Ahmed Khalafallah | Penn State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Ahmed Khalafallah

Applied Sciences

Over the past few years there has been a significant change in fire safety design and management.... more Over the past few years there has been a significant change in fire safety design and management. As the possibility of safe escape is the most crucial aspect of a building’s fire safety features, the understanding of human behaviour under fire conditions is important for a successful evacuation. Previous research studies have developed models, prototypes, and serious games that help engineers/architects to design or firefighters to improve design so that the building facilitates a smooth evacuation process. Although these studies have looked into human behaviour, perceptions of important stakeholders (such as occupants, structural engineers, fire engineers, facility managers) are still not understood. These perceptions are important for the appropriate application of technology for evacuation. The broader research effort, of which this paper is part, stems from the premise that bespoke evacuation instructions can be sent directly to evacuees’ smartphones. Information from a BIM mod...

Journal of Engineering Research

ABSTRACT: The impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on construction project management are not documented ... more ABSTRACT: The impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on construction project management are not documented and not well understood, which leaves project stakeholders with no guiding information to respond to such threats and no lessons learned to speed up the recovery of the industry in the wake of the pandemic. Although researchers have studied the impacts of pandemics in other industries in various settings, there is little-to-no research specific to the construction industry and especially in the Middle East region. To address this knowledge gap, 202 construction professionals in the Middle East region were surveyed using a questionnaire survey to provide their perceptions of COVID-19 pandemic impact on project finance, construction materials and equipment, labor, contracts, and rental properties. Statistical analysis of the collected data reveals that labor and contracts are the principal classes impacted due to the complex procedures of hiring labor from East Asia, the tightening of heal...

Construction Research Congress 2018, 2018

Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 2019

AbstractIn building construction, contractors are typically selected through competitive bidding ... more AbstractIn building construction, contractors are typically selected through competitive bidding or negotiated contracting, in which the project price is the major selection criterion. A contractor...

Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 2017

AbstractUnit-price contracts are awarded based on estimated quantities while payment to the contr... more AbstractUnit-price contracts are awarded based on estimated quantities while payment to the contractor is based on actual quantities of work. In many cases, estimated and actual quantities never pe...

Construction Research Congress 2018, 2018

Capital investment in highway infrastructure is critical to economic growth and prosperity. The i... more Capital investment in highway infrastructure is critical to economic growth and prosperity. The inspection and timely maintenance of such assets are crucial preventative measures against their failure. However, the need to sustain such infrastructure in acceptable working conditions is continuously challenged by the rise of road repair costs, political pressures to reduce public spending, and budget deficits. This research investigates the utilization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in assessing highway maintenance needs while reducing labor-intensive inspection. Specifically, the main objectives of this research are to: (1) explore the capacity of UAVs to collect data for roadway maintenance assessment; (2) investigate the reliability of automating pavement distress recognition using object recognition software; and (3) evaluate the viability of assessing highway maintenance needs using UAVs as compared to the traditional technique. Field experiments on collecting data using UAVs in the State of Kuwait are presented to illustrate the fulfillment of the above objectives. The results of this study should prove useful to infrastructure asset managers and departments of transportation, and could accelerate maintenance data collection, eliminate human error, and improve the reliability of maintenance assessment.

World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Civil, Environmental, Structural, Construction and Architectural Engineering, 2016

Electimize is a new evolutionary algorithm (EA) algorithm that was introduced to overcome some li... more Electimize is a new evolutionary algorithm (EA) algorithm that was introduced to overcome some limitations of existing evolutionary algorithms. Electimize simulates the phenomenon of the electrical current conductivity through the representation of solution strings as wires in closed electric circuits. Unlike some EAs, Electimize has the ability to assess the quality of each value in the solution string independently. The assessment of values in potential solution is based on Ohm’s law and Kirchhoff’s rule. One of the primary objectives of developing Electimize is to devise additional capabilities that would enable the algorithm to solve a wide range of discrete optimization problems. Specifically, this paper aims to: 1) assess the capabilities of the algorithm in solving a challenging class of discrete optimization problems, namely, NP-complete optimization problems, 2) compare the performance of Electimize to other EAs that were used to solve this class of problems. For this purpo...

