1,684 research outputs found
Architecture for implementing IFC-based online construction product libraries
Construction product information providers have responded to the demand for electronic delivery
by providing online access, CD-ROMs and DVDs but these solutions have limited usability and are generally
incapable of supporting prevalent and emerging industry practices. The product library implementations attempt
to replicate the functionalities of the paper versions, which serve for independent specification and procurement
but gives little thought to teams and tools integration through support for automated information exchange and
sharing. The IFC standard provides common terminologies, technologies, syntax and semantics necessary to
address present and future compatibility and integration issues, hence IFC-based implementation of product
libraries have good prospect for meeting the industry requirements. This paper reviews current product
information delivery methods and examines the applicability of the IFC and other standards. The requirements
for IFC-based construction product libraries are identified and an architecture for realising the requirements
was presented
Requirements for model server enabled collaborating on building information models
The application of Building Information Modelling (BIM) has demonstrated enormous potential to deliver consistency in the construction collaboration process. BIM can define an explicit configuration for digitized information exchange, however the technology to collaborate on models has not yet delivered the industry requirements for BIM collaboration. This research project is intended to provide a fresh review of industry requirements for BIM collaboration and will analyse how these requirements can be supported using a model server as a collaboration platform. This paper presents a review of existing collaboration platforms, with a particular focus to evaluate the research and development efforts on model servers as a collaboration platform. This paper also reports on the findings of three focus group sessions with industry practitioners to identify any problems in the available collaboration systems. The focus group findings identify a number of issues in current collaboration environments which help to understand the main domains of user requirements for BIM collaboration. These requirement domains will be further analysed to identify functional and technical specifications for a model server enabled collaboration platform
Development of an integrated product information management system
This thesis reports on a research project undertaken over a four year period investigating
and developing a software framework and application for integrating and managing
building product information for construction engineering. The research involved
extensive literature research, observation of the industry practices and interviews with
construction industry practitioners and systems implementers to determine how best to
represent and present product information to support the construction process.
Applicable product models for information representation were reviewed and evaluated
to determine present suitability. The IFC product model was found to be the most
applicable. Investigations of technologies supporting the product model led to the
development of a software tool, the IFC Assembly Viewer, which aided further
investigations into the suitability of the product model (in its current state) for the
exchange and sharing of product information. A software framework, or reusable
software design and application, called PROduct Information Management System
(PROMIS), was developed based on a non-standard product model but with flexibility
to work with the IFC product model when sufficiently mature. The software comprises
three subsystems namely: ProductWeb, ModelManager.NET and Product/Project
Service (or P2Service). The key features of this system were shared project databases,
parametric product specification, integration of product information sources, and
application interaction and integration through interface components. PROMIS was
applied to and tested with a modular construction business for the management of
product information and for integration of product and project information through the
design and construction (production) process
Visualisation of semantic architectural information within a game engine environment
Because of the importance of graphics and information within the domain of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), an appropriate combination of visualisation technology and information management technology is of utter importance in the development of appropriately supporting design and construction applications. We therefore started an investigation of two of the newest developments in these domains, namely game engine technology and semantic web technology. This paper documents part of this research, containing a review and comparison of the most prominent game engines and documenting our architectural semantic web. A short test-case illustrates how both can be combined to enhance information visualisation for architectural design and construction
Towards implementing integrated building product libraries
Electronic product catalogues and brochures are gaining
popularity but there is little agreement on content, format and
searching methods. This limits their usability and integration with
existing construction software tools. This paper examines a productmodelling
approach to delivering building product information and
describes a proposed multi-tier client-server environment. ISO/STEP
and IAI/IFC building product models are considered to facilitate
representation, exchange and sharing of product information. The
proposed architecture incorporates scalability with middleware
components that would provide single or few points of entry to
integrated product information. This paper is part of a research
project, which builds on the results of related projects including
ConstructIT Strategy, PROCAT-GEN, Active Catalog, COMBINE and ARROW,
towards implementing the required software components
Semantic query languages for knowledge-based web services in a construction context
Since the early 2000s, different frameworks were set up to enable web-based collaboration in building projects. Unfortunately, none of these initiatives was granted a long life. Recently, however, the use of web technologies in the building industry has been gaining momentum again, considered some promising technologies for reaching a more interoperable BIM practice. Specifically, this relates to (1) Linked Data and Semantic Web technologies, and (2) cloud-based applications. In order to combine these into a network of interlinked applications and datastores, an agreed-upon mechanism for automatic communication and data retrieval needs to be used. Apart from the W3C standard SPARQL, often considered too high a threshold for developers to implement, there are some recent GraphQL-based solutions that simplify the querying process and its implementation into web services. In this paper, we review two recent open source technologies based on GraphQL, that enable to query Linked Data on the web: GraphQL-LD and HyperGraphQL
IFC Classification for FOSS HBIM: Open Issues and a Schema Proposal for Cultural Heritage Assets
: The IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) open format has been developed by BuildingSMART
and regularized through ISO standards. It has been implemented into a BIM (Building Information
Modeling) informative system for the AEC industry (Architecture Engineering and Construction).
The IFC format has changed interoperability processes concerning architectural and technical entities
in a semantic way. However, because this standard open format was specifically designed for
the modern AEC industry, it may not cater to the demands of cultural heritage assets. Since IFC
classification is fundamental for informative systems, it should become a standard also concerning
heritage assets, even if nowadays there is no regularized IFC classification for historical existing
buildings. Specific cultural heritage peculiarities therefore need semantic classification based on
historical asset families. For this reason, this work is based on a proposal and experimental IFC
classification implemented inside an HBIM open source software (FreeCAD), whereby limitations of
IFC standards can be overcome thanks to the freedom of access to libraries and codes. Moreover,
this work is based on IFC objects management outside the platform for interoperability purposes
Dynamic IFC Theorems for Free!
We show that noninterference and transparency, the key soundness theorems for
dynamic IFC libraries, can be obtained "for free", as direct consequences of
the more general parametricity theorem of type abstraction. This allows us to
give very short soundness proofs for dynamic IFC libraries such as faceted
values and LIO. Our proofs stay short even when fully mechanized for Agda
implementations of the libraries in terms of type abstraction.Comment: CSF 2021 final versio
BIM-Based Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment for Buildings
In recent years, the progress of digitization in the architecture and construction sectors has produced enormous advances in the automation of analysis and evaluation processes. This is the case with environmental analysis systems, such as the life cycle analysis. Methodology practitioners have found a fundamental ally in the building information modeling platforms, which allow tasks that conventionally consume large amounts of energy and time to be carried out more automatically and efficiently. In this publication, the reader will find some of the latest advances in this area
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