Papers by Svetlana Olbina
Buildings
Most previous Reality Capture Technology (RCT) research in construction focuses on the technical ... more Most previous Reality Capture Technology (RCT) research in construction focuses on the technical aspects of data collection, processing, and post-processing, while fewer studies have explored stakeholder perceptions about adopting and implementing RCT. This research investigated the perceptions of various construction project stakeholders in the commercial and infrastructure sectors regarding the benefits of, and obstacles hindering, the adoption of RCTs. A survey was distributed to the membership of U.S.-based professional organizations. Exploratory Factor Analysis was implemented to investigate and confirm logical and consistent empirical groupings of the benefits and obstacles listed in the survey. In general, mean comparisons revealed consistency across stakeholder perceptions of the benefits and obstacles of RCTs. However, significantly different perceptions about the increased accuracy of prefabricated elements, RCTs not being a company priority, lack of company budget, and da...
Higher Education Research & Development
High Impact-Practices (HIPs) have been found to improve student engagement and retention, increas... more High Impact-Practices (HIPs) have been found to improve student engagement and retention, increase civic engagement, and enhance learning outcomes. Research on HIPs shows that combining multiple HI...
EPiC Series in Built Environment
Studies investigating the construction project stakeholders experience with implementing laser sc... more Studies investigating the construction project stakeholders experience with implementing laser scanning and photogrammetry as Reality Capture Technologies (RCT) in the US commercial building sector are limited. Therefore, this study explored the status of construction project stakeholders experience with the use of RCT. The research aimed to answer questions regarding stakeholder’s personal experience with RCT and their companies’ use of RCT on commercial projects, RCT use on the specific commercial building project types, and use of RCT on both new construction and renovation projects in the commercial sector. A survey was distributed to owners/developers, designers, contractors, and Construction Managers (CMs)/owner representatives in the US. Survey findings indicated that the majority of the respondents had heard of RCT, used RCT personally, and worked for the companies that used RCT on their projects. Core and shell buildings, healthcare, and education projects were the major co...
Buildings, 2020
Falls account for about one-third of all construction fatalities with most fatalities in the roof... more Falls account for about one-third of all construction fatalities with most fatalities in the roofing trade. Even though a personal fall arrest system (PFAS) is required for fall protection, proper placement of PFAS anchor points is an issue evidenced by the high number of fatalities caused by incorrect anchor positioning. The research goal was to proof the concept of optimizing the location of the PFAS anchor points on steep-sloped roofs. This goal was achieved by: (1) Developing an algorithm for converting the required local jurisdiction construction regulations and standards for PFAS anchor positioning into machine-readable rules; and (2) Developing and validating an algorithm for optimizing the location of PFAS anchor points. The K-Nearest Neighbor Search (KNNS) optimization algorithm was selected in this research and was implemented into a standalone computer tool using Python programming language. The tool calculates the potential anchor locations that satisfy the fall clearanc...
Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 2018
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors found on US construction projects th... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors found on US construction projects that are perceived by contractors to strengthen or weaken trust between contracting stakeholders and to develop a framework for evaluating these relationships. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive framework containing a number of factors (54) that could impact trust on construction projects was first developed. A survey questionnaire was then developed and administered via phone to contractors selected from the Engineering News Record top 400 US construction companies. The survey findings were then used to develop a trust model and case studies were used to validate and revise the trust model. Findings A trust model is developed that helps large US contractors measure and improve trust with other stakeholders on their projects. Practical implications Large US contractors are now provided with a tool not previously available to help them measure and improve trust between the differen...
Buildings, 2019
Researchers have explored Building Information Modeling (BIM) utilization on complex buildings. H... more Researchers have explored Building Information Modeling (BIM) utilization on complex buildings. However, limited research has been conducted investigating BIM implementation on simple projects. This study explored the perceptions of Architects, General Contractors and Owners regarding the project characteristics that impact successful BIM implementation, and the realized benefits thereof, on complex commercial buildings versus parking garages. A survey comprised of the project characteristics and realized benefits of BIM implementation identified by Dodge Data & Analytics was distributed. Exploratory Factor Analysis was conducted to identify the empirical groupings of successful BIM implementation characteristics and realized benefits thereof. Factor means were calculated and compared using ANOVA and t-tests. Statistical comparisons revealed no significant differences by building type. For project stakeholders, a significant difference was only observed on owner’s mean perceptions o...
