Revised Thesis Proposal

Thesis Proposa

Thesis Breadths

Executive Summary:


To replace the aging East Pikeland elementary school, the Phoenixville Area School District decided to build a 650 student elementary school on a fallow site next to the Kimberton Fair Grounds. Because of delays due to site containments, the proposed completion date was pushed back to January 2010. The cost of construction including all fees was $27.7 million ($270 dollars per square foot) plus $2 million for the site.
The site of Kimberton is complicated by the site closure plan. This project was cancelled due to contaminated groundwater underneath the proposed site. The site contained VOCs such as trichloroethylene, dichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride in aquifers 180 feet below the surface. The school board decided in June of 2008 to suspend the project and abandon the site at Kimberton. It is this cancellation that has played a critical role for a number of the analyses to be preformed during my senior thesis.
An elementary school still needs to be built for the school district. An alternate site needs to be selected for the school. It is this fact that ties this entire thesis together. Relocating this building requires the consideration of a number of factors including, building aesthetics, location on site, soil and foundation system. These analyses will include structural mechanical and architectural breadths.

The cancellation of the project gives the school district a unique opportunity to look areas of improvement in the old design. There is now a chance to add more sustainably to the project as well as value engineering the project, hopefully adding value to the project overall. A few considerations are modifying the window size for day lighting, returning the building to the originally proposed geothermal heat pump, changing the room partition type to metal stud and drywall solution, adding solar collection panels to the roof of the classroom wing of the building.

Foreman Program and Construction Managers spend a number of resources on the estimation of building projects at various times during design. In the world of building information modeling there are several software products available that promise faster feedback estimate feedback as well as more accurate quantities for estimating. These different software packages should be analyzed for potential benefits. This analysis will compare new products such as Autodesk Quantity Takeoff, Innovaya, and Revit Quantity Schedules to the traditional methods of estimating ability to calculate the cost of the value engineering and sustainability ideas found in the previous analysis. Additionally adjusting the general conditions estimate and updating the overall estimate of the project will be required.

Part of this thesis is to consider the constructability of the project on a new site. For this it will be necessary to revisit technical analysis preformed during previous technical reports for the new building location. The areas that will be revisited are developing new site utilization plans, updating the schedule and detailing the proposed modifications.

Overall this thesis will incorporate the knowledge gained throughout an entire architectural engineering education at Penn State. It will focus in the areas of Critical Issue Research, Value Engineering Analysis, Constructability Review, and Schedule Reduction /Acceleration Proposal. This thesis will also consist of investigations based on graduate level studies.  

Breadth Studies

Architectural Breadth

The evaluation of an alternate site is very architecturally intensive. First I will need to locate the building aesthetically on the site as well as the best location for environmental gain. I will need to architecturally review the building to make sure that it will fit the site in the first place. Modification may be necessary. I will also evaluate the floor plan to see if the functionality is still maintained. Additionally the site will also have to be completely redeveloped to make sure that it incorporates all the uses of the original site plan.

Mechanical Breadth

When relocating the building it may be feasible to return to the originally proposed system of geothermal heat which was changed due to site contamination. This will involve reviewing the design and making the necessary changes to use geothermal heat. I would also evaluate the life cycle cost of the system. I would also need to locate the geothermal wells on the site and make sure they are up to the requirements of the system.

Lighting/Electrical Breadth

The evaluation of the day lighting of the classrooms of elementary school will incorporate knowledge gained in the lighting electrical classes. It is important to ensure that the light levels in the room will be proper for to facilitate learning as well as utilize all of the energy of the sun. Additionally, during my evaluation of solar panels on the roof of the building, I will need to calculate the loads provided by the panels and consumed by the lighting of the building.

Structural Breadth

When evaluating the alternate site, the structural stability of the foundation will need to be confirmed because of different site soil bearing capacity. I will need to check these soil conditions and make sure the soil bearing capacity is at least as high as the original site. If it is not as high I will make the recommendation that the foundation be redesigned.

Overall, my thesis investigations will require a very well rounded breadth of architectural engineering knowledge and is not just limited to my understanding of building construction.

Incorporation of Graduate Classes

As required to complete the integrated masters here at Penn State, a number of the analyses will incorporate ideas generated during graduate course work. These studies will focus primarily on the use of building information modeling to aid in the construction process. The general understanding and the impact on industry were furthered by AE 597G course. This course taught a great deal about how each use of building information modeling will benefit a project and what steps should be taken before implementing each use in construction. BIM will be used to further illustrate each analysis that is proposed to study. This graduate level topic will tie the entire thesis together.

