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The aim of this experimental investigation is to assess the antibacterial resistance of a biodegradable Polylactic acid (PLA) based composite material enriched with non-copper metallic particles, notably Stainless Steel, and Aluminum as alternatives to copper. The composite materials were processed using additive manufacturing technology using commercial fused deposition modeling printers to produce samples for antibacterial testing. The antibacterial materials were assessed according to international standards to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy at different time intervals. It has been disclosed that the biodegradable PLA composite enhanced with Stainless Steel or Aluminum demonstrated an excellent resistance against distinct kinds of bacteria through the observed significant reduction in the bacteria levels.

Construction projects are often challenged by tight budgets and limited resources. Contractors are looking for ways to become competitive by using methods and materials that are sustainable and cost-effective. Using sustainable 3D printing to produce cost-effective construction elements is becoming a feasible option to make contractors more competitive locally and globally. Along this line, contractors are attempting to improve production skills to satisfy certain specifications and standards while keeping costs within competitive ranges. The aim of this research is to investigate the production process capability of 3D printers using fused deposition modelling (FDM) to produce 3D-printed sustainable parts made from plastic waste for the use in the construction of buildings with different infill structures and internal designs. The production capabilities and requirements of FDM printers were first examined and possible applications in construction are then presented. The outcome of this study indicates that 3D-printers can be used to produce parts made from plastic waste using FDM printers. These parts are sustainable and less expensive as compared to some traditional non-load bearing construction elements such as lightweight concrete hollow blocks and lightweight concrete bricks since they are less expensive and have higher compressive strength. However, it is not feasible to use 3D printed material from plastic waste as an alternative for gypsum board drywalls since it is more expensive; however, it might be considered as an alternative since it provides a higher compressive strength.

This paper aims to investigate experimentally and using finite element analysis the performance of using three-dimensional printing technology to produce a composite sandwich panel that is made of the high-flexible core as well as with high stiffness upper and lower surfaces made of a glass fiber reinforced composite filament. There are many advantages of using sandwich structures in many applications, especially the aerospace field, where the high stiffness to strength and the lightweight is the most preferred in such applications. The conventional manufacturing methods that are used to produce sandwich panels are limited to particular core geometry, whereas manufacturing a composite core is not possible by these traditional production methods. So by using additive manufacturing technology, it becomes more applicable to design a combination of different geometries and materials to achieve properties that have never been made before, especially combining flexibility and high energy absorption keeping high strength to failure. A central deflection to a length of 0.26 is observed within the elastic zone, a remarkable ratio in beams that reflects the three-dimensional printed sandwich beams’ capability with a highly flexible core to absorb energy that would open doors for many industrial applications that is attributed to the lowest flexural rigidity (167E-3Pa · m4) of the sandwich by using the TriHex infill pattern. In contrast, the Gyroid infill structure could afford the highest central load (0.264 kN). At the peak load applied on the sandwich beam, a maximum error of 5.4% is estimated by finite element analysis lower than the experimental values.

Purpose This paper aims to use quick response (QR) code along with online videos to teach one of the college foundation courses in an international institution to enhance the grasp of the students and to boost the students’ learning outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The study discussed and elaborated the findings that mainly focused on the usage of the online resources to teach Engineering Economy course. Besides, the authors analyzed how the gender may have different feedback for the student. Findings The study emphasized on the expectations of the students to use videos in the learning experience that preferred to be developed by course educator and to be published on the university platform, like blackboard or faculty website, that conforms university transformation vision undergoing nowadays. It is recommended to have a successful learning experience; it is the educator's responsibility to improve the personal digitization skills that would be used in the e-learning implementations, that will be used for the educational technology, which requires the use of creative media production mobile applications. Practical implications The education field has witnessed significant development over the past years in terms of using digital technologies as pedagogical tools to enhance the students’ learning experience especially the internet, where the traditional trends become outdated to be used in the classrooms. One of the main players in this field is videos that are considered as the main influencer to this educational change, where it has been demonstrated to and boost the quality of the learning experience. Originality/value In this study, students participated to explore the usefulness of using online learning through using videos blended with QR code to enhance the students’ performance in understanding one of the undergraduate foundation courses in the college of engineering, namely, engineering economy. A survey was distributed to students after the core material of the course was covered. The collected responses were then studied and analyzed.

