Introduction to the Construction Industry
A first look at how buildings and infrastructure get built: the industry and the economy, its sectors and players, the project life cycle from idea to operation, design documents, bidding and delivery methods, site organization, the skilled workforce, technology, career pathways in construction management, and professional ethics.
CON-100 Year 1 3 credits 12 lessons · 5 h 2 min
Offered by HSM University · Construction Management
This is the Canadian version of this course. See the American version.
What you'll learn
- Describe the size, structure and economic role of the construction industry and how its activity is measured
- Compare the residential, institutional, commercial, industrial and heavy civil sectors and the work in each
- Identify the roles and contractual relationships of owners, designers, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and regulators
- Explain the project life cycle from feasibility to operation and why early decisions have the greatest influence
- Interpret design phases, estimate classes, drawings, specifications and the contract documents
- Describe how owners procure contractors, how bids are prepared and the rules that keep bidding fair
- Compare design-bid-build, construction management, design-build, integrated project delivery and public-private partnerships
- Explain how a construction site is organized, sequenced, coordinated, inspected and kept safe
- Describe the construction trades, apprenticeship, certification and labour relations in Canada and the United States
- Evaluate how BIM, field technology, reality capture, prefabrication, automation, data and sustainability are changing construction
- Plan a career in construction management, including roles, skills, designations and pathways
- Apply ethical principles to construction management decisions and prepare an industry profile
Course content
12 lessons · 5 h 2 min total · final exam
- 1 Construction and the economy 25 min · quiz
- 2 The sectors of construction 25 min · quiz
- 3 The players: owners, designers, contractors and trades 25 min · quiz
- 4 The project life cycle: from idea to operation 27 min · quiz
- 5 Design phases and construction documents 25 min · quiz
- 6 Procurement and bidding at a glance 25 min · quiz
- 7 Project delivery methods: an overview 25 min · quiz
- 8 The construction site and how work is organized 25 min · quiz
- 9 The workforce: trades, apprenticeship and labour relations 25 min · quiz
- 10 Technology, productivity and the future of construction 25 min · quiz
- 11 Careers and pathways in construction management 25 min · quiz
- 12 Ethics, professionalism and capstone 25 min · quiz
- E Final exam 20 questions
Description
A first look at how buildings and infrastructure get built: the industry and the economy, its sectors and players, the project life cycle from idea to operation, design documents, bidding and delivery methods, site organization, the skilled workforce, technology, career pathways in construction management, and professional ethics.
Part of the Construction Management stream, typically taken in year 1.