A BIM Template for Construction Site Planning

Building Information Modelling is gradually becoming the standard method for building design all over the world. Its rapid development is visible not only in the many researches carried on it but also in the several standards released in different countries. The spread of the method implied continuous software improvements with the aim to comply as much as possible different design needs. Nevertheless, an insufficiency of tools specifically developed for construction site planning is still detectable among BIM panorama. The principal aim of the presented research is then to develop BIM use for making more efficient construction site design. Having defined, in an early report, the structure and the contents of the postulated Construction Site Information Model, the research goes on by customizing the available tools in order to fit the needs of a construction site designer. One of these tools is a predetermined template, useful as a starting point for the design, as it is for other design disciplines. The aim is to have at disposal, since the beginning of the project, a model completed of a series of elements, parameters, visualization tools and many other issues able to satisfy the needs of construction site design in term of information contents, level of detail and model efficiency. A step-by-step procedure is also provided to assure the correct use and guarantee the completeness of the model. In particular the research steps has been the following: (i) analysis of some software to evaluate the chances of customizing templates; (ii) creation of the template according to the defined contents and aims of the Construction Site Model; (iii) test and improvement of the tool in a project simulator specifically created for the purpose; (iv) practice in real case study and evaluation about its operation. The case study permits to evaluate how this tool make more efficient site designer task in term of time spent and mistakes avoided

BIM DESIGN FLOW FOR CONSTRUCTION SITE

Construction site planning is an important task in a design team whereas a proper design of construction activities has a great influence in time and cost saving as well as in workers’ safety. Designers need to focus on site planning since the preliminary phase of building design in order to point out construction criticalities of the project that can affect execution phase. On the contrary, a scarce attention to operational issues during design phase is detectable in industry. Despite of the rapid diffusion of Building Information Modeling (BIM), a lack of BIM tools specifically studied for site design is detectable. Then the purpose of this paper is to describe a workflow developed with the aim to integrate site planning in a BIM design process, gaining thus operational advantages. The development of the workflow follows designers’ needs collected through the active participation of the authors in several design teams. A strong coordination and information sharing with other disciplines is the main task of the workflow, so that design choices can take into consideration operational issues as well. In order to simplify and accelerate the tasks of the site designer, the system is based on the use of some tools (such as databases of construction site elements and automatic checking tools), specifically developed for the purpose. The satisfaction of the designers involved demonstrates the efficiency of the system, in particular concerning the decrease of design time and the assistance of design choices thanks to operational information management

SAFETY AND HEALTH SITE INSPECTIONS FOR ON-FIELD RISK ANALYSIS AND TRAINING

The field of construction is always affected by a large number of accidents at work that have many different causes and responsible. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to focus on all these issues, in order to reduce all risk factors that can undermine individuals’ safety on building sites. The objective of the research is then the development of a method for quick on site analysis of all critical issues that can create accidents and identification of the related causes in order to directly provide a correct and focused training identified as the best method to act on the causes to reduce accidents. The research was carried on during construction of the Universal Exhibition of Milan – Expo 2015 – that counted almost 70 contemporary construction sites. To reach the goals further research steps has been followed and in particular: (i) inspections on building sites through all the Expo area; (ii) analysis of the main identified problems; (iii) development of a methodology to quickly identify the cause of problems; (iv) validation of the method through back office analysis of site documents; (v) correct on-site training according to found problem. During the whole construction site, the improvements in criticalities solving have been visible thanks to the focused training. The developed method, carried on in a high-risk environment, is applicable in any other building sites and environment as independent from the boundary conditions of the place

5D BIM FOR CONSTRUCTION SITE SURVEYNG

The scope of work presented in this paper is to provide a BIM-based workflow supporting clients and contractors in construction site surveying. It is well known that BIM technology offers many profitable issues that benefit owners, designers and constructors, especially in terms of design efficiency and interoperability. Moreover, it can become a powerful instrument for the client’s team and the General Contractor all along the construction phase, starting from the construction site organization to answer the bid requests. It can also support the supervision of work progress and amount, and allow to periodically reconsider them in compliance with available resources. Starting from these statements, the authors have developed some studies to obtain a systematic and methodological approach for site surveying and optimization. Then, the research focuses primarily on the definition of proper requirements to outline a 5D site management throughout the whole construction process. After the definition of different needs for the different actors of construction process, the research moved to the possible BIM use for the satisfaction of these needs by the definition of customized parameters dealing with site spaces and facilities, quantities, time and cost management. The parameters have been identified to respond the needs of the on-field case study concerning the realization of a school complex in Cernusco sul Naviglio (Milan). Furthermore the field test proved efficiency and promptness to changes of the developed method in particular concerning scheduling optimization. By further inspections, this process is also supposed to become an instrument of dialog and comparison with the Health & Safety team, to verify work items clashes against health and safety on construction site

