Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) College of Technology will receive a portion of a $3.19 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support the Scalable Construction Automation for Labor-Efficient and Affordable Housing Expansion (SCALE-HOME) project. The initiative places PNW at the forefront of applied research in construction innovation, automation and housing sustainability.
SCALE-HOME is an industry-driven collaboration that brings together academia, housing developers and regional stakeholders to demonstrate and independently evaluate how robotics and artificial intelligence can help with the shortage of affordable housing. Researchers from PNW’s College of Technology will independently evaluate advanced construction automation technologies developed by the Illinois-based company, Lightspeed Build Technologies.
“Our role as independent evaluators is critical to the project,” says Afshin Zahraee, department chair of Construction Science and Organizational Leadership and associate professor of Construction Management Engineering Technology (CMET) at PNW. “Our responsibility is to objectively measure effectiveness by evaluating labor savings, cost impacts, schedule performance, quality outcomes, material efficiency and long-term scalability so that conclusions are based on evidence rather than assumptions.”
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Zahraee will serve as principal investigator and evaluation director, leading the overall evaluation strategy, developing the research framework, overseeing data collection and analysis, ensuring scientific rigor and coordinating all reporting. Suryeon Kim, assistant professor of CMET, will serve as co-principal investigator, leading the evaluation of Lean Construction principles, productivity improvements and artificial intelligence-enabled construction processes.
“One of the most exciting aspects of SCALE-HOME is that it is not a laboratory experiment,” says Zahraee. “The technologies will be deployed in active housing developments where homes are being constructed for real families and communities. That makes this true applied research.”
[Students] will learn how to conduct applied research, analyze large datasets, evaluate emerging technologies and communicate findings.
Afshin Zahraee, department chair of Construction Science and Organizational Leadership and associate professor of Construction Management Engineering Technology (CMET)
The primary goal of the project is to determine whether robotics and artificial intelligence can meaningfully increase the speed, efficiency and affordability of residential construction while maintaining quality and safety standards, minimizing material waste and improving project predictability. Zahraee and Kim hope to generate credible, data-driven evidence on how construction automation can alleviate housing affordability challenges.
Student involvement is an important part of the project. Zahraee anticipates having graduate research assistants and additional student researchers supporting various project activities.
“Students will gain both technical and professional skills,” says Zahraee. “They will learn how to conduct applied research, analyze large datasets, evaluate emerging technologies and communicate findings. Just as important, they will gain firsthand experience working on a multidisciplinary team, preparing them for leadership roles in a rapidly evolving industry.”
PNW will receive approximately $718,000 in funding to support the three-year project.
“We are excited that PNW can contribute to this effort while providing meaningful learning experiences for our students,” says Zahraee.
