A virtual environment for the design and simulated construction of prefabricated buildings

The construction industry has acknowledged that its current working practices are in need of substantial improvements in quality and efficiency and has identified that computer modelling techniques and the use of prefabricated components can help reduce times, costs, and minimise defects and problems of on-site construction. This paper describes a virtual environment to support the design and construction processes of buildings from prefabricated components and the simulation of their construction sequence according to a project schedule. The design environment can import a library of 3-D models of prefabricated modules that can be used to interactively design a building. Using Microsoft Project, the construction schedule of the designed building can be altered, with this information feeding back to the construction simulation environment. Within this environment the order of construction can be visualised using virtual machines. Novel aspects of the system are that it provides a single 3-D environment where the user can construct their design with minimal user interaction through automatic constraint recognition and view the real-time simulation of the construction process within the environment. This takes this area of research a step forward from other systems that only allow the planner to view the construction at certain stages, and do not provide an animated view of the construction process

DETERMINING THE OPTIMAL INVESTMENT AMOUNT OF AN INTELLIGENT HOUSE - POTENTIALS OF INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY TO COMBINE ECOLOGY AND ECONOMY

Innovations in the field of information systems (IS) open up new possibilities to increase energy efficiency and carbon reduction. For this, real estate is an industry sector with remarkably high potential. Here IS are integrated into \u27Intelligent Houses\u27. But many of these ecologically advantageous investments are not made yet, because they do not seem to be economically profitable. We therefore develop an IS-specific model to identify investment alternatives out of all ecologically advantageous investment alternatives which are also economically profitable. For this, we compare the investment amount with the achievable energy cost reduction and the raise of the buildings\u27 resale returns. Out of all identified investments we determine the economically optimal investment amount. In this connection we put special emphasis on the valuation of risk and for the first time point out the applicability of Intelligent Houses as insurance against energy price volatility. Thus the quantity of all ecologically advantageous and economically profitable investments is enhanced as well as the economically optimal investment amount. IS\u27 potentials to combine economy and ecology can thus be detected and made useable. An example illustrates how the model can be applie

Toward Efficient Academia-Industry Collaboration: A Case Study of Joint VR System Development

Collaborative academia-industry development and evaluation of virtual reality (VR) systems is a mutually beneficial opportunity to investigate VR technology in a real context and conduct user studies with target users. However, such collaboration is rarely performed due to variations in project pace and work methods. In this article, we introduce the process of action research on joint design, development, and evaluation of a collaborative VR system to address industrial needs. The paper further presents employees’ subjective opinions and perceived value of industrial VR applica- tions and reflects on their involvement throughout the process. The article concludes with a process-oriented framework for remote academia-industry collaboration, supported with practical sugges- tions on how to support this collaboration. Our experiences reveal the methods and advantages of remote collaboration in all phases of the process and signify the efficiency of the remote framework for academia-industry collaboration, especially relevant in the light of the COVID-19 pandemiaacceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Automated Monitoring of Construction Operations for Data-Driven Decision Making

The continuous improvement of construction operations requires a systematic approach of monitoring and making appropriate control actions. However, the lack of real-time information hinders this workflow and eventually compromises timely and effective decision-making. Project managers spend a great deal of time and effort to solve problems emerging from lack of timely information, poor coordination, and inaccurate out-of-date data. Emerging technologies like advanced data analytics, the internet of things, and superior computational power can aid in obtaining real-time information and actionable insight from the construction site. This is reflected in the growing use of emerging technologies to automatically monitor construction activities to improve the efficiency of construction management. The overarching research goal of this dissertation is to advance the body of knowledge and practice by integrating emerging technologies with project monitoring for data-driven decision-making. Specifically, this research develops a systematic framework to automatically identify activities performed by construction resources and then uses this real-time information to optimize the operations for data-driven decision-making. The methods developed in this study are applied to two different types of construction operations: heavy civil construction, and prefabricated construction. For both types of operations, first consumer-grade sensors, such as inertial measurement units (IMUs), microphones, RFID sensors were used to automatically identify, and track activities performed in the construction site utilizing machine learning and deep learning algorithms. Then the output from the activity identification framework was used as inputs to simulation models for dynamic productivity estimation and optimization of the operation to enable data-driven decision-making. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing a means for automated monitoring of construction operations using emerging technologies and assessing the use of simulation modeling for data-driven decision-making

