Structural sustainability appraisal in BIM

The provision of Application Programming Interface (API) in BIM-enable tools can contribute to facilitating BIM-related research. APIs are useful links for running plug-ins and external programmes but they are yet to be fully exploited in expanding the BIM scope. The modelling of n-Dimensional (nD) building performance measures can potentially benefit from BIM extension through API implementations. Sustainability is one such measure associated with buildings. For the structural engineer, recent design criteria have put great emphasis on the sustainability credentials as part of the traditional criteria of structural integrity, constructability and cost. This paper examines the utilization of API in BIM extension and presents a demonstration of an API application to embed sustainability issues into the appraisal process of structural conceptual design options in BIM. It concludes that API implementations are useful in expanding the BIM scope. Also, the approach including process modelling, algorithms and object-based instantiations demonstrated in the API implementation can be applicable to other nD building performance measures as may be relevant to the various professional platforms in the construction domain

Effect of energy concentration on growth performance and carcass quality of Iberian pigs reared under intensive conditions

In total, 192 Iberian pigs were used to investigate the effects of net energy (NE) concentration of the diet on growth performance and carcass quality of castrated females (CF) and castrated males (CM). From 30 to 112 kg body weight (BW), three diets were formulated with similar digestible amino acid content per kcal of NE but differing in energy concentration (2,045, 2,175 and 2,305 kcal NE kg-1 from 30 to 81 kg BW and 2,175, 2,305 and 2,445 kcal NE kg-1 from 81 to 112 kg BW). From 112 kg to slaughter (148 kg BW), all pigs received a common finisher diet. Each treatment was replicated eight times and the experimental unit was a pen with four pigs. A decrease in NE concentration of the diet increased feed intake (p<0.05) and tended to impaired feed conversion ratio (p<0.10), whereas carcass and meat quality traits were not affected. Castrated males ate more feed and grew faster but had less fat thickness at the gluteus medius muscle than CF (p<0.05). However, no differences in carcass and meat quality traits between genders were detected. We conclude that a reduction in NE content of the grower diets did not affect growth rate and therefore, it not a valuable alternative to avoid excess of BW at slaughter in Iberian pigs reared under intensive management conditions. Also, both genders can be used for the production of high quality carcasses destined to the dry-cured industry

Streamlining Digital Modeling and Building Information Modelling (BIM) Uses for the Oil and Gas Projects

The oil and gas industry is a technology-driven industry. Over the last two decades, it has heavily made use of digital modeling and associated technologies (DMAT) to enhance its commercial capability. Meanwhile, the Building Information Modelling (BIM) has grown at an exponential rate in the built environment sector. It is not only a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility, but it has also made an impact on the management processes of building project lifecycle. It is apparent that there are many similarities between BIM and DMAT usability in the aspect of physical modeling and functionality. The aim of this study is to streamline the usage of both DMAT and BIM whilst discovering valuable practices for performance improvement in the oil and gas projects. To achieve this, 28 BIM guidelines, 83 DMAT academic publications and 101 DMAT vendor case studies were selected for review. The findings uncover (a) 38 BIM uses; (b) 32 DMAT uses and; (c) 36 both DMAT and BIM uses. The synergy between DMAT and BIM uses would render insightful references into managing efficient oil and gas’s projects. It also helps project stakeholders to recognise future investment or potential development areas of BIM and DMAT uses in their projects

Automated Planning of Concrete Joint Layouts with 4D-BIM

Concrete pouring represents a major critical path activity that is often affected by design limitations, structural considerations and on-site operational constraints. As such, meticulous planning is required to ensure that both the aesthetic and structural integrity of joints between cast in-situ components is achieved. Failure to adequately plan concrete pouring could lead to structural defects, construction rework or structural instability, all having major financial implications. Given the inherent complexity of large-scale construction projects, the ‘manual planning’ of concrete pouring is a challenging task and prone to human errors. Against this backdrop, this study developed 4D Building Information Management (BIM) approach to facilitate automated concrete joint positioning solution (as a proof of concept) for design professionals and contractors. The study first developed structural model in Revit, then extracted spatial information regarding all construction joints and linked them to dynamic Microsoft (MS) Excel and Matlab spreadsheets using integration facilitated by Dynamo software. Midspan points of each beam as well as floor perimeter information were gathered via codes developed in MS Excel macros. Based on the Excel outputs, Matlab programming was used to determine best concreating starting points and directions, and daily allowed concrete volume, considering limitations due to cold joints. These information were then pushed back to Revit via Dynamo in order to develop daily concrete scheduling. The developed automated programme framework offers a cost-effective and accurate methodology to address the limitations and inefficiencies of traditional methods of designing construction joints and planning pours. This framework extends the body of knowledge by introducing innovative solutions to integrate structural design considerations, constructional procedures and operational aspects for mitigating human error, and providing a novel, yet technically sound, basis for further application of BIM in structural engineering