The creation of an effective construction schedule is fundamental to the successful completion of a construction project. Effectively communicating the temporal and spatial details of this schedule are vital, however current planning approaches often lead to multiple or misinterpretations of the schedule throughout the planning team. Four Dimensional Computer Aided Design (4D CAD) has emerged over the last twenty years as an effective tool during construction project planning. In recent years Building Information Modelling (BIM) has emerged as a valuable approach to construction informatics throughout the whole lifecycle of a building. Additionally, emerging trends in location-aware and wearable computing provide a future potential for untethered, contextual visualisation and data delivery away from the office. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel computer-based approach, to facilitate on-site 4D construction planning through interaction with a 3D construction model and corresponding building information data in outdoor Augmented Reality (AR). Based on a wide ranging literature review, a conceptual framework was put forward to represent software development requirements to support the sequencing of construction tasks in AR. Based on this framework, an approach was developed that represented the main processes required to plan a construction sequence using an onsite model based 4D methodology. Using this proposed approach, a prototype software tool was developed, 4DAR. The implemented tool facilitated the mapping of elements within an interactive 3D model with corresponding BIM data objects to provide an interface for two way communication with the underlying Industry Foundation Class (IFC) data model. Positioning data from RTK-GPS and an electronic compass enabled the geo-located 3D model to be registered in world coordinates and visualised using a head mounted display fitted with a ii forward facing video camera. The scheduling of construction tasks was achieved using a novel interactive technique that negated the need for a previous construction schedule to be input into the system. The resulting 4D simulation can be viewed at any time during the scheduling process, facilitating an iterative approach to project planning to be adopted. Furthermore, employing the IFC file as a central read/write repository for schedule data reduces the amount of disparate documentation and centralises the storage of schedule information, while improving communication and facilitating collaborative working practices within a project planning team. Post graduate students and construction professionals evaluated the implemented prototype tool to test its usefulness for construction planning requirements. It emerged from the evaluation sessions that the implemented tool had achieved the essential requirements highlighted in the conceptual framework and proposed approach. Furthermore, the evaluators expressed that the implemented software and proposed novel approach to construction planning had potential to assist with the planning process for both experienced and inexperienced construction planners. The following contributions to knowledge have been made by this study in the areas of 4D CAD, construction applications of augmented reality and Building Information Modelling; · 4D Construction Planning in Outdoor Augmented Reality (AR) · The development of a novel 4D planning approach through decomposition · The deployment of Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) in AR · Leveraging IFC files for centralised data management within real time planning and visualisation environment.

At present there are concerns that new housing in the UK under-performs in terms of energy-efficiency. In research studies where the thermal performance of the building fabric has been measured, post-construction, significant gaps between design predictions and the as-built performance of new housing have been found. This thesis is concerned with how thermography may be used to assess the thermal performance of new housing during the construction process. The practical utility of this testing approach, which has not been investigated in-depth by previous research, is to identify performance issues at a stage when undertaking remedial work is less costly and disruptive. Moreover, by identifying issues that could reduce the energy-efficiency of the building fabric, these tests could help address the observed "performance gap". An approach for using thermography at different stages of construction has been developed through practical case studies and experimental work. The complementary use of heat transfer modelling and thermography is also explored. Finally, through interviews with industry professionals, the context of implementing tests within UK housing development practices is examined. The results of applying the testing approach demonstrate that beneficial feedback can be obtained without significant interruption to construction activities. However, test procedures need to be modified according to the stage and method of construction. It is proposed that heat transfer modelling can inform the interpretation of test results and analysis of defect severity. For the testing approach to be implemented more widely, there would need to be further development and trials on different types of construction and the oversight of an independent body to establish its credibility. In conclusion, thermography has the potential alongside other testing and inspection practices to help improve standards of site construction. However, there are limitations to its use which need to be considered if such tests are to be implemented effectively.