The Florida Department of Transportation utilizes two verification testing models in Contractor Q... more The Florida Department of Transportation utilizes two verification testing models in Contractor Quality Control (CQC) system; the Material and non-Material Models. The basic difference between the two models is that, under the Material Model, the verification testing of CQC is outsourced and conducted by external material consultants/verification technicians. The main objectives of this study are to (1) collect available data about the Material and non-Material Models; (2) analyze the quality performance of both models; (3) perform a risk analysis study on the non-detection of failing materials; and (4) conduct a cost analysis study to compare the overall costs involved in both models. The analysis shows that the application of the Material Model system results in the same level of quality associated with the non-Material Model. The two models also appeared to have comparable levels of low risk. Although the cost analysis shows there are some cost savings if the Material Model is to be used, the cost comparison is not conclusive due to the unavailability of detailed cost breakdown data for the districts representing the non-Material Model.

The Florida Department of Transportation utilizes two verification testing models in Contractor Q... more The Florida Department of Transportation utilizes two verification testing models in Contractor Quality Control (CQC) system; the Material and non-Material Models. The basic difference between the two models is that, under the Material Model, the verification testing of CQC is outsourced and conducted by external material consultants/verification technicians. The main objectives of this study are to (1) collect available data about the Material and non-Material Models; (2) analyze the quality performance of both models; (3) perform a risk analysis study on the non-detection of failing materials; and (4) conduct a cost analysis study to compare the overall costs involved in both models. The analysis shows that the application of the Material Model system results in the same level of quality associated with the non-Material Model. The two models also appeared to have comparable levels of low risk. Although the cost analysis shows there are some cost savings if the Material Model is to...

Question: How can project owners employ the expected impacts of project delivery systems to selec... more Question: How can project owners employ the expected impacts of project delivery systems to select between traditional and lean-oriented systems for healthcare projects? Purpose: The ultimate purposes of this paper are to: (1) understand the characteristics of traditional and lean-oriented project delivery systems used in healthcare projects; (2) identify the key factors that influence the selection of delivery systems for healthcare projects; (3) understand the impacts of delivery system selection on the project performance; and (4) present a logical process that can be used as a basis for selecting project delivery systems for healthcare projects. Research Method: The research methods include data gathering, along with using structured surveys to healthcare project stakeholders and semi-structured interviews with a randomly selected group of senior experts. Findings: This paper establishes a novel strategy for project delivery system selection for healthcare projects that takes in...

This paper describes how the process of evaluating road conditions in order to assess road mainte... more This paper describes how the process of evaluating road conditions in order to assess road maintenance needs is one of the significant problems that face road asset maintenance managers. This problem stems from the utilization of relatively outdated Maintenance Rating Systems (MRS). With the continuous advancement in road development and introduction of new road technologies, periodic examination of MRSs becomes a necessary task to guarantee quick, accurate, reliable, and realistic assessment of road conditions and maintenance needs. The paper presents the results of a study aimed at analyzing and enhancing the Florida Maintenance Rating Program. The study is composed of two main modules: (1) Determining the elements and features to be examined and their relative significance (weights) in meeting the maintenance objectives; and (2) Devising a mechanism for computing an overall rating of the road facility. A survey questionnaire was conducted to solicit input from 40 US experts in th...

Despite the evident benefits of building information modeling (BIM) to the construction industry,... more Despite the evident benefits of building information modeling (BIM) to the construction industry, it faces significant implementation challenges in the State of Kuwait. This study investigates the awareness of construction stakeholders of BIM implementation challenges, and identifies various solutions to overcome these challenges. Specifically, the main objectives of this study are to: (1) characterize the barriers that deter utilization of BIM, (2) examine the awareness of engineers, architects, and construction stakeholders of these barriers, and (3) identify practical solutions to facilitate BIM utilization. A questionnaire survey was designed to collect data on the aforementioned objectives from local companies and senior BIM experts. It was found that engineers are highly aware of BIM implementation barriers. In addition, it was concluded from the questionnaire that the biggest barrier is the lack of BIM training. Based on expert feedback, the study concluded with a number of r...

The Maintenance Rating Program (MRP), developed in 1985 by the Florida Department of Transportati... more The Maintenance Rating Program (MRP), developed in 1985 by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), is a statewide maintenance system aimed at evaluating the State highway maintenance conditions, and determining FDOT asset maintenance needs. In the quest for continuous improvement and in response to concerns of previous studies, this study evaluates the use of MRP as a measure for Florida highways and roads maintenance needs. The study develops and documents a method used for assigning weights to the maintenance elements and characteristics. The study examines the statistical and the computational aspects currently used in MRP. The findings of this study include: (1) the system is based on relatively old technology (mainframe computer), hence it is rigid in its abilities to be used by the State as well as the FDOT districts; (2) the system is limited in its ability to accommodate new road elements, features/characteristics, modifications to the weights, or changes in the rat...

Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering

Journal of Construction Engineering and Management

Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering

Construction Research Congress 2018: Construction Project Management, 2018

Capital investment in highway infrastructure is critical to economic growth and prosperity. The i... more Capital investment in highway infrastructure is critical to economic growth and prosperity. The inspection and timely maintenance of such assets are crucial preventative measures against their failure. However, the need to sustain such infrastructure in acceptable working conditions is continuously challenged by the rise of road repair costs, political pressures to reduce public spending, and budget deficits. This research investigates the utilization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in assessing highway maintenance needs while reducing labor-intensive inspection. Specifically, the main objectives of this research are to: (1) explore the capacity of UAVs to collect data for roadway maintenance assessment; (2) investigate the reliability of automating pavement distress recognition using object recognition software; and (3) evaluate the viability of assessing highway maintenance needs using UAVs as compared to the traditional technique. Field experiments on collecting data using UAVs in the State of Kuwait are presented to illustrate the fulfillment of the above objectives. The results of this study should prove useful to infrastructure asset managers and departments of transportation, and could accelerate maintenance data collection, eliminate human error, and improve the reliability of maintenance assessment.

Construction Research Congress 2018: Construction Project Management, 2018

Despite the benefits of change orders in allowing owners the exceptional flexibility to mitigate ... more Despite the benefits of change orders in allowing owners the exceptional flexibility to mitigate construction problems and respond quickly to capitalize upon opportunities, they have recently become the rule and a major dispute in many construction projects in the Middle East. This study focuses on the State of Kuwait as a case study for this phenomenon, where investigations indicate that around 70% of the projects in Kuwait suffer from cost variations. Specifically, the main objectives of this study are to: (1) identify the causes of change orders in public projects; (2) characterize the impact of such change orders on project cost and duration; and (3) recommend practical solutions to minimize the negative impacts of change orders. Data is collected from 38 projects maintained by government agencies and analyzed to highlight common problems and patterns that lead to change orders. The most impacting factors are identified in order to facilitate further investigation of their effects and propose strategies to address these effects. The study also provides recommendations for government agencies to eliminate the causes of change orders or at least minimize their negative impact on projects. This should prove useful to other countries experiencing similar change order trends as it presents a systematic replicable approach to identify the cause and effect of change orders.

Applied Sciences

Over the past few years there has been a significant change in fire safety design and management.... more Over the past few years there has been a significant change in fire safety design and management. As the possibility of safe escape is the most crucial aspect of a building’s fire safety features, the understanding of human behaviour under fire conditions is important for a successful evacuation. Previous research studies have developed models, prototypes, and serious games that help engineers/architects to design or firefighters to improve design so that the building facilitates a smooth evacuation process. Although these studies have looked into human behaviour, perceptions of important stakeholders (such as occupants, structural engineers, fire engineers, facility managers) are still not understood. These perceptions are important for the appropriate application of technology for evacuation. The broader research effort, of which this paper is part, stems from the premise that bespoke evacuation instructions can be sent directly to evacuees’ smartphones. Information from a BIM mod...

Journal of Engineering Research

ABSTRACT: The impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on construction project management are not documented ... more ABSTRACT: The impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on construction project management are not documented and not well understood, which leaves project stakeholders with no guiding information to respond to such threats and no lessons learned to speed up the recovery of the industry in the wake of the pandemic. Although researchers have studied the impacts of pandemics in other industries in various settings, there is little-to-no research specific to the construction industry and especially in the Middle East region. To address this knowledge gap, 202 construction professionals in the Middle East region were surveyed using a questionnaire survey to provide their perceptions of COVID-19 pandemic impact on project finance, construction materials and equipment, labor, contracts, and rental properties. Statistical analysis of the collected data reveals that labor and contracts are the principal classes impacted due to the complex procedures of hiring labor from East Asia, the tightening of heal...

Construction Research Congress 2018, 2018

Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 2019

AbstractIn building construction, contractors are typically selected through competitive bidding ... more AbstractIn building construction, contractors are typically selected through competitive bidding or negotiated contracting, in which the project price is the major selection criterion. A contractor...

Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 2017

AbstractUnit-price contracts are awarded based on estimated quantities while payment to the contr... more AbstractUnit-price contracts are awarded based on estimated quantities while payment to the contractor is based on actual quantities of work. In many cases, estimated and actual quantities never pe...

