Construction Engineering Lab

The construction engineering program at UNM is located within the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering. Our graduate program offers MSCE, MENG and PhD degrees with a specialization in construction engineering. Graduate students may also earn a Master of Construction Management. We also offer a wide range of construction engineering courses in our B.S. Civil Engineering program as well as a B.S. degree in Construction Engineering and a B.S. in Construction Management. Read below to learn more about these exciting areas of research and study.

What is Construction Engineering?

Construction engineering concerns the planning and management of the construction of structures such as highways, bridges, airports, railroads, buildings, dams, and reservoirs. Construction of such projects requires knowledge of engineering and management principles and business procedures, economics, and human behavior. Construction engineers engage in the design of temporary structures, cost estimating, planning and scheduling, materials procurement, equipment selection, and cost control.

Construction Engineering and Management Lab

The department has a construction engineering and management laboratory which is used to facilitate hands-on learning and cutting-edge research.

Hands-on Learning

RC Construction Equipment

There are several Radio-Control (RC) construction equipment models in the construction lab. The use of radio control (RC) construction equipment models are used for designing and simulating construction operations during group student competitions in class. The models allow students to: 1) identify the important parameters affecting productivity for a particular machine in a heavy civil operation, 2) Understand the implications of these parameters in the effective design of logistics and location of the system components on the site, and 3) Use this understanding to optimize the production of the operation. The models help the students understand the way the equipment operates, its mechanical and operational limitations, and ways to increase equipment productivity on the site.

con engin 1 con engin 2

Construction Productivity Card Game (CPCG)

The CPCG game can assist in understanding the factors which will affect crew and individual productivity. The CPCG game shows the relationship between crew size and productivity (Mattila, et. al 2007).

playing construction