Advances in Civil Engineering, 2019
In recent years, many public and private sector owners have started to require a building informa... more In recent years, many public and private sector owners have started to require a building information modeling (BIM) component in new construction projects. Although there has been a significant increase in industry-wide acceptance of BIM, it is still not a standard practice in the educational facility sector. This research aimed at exploring the use of BIM in educational facility projects by the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) disciplines. A survey that investigated BIM adoption at the company level, BIM implementation in projects, benefits of using BIM, and obstacles to using BIM was distributed to architects, site engineers, structural engineers, mechanical engineers, and contractors across the United States. The survey results showed that a majority of the respondents from all five disciplines used BIM. BIM was most commonly used for 3D visualization, automation of documentation, and clash detection. The most important benefits of BIM included better marketing ...
Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction, 2017
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 2016
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to obtain an understanding of the perception of trust betw... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to obtain an understanding of the perception of trust between US construction contracting parties. The research objectives were to identify the factors on construction projects that impact such trust and to identify how trust affects factors on construction project. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of construction professionals working for the Engineering News Record’s Top 400 US contractors was conducted. Findings – The findings showed that paying on time, competency, reliability and effective collaboration were the most important factors that affected contextual conditions trustworthiness. Factors perceived to strengthen trust included face-to-face communication, electronic documents, and timely and adequate responses to requests for information. The presence of construction managers on construction projects, and corrective changes orders from neutral third parties were perceived to weaken trust. Trust was perceived to assist leadership...
Computing in Civil Engineering (2012), 2012
Computing in Civil Engineering (2011), 2011
The construction industry has incurred the most fatalities of any industry in the private sector ... more The construction industry has incurred the most fatalities of any industry in the private sector in recent years. It is partly because of the fact that the designers usually lack design for construction safety knowledge, which results in many safety hazards manifesting themselves at any given stage during the construction process. In this research study, the researchers devised a design for construction worker safety tool which makes designing for safety suggestions available to designers and constructors in an efficient way, which will effectively alleviate the potential hazards on construction sites. This research study looks at formalizing the collected design for construction worker suggestions. A dictionary and a constraint model are then developed to store these formalized suggestions. These can then be used by a model checking software package to conduct designing for construction worker safety checking during the design process. These tools make it possible for architects to optimize the drawings to ensure minimization of safety hazards during construction. In the meantime, constructors can take protective procedures to eliminate the construction site hazards from the beginning of the project. Therefore in both the design and construction phases, significant improvements to construction worker safety could be realized by using this designing for safety tool.
Computing in Civil Engineering (2011), 2011
Computing in Civil Engineering (2009), 2009
Commercially available blinds are occasionally part of the building’s thermal and lighting enviro... more Commercially available blinds are occasionally part of the building’s thermal and lighting environmental control systems. Inappropriate application of blinds increases the use of electrical lighting, cooling loads for a building and consequently, the total energy consumption. The purpose of this research was to develop a new, automated, split control system for adjusting blinds. This system adjusts the blinds for different tilt angles at a particular point in time depending on the position of the blinds within the height of the window. The research objectives were: (1) developing a framework for the automated split control of blinds, (2) developing a control algorithm for a split system, (3) validating the split control system by conducting a case study for two automated blind control systems (conventional and split). Computer simulations were performed to calculate the illuminance levels in a building and energy consumption as a result of the application of these two blind systems. The research findings showed that the split controlled blinds provided higher illuminance in the back of the room, lower energy consumption for electrical lighting and thus, energy savings for a building compared to conventionally controlled blinds.
Computing in Civil Engineering (2012), 2012
Computing in Civil Engineering, 2013
Computing in Civil Engineering (2012), 2012
Proceedings of the Winter Simulation Conference 2014, 2014
Building Simulation, 2013
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Papers by Svetlana Olbina