Construction Research Congress 2018, 2018

Capital investment in highway infrastructure is critical to economic growth and prosperity. The i... more Capital investment in highway infrastructure is critical to economic growth and prosperity. The inspection and timely maintenance of such assets are crucial preventative measures against their failure. However, the need to sustain such infrastructure in acceptable working conditions is continuously challenged by the rise of road repair costs, political pressures to reduce public spending, and budget deficits. This research investigates the utilization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in assessing highway maintenance needs while reducing labor-intensive inspection. Specifically, the main objectives of this research are to: (1) explore the capacity of UAVs to collect data for roadway maintenance assessment; (2) investigate the reliability of automating pavement distress recognition using object recognition software; and (3) evaluate the viability of assessing highway maintenance needs using UAVs as compared to the traditional technique. Field experiments on collecting data using UAVs in the State of Kuwait are presented to illustrate the fulfillment of the above objectives. The results of this study should prove useful to infrastructure asset managers and departments of transportation, and could accelerate maintenance data collection, eliminate human error, and improve the reliability of maintenance assessment.

World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Civil, Environmental, Structural, Construction and Architectural Engineering, 2016

Electimize is a new evolutionary algorithm (EA) algorithm that was introduced to overcome some li... more Electimize is a new evolutionary algorithm (EA) algorithm that was introduced to overcome some limitations of existing evolutionary algorithms. Electimize simulates the phenomenon of the electrical current conductivity through the representation of solution strings as wires in closed electric circuits. Unlike some EAs, Electimize has the ability to assess the quality of each value in the solution string independently. The assessment of values in potential solution is based on Ohm’s law and Kirchhoff’s rule. One of the primary objectives of developing Electimize is to devise additional capabilities that would enable the algorithm to solve a wide range of discrete optimization problems. Specifically, this paper aims to: 1) assess the capabilities of the algorithm in solving a challenging class of discrete optimization problems, namely, NP-complete optimization problems, 2) compare the performance of Electimize to other EAs that were used to solve this class of problems. For this purpo...

The Florida Department of Transportation utilizes two verification testing models in Contractor Q... more The Florida Department of Transportation utilizes two verification testing models in Contractor Quality Control (CQC) system; the Material and non-Material Models. The basic difference between the two models is that, under the Material Model, the verification testing of CQC is outsourced and conducted by external material consultants/verification technicians. The main objectives of this study are to (1) collect available data about the Material and non-Material Models; (2) analyze the quality performance of both models; (3) perform a risk analysis study on the non-detection of failing materials; and (4) conduct a cost analysis study to compare the overall costs involved in both models. The analysis shows that the application of the Material Model system results in the same level of quality associated with the non-Material Model. The two models also appeared to have comparable levels of low risk. Although the cost analysis shows there are some cost savings if the Material Model is to be used, the cost comparison is not conclusive due to the unavailability of detailed cost breakdown data for the districts representing the non-Material Model.

The Florida Department of Transportation utilizes two verification testing models in Contractor Q... more The Florida Department of Transportation utilizes two verification testing models in Contractor Quality Control (CQC) system; the Material and non-Material Models. The basic difference between the two models is that, under the Material Model, the verification testing of CQC is outsourced and conducted by external material consultants/verification technicians. The main objectives of this study are to (1) collect available data about the Material and non-Material Models; (2) analyze the quality performance of both models; (3) perform a risk analysis study on the non-detection of failing materials; and (4) conduct a cost analysis study to compare the overall costs involved in both models. The analysis shows that the application of the Material Model system results in the same level of quality associated with the non-Material Model. The two models also appeared to have comparable levels of low risk. Although the cost analysis shows there are some cost savings if the Material Model is to...

Question: How can project owners employ the expected impacts of project delivery systems to selec... more Question: How can project owners employ the expected impacts of project delivery systems to select between traditional and lean-oriented systems for healthcare projects? Purpose: The ultimate purposes of this paper are to: (1) understand the characteristics of traditional and lean-oriented project delivery systems used in healthcare projects; (2) identify the key factors that influence the selection of delivery systems for healthcare projects; (3) understand the impacts of delivery system selection on the project performance; and (4) present a logical process that can be used as a basis for selecting project delivery systems for healthcare projects. Research Method: The research methods include data gathering, along with using structured surveys to healthcare project stakeholders and semi-structured interviews with a randomly selected group of senior experts. Findings: This paper establishes a novel strategy for project delivery system selection for healthcare projects that takes in...