Due to the prevailing existence of the COVID-19 pandemic, novel and practical strategies to combat pathogens are on the rise worldwide. It is estimated that, globally, around 10% of hospital patients will acquire at least one healthcare-associated infection. One of the novel strategies that has been developed is incorporating metallic particles into polymeric materials that neutralize infectious agents. Considering the broad-spectrum antimicrobial potency of some materials, the incorporation of metallic particles into the intended hybrid composite material could inherently add significant value to the final product. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate an antimicrobial polymeric PLA-based composite material enhanced with different microparticles (copper, aluminum, stainless steel, and bronze) for the antimicrobial properties of the hybrid composite. The prepared composite material samples produced with fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing technology were tested for different time intervals to establish their antimicrobial activities. The results presented here depict that the sample prepared with 90% copper and 10% PLA showed the best antibacterial activity (99.5%) after just 20 min against different types of bacteria as compared to the other samples. The metallic-enriched PLA-based antibacterial sheets were remarkably effective against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli; therefore, they can be a good candidate for future biomedical, food packaging, tissue engineering, prosthetic material, textile industry, and other science and technology applications. Thus, antimicrobial sheets made from PLA mixed with metallic particles offer sustainable solutions for a wide range of applications where touching surfaces is a big concern.

E-learning offers tremendous benefits to teachers and students as it enhances the teaching and learning experience. Despite the adoption of e-learning in many educational institutions worldwide, de...

This experimental study aims to explore the failure behavior of a pre- and post-cracked polymeric 3D printed components subjected to tensile mode. A set of through-thickness pre-cracked specimens of different cracks patterns and geometry was designed and implemented in the 3D printed parts. The specimens are then subjected to a tensile test mode. Besides, analogous intact samples were produced by 3D printing technology where the through-thickness post-cracks were created using laser cutting process of a geometry with cracks similar to those of the pre-cracked specimens. It has been observed that the pre-cracked samples initially introduced, and 3D printed cracked specimens have more resistance to fracture mechanics failure due to crack-bridging caused by the 3D printing filament profile around the crack profile. On the other hand, the samples with post-cracks made by laser cutting demonstrated a significant drop in the fracture failure resistance due to the interruption of the 3D printed filaments of the intact specimens. In conclusion, this study revealed that pre-cracked 3D printed components did not show the actual failure and fracture mechanics behavior. This is because the cracks could be introduced in the components after the additive manufacturing process during the service life and that would damage the 3D printed filament path of the components and, hence, will cause high-stress concentration that leads to unpredicted and fast failure.

Major cities in most of the developing countries are becoming increasingly crowded. Conventional open-trench methods are expensive and lead to traffic disruption. The domestic government is looking at alternative approaches to install and rehabilitate aging underground utilities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of awareness and utilization of no-dig (i.e., trenchless technology) methods, the potential of their future growth, and their impact on social costs in a developing country. A survey was first conducted to investigate the use of trenchless technology methods in new construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure projects. The pertaining impact on social costs was then examined. Survey data were analyzed, and the potential of future growth of using trenchless technology methods was investigated. It has been found that “horizontal directional drilling” is the prevalent trenchless method used, while “robotic spot repair” is the least utilized one among all the methods used for new construction or rehabilitation of underground utilities. The results also revealed that using trenchless construction has a maximum impact on the “travel/traffic delay” type of social costs. The “horizontal directional drilling” method has the highest potential of future growth in new construction, while the “lining of pipe” was ranked first among rehabilitation methods. The data analysis results have also revealed that a critical social implication of using trenchless construction methods is their limited disruptions to the society when installing or rehabilitating underground utilities. Such social disruptions include road closures, traffic delays, and detours resulting in noise and loss of access to homes/businesses.