The Benefits of Extended Reality for Technical Communication : Utilizing XR for Maintenance Documentation Creation and Delivery

The main goal of this dissertation is to explore the benefits of extended reality for technical communication. Both of these fields offer opportunities and also pose challenges to each other, and this dissertation provides insight into this relationship. The research was initiated by the author’s personal interest in both fields and also human-technology interaction and user needs in general. Even though this is an academic dissertation, it is first and foremost a practitioner’s view of these evolving technologies and their potential uses in industry and, specifically, in industrial maintenance and technical communication. Under the umbrella of extended reality and technical communication, this dissertation focuses on two main themes. The first part studies virtual reality as a technology to facilitate collaboration and digital content creation for technical documentation in industrial companies, and the second part explores the possibilities of augmented reality and smart glasses as a delivery channel for maintenance instructions. The developed concepts were tested by domain experts in user tests. The overall results of testing were positive, and domain experts expressed enthusiasm toward the concepts and technologies in general. The technical documentation process is an inherently collaborative process involving stakeholders from different teams and organizations, and virtual reality was evaluated to have a positive effect on that process, especially in the case of globally scattered teams. The developed tools were also rated positively for digital content creation. Therefore, virtual reality offers many benefits for technical documentation creation, an area where it has not been utilized until now. On the augmented reality side, domain experts were generally enthusiastic about the use of smart glasses even though the technologies are not yet mature enough for field use in industrial maintenance. Furthermore, the results show that content created in the technical communications industry standard, DITA XML, works well when delivered to smart glasses, and the same content can be single sourced to other delivery channels. The use of DITA XML, therefore, eliminates the need to tailor content for each delivery channel separately, and offers an effective way to create and update content for AR applications in industrial companies. This, in turn, can advance the use of AR technologies and related devices in field operations in industrial companies. In conclusion, the findings of this dissertation show that the fields of technical communication and extended reality have a significant amount of synergy. In this dissertation I establish use cases and guidelines for these areas

An investigation into a distributed virtual reality environment for real-time collaborative 4D construction planning and simulation