The building sector is in need of enhanced efficiency. The methodology behind Building Information Modeling, BIM, which is being used increasingly in extent, has shown to improve the efficiency of the flow of information in projects. The concept of 4D is based on the working method and methodology of integration between BIM and a time schedule. This can under certain circumstances further improve the efficiency of the planning phase of building- and civil engineering projects. Today there are not many companies that have begun to use this method and methodology, even though it has been shown to be effective for some conditions. This report addresses this dilemma, why and how companies can implement the work and process of 4D.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The popularity of Building Information Modelling (BIM) has grown rapidly within the construction industry, motivated by its potential advantages for improving construction processes. A majority of the world’s leading firms have adopted BIM solutions by moving from 2D or even 3D CAD to BIM techniques. However, for companies in South Africa this transition has not been the same as for firms in Europe and the USA. Besides the improvements which can be achieved by viewing a computer model of the designed facility, BIM provides a multi-disciplinary tool, to be used for collaboration of all project parties in a real-time simulated model of construction process. Due to this remarkable feature, the way of constructing a designed facility can be viewed and analysed from the conceptual stages and can improve design and construction processes. As this object-oriented approach has been developed in the industry, handbooks and standards have been released to support BIM utilization. A considerable amount of research has been conducted to establish the advantages and barriers in applying BIM. A large number of investigations have also been performed for reporting quantified achievement of construction projects executed in BIM environment. As such, a new knowledge field has been added to the industry requirements. BIM knowledge has become more demanding and BIM-specialist requirements have been enhanced. As a result, academia have been stimulated to raise BIM awareness among engineers, architects and construction managers to train sufficiently qualified professionals for applying BIM tools. Universities started offering different courses and programmes to fulfil this need while a variety of strategies have been developed for introducing BIM to the students at different levels. This research studied the current industry situation in South Africa regarding application of BIM and the role of universities to achieve a suitable level of BIM capability. The industrial and educational situations from some pioneering countries are reviewed as lessons for the South African adoption of BIM. Comparing these facts, proposals for introducing BIM through university courses are provided to satisfy industry requirements for the application of BIM in projects. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die gewildheid van Bou Inligtingsmodelle (Building Information Modelling (BIM)) het vinnig gegroei in die konstruksie bedryf as gevolg van die voordele wat dit vir die verbetering van konstruksieprosesse inhou. ʼn Groot aantal van die wêreld se voorste konstruksie maatskappye het al die oorgang vanaf 2D en selfs 3D RGT (Rekenaar Gesteunde Tekenstelsels) na BIM gemaak. Ongelukkig is hierdie oorgang na BIM metodes nog nie so doeltreffend vir maatskappye in Suid- Afrika soos in die geval van Europese en Amerikaanse maatskappye nie. Daar is al bewys dat die vermoë om na ʼn rekenaarmodel van ʼn ontwerpte fasiliteit te kan kyk baie voordelig is. Daarbenewens bied BIM ʼn multidissiplinêre grondslag wat vir die samewerking van alle betrokke partye van die projek gebruik kan word en die projek kan simuleer as ʼn funksie van tyd. Hierdie tyd-afhanklike simulasie stel die bestuur in staat om die manier waarop ʼn ontwerpte fasiliteit gebou word, reeds vanaf die konsepsuele fase, te beskou en te ontleed. Hierdie vermoë kan die ontwerp en konstruksieproses asook die fasiliteitsbestuur proses merkwaardig verbeter. As gevolg van die ontwikkeling van hierdie objek georiënteerde benadering deur die bedryf, is handboeke en standaarde vrygestel om die gebruik van BIM te ondersteun. ‘n Merkwaardige hoeveelheid navorsing is al gedoen om die voordele en struikelblokke in die toepassing van BIM te identifiseer. ‘n Groot aantal ondersoeke is ook al geloots om verslag te doen op die prestasie van konstruksie projekte wat deur middel van BIM uitgevoer was. Vanuit die bogenoemde ondersoeke en navorsing is 'n nuwe kennisveld gevoeg by die vereistes van die bedryf. Die kennis van BIM het al hoe meer veeleisend geword en die vereistes vir ʼn BIMspesialis het verhoog. As gevolg hiervan is akademici aangemoedig om ingenieurs, argitekte en konstruksie bestuurders meer bewus te maak van BIM sodat daar genoeg professionele werkers opgelei kan word wat BIM kan implementeer. Universiteite het begin om kursusse en programme aan te bied om hierdie behoefte te bevredig, terwyl 'n verskeidenheid metodes om studente bloot te stel aan BIM op verskillende vlakke ontwikkel is. In hierdie navorsingsprojek is die huidige stand van Suid-Afrikaanse konstruksiemaatskappye ten opsigte van die toepassing van BIM ondersoek. Daarbenewens is die rol wat universiteite speel om 'n voldoende vlak van BIM vaardigheid te bereik ook ondersoek. Die industriële en opvoedkundige omgewings van 'n paar vooraanstaande lande word gebruik as lesse vir die Suid-Afrikaanse aanvaarding van BIM. Deur hierdie feite te vergelyk, is voorstelle gemaak vir die bekendstelling van BIM in universiteitskursusse om aan industrievereistes te voldoen vir die toepassing van BIM op projekte.

