In the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, inadequate collaboration between project stakeholders and disciplines often leads to conflicts and interoperability issues. Research has been conducted in knowledge formalization to bridge the knowledge gaps and information silos. Formalizing construction knowledge is challenging to formalize because most construction knowledge implicitly resides in the minds of construction experts, which is difficult to represent in a formal and explicit manner. The proposed study is built upon previous research findings, and attempts to formalize tacit knowledge in Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) design coordination by capturing necessary information with a model-based information capture system and reasoning about the captured data with data mining techniques. The vision of this research is that the formalized knowledge can be used to provide guidance for early design review incorporating construction considerations, facilitate structured learning from past experience, as well as train novice engineers. In summary, this research has three main contributions. First, this research presents a formalized knowledge representation schema to capture process knowledge in design coordination, which was successfully implemented in a model-based knowledge capture system developed by the author. Second, a model-based knowledge capture system was developed to store clash information in the form of categorized features and link such categorized information directly to the relevant model elements, which can also facilitate organization and management of clashes and supports searching and grouping functions. A prototype system was developed as a plugin to a widely used BIM-based design coordination application and was demonstrated with project data gathered from three new construction projects in the United States. Third, this research applied data mining techniques for knowledge discovery and reuse in MEP design coordination. Classification models were developed to provide predicted solutions for identified clashes based on historical data. The classification algorithms that produced the best results were selected, which reached precision rates of over 70%. The effectiveness of the classification models was tested in a novice experiment. / text

Byggbranschen står inför stora förändringar i framtiden i och med att BIM (Building Information Model/Modelling/Management) successivt introduceras inom området. BIM innebär en förändrad arbetsmetod som kan ge förbättrade möjligheter att minska tidsåtgången och omarbetningar i ett förprojekteringsskede samt skapa ett effektivare projekterings- och produktionsskede med färre fel. BIM är ett relativt nytt sätt att inom byggbranschen bedriva projekt och innebär en förändring för olika skeden inom byggprocessen vilket påverkar inblandade parter. Syftet med denna studie är att ta reda på hur Peab i Kiruna på bästa sätt kan nyttja möjligheterna som finns med BIM samt redogöra för några av de förändringar BIM kan innebära jämfört med nuvarande arbetsmetoder. En teoretisk del beskriver BIM och dess för- och nackdelar inom olika områden samt vilka hinder det finns för arbetsmetoden. Ett resultat baserat på den teoretiska delen förklarar att BIM i dagsläget främst bör nyttjas av Peab i Kiruna i ett anbudsskede, där ett förfrågningsunderlag görs om till en BIM-modell. Detta kan leda till underlättande för företaget att se fel i förfrågningsunderlag samt att utförande av mängdavtagning och kalkylering kan ske på ett enklare sätt. Detta kräver dock att företaget har kompetensen som krävs för att kunna skapa BIM-modeller samt att de bekostar licenser förnödvändiga programvaror. Vidare förklaras det i rapporten hur tillämpning av BIM i ett anbudsskede kan ske, via ett praktiskt genomförande där möjligheterna och nyttorna med att utföra mängdavtagning av en BIM-modell beskrivs. Mängdavtagningen utfördes i CAD-programmet Autodesk Revit där en byggnad användes som modell. Genom att i programmet använda lämpliga funktioner, kan valfria nyttovärden erhållas från valfritt material i byggnaden. Om Peab kan använda BIM på detta sätt i sin arbetsmetod kommer det att underlätta för företaget vid framtida projekt och kan möjligtvis även utgöra ett första steg för en implementering av BIM i dess projekterings- och produktionsskede. / The construction industry is facing major changes in the future, as a result of BIM (Building Information Model/Modelling/Management) that gradually makes its arrival. BIM implies a changed working method that can provide improved possibilities to reduce time and rework in the pre-planning stage and create a more efficient design and production stage with fewer errors. BIM is a relatively new way of conducting projects in the construction industry and implies a change in different sections of the building process, which affects involved parts. The purpose of the study is to find out how Peab in Kiruna in the best possible way can take advantage of the potential of BIM, also describe some of the changes BIM can mean compared to current practices. A theoretical part describes BIM and its advantages and disadvantages in different areas and explains the barriers that exist for the working method. A result based on the theoretical part explains that BIM today primarily should be utilized by Peab in Kiruna in a tender stage where a contract document is converted to a BIM model. While this may help them to see errors in the specifications, they also can perform quantity takeoff and calculation in an easier way. However, this requires that the company has the expertise necessary for creating BIM models and that they pay for licenses for the essential software. Further, it is explained in the report how this can be done, by a practical implementation carried out where an outlining of the potential and benefits of performing quantity takeoff of a BIM model is shown. The quantity takeoff is performed in the CAD software Autodesk Revit, where a building was used as a model. By using suitable functionsin the program, optional utility values can be obtained from optional materials in the building. If Peab can use BIM in this manner in their working method, it will make it easier for them in future projects and could even be a first step for an implementation of BIM in their design and production stage.