This paper presents the use of an interactive learning approach in the Engineering Ethics course. Intuitive learning is being implemented in traditional teaching methods, which will engage students in class activities, improve their self-learning skills, and promote active learning. Integrating interactive learning activities has been noted to improve students' learning, course attainment, and learning outcomes. This study is aimed to demonstrate the use of web-based applications (e.g., Quizlet and Kahoot!) to improve students' academic achievement and enhance their engagement in class.

It has been addressed that one of the factors that has a significant impact on the properties of the composite is the fiber/matrix interface that would increase the interfacial levels of the stresses which will reduce the overall composite stiffness and the fatigue lifetime eventually causing composite failure. Besides it has been concluded that interfacial stresses play a major role in the deterioration of the composite characteristics due to increase in the possibility of the debonding between fiber/matrix zone that will raise the interfacial levels of the stresses and lead to the failure at the end. Different methods have been adopted experimentally and theoretically to understand the mechanism of interfacial failure between fiber/matrix in the composite. In this chapter, we focus on the simulation and the mathematical model that has been developed and used to investigate the impact of the fiber/matrix role in the deterioration and the failure of the composite using micromechanics, finite element method, and other methods.

Construction projects are complex and involve thousands of details and complex interrelationships among several parties. In this multidisciplinary environment, claims are immanent and appear to cau...

Construction projects are often challenged by tight budgets and limited time and resources. Contractors are, therefore, looking for ways to become competitive by improving efficiency and using cost-effective materials. Using three-dimensional (3D) printing for shaping materials to produce cost-effective construction elements is becoming a feasible option to make contractors more competitive locally and globally. The process capabilities for 3D printers and related devices have been tightened in recent years with the booming of 3D printing industries and applications. Contractors are attempting to improve production skills to satisfy firm specifications and standards, while attempting to have costs within competitive ranges. The aim of this research is to investigate and test the production process capability (Cp) of 3D printers using fused deposition modeling (FDM) to manufacture 3D printed parts made from plastic waste for use in the construction of buildings with different infill structures and internal designs to reduce cost. This was accomplished by calculating the actual requirement capabilities of the 3D printers under consideration. The production capabilities and requirements of FDM printers are first examined to develop instructions and assumptions to assist in deciphering the characteristics of the 3D printers that will be used. Possible applications in construction are then presented. As an essential outcome of this study, it was noticed that the 3D printed parts made from plastic waste using FDM printers are less expensive than using traditional lightweight non-load bearing concrete hollow masonry blocks, hourdi slab hollow bocks, and concrete face bricks.

With the rapid growth in the manufacturing industry and increased urbanization, higher amounts of composite material waste are being produced, causing severe threats to the environment. These environmental concerns, coupled with the fact that undergraduate students typically have minimal experience in research, have initiated the need at the UAE University to promote research among undergraduate students, leading to the development of a summer undergraduate research program. In this study, a recycling methodology is presented to test lab-fabricated Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) for potential applications in industrial composite waste. The work was conducted by two groups of undergraduate students at the UAE University. The methodology involved the chemical dissolution of the composite waste, followed by compression molding and adequate heat treatment for rapid curing of CFRP. Subsequently, the CFRP samples were divided into three groups based on their geometrical distinctions. The mechanical properties (i.e., modulus of elasticity and compressive strength) were determined through material testing, and the results were then compared with steel for prompt reference. The results revealed that the values of mechanical properties range from 2 to 4.3 GPa for the modulus of elasticity and from 203.7 to 301.5 MPa for the compressive strength. These values are considered competitive and optimal, and as such, carbon fiber waste can be used as an alternate material for various structural applications. The inconsistencies in the values are due to discrepancies in the procedure as a result of the lack of specialized equipment for handling CFRP waste material. The study concluded that the properties of CFRP composite prepreg scrap tend to be reusable instead of disposable. Despite the meager experimental discrepancies, test values and mechanical properties indicate that CFRP composite can be successfully used as a material for nonstructural applications.