Building Information Modeling, or BIM, is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility that serves as a shared resource for information for decision-making throughout the project lifecycle (National Institute of Building Sciences, 2007). The masonry construction industry currently suffers from the lack of BIM integration. Where other industries and trades have increased productivity by implementing standards for software-enhanced workflows, masonry construction has failed to adopt information tools and processes. New information technology and process modeling tools have grown in popularity and their use is helping to understand and improve construction processes. The Systems Modeling Language, or SysML, is one of the process modeling tools we can use to model and analyze the various processes and workflows. In this research, a case study methodology was applied to analyze the masonry construction industry to understand the current state of masonry construction processes and workflows. This thesis reviews these concepts and the applied case studies which are necessary to move forward with the implementation of BIM for masonry.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) enables project participants to perform more efficiently and effectively. Recently, many studies have reported the rapid growth of application of the use of BIM system in global construction industry used by Architects, Engineers and Contractors and clients etc. Many users report benefits of using BIM including more accurate information, less re-work, reduced construction time, fewer claims and better project performance. Those reported benefits have stimulated more acceptances of BIM and rapid adoption worldwide in past five years. As adoption increases and BIM becomes more pervasive in the construction industry in Hong Kong, clients and forefront users of such technology begin to question the effectiveness of BIM implementation. Firms that have adopted BIM invest an extensive amount of money and time in training professionals, but they barely enjoy the real benefits from BIM adoption. Construction is a project-based activity, wherein different disciplines work collaboratively to achieve the project goal. Effective collaboration and coordination among all project participants is essential to achieve the full advantages of BIM. Thus encouraging different disciplines (architect, engineer, surveyor, contractor, etc.) to collaborate in BIM-enabled construction projects is critical for optimizing BIM adoption and improving project performances. A project team constitutes professionals from different organizations (e.g. architectural, engineering, and construction). It is important for the project participants to work closely together to share their information, coordinate working flows, jointly make decision, achieve inter-organizational collaboration, and deliver projects effectively and efficiently. This study aims to explore and investigate factors affecting multi-discipline collaboration in BIM-enabled construction teams in Hong Kong. Socio-technical Theory is employed as theoretical lens to construct a conceptual research framework. To further develop a validated research model, a two-stage research design is adopted including an exploratory study and an explanatory study. The exploratory study uses semi-structured interviews to confirm factors identified from existing literatures as well as to explore any new important factors from empirical context. The exploratory study validates the finalized research model by content analysis of qualitative data. In the explanatory study, a quantitative research method is adopted. A questionnaire survey is conducted and a total of 249 responses are collected for data analysis. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is applied to test the finalized research model and postulated hypotheses. The research findings and results confirm that common understanding, trust and joint decision-making significantly determine the collaborative team environment. Such collaborative team environment in turn influences inter-organizational BIM collaboration. Research results also reveal that collaboration experiences among project participants impose significant positive influence on interoperability. Research findings also confirm that continuous training is a critical support factor to BIM collaboration. BIM acceptance is found to be the most significant predictor to BIM collaboration. Moreover, BIM collaboration is proved to be important to project success and BIM success. Besides, research also finds that different professionals have significant differences in BIM collaboration. Professionals with more BIM experiences tend to act more collaboratively in the project. In addition, early involvement of project participants also imposes a positive impact on BIM collaboration. This study provides an integrated view on inter-organizational collaboration in BIM-enabled construction projects in Hong Kong, and addresses the social, technological and process factors associated with effective inter-organizational collaboration. A triangulated research method is employed. Some new measurement scales and factors are developed specifically for BIM-enabled construction projects. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the significant factors that affect the collaborative adoption of BIM in the construction industry in Hong Kong. Such findings are useful and valuable to practitioners to improve the effectiveness of BIM adoption in construction projects. / published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The object of this report is to investigate how to implement BIM into the production part of the construction industry. How NCC should act to make the transformation as smooth and easy as possible. BIM, Building Information Modelling, is a way of working where you gather all information in one place. All disciplines work in a 3Dmodel and have information about their component in that model. For example, you can create a specific wall with its different layers, that will make it easier to calculate offers from subcontractors and also make the daily work with other orders easier if you know what the wall is build of. You can also use the model for collision controles. This make everything more efficient and make it easier to collaborate between different disciplines.By interviewing people from the industry, mainly from the production, we found that there already are softwares on the market that NCC are using that is easy to use even if you haven't worked a lot with digital tools before. The problem is how to spread the information about these softwares so that more projects can use them. Another difficulty is how to get the craftsmen to use these softwares. The people we interviewed thought that the lack of interest for digital tools, and the older generation, is the main reason why the implementation will be challenging. Our conclusion is that NCC need to find a systematic way to educate their employees in the digital tools that they are using. They need to get better to spread the word about those digital tools within the company so that their employees understand how much they can help and will start to use them. The craftsmen should use the tools to help visualize what they are building and the on-site manager should have a software with more features. / Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka hur BIM kan implementeras i byggbranschen på ett bra och smidigt sätt ute i produktion. Detta ger NCC ett underlag för hur de ska gå tillväga för att denna process ska gå så lätt och smidigt som möjligt men också för att minska risken att fokus hamnar på fel ställe och att implementeringen utförs på ett sådant sätt att personalen blir mer negativa mot digitala hjälpmedel i produktionen.  Då yrkesarbetarna är de som hittills jobbat minst med digitala hjälpmedel har störst vikt lagts vid att undersöka hur implementeringen kommer att påverka dem och hur man ska göra för att få med dem i denna förändring.   BIM, Building Information Modeling, är egentligen byggbranschens digitalisering. Det bygger på att projekteringen utförs i 3D och sedan byggs modellen på med information som gör att arbetet kan effektiviseras och göras smidigare. Det går till exempel att rita upp hur väggarna är uppbyggda i skikt för att underlätta för kalkylatorn vid upphandlingar med underentreprenörer men också i produktion vid beställning av material. Detta minimerar dubbeljobb och effektiviserar produktionen. I projekteringen används det bland annat vid kollisionskontroller där olika discipliners modeller läggs ihop för att se om installationerna krockar någonstans. I förvaltning kan det användas genom att produkterna som använts läggs in i modellen, till exempel vilken armatur, för att sedan lätt kunna hitta den informationen när armaturen senare behöver bytas ut.   Det pratas ofta om att BIM är dyrt och det stämmer att det blir en högre kostnad i början av projekten. Däremot sparas tid och pengar i produktion och förvaltning. Fel som tidigare har upptäckts i produktion och har behövt lösas på plats så gott som försvinner.  