Skip to content

Yang Shen

Yang Shen is a research engineer for the Carbon Leadership Forum at the University of Washington. Before joining CLF, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in George Mason University focusing on multidisciplinary research such as Computer Vision/Deep Learning applications in the Built Environment. Yang got his PhD in Civil Engineering (Structural Engineering) from Texas A&M University. His Ph.D. research was tightly associated with building science, embodied carbon quantification/optimization, building operational energy simulation, parametric modeling, structural analysis, data analytics, and machine learning. He is passionate about using interdisciplinary studies to achieve climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Applicability of Smart Construction Technology: Prioritization and Future Research Directions

Ahn, H., Lee, C., Kim, M., Kim, T., Lee, D., Kwon, W., & Cho, H. (2023). Applicability of smart construction technology: Prioritization and future research directions. Automation in Construction., 153. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.autcon.2023.104953

View Publication

Abstract

The potential for facilitating faster, safer, and more sustainable construction processes through the adoption of smart construction technologies is widely recognized. However, the limited adoption of these technologies in construction projects highlights the significance of identifying the technological needs of major stakeholders and the prioritization of research and development investment. In this study, the quality function deployment technique is employed to extract and prioritize the required technologies (RTs) from various stakeholders, while a thematic literature review is conducted to identify challenges and future research directions. The findings improve the efficiency of resource allocation, allowing policymakers to strategically address pressing issues. This can facilitate collaboration and communication among researchers, stakeholders, and the wider community, fostering a shared vision and understanding of future research goals and outcome. Prioritizing smart construction technologies can enhance their applicability. The top nine of technologies were prioritized by using quality function deployment. Thematic review was conducted for each of the top nine technologies. The challenges and future research directions were presented by review.

Keywords

Fourth industrial revolution (4IR); Prioritization; Quality function deployment (QFD); Smart construction technologies; Technology innovation

Detecting Subpixel Human Settlements in Mountains Using Deep Learning: A Case of the Hindu Kush Himalaya 1990–2020

Chen, T.-H. K., Pandey, B., & Seto, K. C. (2023). Detecting subpixel human settlements in mountains using deep learning: A case of the Hindu Kush Himalaya 1990–2020. Remote Sensing of Environment, 294, 113625–. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2023.113625

View Publication

Abstract

The majority of future population growth in mountains will occur in small- and medium-sized cities and towns and affect vulnerable ecosystems. However, mountain settlements are often omitted from global land cover analyses due to the low spatial resolution of satellite images, which cannot resolve the small scale of mountains settlements. This study demonstrates, for the first time, the potential of deep learning to detect human settlements in mountains at the sub-pixel level, based on Landsat satellite imagery. We hypothesized that adding spatial and temporal features could improve the detection of mountain settlements since spectral information alone led to inaccurate results. For spatial features, we compared a U-shaped neural network (U-Net), a deep learning algorithm that automatically learns spatial features, with a simple random forest (RF) algorithm. Then, we assessed whether temporal features would increase accuracy by comparing two input datasets, multispectral imagery and temporal features from the Continuous Change Detection and Classification (CCDC) algorithm. We evaluated each method by calculating the accuracies of (1) the binary settlement footprint, (2) the subpixel estimates of impervious surfaces, and (3) urban growth. We tested the accuracies using visually interpreted datasets from time-series Google Earth images across the Hindu Kush Himalaya that were not used for training to evaluate model transferability. The U-Net successfully improved mountain settlement mapping compared to the random forest, with a substantial discrepancy in small settlements. The time-series results from the U-Net successfully captured long-term urban growth but fewer short-term changes. Contrary to expectations, the CCDC temporal features reduced the accuracy of mountain settlement mapping due to frequent cloud cover in hilly areas. Our subpixel analysis reveals that the built-up area of the Hindu Kush Himalaya has expanded at a rate of 61 km2 per year from 1990 to 2020, which is about twice the estimate of the Global Human Settlement Layer using binary urban/non-urban classifications.

Keywords

Urban land cover; Land cover fraction; Peri-urban; Built-up area; Subpixel mapping; Machine learning; Time-series; Himalaya; CCDC

Urban Infrastructure Lab Report on High-Speed Rail

The Urban Infrastructure Lab researchers have released a report on a Cascadia region high-speed rail project. College of Built Environments faculty Jan Whittington and Qing Shen were authors on the report, along with 3 Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Urban Design and Planning students (Siman Ning, Haoyu Yue, and Chin-Wei Chen), and a Master of Urban Planning candidate (Richard McMichael). This report examines the successes and lessons learned from existing high-speed rail projects in Europe and Asia, including 50 hours of interviews…

Campus Sustainability Fund selects College of Built Environments researchers for 2022-2023 work

The Campus Sustainability Fund selected College of Built Environments PhD student Daniel Dimitrov, along with Associate Dean for Research Carrie Sturts Dossick, to receive funding for the project described below. Energy, Information, and the New Work of Building Operations in the Digital Age Amount Awarded: $19,833 Funding Received: 2022-2023 Project Summary: The built environment industry is in the midst of a data revolution paired with a drive for sustainable campus operations. Innovation, information, communication access, and integration provide an opportunity…

Don’t take concrete for granite: the secret research life of CBE Department of Construction Management Assistant Professor and concrete materials researcher Fred Aguayo

Concrete can sequester carbon, and the cement that glues its components together has been used since antiquity. Now, CBE professor Fred Aguayo is introducing students to the complex world of concrete research.