Conventional methods of teaching structural engineering topics focus on face-to-face delivery of course materials. This study shows that using video-based e-learning in delivering an undergraduate Structural Steel Design course satisfactorily achieved most of the course learning outcomes. Video-based e-learning with animations and simulations gives students a profound understanding of the course intricate design materials. To gauge the effectiveness of video-based e-learning of the course, an online evaluation was conducted by sixty-eight undergraduate students at the United Arab Emirates University using Blackboard. The evaluation consisted of an online survey that was accessible by students who took the structural steel design course in the academic year 2019 using instructional videos provided to them as Quick Response (QR)-codes. The structural steel design course has six learning outcomes (CLOs), and the performance of students in the six CLOs was compared with that of students who took the same course in the academic year 2018 using the traditional face-to-face lecturing method. The survey data was statistically analyzed, and the results revealed that students’ performance improved, and most of the CLOs were attained. Video-based e-learning with animations resulted in better learning outcomes compared to face-to-face lecturing. Accessing the course instruction videos anytime and anywhere is one of the remarkable benefits to the students studying through the e-learning approach.

This paper investigates the impact of corporate governance on the profitability of joint-stock insurance firms listed and unlisted in the ‘Damascus Securities Exchange’ in Syria during the period from 2013 to 2019. Research data was collected from the financial reports of the insurance firms and the reports of the ‘Syrian Insurance Supervisory Commission’ and the ‘Syrian Commission of Financial Markets and Securities’. A model was then proposed for corporate governance of insurance firms. The proposed model considers eight independent variables (board size, independence of board members, non-executive board members, solvency, ownership, firm size, firm age, and joint-stock) and two dependent variables (return on equity and return on shares). Multi regression analysis for the ‘Balanced Panel Data’ is used to analyze the relationship between the governance of insurance firms and their profitability. The analysis of the results revealed that some independent variables (such as firm size, ownership, and none-executive members) have a significant positive impact on the return on equity while the ‘firm size’ and ‘ownership’ independent variables have a significant positive impact on the return on shares. The ‘solvency’ variable has a significant negative impact on the return on equity and return on shares. On the other hand, the ‘firm age’ variable has a significant negative impact on the return on equity while the ‘joint-stock’ variable is considered statistically significant with a positive impact on the return on shares. It was also observed that the ‘independence of board members’ variable has no impact on the dependent variables.

One of the main challenges that the educator faces in integrating 3D printing technology in a traditional engineering course in the capability of introducing and merging the 3d printing technology at the right educational material. The paper aims to present the challenges and the achievements of integrating 3D printing technology in teaching design and manufacturing courses in the mechanical engineering department to enhance the students’ skills and engagement with the course material. One of the course experiments was nominated to introduce the 3D printing technology, where the students were asked to use the systematic design method as well as design matrix procedure to explore different options to come up with a solution to hold a mechanical component for quality control task. Besides, the students had to design an engineering measurement procedure to achieve the assigned mission of the experiment, where the mechanical part was described to present the main dimensions needed for the measurement sequence. Different groups submitted innovative ideas that were evaluated initially and discussed individually before submitting the final design and the holder prototype. The students presented a functional 3D printed prototype with a full report that clarifies the engineering procedure adopted to achieve the goal of the experiment. The innovation in the addressed solution revealed the importance of 3D printing technology to enhance the students’ skill and engagement with the course material and help them to encounter challenges to come up with creative engineering solutions.

Current environmental concerns have led to a search of more environmentally friendly manufacturing methods; thus, natural fibers have gained attention in the 3D printing industry to be used as bio-filters along with thermoplastics. The utilization of natural fibers is very convenient as they are easily available, cost-effective, eco-friendly, and biodegradable. Using natural fibers rather than synthetic fibers in the production of the 3D printing filaments will reduce gas emissions associated with the production of the synthetic fibers that would add to the current pollution problem. As a matter of fact, natural fibers have a reinforcing effect on plastics. This review analyzes how the properties of the different polymers vary when natural fibers processed to produce filaments for 3D Printing are added. The results of using natural fibers for 3D Printing are presented in this study and appeared to be satisfactory, while a few studies have reported some issues.