Genom att intervjua personer som börjat använda sig av BIM i produktion har upptäckten gjorts att det finns bra och lätthanterliga program som underlättar och effektiviserar vissa delar av produktionen. Två av dessa program som används på NCC idag är Bluebeam och Dalux. Bluebeam används som dokumenthantering där länkar mellan olika ritningar gör att det går snabbt och enkelt att hoppa mellan ritningar. Dalux är ett lättanvändligt program där du kan se projektet i 2D och 3D samtidigt vilket ger en lättare förståelse för vad som ska byggas genom att du kan gå omkring i projektet i 3D. Dalux har även en gratis app som alla yrkesarbetare skulle kunna använda för att öka förståelsen av vad dom bygger vilket skulle kunna göra att frågorna till arbetsledningen skulle minska. Ett problem är då hur man ska lösa det med mobiler och surfplattor till alla, om man inte får använda sin egen eller äger någon privat. Ett annat problem med digitaliseringen är att hårdvarorna är väldigt ömtåliga och ska användas i en hård miljö samt så har internet en tendens att krascha med jämna mellanrum vilket gör att man alltid måste ha en backup av de aktuella ritningarna och modellerna.  En annan fråga är hur man ska få alla att använda sig av de digitala verktygen. Här är de som intervjuats överens om att det med största sannolikhet handlar om hur intresserad man är av teknik och att det är en generationsfråga. De menar att det med generationsskiftet kommer bli lättare att implementera BIM i yrkesarbetarnas arbete.   För att implementera BIM i produktion på ett så bra och smidigt sätt som möjligt bör ordentliga utbildningar av platsledning och yrkesarbetarna genomföras för att sprida kunskapen om vilka möjligheter som finns inom företaget men också för att ge personalen en bra grund så att de känner sig säkra i programmen när de ska börja användas. Det kan öka intresset även hos de som varit negativt inställda från början. Yrkesarbetarna bör använda programmen som visuell hjälp genom att gå omkring i 3D modellen och för att snabbare kunna navigera sig mellan olika ritningar genom länkar. Arbetsledarna kan ha en högre svårighetsgrad med fler funktioner, bland annat olika lager och möjligheten att uppdatera ritningar och modeller.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Building (Property Development and Management) / Building information modelling (BIM) is one of many ways to automate construction processes and activities. Numerous projects in both the public and private sectors suffer from poor information management, resulting in time and cost overruns. BIM implementation is rapidly growing in western countries, as governments play key roles in devising strategies and mandating initiatives which increase its adoption. The purpose of this study is to determine possible regulatory initiatives towards BIM implementation in the South African Architectural Engineering and Construction sector (AEC) from the stakeholders’ perspective. BIM implementation strategies that have been used in various countries are discussed in the study and a questionnaire survey of AEC professionals in South Africa was conducted to determine which government strategies or mandatory initiatives would be most effective. The obtained data were analysed using inferential statistics and hypothesis testing. The results reflect that the South African government’s influence would be most valuable in mandating initiatives that promote BIM education and awareness, incentivising BIM usage by AEC stakeholders, modifying procurement practices to allow BIM usage and developing BIM libraries and data exchange frameworks. Key words: Building information modelling, implementation, mandatory initiatives / EM2017

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the built environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering. Johannesburg, 2017 / Construction fragmentation remains a major concern amongst professinals through-out project phases in South Africa.The report identifies fragmentation challenges in the context of integration, collaboration, communication and coordination encountered by professinal teams in construction projects. It also investigates whether the intrinsic properties of the construction projects, namely the project size, clients, project locations and project delivery methods, contribute to fragmentatio challenges experienced by the construction professinals. To accomplish this, the study employs mixed method research by using a qualitative tool to capture the raw data from the participants, and analysing the captured data quatitatively. While the results of the study are derived quantitatively, one could not quantitatively measure fragmentation on integration, collaboration, communication and coordination, i.e the results did not translate to weighted fragmentation. However, there are subtle, but enlightening points from the survey that exposed elements of fragmentation challenges faced by the professional team. While some of these challenges seem to lead to natural solutions, it appears most of the may be solved by implementing building information modelling. / MT2017

