Session 3: Automation in Design and Construction
Automation in Design and Construction | Chaired by Dr. Kereshmeh Afsari
Kereshmeh Afsari is an Assistant Professor in the Myers-Lawson School of Construction (MLSoC) at Virginia Tech. Dr. Afsari holds a Ph.D. degree in Architecture (Design Computation) from Georgia Institute of Technology, an MSc in Digital Architectural Design from Salford University, UK and a joint BS/MS in Architectural Engineering from IUST, Iran. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Dr. Afsari worked as an Assistant Professor in the School of Construction Management Technology with joint appointment in the Department of Computer Graphics Technology at Purdue University.
Dr. Afsari has over six years of experience in design and construction management in medium to large-scale projects including healthcare, commercial, residential, and industrial buildings as well as technology development for the Architecture-Engineering-Construction (AEC) industry.
Her research, at the intersection of computational science and building design and construction, focuses on emerging technologies.
Dr. Afsari is the founder and managing director of the ARCADE (Automation and Robotics in Construction and Design Engineering) research lab in the MLSoC. The ARCADE lab’s mission is to advance research and development in the next generation of the built environment technologies.
Michael Carrancho
Using BIM to inform prefabrication; use of robotic pre-manufactured wall assemblies
Michael Carrancho has over 25 years of design and construction experience in the U.S. and internationally. As a Deputy Director in the Office of Planning Design and Construction his focus is on Engineering & Design. Responsible for: design management of all the Smithsonian’s capital and large maintenance projects, publishing SI Facility Design Standards, is the senior building code official, and final signatory on all construction documents for the institution.
2003-2010 Mr. Carrancho served as the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Europe Africa and Southwest Asia, Business Manager and Chief Engineer in Naples, Italy. Supporting over 1300 personnel and responsible for providing: Design and Construction services, Planning & Real Estate Acquisition, Environmental Services, and Public Works for an area spanning from the Azores to Bahrain.
Mr. Carrancho has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Merrimack College, North Andover, MA, and holds a Professional Civil Engineer license from the State of California since 1995. He is also a LEED Green Associate.
Dr. Masoud Gheisari
Human-Drone Interaction and Future of Construction Work
Dr. Masoud Gheisari is an Assistant Professor in the Rinker School of Construction Management at the University of Florida. He is leading the Human-Centered Technology in Construction (HCTC) research group. His research focuses on the theoretical and experimental investigation of human-computer/robot systems in construction. To date, he has authored more than 75 peer-reviewed papers in the fields of Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) and Human-Drone Interaction in construction. He earned his Ph.D. in Building Construction (2013) from Georgia Institute of Technology. His work has received support worth over $1.3m grants from external funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Labor, Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), and ELECTRI International. Dr. Gheisari is the recipient of Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) International Outstanding Researcher Award (2021), ENR Southeast’s Top Young Professional (2020), UF DCP Undergraduate Faculty Teaching Award (2019), BCN Nancy Perry Teaching Award (2019), Russell J. Alessi ELECTRI International Early Career Award (2018), UF DCP Faculty Research Award (2018), ASC Southeast’s Excellence in Teaching Award (2018), and ASCE ExCEEd Fellowship (2015). He also serves as an Associate Editor for ASCE’s Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering..
Dr. Mani Golparvar-Fard
Computer Vision meets IFC-driven 4D BIM for Automated Construction Progress Monitoring
Dr. Golparvar is Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology Entrepreneurship at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His work in the area of computer vision, machine learning, and BIM has been the recipient of many awards including 2018 Walter Huber Research Prize from American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 2017 National Top 20 Under 40 from ENR; 2016 Dan Halpin Award for Scholarship in Construction and 2013 James Croes Medal for innovation in Civil Engineering from ASCE; 2013 and 2010 CETI awards from FIATECH; and numerous best journal and conference paper awards. Dr. Mani Golparvar is also the CTO and Co-founder of Reconstruct, a Software-as-a-Service company that integrates reality modeling, building information modeling (BIM) and project scheduling to visually track progress, analyze productivity, and proactively detect potential delays using predictive analytics; in turn empowering construction companies to keep their projects on schedule and on budget. Reconstruct has also been recognized by several industrial awards such as Crunchbase’s 50 hot tech companies globally in 2019, 2016 World Economic Forum most innovative startup company and 2016 Innovation Award from Turner Construction.
Luke Faulkner
Chuck Eastman's Enduring Legacy on Structural Steel
Luke Faulkner is Director of Technology Integration at the American Institute of Steel Construction, where he oversees a variety of initiatives primarily aimed at introducing technology into the structural Steel supply chain. Prior to AISC he was in the MEP industry, which is where he began his journey with technology in the AEC world. Luke graduated from Purdue with a bachelor's degree in Building Construction Technology.