Construction safety education for engineering students may involve two main aspects: construction site safety and design for construction safety (DfCS). Progress has been made in the developed countries to incorporate both aspects in the engineering curriculum. However, the extent to which engineering students in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region receive construction safety education during their undergraduate study is not known. To assess this extent, two survey forms were designed and distributed to engineering practitioners and construction-related engineering programs in the MENA region. The practitioners’ survey was also utilized to assess the need for comprising construction safety education in the engineering curriculum. The study showed that about 70 % of the surveyed practitioner engineers did not receive construction safety knowledge during their university education. Of those who did, almost half received such knowledge during internship. Meanwhile, about 50 % of those who received some construction safety education ranked the received level as being “average.” Results also showed that the majority of the surveyed practitioners believe that there is a need for more construction safety education at the university level. In terms of inclusion in the engineering curriculum, surveyed practitioners ranked 15 suggested safety aspects as important to very important to be included in the undergraduate curriculum. Responses received from contacted engineering programs indicated that assigning an entire course to cover construction safety is not common in the MENA region. While the majority of construction safety coverage was shown to be either as an integral part of a core course or through the internship, only 40 % of the programs indicated inclusion of construction safety topics as integral parts of elective courses that are commonly offered once a year. A major observation was that construction safety is included in less than 15 % of the graduation project courses offered by the responding programs, indicating a possibly high deficiency in comprising DfCS in the curriculum. In addition, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and in-house developed materials were reported as the most common data sources for teaching construction safety. The study proposes enhancing the current level of construction safety education for engineering students in the MENA region by incorporating a core course in the curriculum and by integrating several suggested topics of DfCS in traditional design courses.

PurposeDespite the popularity of existing course management systems, they do not consider the management of course material changes, particularly courses that require more than one instructor. The main purpose of this study is to instantly communicate course material changes to all instructors teaching the same course and to communicate approved changes to students registered on the course.Design/methodology/approachThe fundamental hypothesis tested was whether the developed system effectively communicates changes in a timely manner. The level of students' acceptance to this new system was also tested. A dynamic course material change‐management system was developed using visual basic programming language and an Access database. The system was applied to a hypothetical case study and to a currently running undergraduate civil engineering course.FindingsResults indicated that changes made to a course material were instantly communicated to all instructors teaching the same course. It also indicated that approved changes were instantly communicated to affected students. As a result, students were satisfied with the instant notifications they receive whenever a change takes place.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed system does not include a methodology for online tests, course grades, and course assessment. The system needs to be integrated with these important features. Developments pertaining to integrating the system with these features will be considered for future investigation.Originality/valueThe novel aspect of the developed system is the effective management of challenges made to course material and communicating these changes to instructors and students in a timely manner. The system can benefit any institution at different educational levels.

In an effort to improve productivity and optimize resource use, the activity-on-arrow (AOA) approach is used in this paper to model and simulate real-world complex construction operations. First, simulation models for two construction operations of a large-size real-world international project were developed. Several experiments on these models were then conducted using different resource combinations to arrive at the best combination that improves productivity and reduces the operational cost. The developed models were used to experiment with different resource alternatives and overtime options for a single project and repetitive projects in order to arrive at the best alternatives that provide the least total direct cost or the shortest completion time for the two operations. The potential of using this approach for resource optimization of large infrastructure networks was then investigated and, finally, possible future extensions to the present study were discussed.

The development of trenchless methods has gained impetus in the construction industry in United Arab Emirates due to increasing amounts of investment in underground infrastructures that are new, deteriorating, or under capacity. This paper presents the results of a questionnaire survey of trenchless construction methods used by municipalities and contractors in United Arab Emirates. The survey provides an indication of current and expected future trends in the application of trenchless construction technologies including types of technologies employed and percentage of projects that employed trenchless technologies. The survey results indicate that trenchless technology is gaining increasing popularity among contractors and municipalities across United Arab Emirates. The survey results also indicate that trenchless technology is gaining increasing popularity among municipal engineers across UAE. The survey revealed current, and by extrapolation likely future growth, in utilizing trenchless construction methods and the average expenditures of municipalities in UAE for new construction and for rehabilitation.