Estudantes têm ingressado no mercado de trabalho sem conhecimento em BIM e, portanto, despreparados para trabalhar com seus conceitos básicos. O objetivo desta Tese é propor uma forma de introduzir este conceito em currículos de cursos de Arquitetura e de Engenharia Civil no Brasil. Como a adoção de BIM, no Brasil, ainda está em estágios iniciais, optou-se por pesquisar documentos da literatura técnica internacional. Com base na Metodologia da Problematização com o Arco de Maguerez (MP), 408 documentos foram analisados, utilizando-se o método de pesquisa Análise de Conteúdo. Foi possível identificar os seguintes resultados: áreas do currículo em que BIM está sendo introduzido; tipos de colaboração ensinados; obstáculos enfrentados pelas instituições; a evolução do ensino de BIM; e níveis de proficiência em BIM (introdutório, intermediário e avançado). Concluiu-se que o ensino de BIM tem alcançado um elevado nível nos Estados Unidos, porém, está restrito a poucas universidades que possuem os recursos necessários e são capazes de estabelecer parcerias com empresas para troca de informações. Os métodos e recursos de ensino são, geralmente, definidos pela cooperação entre as instituições acadêmicas e a indústria, com o propósito de simular, na universidade, a prática profissional. Contudo, mesmo que BIM seja utilizado para ensinar conteúdos de uma disciplina, sua introdução nos currículos deveria seguir os critérios que são recomendados para cada nível de proficiência em BIM (NPBIM). Também foi possível identificar 12 tipos de especialidades BIM de quatro diferentes contextos e definir o perfil de um competente Gerente BIM. Para saber como algumas empresas de Arquitetura, Engenharia e Construção Civil, no Brasil, estão se estruturando para suportar projetos BIM, aplicou-se um questionário online cujos resultados contribuíram para construir um modelo para fluxo de trabalho BIM. Com base nesses estudos, foram identificadas as competências em BIM que deveriam ser ensinadas na graduação e aperfeiçoadas na profissão. Além disso, foram analisadas as ementas de dois currículos de uma universidade brasileira, assim como, as percepções dos professores quanto ao ensino de BIM. Todo conhecimento construído serviu como fundamentação para elaborar uma proposta para a introdução de BIM nesses dois currículos, assim como, a implementação de uma ferramenta que pode auxiliar professores a introduzir BIM em suas disciplinas, contemplando, assim, a última etapa da MP que é a Aplicação à Realidade. / Graduates are entering the labour market without any knowledge of BIM and are thus unprepared to work on projects that are undertaken within the framework of this new concept. The purpose of this thesis is to suggest ways this concept can be introduced in the curricula of courses in Civil Engineering and Architecture in Brazil. As the adoption of BIM in Brazil is still in its early stages, there was a need to search for suitable documentary material in the international technical literature. By employing the Problematization Methodology with the MaguerezArch (MP) 408 documents were analyzed based on the criteria of the \'Content Analysis\' method. This led to an assessment of the following areas : the parts of the curriculum where BIM is being introduced; the types of collaboration that are being taught; the obstacles faced by institutions when teaching BIM and the progress made by BIM Education in terms of the strategies adopted by academic institutions. In addition, three levels of BIM proficiency were defined: introductory, intermediate and advanced. It was concluded that BIM Education has reached an advanced level in the United States, although it is restricted to the few universities which have the required resources and are able to establish partnerships with companies to exchange information. The methods and teaching resources are designed to suit the requirements of those interacting between academic institutions and industry, as a means of simulating professional practice in the universities. However, even if BIM is only used as a teaching resource, or taught in a specific course, its introduction into the curricula must follow the criteria that are laid down for each level of BIM proficiency. It was also possible to categorize 12 types of BIM specialists working in four different areas and to define the profile of a competent BIM Manager. Moreover, a survey was conducted to find out how AEC firms in Brazil are being structured to support projects with BIM. The results made it possible to build a model for the BIM workflow. On the basis of these studies, it could be determined which BIM competencies should be taught in undergraduate courses and what improvements could be made in the profession. Furthermore, the syllabuses of two curricula from a Brazilian university were analyzed, as well as, the opinions of the teachers regarding the teaching of BIM. The knowledge obtained served as a theoretical basis for the introduction of BIM in these two curricula, as well as the implementation of a tool which can assist teachers in implementing BIM in their courses, and represents the last stage of the MP which is Assumptions of Solution.