The full title of this project is "Developing a Curriculum Incorporating the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge and Sustainable Design through an Active Urban Laboratory". In this planning grant a concept to reform the civil engineering curriculum using an active urban laboratory is being explored on a pilot scale. The construction of a residence hall building on campus provides the setting for the active urban laboratory concept.
A systems approach is adopted, whereby the students are required to study all aspects of design of an actual structure under construction, including sustainability and life cycle assessment.
The grant provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) have made it possible to continuously monitor the construction of the residence hall. Activities at various stages of the construction work can be monitored and the images recorded and retrieved for use in various courses of the civil engineering curriculum.
Live images from two construction cameras can be accessed through this link (a new window will open).
The project is funded by the Division of Engineering Education of the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Department Level Reform (DLR), grant number EEC-0530606, Principal Investigator: Dr. Moujalli Hourani, Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Anirban De.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Moujalli Hourani
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Anirban De