting, continuing education, knowledge and skills, and training of the current and future construction workforce across all project personnel from the skilled craft workers to the project management team.
Construction Technology
Construction technology research includes the investigation of current, and emerging, software, hardware, applications and technology-enabled workflows that improve the built environment across the lifecycle from project design through decommissioning. Construction technologies include, but are not limited to, BIM, VDC, AR/VR, GIS, unmanned aircraft systems, robotics, simulations, instrumentation and sensors, laser scanning and photogrammetry, advanced technologies for worker safety, and interconnected and autonomous construction equipment/vehicles. Research projects in this area focus on exploring and understanding the development, implementation and impact of these, and other, technologies on the built environment and its stakeholders.
Infrastructure Systems
This research area looks at advancing the design, construction, operation and management of critical civil infrastructure systems at local, regional and national scales (e.g., asset management, traffic and work-zone safety, transportation project management, asphalt and concrete paving, , smart cities, smart grids, extreme event analysis, building capacity after disasters, post-disaster reconstruction, healthy neighborhoods)
Project Delivery and Management
Research in both project delivery methods and project management practices aims to provide solutions that influence the productivity and profitability of projects. Project delivery research includes areas such as alternative contracting methods (e.g., IPD, DB, CM at Risk), procurement, and construction contracts. Project management research includes areas such as financial management, lean construction, construction safety, scheduling, estimating and cost control, quality and quality management, risk management, and productivity.
Sustainability and Resilience
Sustainability research focuses on the environmental, economic, and social impacts of construction projects during their life cycle. This research area also aims to understand better how current and future community’s infrastructure adapt and evolve into configurations that more resilient. (e.g., energy-efficient buildings, sustainable design and construction, LCA, renewable energy sources, historic preservation, social sustainability, net-zero and -positive buildings/communities).