The use and application of 4 Dimensional Computer Aided Design (4D CAD) is growing within the construction industry. 4D approaches have been the focus of many research efforts within the last decade and several commercial tools now exist for the creation of construction simulations using 4D approaches. However, there are several key limitations to the current approaches. For example, 4D models are normally developed after the initial planning of a project has taken place using more traditional techniques such as Critical Path Method (CPM). Furthermore, mainstream methodologies for planning are based on individual facets of the construction process developed by discrete contractors or sub-contractors. Any 4D models generated from these data are often used to verify work flows and identify problems that may arise, either in terms of work methods or sequencing issues. Subsequently, it is perceived that current 4D CAD approaches provide a planning review mechanism rather than a platform for a novel integrated approach to construction planning. The work undertaken in this study seeks to address these issues through the application of a distributed virtual reality (VR) environment for collaborative 4D based construction planning. The key advances lie in catering for geographically dispersed planning by discrete construction teams. By leveraging networked 4D-VR based technologies, multidisciplinary planners, in different places, can be connected to collaboratively perform planning and create an integrated and robust construction schedule leading to a complete 4D CAD simulation. Establishing such a complex environment faces both technological and social challenges. Technological challenges arise from the integration of traditional and recent 4D approaches for construction planning with an ad hoc application platform of VR linked through networked computing. Social challenges arise from social dynamics and human behaviours when utilizing VR-based applications for collaborative work. An appropriate 4D-based planning method in a networked VR based environment is the key to gaining a technical advancement and this approach to distributed collaborative planning tends to promote computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW). Subsequently, probing suitable CSCW design and user interface/interaction (UI) design are imperative for solutions to achieve successful applicability. Based on the foregoing, this study developed a novel robust 4D planning approach for networked construction planning. The new method of interactive definition was devised through theoretical analysis of human-computer interaction (HCI) studies, a comparison of existing 4D CAD creation, and 3D model based construction planning. It was created to support not only individual planners’ work but multidisciplinary planners’ collaboration, and lead to interactive and dynamic development of a 4D simulation. From a social perspective, the method clarified and highlighted relevant CSCW design to enhance collaboration. Applying this rationale, the study specified and implemented a distributed groupware solution for collaborative 4D construction planning. Based on a developed system architecture, application mode and dataflow, as well as a real-time data exchange protocol, a prototype system entitled ‘4DX’ was implemented which provides a platform for distributed multidisciplinary planners to perform real-time collaborative 4D construction planning. The implemented toolkit targeted a semi-immersive VR platform for enhanced usability with compatibility of desktop VR. For the purpose of obtaining optimal UI design of this kind of VR solution, the research implemented a new user-centred design (UCD) framework of Taguchi-Compliant User-Centred Design (TC-UCD) by adapting and adopting the Taguchi philosophy and current UCD framework. As a result, a series of UIs of the VR-based solution for multifactor usability evaluation and optimization were developed leading to a VR-based solution with optimal UIs. The final distributed VR solution was validated in a truly geographically dispersed condition. Findings from the verification testing, the validation, and the feedback from construction professionals proved positive in addition to providing constructive suggestions to further reinforce the applicability of the approach in the future.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Development of implementation strategies for offsite construction techniques in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Offsite construction is considered a new method of building in Saudi Arabia in comparison to other developed countries. The aim of this research is to examine the main factors affecting offsite construction in Saudi Arabia in order to propose a feasible strategy for its wider implementation. The broad range of factors affecting the impact of its application, the reasons for its use, and the challenges it faces were extracted from the existing literature. As a result, each reflects a factor affecting offsite construction. To achieve the research aim, the researcher adopted a mixed method approach, combining Semi-Structured interviews and Questionnaires. The interviews were administered amongst 6 expert participants in the construction industry in Saudi Arabia, while 136 participants from this industry filled in the questionnaire. All of the data were gathered and analysed based on scientific methods of analysis. The interviews revealed many factors that affect the implementation of offsite construction in Saudi Arabia and highlighted that there are four main offsite construction techniques (Offsite preassembly, Hybrid system, Panelised system and Modular building); this was also confirmed by the questionnaire. The questionnaire revealed that an increase in labour productivity and product quality as well as an overall reduction in project schedule are the main attributes of offsite construction. However, there are many challenges facing offsite construction in Saudi Arabia, including inflexibility in making on-site changes, limited design options, associated costs and risks, low awareness and resistance to OCT. An ISM validation confirmed similar outcomes. All of these factors are discussed in relation to the literature review in the discussion chapter, based on which the researcher developed an OCT implementation strategy which he tested using the ISM methodology.In its investigation of the viability of offsite construction in Saudi Arabia, this study extends its scope beyond standard considerations of time and cost in construction, to examine these and other factors in the context-bound circumstances in which they are applied. This approach sets the background for a detailed examination of offsite fabrication in Saudi Arabia. This study considers the individual factors of cost, quality, environmental impact, negative perceptions, etc., and some of the implementation-related drivers and barriers. It also includes an examination of the social and cultural factors which could hasten the successful implementation of OCT, such as Saudi society’s capacity to collaborate by adopting an open-minded, questioning approach to sharing information and to innovate by anticipating and responding to change

Entornos virtuales de construcción volumétrica en acero: nociones de automatización del modelado 4D para la planificación de procesos