Selection of Wearable Sensor Measurements for Monitoring and Managing Entry-Level Construction Worker Fatigue: a Logistic Regression Approach

Lee, Wonil; Lin, Ken-Yu; Johnson, Peter W.; Seto, Edmund Y.W. (2022). Selection of Wearable Sensor Measurements for Monitoring and Managing Entry-Level Construction Worker Fatigue: a Logistic Regression Approach. Engineering, Construction, and Architectural Management, 29(8), 2905–23.

View Publication

Abstract

The identification of fatigue status and early intervention to mitigate fatigue can reduce the risk of workplace injuries. Off-the-shelf wearable sensors capable of assessing multiple parameters are available. However, using numerous variables in the fatigue prediction model can elicit data issues. This study aimed at identifying the most relevant variables for measuring occupational fatigue among entry-level construction workers by using common wearable sensor technologies, such as electrocardiogram and actigraphy sensors.

Keywords

Technology, management, construction safety, information and communication technology (ICT) applications

The Impact of Empowering Front-Line Managers on Planning Reliability and Project Schedule Performance

Kim, Yong-Woo, and Rhee, Byong-Duk. (2020). The Impact of Empowering Front-Line Managers on Planning Reliability and Project Schedule Performance. Journal of Management in Engineering, 36(3).

View Publication

Abstract

This study applies empowerment theory to production planning at the level of frontline managers in a construction project. Using structural equation modeling, we investigate how empowering frontline managers impacts their planning performance. In contrast to prior studies, we find that although psychological empowerment of frontline managers has no direct effect on their production planning reliability or scheduling performance, it has an indirect effect on planning reliability and scheduling performance, as long as the organization supports the empowerment structurally during production planning. This implies that a project manager should provide frontline managers at the operational level with proper formal and informal authority over workflow development, shielding, and resource allocation when planning production in order to enhance job performance through psychological empowerment. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on construction management by exploring the impact of psychological and structural empowerment of frontline managers on their performance of production planning reliability and scheduling performance.

Keywords

Organizations, Managers, Structural models, Scheduling, Structural reliability, Construction management, Human and behavioral factors, Resource allocation

$2 Million Award from National Science Foundation Will Support Team to Develop 3D-printed Microorganisms for Sustainable Construction Materials

An interdisciplinary research team led by University of Washington Chemistry Professor Alshakim Nelson received $2 million in funding from the National Science Foundation’s Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) program. The funding will be used to combine engineered microorganisms with 3D printing to create materials for sustainable built environments. This grant will provide funding to researchers at UW, the University of Texas at Austin, and University of California Davis over four years. In addition to Nelson, the team also…

Coastal Adaptations with the Shoalwater Bay Tribe: Centering Place and Community to Address Climate Change and Social Justice

The proposed community-based participatory action research project is a collaborative research, planning and design initiative that will enable a UW research team to work with the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe to explore sustainable and culturally relevant strategies for an upland expansion in response to climate change-driven sea level rise and other threats to their coastal ecosystems and community. The situation is urgent as the reservation is located in the most rapidly eroding stretch of Pacific coastline in the US, on near-sea-level land vulnerable also to catastrophic tsunamis. The project will advance the Tribe’s master plan and collaboratively develop a model of climate adaptive, culture-affirming and change-mitigating environmental strategies for creating new infrastructure, housing and open spaces in newly acquired higher elevation land adjacent to the reservation. Design and planning strategies will draw on culturally-based place meanings and attachments to support a sense of continuity, ease the transition, and create new possibilities for re-grounding. Sustainable strategies generated by the project will draw on both traditional ecological knowledge and scientific modeling of environmental change. The project will involve the following methods and activities:

  • The creation of a Tribal scientific and policy Advisory Board with representatives from the Tribal Council, elder, youth, state and county agencies, and indigenous architects and planners;
  • Student-led collaborative team-building and research activities that will also engage Tribal youth;
  • Systematic review of the Tribe’s and neighboring county plans;
  • Interviews, focus groups and community workshops to identify priority actions, needs and strategies;
  • Adaptation of existing research on sustainable master planning, design and carbon storing construction materials; and
  • The development of culturally meaningful and sustainable building prototypes.

Deliverables include a report of findings summarizing community assets and values, and priorities for the upland expansion vetted by Tribal leaders, documentation and evaluation of the UW-community partnership and engagement process, digitized web- based geo-narratives and story maps and technical recommendations for culturally-informed schematic designs, sustainable construction methods and low-embodied carbon storing materials. The project process and outcomes will have broad applicability for other vulnerable coastal communities and can be used to support their climate adaptation efforts as well.

Research Team
Principal Investigator: Daniel Abramson, College of Built Environments, Urban Design and Planning, University of Washington
Community Lead: Jamie Judkins, Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe

University of Washington Partners:
Rob Corser, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture
Julie Kriegh, Affiliate Lecturer, Departments of Construction Management and Architecture and Principal, Kriegh Architecture Studios | Design + Research
Jackson Blalock, Community Engagement Specialist, Washington Sea Grant
Lynne Manzo, Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture
Kristiina Vogt, Professor, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences

Community Partners:
Daniel Glenn, AIA, NCARB, Principal, 7 Directions Architects/Planners 
John David “J.D.” Tovey III, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Timothy Archer Lehman, Design and Planning Consultant and Lecturer