No description available.

Sustainable development issues and environmental concerns continue to gain headlines as demand within Canada’s residential construction industry escalates. Current construction practices adhere to traditional methods of construction, with inherent weaknesses such as high labour costs, negative environmental impact during and after construction, and minimal technological advancement. Many programs exist to rate building environmental performance, including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Built Green, which are primarily performance-based, not practice-based evaluations. Considerable research has supported these performance ratings; however, there has been very little research in construction practice ratings. Hence, the purpose of the research presented in this thesis is to bridge this gap by proposing a construction practice rating program in order to challenge builders’ claims of being sustainable. Although rating programs should include measurements of both performance and practice—given that great performance does not equal great practice, particularly if the standard of performance achievement is low, current programs are based on performance alone. The goal of this thesis is to enhance the sustainability of the residential construction practice through the incorporation of sustainability evaluation rating tools. To achieve this goal, a framework has been developed which encompasses sustainability rating tools that include an integrated construction practice rating program, an application of Building Information Modeling (BIM) for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions quantification, and implementation of a mathematical linear optimization model as a tool that minimizes cost while incorporating user-defined preferences and numerous environmental criteria under a green building rating system. CO2 emissions of various house construction stages are quantified and utilized in a 3D BIM. Application of the proposed framework is demonstrated in a case study with findings that show the weak results of sustainability ratings for a particular home builder. Hence, the findings in this research demonstrate a residential builder’s ability to measure his sustainability efforts and enhance construction practices based on a rating analysis. The introduction of BIM for quantifying emissions in the construction process is found to be of significant value. / Construction Engineering and Management

This study investigates the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and COBie for Facility Management on three projects where these concepts were used. Factors which affect these concepts are identified through a literature review. The study is divided into the sections of Responsibility for database formulation, Characteristics of database, Technology and Effect on work order response times. A qualitative analysis is conducted to study the application of these concepts and identify any problems encountered. A case study is conducted on three projects where BIM and COBie were used for facility management. It is found that though the database generated by using these concepts is useful for preventive maintenance, the data gathering and formulation process needs to be started during the design and construction phase to make use of BIM for facility management functions like space allocation, 3D mapping, building automation etc. This study can be used as a reference for further research based on quantitative analysis of the factors studied in the case study.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) model contains information about structural, architectural, MEP (Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing) and other numerous components of a building. Among these components, MEP constitutes about 50% of the project cost, and its design is relatively more complex because of the limited headroom available to locate these components. The coordination of these systems involves locating and routing several subcomponents in a manner that satisfies different types of constraints. The earlier version of BIM Computer Aided Virtual Environment (CAVE) did not have provisions to show the overhead components of a BIM model. Conventionally, models had to be tilted to visualize the overhead components. The process of tilting the models to look up is considered counterintuitive. Some of the popular CAVEs developed by leading Universities have a screen on top to show the overhead components but they have a major shortcoming with them. The BIM models had to be converted to a specific format before they can be visualized in the CAVE environments. This study is an attempt to address the shortcomings of the previous version of the BIM CAVE by suggesting a prototype setup with a 55" LCD screen on top of the existing three vertically placed LCD screens. The addition of one more screen on top increases the vertical field of view, that is, the extent to which the user can see vertically in a BIM model. The new BIM CAVE setup is run by a custom built application that makes use of the .Net API (Application Programming Interface) of the commercially available BIM application, Autodesk Navisworks 2012, to control the camera views for achieving an almost seamless semi-immersive virtual environment. The main objective of this research is to validate the effectiveness of the new setup suggested by using a qualitative research methodology called phenomenological study. Semi-structured informal interviews were conducted with the subject matter experts (SMEs) who are experienced in the field of BIM to know about the differences in the user experience after adding a screen on top of the earlier BIM CAVE setup. The main idea behind this qualitative research technique is to develop an understanding of how the SMEs perceived the idea of looking up to see the overhead components of the BIM model. This thesis explains the steps followed to develop the modified BIM CAVE setup in detail and findings of the qualitative study to know about the effectiveness of the suggested new setup.

