Browsing by Author "Abu-Khader, Waleed"
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Item Construction progress monitoring of masonry walls using BIM-computer vision models interaction(University of Delaware, 2022) Abu-Khader, WaleedThe construction industry is expanding since it significantly contributes to the economy. At the same time, the skilled labor shortage in the United States makes it challenging to manage the high demands of the construction process. According to the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) construction industry creates nearly $1.4 trillion worth of structures each year; therefore, to accompany the enormous budget, the shortage of skilled labor, and the limited construction durations, it is proposed to provide an automated method in the construction process that mainly utilizes Mask R-CNN models in detecting the activity of masonry walls construction. ☐ Quantitative analysis and conclusive research methodology were performed to train, test, and evaluate the developed computer vision models (i.e., YOLOv4, YOLOv4-Tiny, and Mask R-CNN) using Google Colab Pro. The models were trained and tested on forty masonry walls with more than two thousand bricks annotated that differ in pattern and location, in addition to physical and environmental conditions. The bricks’ masks were combined in a 3D matrix and converted to the surface area representing the masonry wall progress ratio. The monitoring progress percentage is translated to the Building Information Modeling (BIM) through Dynamo. Experimented data were used to validate the performance of the adopted Mask R-CNN model in different scenarios using JMP Pro 16. A structural equation model (SEM) was proposed to show the causal relationship between the variables. ☐ The developed computer vision models had a maximum accuracy of 84%, recall of 95%, mean average precision of 96%, intersection over union of 72%, and errors of 11% in detecting bricks in masonry walls. The SEM had a root mean square error of approximation of 0.1134 and a comparative fix index of 0.9674. Three hypotheses were developed and tested; the results showed that the only significant relationship on the estimated area through the Mask R-CNN model was the actual area of the wall. An IDEF0 was proposed to demonstrate the concept of construction progress monitoring using up-to-date inspection technologies. The IDEF0 process was developed to show the flow of stages during construction progress monitoring. ☐ The research integrates Dynamo with the Mask R-CNN model to detect and reflect BIM 3D models' progress by summating generated masks’ matrices. It shows the interaction of BIM and drones in masonry wall progress monitoring, data collection, and the possibility of detecting brick elements using their location when following the IDEF0 process.Item A framework to evaluate sustainable construction principles in government building projects: the case of Jordan(Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 2022-05-20) Ayoub, Heba; Sweis, Ghaleb; Abu-Khader, Waleed; Sweis, RatebPurpose: This study aimed to provide a framework that includes the principles of sustainable construction to evaluate their application in the construction of government building projects in various environmental, economic, and social aspects distributed over the project phases throughout its life cycle. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative methods from literature review and analysis of sustainability assessment tools were used to design the framework. The designed framework included six main categories, comprising 19 indicators that include sustainable building principles to assess application levels in government construction projects. It was used to evaluate applying sustainability practices in Jordanian government construction projects. 133 questionnaires were distributed to a convenience sample of three government institutions concerned with the design, implementation, and management of government buildings in Jordan. Findings: After collecting the quantitative data, the results showed that there is an application of six sustainability principles during the initial planning, analysis, and design stages of Jordanian government construction projects. The results focused on the application levels in social sustainability principles versus environmental and economical, especially in the operating stages during the project life cycle. Originality/value: This study contributes by providing a tool to evaluate the sustainability of government construction projects and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of these types of buildings in both the short and long term by making them more sustainable. Subsequently, recommendations are made on reorienting government construction projects toward a sustainable building approach.