BIM Level of Detail for Construction Site Design

AbstractConstruction site design needs to be developed in different phases of a construction process. An early report of the research highlighted, in fact, a precise structure of contents both for pre-design (until tender) and for execution-phase design based on a systematic approach. The research is now going on applying Building Information Modeling technique to that structure, assuming the strategic role of site design in the whole design process in order to meet the safety goal as well as the time-cost requirements of a project. The actual stage issue is to identify and develop a standard design BIM-based method in order to create a proper “Construction site information model” (CoSIM). The final aim is therefore to help site designers to reach primarily the required health and safety employees’ standards. CoSIM method needs to be supported by an inventory of BIM elements, made on 3d-models, supplied with their ergo-technique information. That inventory has been therefore developed upon a precise classification made on different elements type (equipment, facilities, plants) according to their function on construction site. The research methodology for translating ergo-technique contents in a BIM has followed therefore these steps: (i) definition of elements to be contained in a CoSIM; (ii) definition of graphical level of detail of the model and its elements; (iii) definition of ergo-technique information level of development; (iv) translation of the model into proper deliverables.Some results of the first three steps of the research here presented show the development of construction site design from the pre-design to the execution-design phase in a case study through which it has been possible to asses and refine some guidelines for the creation of the postulated Construction Site Information Model

Nasal delivery devices: A comparative study on cadaver model

Nasal nebulization is a more effective method of delivering topical medication than nasal spray. The purpose of this study was to assess the deposition patterns of nebulization in delivering topical agents to the nasal cavities in the human cadaveric model using a color-based method. We have compared these following nasal devices: single-dose vial irrigation, syringe-irrigation, common nasal spray, Spray-sol, MAD nasal, and Rinowash nasal douche. Endoscopic images were recorded at six anatomical regions prior to and following each nasal device application and four reviewers evaluated the amount of surface area staining. At the nasal vestibule, the blue dye distribution achieved with Spray-sol was more extensive than nasal sprays. At inferior turbinate and nasal cavity floor, single dose vial, syringe, MAD nasal, Spray-sol, and Rinowash demonstrated a greater extent of dye distribution than nasal spray. At the middle turbinate, the average score of both Spray-sol and MAD nasal was significantly higher than other nasal investigated devices. At the nasopharynx, Spray-sol nebulization covers a surface significantly greater than other devices. Compared to traditional sprays, Spray-sol and MAD nasal provided a more effective method of delivering topical agents to the deeper and higher portions of the nasal cavities

Standard information for construction equipment in a relational database

In the last years, the digital evolution involved the construction sector and produced radical changes in projects elaboration and realization. The diffusion of digital models implies a particular attention on information related to the building elements. For what concerns construction planning and management, this information need to be related to the information of the elements proper of a construction site such as equipment and machines. A deep research focused on the manufacturers' sheets showed how technical information related to construction equipment are often non-homogenous and incomplete, probably because of a lack of a precise standard. The aims of this research are then the definition of a proper standard information structure for construction equipment and its digitalization thanks to the use of relational Databases and Building Information Models. To do this the amount of information collected from a wide number of datasheets have been standardized and organized in homogenous informative sets to be related in order to gain the correct information package of an equipment. The realization of a relational database permitted to store such data in a digital format and to search them in an efficient way. The realization of a BIM library permitted to provide to designers and firms a tool able to improve and automatize design choices in terms of construction issues

ASSISTED ANALYSIS ON WORKS INTERFERENCES ON RESTORATION CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

Workers’ safety management in restoration construction sites is an arduous task for designers since the difficulties given by particular environment and the wide range of works existing in the restoration panorama. In order to properly face this task, construction site needs to be studied since the preliminary phase of the design process, especially in restoration where work processes has a great influence in the success of the intervention. In fact this preliminary study on operational issues is able to solve a great number of criticalities that affect the project, if discovered during works, in terms of time, cost and worker’s health and safety. In particular works interference analysis is an important challenge to void delays due to the overlapping of works in adjacent spaces. In order to facilitate this task the ongoing research developed an IT based method for construction site interferences analysis. The main mission of this method is to assist the choice of the right action to solve interference criticalities. The system is primarily based on the storage of typical construction work places in a database and it is supported in particular by BIM tools and spreadsheets linked together. That way is possible to have a simple access to information required for interference analysis such as potential damage for workers and feasible technical solution. This amount of graphical and informative data permits to foreshadow interference situations in a restoration work and to automatically find, thanks to a proper data match, possible solutions of the analyzed interference to be chosen by the site designe