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia Civil e Ambiental, 2016. / Submitted by Fernanda Percia França (fernandafranca@bce.unb.br) on 2016-05-24T19:57:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_CleitonRochadeMatos.pdf: 18291938 bytes, checksum: cad4b74c09af12042a20ce2a0bb41156 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Raquel Viana(raquelviana@bce.unb.br) on 2016-05-25T19:22:10Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_CleitonRochadeMatos.pdf: 18291938 bytes, checksum: cad4b74c09af12042a20ce2a0bb41156 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-25T19:22:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_CleitonRochadeMatos.pdf: 18291938 bytes, checksum: cad4b74c09af12042a20ce2a0bb41156 (MD5) / A melhoria da qualidade dos projetos com o auxílio do uso da tecnologia Building Information Modeling (BIM) tem sido relatada em diversas pesquisas, tal fato motiva a adoção dessa tecnologia em vários países do mundo, alguns inclusive têm tornado o uso do BIM obrigatório devido aos diversos benefícios advindos dessa tecnologia na construção civil. Apesar da necessidade de melhorias nas obras públicas no Brasil, inclusive no tocante à redução de irregularidades, o uso do BIM, no setor público, ainda é incipiente. Devido a isso, existem poucos exemplos de obras públicas projetadas e executadas nessa tecnologia, bem como estudos da área acadêmica brasileira nesse setor, em especial, existe uma lacuna sobre o emprego do BIM nas fiscalizações de obras públicas. Assim, esta dissertação tem o objetivo de avaliar o potencial da aplicação da tecnologia BIM no auxílio das atividades desempenhadas pela equipe responsável por fiscalizar o contrato de execução das obras públicas federais. Para desenvolvimento deste trabalho foi feita uma revisão bibliográfica acerca do BIM e fiscalização de obras, a partir dessas pesquisas foi estabelecida uma relação entre os benefícios do BIM e as atividades de fiscalização de obras. Em seguida, foi aplicado as conclusões obtidos dessa relação a um estudo de caso. Como resultado principal, conclui-se que o uso do BIM 4D e 5D melhora a qualidade dos projetos, planejamento e do levantamento de quantidades e controle do custo, munindo os fiscais de informações mais qualificadas para controlar e exigir o cumprimento do contrato por parte da empreiteira e consequentemente melhorando a performance da fiscalização. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT / The improvement of the quality of the projects with the assistance of technology Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been reported in several researches, this fact motivates the adoption of this technology in various countries of the world, and some even have made the use of BIM required due to several benefits from this technology in construction. Despite the need for improvements in public works in Brazil, including as regards the reduction of irregularities, the use of BIM, in the public sector, is still incipient. Because of this, there are few examples of public works designed and implemented this technology, as well as studies of Brazilian academic area in this sector, in particular, there is a gap on employment of BIM in the inspection of public works. So, this dissertation aims to evaluate the potential of BIM technology application in aid of the activities performed by the team responsible for overseeing the execution of public works contract. For the development of this work was made a bibliographical review about BIM and supervision of works, from these surveys was established a relationship between the benefits of BIM and supervisory activities. Then, we applied the conclusions obtained this relation to a case study. As a main result, we conclude that the use of BIM 4D and 5D improves the quality of projects, planning and survey of quantities and cost control, giving the most qualified information for supervisor of contracts and require the fulfilment of the contract by the contractor and therefore improving the performance of the supervision.

