Sample Courses and Program Information
- Systems Life-Cycle Cost Analysis: Estimated cost of developing, producing, deploying, maintaining, operating and disposing of a system over its life-cycle (from cradle to grave). Covers the life-cycle phases of an asset, project, or product from the acquisition to end-of-life. Methods and tools available for the selection and comparison of project alternatives that fulfill the same performance requirements but differ with respect to initial costs and operating costs, in order to select the one that maximizes net savings.
- Durability of Materials: Durability features, methods and estimation techniques for the assessment of deterioration mechanisms of building materials, including concrete, steel, wood, asphalt, masonry and Fiber-Reinforced-Polymer (FRP) composites. The course focuses on tools and methodologies to effectively estimate materials service life and life-cycle implications. Materials diagnosis and remediation measures are investigated.
Regulations, standards, specifications, guidelines, and design codes currently available and in development are also discussed. - Project Management for Life-Cycle Facilities Management: Students will be introduced to the efficient planning and controlling of projects. Best practices of life-cycle project management, techniques of work planning, control and evaluation to achieve project goals are investigated. Course will intensively focus on resource allocation, and performance tracking tools that allow project managers to maximize productivity and profits, by reducing waste and minimize expenditures.
- Sustainable Building Design: Drivers and foundations of sustainable building design. Integrated planning and design, life-cycle view of projects, resource selection and optimization, protection of the natural environment, toxics and pollutants elimination, durability and quality of the construct. Fundamentals and drivers of green building policies, along with current code regulations and impacts. Evaluation of the environmental impacts of structures and infrastructures operations. Innovative design, green construction practices, and their economic feasibility. Case studies will be investigated, and a course project package is included in the course.
- Life-Cycle Assessment of Building Materials: Environmental sustainability metrics and tools to qualitatively and qualitatively assess the environmental credentials accumulated during any project and/or product life-cycle. This course enables students to develop a full understanding of the frameworks, principles, techniques, and applications of life-cycle assessment (LCA). A course project package is included in the course in order to expose students to apply the knowledge acquired from theory through the use of professional software and databases that address social and environmental impacts.