This doctoral thesis aims the theoretical and exploratory study of methodologies and mechanisms for automating 4D modeling, applied in the processes planning of volumetric construction in steel. We assume that in architecture, planning is the link of cohesion between design and construction. Hypothetically, we propose that through the study of methodologies and planning tools, we could get to know the mechanisms to extend the digitized information at rendering the design of the building, organizing it, in such a way that will be operable even in its industrialized production. In the area of visual communication in architecture and design, we have noticed a growing interest by the use of these innovations, the transition from CAD to BIM platforms, as well as the implementation of the CAVT (Computer Advanced Visualization Tools), whence 4D technology originated. We find particularly motivating for the realization of this work, the updating in 3D, 4D (3D + time) modeling techniques and its multidimensional progression; besides the verification of the possibilities of integration and synchronization of information, through built-in mechanisms of these new tools. From them, we draw general objective, know and describe how to prepare dynamic animation of assembly movements, a means of representation and communication almost absent in architecture and construction. In the exploratory proposal of the thesis we suggests, if in a 4D dynamic simulation model, ensures that the movements, and in general, the parametrized behavior of 3D graphic entities, occur in accordance with the logic of the construction sequence, then, the information used to represent the design of a building, would be used also for represent the construction process and develop the virtual environment of planning, where movements would be displayed upon executing the operations, the strategy evaluated and the length of its construction quantified. With this work, we intend to overcome the characteristic use of animation in the representation of the design; witch in part has caused the production of static images, preventing the virtual and dynamic representation of the construction processes. Then, on the basis of the analyzed fundamentals, we explore and disclose how to develop a 4D model ¿as built¿, detailing the 3D graphical entities that represent the integral parts of the objects of the building, and even the resources required to build them. Subsequently, we describe how linked together with the construction operations, in an exercise known as process modeling. Mainly we propose a strategy for the elaboration of the two virtual environments of the volumetric construction in steel, through the respective models of dynamic simulation 4D, where the assembly operations in site and offsite production of a modular building come alive virtually. To carry it out, we justify the integration of mechanical design platform, 4D and BIM, (Inventor, Navisworks, and Revit) from Autodesk. In the application of the thesis, we will approach to achieve integration of information from design and construction, for digitizing the complete cycle of industrial production of a modular building. We provide a series of procedures, recommendations, and qualitative appreciations, to capture and manage, the know-how of the logic of construction. Keywords: 4D technology, visual simulation, process planning, virtual construction.La presente tesis doctoral, tiene por objeto el estudio teórico y exploratorio de las metodologías y mecanismos de automatización del modelado 4D, aplicados en la planificación de procesos de construcción. En este caso, de la construcción volumétrica en acero. Partimos del supuesto de que en la arquitectura, la planificación es el vínculo de cohesión del diseño con la construcción. Hipotéticamente planteamos, que a través del estudio de las metodologías y herramientas de planificación, podríamos llegar a conocer los mecanismos que permitan extender la información digitalizada al representar el diseño de la edificación, organizándola de tal manera, que sea operable hasta en su producción industrializada. En el contexto de la investigación, revisamos la literatura, las metodologías y las referencias significativas en los avances para la planificación de procesos. Se presentan los antecedentes y se justifica la elección de la tecnología de simulación visual 4D, integrada con el modelado multidimensional y los prototipos virtuales, como la nueva herramienta de análisis, que permite disminuir el riesgo en la industria de la construcción. Además, conveniente para que el arquitecto aproveche sus conocimientos de modelado 3D en la elaboración de entornos virtuales de construcción, que proveen la inexistente posibilidad en la arquitectura, de ensayar antes de construir: try before built. En el área de la comunicación visual en la arquitectura y el diseño, hemos percibido un creciente interés por la utilización de estas innovaciones, la transición entre las plataformas CAD al BIM, así como la implementación de las CAVT (Computer Advanced Visualization Tools), de donde proviene la tecnología 4D. Particularmente encontramos motivante para la realización de este trabajo, la actualización en las técnicas de modelado 3D, 4D (3D+tiempo) y su progresión multidimensional; además de la verificación de las posibilidades de integración y sincronización de la información, a través de mecanismos incorporados en estas nuevas herramientas. A partir de ellos, trazamos como objetivo general, conocer y describir cómo elaborar la animación dinámica de los movimientos de ensamblaje, un medio de representación y comunicación prácticamente inexistente en la arquitectura y la construcción.Postprint (published version