Construction Planning will increasingly play a more critical role within the realm of the Built Environment. Existing practices used to plan and communicate the construction process to be undertaken are failing to deliver the desired results for construction companies and clients alike. At a time of unprecedented growth in the industry around the world, which is leading to a general skills shortage, especially in management positions, construction planners are increasingly being asked to deal with more responsibility. As with other industries, technological improvement in the tools at their disposal is one way to address the inadequacies of the present situation. Increasingly, three dimensional design packages are being used to generate construction information which can then be used for quantities calculations, automated manufacturing processes and construction simulation. The latter forms the basis for their use in the process of planning, through new technologies being developed as virtual construction tools or 4D planning, the addition of time to the 3D model environment, but using the elements within the model as the basis for the construction programme. The benefit of using the design information to form the basis of the programme is that the interface tasks and logistical activities, as well as location related constraints, can be identified and then communicated to all levels within the construction team through a time based visual image. The purpose of this study is therefore to establish a scientifically analysed alternative method for the creation, review and delivery of construction programmes. In order to achieve the research objectives, three methodologies have been employed. Firstly, the literature review in the fields of planning including existing methodologies and previous research of 4D related techniques has been analysed. An overview of the perceived weaknesses to current practises and proposed solution will be explored and best case scenarios outlined and further investigated. Secondly, the 51 Lime Street project provides an environment in which the proposed 4D planning techniques have been implemented and the benefits of the process can, through observation / participation methodology, be validated. Thirdly, through interview questionnaires, with Lime St contractors and management, and e-mail questionnaires to a broader sample stratum, data on the ability of the tools, the techniques employed on 51 Lime Street and similar projects have been collated and statistically analysed to validate the reliability and relevance for future implementation. The result of the research will provide management teams with a practical alternative to existing planning methodologies. Construction planners will have alternative technique that can further enhance their role within the project team whilst increasing their ability to communicate the team’s vision to a wider audience, making them and the project more efficient and effective in the process. It has been proposed that clients insist on the use of 3D from the commencement of the design process so that this information can be passed downstream through the construction process and onto facilities management. Planners need to be able to communicate their requirements better and the 4D planning models provide both a more inclusive way of planning alongside a better communications medium in the form of moving images. A picture tells a thousand words.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:9698 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Allen, Christopher James |
| Publisher | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MSc |
| Format | xxi, 133 pages, pdf |
| Rights | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University |
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