Design of a Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) Course  to Enhance a New Construction Engineering Program

Robert Rabb; Nahid Vesali

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: Construction Engineering Division Technical Session 4
Page Count: 12
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--41665
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/41665
Download Count: 1764

Paper Authors

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Robert Rabb The Citadel

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Professor, Mechanical Engineering, The Citadel

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Nahid Vesali The Citadel

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Dr. Nahid Vesali is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Leadership and Program Management (ELPM) in the School of Engineering (SOE) at The Citadel. She joined The Citadel in January 2020 and teaches courses in project management and construction engineering management fields. Dr. Vesali earned her PhD in Civil Engineering from Florida International University. She holds Master of Science in Construction Engineering and Management from IAU, and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Iran University of Science and Technology. Prior to joining The Citadel, she worked at Plaza Construction, Florida Group LLC. She worked with the corporate Quality Management team and project management team for high-rise projects. She was also a lecturer at Technical College of Dr. Shariati back in Tehran, Iran. Dr. Vesali’s past research has been focused on decision making and risk management in existence of deep uncertainty. She is also interested in research related to creating inclusive environment for female and minority students in STEM majors.

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Abstract

Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems are a building’s central nervous system and one of the largest portions of a building’s cost due to energy consumption and longer term operations and maintenance costs. An efficient building is made up of many fundamental subsystems. The global architecture, engineering, and construction industry recognizes the importance of MEP systems due to equipment and maintenance costs, as well as new and emerging technologies. Many of the construction engineering curricula require MEP content in higher education. Few construction professionals possess this expertise compared to the significance and long term benefits of good MEP systems. However, new construction engineering students need to develop MEP skills and knowledge and eliminate knowledge gaps in complex work scopes. Construction engineering graduates are expected to work in an active environment performing various tasks including planning, estimating, scheduling, and managing the construction process. Many new graduates joining construction companies come from construction or civil engineering programs and fewer come from mechanical or electrical engineering. Despite the importance of MEP trades in building construction, it is not easy for construction companies to attract and retain professionals trained as mechanical or electrical engineers. Additionally, with the increasing intention to use Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the construction industry, the entry-level project engineers are expected to understand MEP coordination basics. Some construction companies provide professional development and training for their project engineers and managers to understand MEP systems. With regional needs in almost all areas of engineering, a new construction engineering program was launched in 2018 at The Citadel and designed with specific focus areas to meet industry needs. A new Mechanical and Electrical Systems course was designed to provide a general understanding of each of these MEP areas, so that graduates would be better prepared for their companies and increase their understanding of these vital areas. With increasing expectations of interaction and communication with various stakeholders, construction engineers’ familiarization and fluency in MEP systems cannot be underestimated. This paper describes and assesses a new MEP course developed to support a new construction engineering program.

Citation
Format

Rabb, R., & Vesali, N. (2022, August), Design of a Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) Course to Enhance a New Construction Engineering Program Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41665

TY - CPAPER
AB - Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems are a building’s central nervous system and one of the largest portions of a building’s cost due to energy consumption and longer term operations and maintenance costs. An efficient building is made up of many fundamental subsystems. The global architecture, engineering, and construction industry recognizes the importance of MEP systems due to equipment and maintenance costs, as well as new and emerging technologies. Many of the construction engineering curricula require MEP content in higher education. Few construction professionals possess this expertise compared to the significance and long term benefits of good MEP systems. However, new construction engineering students need to develop MEP skills and knowledge and eliminate knowledge gaps in complex work scopes. Construction engineering graduates are expected to work in an active environment performing various tasks including planning, estimating, scheduling, and managing the construction process. Many new graduates joining construction companies come from construction or civil engineering programs and fewer come from mechanical or electrical engineering. Despite the importance of MEP trades in building construction, it is not easy for construction companies to attract and retain professionals trained as mechanical or electrical engineers. Additionally, with the increasing intention to use Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the construction industry, the entry-level project engineers are expected to understand MEP coordination basics. Some construction companies provide professional development and training for their project engineers and managers to understand MEP systems. With regional needs in almost all areas of engineering, a new construction engineering program was launched in 2018 at The Citadel and designed with specific focus areas to meet industry needs. A new Mechanical and Electrical Systems course was designed to provide a general understanding of each of these MEP areas, so that graduates would be better prepared for their companies and increase their understanding of these vital areas. With increasing expectations of interaction and communication with various stakeholders, construction engineers’ familiarization and fluency in MEP systems cannot be underestimated. This paper describes and assesses a new MEP course developed to support a new construction engineering program.

AU - Robert Rabb
AU - Nahid Vesali
CY - Minneapolis, MN
DA - 2022/08/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Design of a Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) Course to Enhance a New Construction Engineering Program
UR - https://peer.asee.org/41665
DO - 10.18260/1-2--41665
ER -