Master of Science / Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science / Charles L. Burton / Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a new way of approaching the design, construction, and management of a building. It is an innovative method that bridges the communication gap between the architects, engineers, and contractors. By definition Building Information Modeling is a model-based technology linked with a database of project information. BIM builds a virtual model of the building so that architects, engineers, and contractors can all access at anytime. With BIM, architects and engineers are able to efficiently generate and exchange information, create digital representations of all stages of the building process, and simulate real-world performance. By doing this, many errors are eliminated in the field which increases productivity and improves quality. This report defines what BIM actually is and discusses the benefits and challenges that are associated with this new method of design and construction. Specifically, this report will take an in depth look at how BIM affects MEP design.

Estimating the construction time and cost of a building project is an essential task of construction manager, which benefits owners, engineers and contractors. Construction duration and cost, in particular, have profound influence on the outcome of a project at the conceptual stage of its life. The conventional methods used to estimate the time and costs of construction projects are based on 2D models, which need much time and effort from engineers, estimators and schedulers who are involved in preparing them because all of this process is done manually, especially when the project has several design alternatives. Considering that, Building Information Modelling (BIM), which is a technology that enhances data transfer and ensures cooperation among designers, engineers, and contractors, can provide an efficient way for cost estimating and schedule planning. On the other hand, sustainability has drawn more and more attention by the construction industry, this is because a project’s construction process has crucial impacts on society, the environment, and the economy. Modular Construction has been proven to ensure sustainable construction by reducing the negative impacts on the environment, reducing construction time, and improving manpower productivity. This research aims at developing an integrated model that interrelates BIM with construction cost estimation, scheduling, and sustainability at the conceptual design stage of projects. The aim is to reduce the preparation time and increase the efficiency of making major decisions for both conventional construction and modular construction. The proposed model consists of five modules, including a data collection module, a cost estimation module, a scheduling module, a sustainability evaluation module, and a 5D integrated module. Plug-ins were developed in the model to link BIM tool (i.e., Autodesk Revit) with Microsoft Excel to ensure automatic data transfer among these modules all within a BIM platform so that owners and designers can quickly generate a reliable construction cost estimate, construction schedule, preliminary sustainability evaluation, as well as construction process simulation.

Currently, many researchers are looking at efficient ways to reduce energy and carbon emissions of construction materials used in buildings over their life due to its significant environmental impact. Along with operational energy, embodied energies and its associated carbon are substantial contributors in the overall sustainability assessment. The calculation of materials’ embodied energy and carbon emissions during the construction stage is a major assessment factor that needs to be considered to measure the environmental impact of materials used in the construction of buildings, which would provide designers with the ability to lower the environmental impact of buildings at the early design stage. Overall, it is rather complicated to compute embodied energy and carbon emissions due to the various factors involved. The tools and methodologies, listed in the literature, are rather imperfect as they tend to overgeneralize. The equipment used, fuel needed, and electricity required for each type of construction material varies from one location to another and thus embodied energy used, and carbon produced will differ for each construction project. Moreover, the method used in manufacturing, transporting and putting in place these materials will have significant influence on their environmental impact. This anomaly has made it difficult to calculate or even benchmark the usage of such factors. This thesis proposes an integrated model aimed at calculating embodied energies, embodied carbon and associated costs generated by construction materials based on such variability. This thesis presents a systematic approach that uses an efficient method of calculation to provide new insight for the selection of construction materials and equipment required to place them for buildings. Such assessment will aid in reducing the environmental impact of construction. The proposed model will be developed in a BIM environment. The quantification of materials’ energy is determined over the three main stages of their lifecycle: manufacturing, transporting, and placing. The proposed model will use multiple databases to calculate the energy used by manufacturing, transporting, and placing construction materials. By identifying the machinery required, an accurate calculation is achieved through geospatial data analysis. The proposed model can automatically calculate the distances between the material suppliers and construction sites to increase the accuracy of its outcome. Based on such variables, the proposed model provides designers with a list of equipment as to minimize the embodied energy and carbon produced by materials used in constructing buildings. Additionally, the proposed model has the ability to calculate the environmental cost impact of using specific building materials. Overall, this thesis aims to help researchers and the construction industry in reducing the environmental impact of construction activities through the selection of materials and the determination of machines required to achieve that goal.