Facilities

The Construction Management computer laboratory, used for computer lab instruction and open use by CM students, is equipped with 48 computers. The software includes Microsoft Office Professional, Visio, Microsoft Project, Primavera P6, Timberline, Bid2Win, On-Center Takeoff, AutoCAD, Arena (factory simulation), Lingo (optimization), SAS, Minitab, MATLAB, Maple, Visual Studio.NET (C++, C#, VB, ASP), Java, and many other applications supporting CM coursework. The lab is supported by a bank of twelve servers providing support of coursework in the development of information systems, Web application systems, eCommerce systems, and client/server support for project management and estimating courses. The CM Annex Computer Lab (48 computers) is used for computer lab instruction and open use by CM students. The software includes Microsoft Office Professional, Visio, Microsoft Project, Primavera P6, Timberline, Bid2Win, On-Center Takeoff, and AutoCAD. As with the CM Computer Lab, a bank of servers provides client/server for project management and estimating courses.

The LSU Sustainable Materials Testing Laboratory (approximately 2000 ft2) is also housed in the Department of Construction Management and managed by Dr. Hassan. This dedicated space is equipped with 4 explosion-proof fume hoods and is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment for characterizing and testing the performance of advanced sustainable materials. The lab includes a number of significant research equipment including Thermo Fisher NOx analyzer, Thermo Fisher SO2/H2S analyzer, two photoreactor chambers, a UV light meter, ovens, furnaces, autoclaves, four fume hoods, a Shimadzu UV-VIS spectrophotometer 1800, deionized water system with 60 L tank, freezers (-60oC), oil bath, centrifuges, pH meters, temperature and humidity sensors, various flow meters, oil bath, centrifuges. Also, students have access to the Socolofsky Microscopy Center's that houses both electron and light microscopes, including a Nikon Microphot-FXA, V12 fluorescence stereomicroscope, JSM-6610, JSM-6610LV high and low vacuum SEM, JEOL 100CX TEM, as well as a darkroom with automatic X-ray film developer.

The Construction Equipment Simulator Lab has two CAT® simulators, each of which consists of three 43-inch Smart TV monitors, a frame, controls needed to operate the simulator, a computer, mouse, keyboard, software that supports four languages (English, Spanish, French and Chinese), and a motion system that allows users to feel vibration and movement when the simulated machine is running during training exercises. The educational intent is to have students analyze the different facets of productivity, cost estimating, maintenance schedules, and safety protocols through various equipment simulations. The students have the opportunity to learn the complexities of operating large pieces of equipment through operational simulations.
The BIM CAVE facility is a virtual reality visualization platform featuring a 20-foot diameter circular formation composed of 44 55" OLED displays running on a cluster of 11 high-performance gaming computers and a master computer. The facility uses the Unreal engine for virtual reality applications and development and supports drafting, building information modeling (BIM), estimating, scheduling, and general-purpose software tools.

The BIM classroom has 40 high-performance workstations, each with two 22" monitors. The software and hardware are customized to support BIM, as well as visualization, simulation, and analysis of buildings and construction processes. The classroom is also equipped with a multimedia system for teaching purposes. Students can develop BIMs, simulations, estimates, and schedules in the BIM classroom and conduct review and presentation sessions in the BIM CAVE.
The climate chamber is a 12'(L) x 12' (W) x 9' (H) space where temperature and humidity are controlled for experiments while simultaneously optimizing airflow and noise. The chamber is equipped with a radiant panel to simulate heat sources. It is situated adjacent to an air-conditioned office space where computers are used to monitor and control experiments and activities inside the chamber.