{"id":10092,"date":"2022-01-31T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-31T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/?p=10092"},"modified":"2022-06-22T14:40:43","modified_gmt":"2022-06-22T19:40:43","slug":"jobsite-versus-hurricanes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2022\/01\/31\/jobsite-versus-hurricanes\/","title":{"rendered":"How automation can protect construction jobsites from hurricane damage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The widespread unease that accompanies the menacing churn of an approaching hurricane is shared by construction managers, whose projects are exposed to a storm\u2019s fury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of damage can happen fast to a jobsite in a hurricane\u2019s path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCranes and other heavy equipment are vulnerable to high winds or flying debris,\u201d said Youngjib Ham, Texas A&M assistant professor of construction science. \u201cLoose materials, jobsite machinery, and equipment can become projectiles that wreak havoc on the site, machinery and surrounding areas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ham is addressing this issue by developing a groundbreaking, automated risk assessment system as an alternative to the industry\u2019s current practice of time- consuming, labor-intensive manual inspections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His project, funded by a $50,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, could help prevent some hurricane- related jobsite losses, which can easily run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are, unfortunately, plenty of examples of catastrophic, hurricane-related jobsite losses. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused $275 million in damages at a New Orleans convention center jobsite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused more than $185 million in damage to New York\u2019s World Trade Center construction project and nearby areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSandy\u2019s winds blew debris off the jobsite, damaging neighboring transportation systems and buildings, triggering serious economic losses in the city,\u201d said Ham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2005, Hurricane Wilma\u2019s destructive path included $4.2 million in damage to a construction project at the Miami International Airport\u2019s South Terminal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Losses like these could get worse as climate change is expected to deliver more frequent, more intense hurricanes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe potential exists for increased hurricane-related jobsite losses due to climate change, and because a large portion of construction projects are in urban areas,\u201d said Ham, noting that two-thirds of the world\u2019s population is expected to live in these areas by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ham\u2019s automated, risk assessment system that he calls \u201cscene understanding technology\u201d is intended to help construction site managers quickly identify the elements of a site that are particularly vulnerable to hurricane damage so that action can be taken to minimize losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ham
Construction sites are especially vulnerable to a hurricane\u2019s fury.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ham\u2019s application starts with drone and handheld footage of the site that already exists as an ordinary part of the construction process. The app will \u201cview\u201d the footage, then utilize algorithms to convert the visual data into a simulation module that identifies sources of potential risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe application will provide a crucial \u2018heads-up\u2019 for construction managers to quickly locate the risk of potential wind-borne debris prior to the arrival of hurricane-force winds and give them the time to implement proactive measures,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAutomatically generated action plans customized for individual construction sites will help builders more efficiently protect their jobsites from severe weather events, which can reduce damage to minimize effects on their performance, profitability or productivity,\u201d said Ham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The app will also create scenarios detailing the damage vulnerability of the site\u2019s surrounding areas \u2014 to crane damage, flying debris, etc., so that property owners and\/or residents can prepare for the \u201cfallout\u201d from the winds at the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To develop the system, Ham did pioneering research at the Wall of Wind, a giant, 72,000 square-foot hurricane simulator at Florida International University that\u2019s capable of producing 157 mile-per-hour winds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI tested the effects of hurricane-force wind on models of construction sites in different areas; a high-rise area in downtown Miami, a suburban, low-rise location, and open terrain to determine the wind effects on jobsites in a variety of settings,\u201d said Ham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the first time such detailed experimentation regarding wind effects on construction sites has been conducted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His findings of the effects of hurricane-force winds on cranes in a high-rise area is the first of its kind, and, he said, \u201cwill result in a unique dataset of great value to the research community.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUltimately, this research will provide a crucial heads- up for construction managers to quickly locate the risk of potential wind-borne debris prior to hurricanes and quickly implementing damage prevention measures,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ham\u2019s project funding comes from the NSF\u2019s I-Corps program, which supports researchers looking to translate a promising idea from the research lab to the marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Youngjib Ham is developing an automated, jobsite risk assessment system that could prevent staggering losses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":10131,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[61,87,58,63],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow automation can protect construction jobsites from hurricane damage<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Youngjib Ham is developing an automated, jobsite risk assessment system that could prevent staggering losses.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2022\/01\/31\/jobsite-versus-hurricanes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How automation 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