The construction industry in the United Arab Emirates is considered the largest single industry, yet, it is also very complex and the most fragmented industry as it involves multidisciplinary participants. In this multidisciplinary environment, claims appear to hinder the completion of construction and cause delays in delivering projects. This research presents the results of a study of the types, causes, and frequency of construction claims in the emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi in UAE using a data from 124 claims for a variety of projects in the two emirates. The data were analyzed and the results of this analysis along with recommendations on how to reduce/prevent claims in construction are then presented.

In an effort to improve productivity and optimise resource use, a simplified activity-on-arrow (AOA) approach is used in this paper to model and simulate real-world repetitive construction operations of high-rise buildings. The objective of the paper is to use simulation to find the optimum combination of construction resources to improve construction productivity and minimise operational cost. In order to achieve the goals of the study, a simulation model for typical floor finishes activities of a high-rise building project was developed. The model was validated through a predefined construction operation. Several model runs were then conducted using different resource combinations. The results were tabulated to arrive at the optimum combination that improves productivity and reduces the operational cost. In addition, the developed model was used to experiment with different resource alternatives and overtime options for one floor and for repetitive floors in order to arrive at the best resource alternatives that provide the optimum solution. The potential of using this approach for resource optimisation of large infrastructure networks is investigated, and possible future extensions to the present study are discussed.

Detailed design of building projects is a complex multidisciplinary process highly dependent upon effective aggregation of individual designs to produce a coherent set of final design documents. Throughout the detailed design process, changes are frequently introduced and need to be properly managed among the various members of the design team. This paper presents an information model for storing design information, recording design rationale, and managing design changes. The proposed model is built around a central library of generalized building components that can be used to describe a complete building project hierarchy. Each component allows the designer to store desired performance criteria and related design rationale. Each component is also sensitive to its own changes and automatically communicates such changes to affected parties through preset communication paths. The model, as such, provides improved design coordination and control over changes, thus helping to increase the consistency and productivity of the overall design process. Conceptual details of the model are described in this paper, and model implementation into a collaborative design system is presented in a companion paper.

The objective of this paper is to utilize recent advances in information technology and computer collaboration tools to improve coordination and increase productivity in the design of building projects. Based on a structured information model, presented in a companion paper, a collaborative design system is developed incorporating (1) a client-server environment for representing building data, recording design rationale, and effectively managing design changes; and (2) Internet-based collaboration tools for sharing documents, reviewing changes, and conferencing among remote design participants. Implementation issues and the perceived changes imposed on the traditional design process are discussed, and an example application is worked to demonstrate the applicability and features of the developed prototype. The developments made in this paper provide guidelines for modeling complex information-dependent processes in the construction domain.

In this paper, the work operations in an actual small-to-medium sized design office have been analyzed for the purpose of optimizing the use of resources and improving work productivity. Using simulation, a model of the office operations was developed, incorporating all design steps and their employed resources. Several simulation experiments were then conducted to determine the optimum number of resources with balanced workloads and to optimize the teamwork strategy on projects. Details of the model and the simulation experiments are described and the advantages of the model to the management of engineering organizations are discussed.

The layout of temporary facilities in a construction site deals with the selection of their most efficient layout in order to operate efficiently and cost effectively. The layout design seeks the best arrangement of facilities within the available area. In the design process of the layout, many objectives must be considered to effectively utilize people resources, equipment, space, and energy. This study proposes a soft-computing-based approach to improve the layout process of facilities. The main objective is on obtaining the closeness relationship values between each pair of facilities in a construction site. To achieve this, an integrated approach, using fuzzy set theory and genetic algorithms, is used to investigate the layout of temporary facilities in relation with the planned building(s) in a construction site. An example application is presented to illustrate the proposed approach and the results are then discussed along with recommendations for further work. Depending on the importance of relationships among the various facilities in the construction site, this study is expected to provide engineers with an appropriate tool to compare and evaluate different layouts and select the most appropriate and efficient one.

