Kenneth M. Lorenz

Thesis Proposal

Questionnaire (pdf)

Please click the link above to fill out the questionnaire if you are interested in helping my research with Value Engineering and Sustainability. Just email back with your response by clicking the link at the bottom of the page or by emailing me at kml244@psu.edu.

Revised Proposal (pdf)

Research Analysis

While attending this years PACE conference at Penn State, I was able to come up with a research topic for the Health Care Center. Value Engineering (VE) is an effective way to look at a specific building and reduce costs in certain areas. Right now the Health Care Center is going through the VE process and it is extremely important that the building still receives LEED certification. The research topic will look into how and what should be done for buildings to go through the VE process and still maintain a LEED or sustainable status.

Breadth Topic 1

China is buying up a lot of metals including copper because of their vastly growing economy. Due to this fact the price for copper has risen, making buildings with copper pipes for their plumbing system also to cost more. This first analysis will look at the alternative solution to replacing the copper piping used for domestic water with PEX tubing.

Breadth Topic 2

The next analysis looks at the redesign of the foundation wall that is being used for part of the building. The current wall design is made of concrete that extends from the foundation to sixteen feet high reaching the first floor roof elevation. This analysis will look at the option of using reinforced CMU with insulation in place of the original design.