The Construction and Materials Support Center (CMSC) is an academic-based engineering organization housed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Center’s focus is to support the project development activities and advance project delivery systems of public agencies by providing expertise in researching problems/issues , developing new methodologies and accelerating the implementation of innovative design, construction and materials engineering processes and techniques.
Scope of Services
Applied Research
This area focuses on researching new construction management techniques, construction and materials engineering processes and procedures, and other innovative project development practices and technologies that can improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the owner agencies.
Special Studies
This area focuses on providing investigative studies on specific problems or issues of concern to the sponsoring agency or group. These studies are anticipated to be short term projects of limited scope with rapid turnaround time.
Project Delivery Assistance
This area involves providing direct project support in delivering of a construction project and can involve all phases of the project delivery process. It will generally involve active involvement by CMSC staff with the project development team and be project specific.
Materials Testing
This area focuses on providing specialized testing of construction materials, evaluating the suitability of materials for the intended function, investigating materials performance or production problems, and assessing suitability of new materials. Studies are anticipated to be of short duration with a focus on a specific material or project.
Education
This area focuses on providing training to agency project staff and others on new techniques and processes, developing application guidance tools for inclusion in manuals, and incorporating project results in undergraduate and graduate level courses for engineering students.