The design of medium- and large-sized projects is an iterative multi-disciplinary process often challenged by a tight budget and limited time. A quality design is highly dependent upon effective coordination among the diverse teams involved in the process. With the current fast pace of technological advances, design coordination becomes an essential element of success particularly within the prevailing market pressures on design firms to downsize, restructure operations, and work more productively and cost effectively. Despite its importance, however, coordination is neither simple nor error free, and has traditionally been applied through manual procedures that are slow and costly. As a step towards effective design coordination, this paper presents the results of a questionnaire survey conducted among 12 leading Canadian design firms. The survey elicited the manner by which expert designers prevent mistakes, detect mismatches, and effectively communicate design changes. Accordingly, solutions to some coordination-related problems have been presented and areas of potential improvement to the design process identified. A suggested coordination scheme has been presented and common interrelationships within the design development process have been explicated. Recommendations toward a more efficient design process have been presented.Key words: construction management, design coordination, quality design, value-engineering, constructability, computer applications, survey.

The layout of temporary facilities in a construction site deals with the selection of their most efficient layout in order to operate efficiently and cost effectively. The layout design seeks the best arrangement of facilities within the available area. In the design process of the layout, many objectives must be considered to effectively utilize people, equipment, space, and energy. This study proposes a soft computing based approach to improve the layout process of facilities. The main objective is on obtaining the closeness relationship values between each pair of facilities in a construction site. To achieve this, an integrated approach, using the fuzzy set theory and genetic algorithms, is used to investigate the layout of temporary facilities in relation with the planned building(s) in a construction site. An example application is presented to illustrate the proposed approach and the results are then discussed. Depending on the importance of relationships among the various facilities in the construction site, this study is expected to provide engineers with an appropriate tool to compare and evaluate different layouts and select the most appropriate one.

The design of construction projects is an iterative multi-disciplinary process often challenged by tight budgets and limited time. These challenges, coupled with the prevailing market pressures, have forced many design firms to downsize and re-engineer their operations in a way that improves productivity and cost effectiveness. Re-engineering, however, is not a simple task and requires thorough analysis of process-level operations, resource use, and productivity. Several simulation tools have been used in construction to facilitate the process analysis, yet with limited success due to their complexity and the difficulties associated with generating a simulation model. In an effort to simplify the modeling process, this paper presents a new approach for modeling and simulation. The main advantage of this approach is its simple flowchartbased modeling and powerful simulation capabilities. A model of the work operation in a typical design office is developed to quantify teamwork benefits to design offices and examine various re-engineering strategies. The developed model serves as a template for analyzing the design process in small to medium-size design firms and can also be used to compare between traditional and innovative office procedures. The advantages of this model are discussed and potential extensions outlined.

With the advances of the technology at the last decade, it becomes an essential for teachers to utilize recent advances in technology to enhance learning. Currently, educators are using different software and blended approaches to facilitate better class environments and make course material available to students anytime anywhere. This paper presents the diverse learning technologies used by the Faculty of Engineering at the United Arab Emirates University for teaching pre-engineering freshman students using Blackboard and classroom new technologies. Multiple approaches are adopted and presented in this paper to boost studentsâ?? learning and make course material readily available for all students. These e-learning techniques were used to enhance the teaching of different courses at the foundation level of the faculty of engineering, basically Engineering Materials, Differential Equations and Engineering Applications and eventually Engineering Thermodynamic. Feedback acquired through the students, the result of utilizing the e-learning techniques showed interesting experience and improved students learning abilities.

Design and construction are the most important stages in a project's life cycle and have the greatest impact on overall performance and cost. Despite the importance of coordination between design and construction, current practice exhibits severe information-transfer problems. Since corrections to designs at late stages are extremely costly, it is more efficient to spend effort on producing highly coordinated and easily constructible designs. To support this objective, this paper presents a real-time dynamic system for representing design information, including the design rationale and history of changes, to improve the constructability of building projects. The use of the system for collaboration is discussed and a case study for a real-world international project is presented to demonstrate its usefulness in improving constructability. This study is expected to help engineering and construction firms produce better-coordinated and more constructible designs with less cost and time.