BUILD-CYCLE: Integrated analysis and visualization for advanced construction

 

Summer 2016


Buildings consume about 40% of global energy and have been a major target for energy and emission reductions. While energy consumption during the construction stage has attracted less attention, due to its relatively small percentage of the total life-cycle consumption, major energy savings can be obtained by improving efficiency in the construction process. Recent technological developments, such as building information models (BIM) promise major construction productivity gains, supporting design-construction integration and improvements in virtually all functions. However, there is still a lack of effective process analysis tools for the construction stage using BIM. Model-based, detailed, and realistic analysis of construction projects is necessary to better evaluate alternatives and to make high impact decisions whilst keeping the overall perspective of the project.

BUILD-CYCLE project aims to improve the construction process analysis by providing a general purpose resource integrated simulation platform on 3D building information models. Moreover, it aims to make this analysis easy and extensible with parametric definition of the process. To that end, it combines several new approaches.

One of the major roles of construction management on site is defining and orchestrating resources. Labour crews use various tools, equipment, and materials to perform the work. Site supervision directs crews and equipment to perform tasks in a specific sequence and at a specific target production rate. To reflect this type of construction resources, we built an agent-based simulation model for resources, where each individual crew and major equipment is an agent with specific goals and policies. By providing simple and natural policies for resources, realistic construction practices can be achieved.

With the aid of geometric techniques, we abstract spatially complex work sequences of multiple activities to complete building element locations on BIM. We analyze this construction model on BIM through a hybrid simulation approach, where discrete event simulation model for activity sequences are unified with the agent based simulation model for resources.

We developed a prototype software called GSimX to implement this modeling and simulation approach. In this 3D platform, planners can import data from BIM and project schedule data from common software packages, and interactively define resources and their behaviour. Users can generate method, sequence, and resource alternatives, and evaluate performance, duration and cost results as a combination of summary values, graphs, and 3D visualization. The platform supports extensions to define new equipment and crews, update resource behaviour and support new construction scenarios.

Using this approach for integrated planning and controls can benefit various areas of construction. It helps to evaluate many alternatives for early project decisions, such as the quantity of major equipment, crews and project phasing that have important implications for the rest of the project. Moreover, the approach enables detailed project control during construction, frequently updating the plan through progress monitoring, tracking energy use, and perform forecasts and updates as necessary. Another benefit of this detailed analysis is better project logistics and interaction with project supply chains.

Model-based construction process analysis will lead to a more efficient use of project resources. This will improve not only the timing and cost of the project, but also energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions resources.


CONTACT DETAILS
Project Coordinator: Dr. Ragip Akbas, Ozyegin University
Phone: +90 216 564 9381
e-mail: ragip.akbas@ozyegin.edu.tr
Website: buildcycleproject.com