The Law offices of John Caravella, P.C. does not own this content. This content was created by Lillian Lawson, and was published to the Gainesville Sun.
The University of Florida will use $2.5 million in strategic funding to help advance the field of industrialized construction engineering. The money comes from the $130 million in funding that Florida Legislature awarded UF in 2023. President Ben Sasse established that the majority of those funds would be put towards toward strategic initiatives that will advance interdisciplinary scholarship and enhance the student experience.
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The university said the College of Design, Construction and Planning (DCP), and the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering will work together and seek to revolutionize how the world conceptualizes, designs and builds affordable and resilient buildings and civil infrastructure.
“The construction and engineering industries are rapidly changing with advances in technology, and we need to adapt and evolve to keep up with that pace,” said Sasse in a news release. “The Industrialized Construction Engineering (ICE) project will help UF’s experts use tools like artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic automation to transform the way we design and build.”
Using a not-yet-built, 50,000-square-foot facility — to be named the Bruno E. and Maritza F. Ramos Collaboratory — the College of Design, Construction and Planning will work with AI, design automation and robotic construction in order to improve productivity, safety and quality in both residential and commercial construction.
The Center for Advanced Construction Information Modeling and the Smart Industrialized Design and Construction (Smart IDC) Lab will expand what they offer in education and research related to emerging technologies for the design, construction, and maintenance of civil infrastructure.
New undergraduate program
Additionally, there is a plan for the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the College of Design, Construction and Planning to create a new undergraduate degree program in industrialized construction engineering, which would make UF a destination for researchers and students interested in the field.
The degree program will be tech-centered and focus on environmental stewardship, allowing students to research resilient construction practices and learn to use sustainable materials in their work. It also will focus on efficient construction methodologies to quicken rebuilding efforts, which can aid in faster recovery for areas impacted by disaster.
Curriculum of the degree program will include immersive, hands-on learning opportunities through industry partnerships, allowing trials of leading technologies on construction sites. It also will include certificate programs related to construction robotics.
“These technologies will open up new pathways to tackle some of society’s most vexing problems, such as the affordable housing crisis, jobsite labor shortages, and the impact of natural hazards on civil infrastructure and lifelines,” said Forrest Masters, interim dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, in a news release.
John Caravella, Esq.
John Caravella Esq., is a construction attorney and formerly practicing project architect at The Law Office of John Caravella, P.C., representing architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, and owners in all phases of contract preparation, litigation, and arbitration across New York and Florida. He also serves as an arbitrator to the American Arbitration Association Construction Industry Panel. Mr. Caravella can be reached online or by email: [email protected] or (631) 608-1346.
This is a general information article and should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. The content above has been edited for conciseness and additional relevant points are omitted for space constraints. Readers are encouraged to seek counsel from a construction lawyer who has experience with Long Island construction law for advice on a particular circumstance.
Lillian is an education reporter for the Gainesville Sun, covering the University of Florida and K-12 schools. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications, where she majored in journalism and minored in wildlife ecology and conservation. She is also passionate about photojournalism.
The Law offices of John Caravella, P.C. does not own this content. This content was created by Lillian Lawson, and was published to the Gainesville Sun.