AE 473Building Construction Management and Control

3 credits · Architectural Engineering · Penn State

In Building Construction Management and Control ( AE 473 ), students will learn how to perform detailed construction planning, identify potential problems during construction, and manage changes throughout a construction project. Students gain an understanding of the role of the general contractor/construction manager in analyzing the construction aspects of a building project and designing the construction engineering and management systems to effectively execute the project. Additional course topics include the key decisions that construction executives make when managing a construction company and identifying potential projects to pursue; the management of changes which occur throughout a project and ethical standards for a professional engineer and their impact on decisions within the construction industry. By the end of the course, students will be able to: explain key decisions that construction executives make when managing a construction company; perform detailed planning for a construction project; implement a construction plan and monitor the progress of a project including cost, schedule, quality, and safety performance; manage changes which occur throughout the project and how to negotiate contract changes; follow ethical standards for a construction professional and explain how ethics impacts decisions within the construction industry. The course is taught via a combination of teaching methods that rely on problem-based learning through both in- and out-of-class activities; lectures by faculty and industry experts; project case studies; student presentations; and team and individual assignments.