This paper describes how the process of evaluating road conditions in order to assess road mainte... more This paper describes how the process of evaluating road conditions in order to assess road maintenance needs is one of the significant problems that face road asset maintenance managers. This problem stems from the utilization of relatively outdated Maintenance Rating Systems (MRS). With the continuous advancement in road development and introduction of new road technologies, periodic examination of MRSs becomes a necessary task to guarantee quick, accurate, reliable, and realistic assessment of road conditions and maintenance needs. The paper presents the results of a study aimed at analyzing and enhancing the Florida Maintenance Rating Program. The study is composed of two main modules: (1) Determining the elements and features to be examined and their relative significance (weights) in meeting the maintenance objectives; and (2) Devising a mechanism for computing an overall rating of the road facility. A survey questionnaire was conducted to solicit input from 40 US experts in th...

Despite the evident benefits of building information modeling (BIM) to the construction industry,... more Despite the evident benefits of building information modeling (BIM) to the construction industry, it faces significant implementation challenges in the State of Kuwait. This study investigates the awareness of construction stakeholders of BIM implementation challenges, and identifies various solutions to overcome these challenges. Specifically, the main objectives of this study are to: (1) characterize the barriers that deter utilization of BIM, (2) examine the awareness of engineers, architects, and construction stakeholders of these barriers, and (3) identify practical solutions to facilitate BIM utilization. A questionnaire survey was designed to collect data on the aforementioned objectives from local companies and senior BIM experts. It was found that engineers are highly aware of BIM implementation barriers. In addition, it was concluded from the questionnaire that the biggest barrier is the lack of BIM training. Based on expert feedback, the study concluded with a number of r...

The Maintenance Rating Program (MRP), developed in 1985 by the Florida Department of Transportati... more The Maintenance Rating Program (MRP), developed in 1985 by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), is a statewide maintenance system aimed at evaluating the State highway maintenance conditions, and determining FDOT asset maintenance needs. In the quest for continuous improvement and in response to concerns of previous studies, this study evaluates the use of MRP as a measure for Florida highways and roads maintenance needs. The study develops and documents a method used for assigning weights to the maintenance elements and characteristics. The study examines the statistical and the computational aspects currently used in MRP. The findings of this study include: (1) the system is based on relatively old technology (mainframe computer), hence it is rigid in its abilities to be used by the State as well as the FDOT districts; (2) the system is limited in its ability to accommodate new road elements, features/characteristics, modifications to the weights, or changes in the rat...

Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering

Journal of Construction Engineering and Management

Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering

Construction Research Congress 2018: Construction Project Management, 2018

Capital investment in highway infrastructure is critical to economic growth and prosperity. The i... more Capital investment in highway infrastructure is critical to economic growth and prosperity. The inspection and timely maintenance of such assets are crucial preventative measures against their failure. However, the need to sustain such infrastructure in acceptable working conditions is continuously challenged by the rise of road repair costs, political pressures to reduce public spending, and budget deficits. This research investigates the utilization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in assessing highway maintenance needs while reducing labor-intensive inspection. Specifically, the main objectives of this research are to: (1) explore the capacity of UAVs to collect data for roadway maintenance assessment; (2) investigate the reliability of automating pavement distress recognition using object recognition software; and (3) evaluate the viability of assessing highway maintenance needs using UAVs as compared to the traditional technique. Field experiments on collecting data using UAVs in the State of Kuwait are presented to illustrate the fulfillment of the above objectives. The results of this study should prove useful to infrastructure asset managers and departments of transportation, and could accelerate maintenance data collection, eliminate human error, and improve the reliability of maintenance assessment.

Construction Research Congress 2018: Construction Project Management, 2018

Despite the benefits of change orders in allowing owners the exceptional flexibility to mitigate ... more Despite the benefits of change orders in allowing owners the exceptional flexibility to mitigate construction problems and respond quickly to capitalize upon opportunities, they have recently become the rule and a major dispute in many construction projects in the Middle East. This study focuses on the State of Kuwait as a case study for this phenomenon, where investigations indicate that around 70% of the projects in Kuwait suffer from cost variations. Specifically, the main objectives of this study are to: (1) identify the causes of change orders in public projects; (2) characterize the impact of such change orders on project cost and duration; and (3) recommend practical solutions to minimize the negative impacts of change orders. Data is collected from 38 projects maintained by government agencies and analyzed to highlight common problems and patterns that lead to change orders. The most impacting factors are identified in order to facilitate further investigation of their effects and propose strategies to address these effects. The study also provides recommendations for government agencies to eliminate the causes of change orders or at least minimize their negative impact on projects. This should prove useful to other countries experiencing similar change order trends as it presents a systematic replicable approach to identify the cause and effect of change orders.