 

 

 

Orginal Thesis Proposal

Thesis Proposa

Thesis Breadths

Executive Summary:


To replace the aging East Pikeland elementary school, the Phoenixville Area School District decided to build a 650 student elementary school on a fallow site next to the Kimberton Fair Grounds. Because of delays due to site containments, the proposed completion date was pushed back to January 2010. The cost of construction including all fees was $27.7 million ($270 dollars per square foot) plus $2 million for the site.
The site of Kimberton is complicated by the site closure plan. This project was cancelled due to contaminated groundwater underneath the proposed site. The site contained VOCs such as trichloroethylene, dichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride in aquifers 180 feet below the surface. The school board decided in June of 2008 to suspend the project and abandon the site at Kimberton. It is this cancellation that has played a critical role for a number of the analyses to be preformed during my senior thesis.

Schedule Acceleration during Site Closure Plan

The site closure plan is one of the biggest risks to the schedule due to possible unforeseen conditions. For this analysis I will detail the schedule of the site closure plan and look for alternate methods of site closure. Presumably other methods will impose less risk to the schedule. I will document the differences using 4D scheduling. If the schedule can not be reduced using an alternate method, then I will look for way to reduce the project schedule in general possibly using short interval production scheduling.

Evaluation of Alternate Site

An elementary school still needs to be built for the school district. An alternate site needs to be selected for the school. To relocate this building I will consider a number of factors including, building aesthetics, location on site, mechanical system to be used, soil and foundation system and other construction related factors. These analyses will include structural mechanical and architectural breadths.

Alternate Building Exterior Envelope

Due to delay in construction the masonry construction of the building will take place during the winter months. I will consider using precast concrete to replace the exterior masonry. This study considers which precast panels to use, cost of switching the system, and the possible schedule savings. Tying into my graduate education, I will use BIM to assist in the different analyses.

Integrated Project Delivery

Currently the construction industry is being transformed by the Integrated Project Delivery method. PA law requires multiple prime contracts as the project delivery method for schools. This method leads to extra changes. I will research if there is anyway to bring the contractors in early to have a method similar to integrated project delivery. This research will most likely result in an entirely new delivery method for projects. 

Overall my thesis will incorporate the knowledge I have gained in my entire architectural engineering education at Penn State. It will focus in the areas of Critical Issue Research, Value Engineering Analysis, Constructability Review, and Schedule Reduction /Acceleration Proposal. My thesis will also consist of investigations based on my graduate level studies.

Breadth Studies

Architectural Breadth

The evaluation of an alternate site is very architecturally intensive. First I will need to locate the building aesthetically on the site as well as the best location for environmental gain. I will need to architecturally review the building to make sure that it will fit the site in the first place. Modification may be necessary. I will also evaluate the floor plan to see if the functionality is still maintained. Additionally the site will also have to be completely redeveloped to make sure that it incorporates all the uses of the original site plan.

My study into an alternate exterior enclosure will have to consider the aesthetics of the proposed precast concrete systems. This will need to be considered at both locations and it will be very important to maintain the architect’s original image of the elementary school.

Mechanical Breadth

When relocating the building it may be feasible to return to the originally proposed system of geothermal heat which was changed due to site contamination. This will involve reviewing the design and making the necessary changes to use geothermal heat. I would also evaluate the life cycle cost of the system. I would also need to locate the geothermal wells on the site and make sure they are up to the requirements of the system.

In addition to the relocation of the building, the analysis of an alternate building enclosure system would have to consider thermal heat gain and loss based on the system’s heat transfer rates. If the R-value is significantly higher, it may be possible to reduce the size of the HVAC system.

Structural Breadth

When evaluating the alternate site, the structural stability of the foundation will need to be confirmed because of different site soil bearing capacity. I will need to check these soil conditions and make sure the soil bearing capacity is at least as high as the original site. If it is not as high I will have to redesign a few of the footers and possibly use those changes to scale the other footers to the proper size. Depending on the soil type this could be a simple analysis or a very complex analysis.

Overall, my thesis investigations will require a very well rounded breadth of architectural knowledge and is not just limited to my understanding of building construction.

Ralph Kreider's Senior Thesis Home Page