Assessing Embodied Carbon in Structural Models: A Building Information Modelling-Based Approach

The construction industry’s recognition of the importance of embodied carbon (EC) drives the need for streamlined early-stage EC assessment. The adoption of building information modelling (BIM) allows for integrating EC assessment into current workflows, as BIM data are fundamental to the assessment. This paper presents a BIM-based prototype tool developed to provide a quick and comprehensive assessment of EC in structural models. The prototype utilises visual programming language (VPL) and a database of external carbon factors to automate the assessment process and displays the results in a visualisation model. The prototype also offers high-level insights to support informed decision making and a detailed analysis to identify areas for optimisation. The results of this study indicate the effectiveness of the prototype in identifying EC hot spots and enabling informed decision making for optimisation. From an academic perspective, the study addresses a research gap by demonstrating the viability of integrating EC assessment in the early stages of design. In terms of practical implications, the presented prototype tool offers practitioners a solution that streamlines the assessment of EC in structural models, enabling informed decision making and identification of optimisation opportunities. In terms of policy, the research is aligned with the industry’s recognition of EC’s importance and supports sustainable building practices towards achieving net zero carbon goals

Framework for BIM-Based Simulation of Construction Operations Implemented in a Game Engine

Construction simulation has been widely used in academia for research purposes. However, it has been neglected by the industry for various reasons, including the amount of data, skills, effort, and time required to develop complex simulation models, the difficulty of model reuse, and the abstract and confusing way in which simulation results are usually presented. This article demonstrates how BIM can be employed to facilitate the development of a construction simulation model that considers constraints related to resource allocation and task interdependencies. Furthermore, it shows how a game engine can be used as a platform to implement the proposed framework for the integration of BIM and construction simulation and to produce animations from simulation results. The feasibility of the framework is demonstrated through a case study on masonry construction. Results of implementing the framework reveal that BIM-based simulations can reduce the skills, effort, and time required to develop simulation models and enable model reuse. The integration of simulation-based animations provides a model verification and validation mechanism and a means to communicate model results to stakeholders unfamiliar with simulation

Dataset of characterised construction safety risks and related treatments

The Safety Risk Library [1] is a structured database [2] that integrates knowledge drawn from multiple sources to address the problem of information disaggregation in the construction industry. This knowledge base maps construction safety risk scenarios to treatment suggestions that help designers implement the concept of prevention through design. In the context of the Safety Risk Library, risk scenarios are characterised by six data categories based on a formalised ontology [3]. To build the first iteration of the Safety Risk Library, nine different risk scenarios were identified and mapped to relevant risk treatments in focus groups. Subsequently, the Safety Risk Library was pilot tested in six construction projects, and user feedback and input were used to expand the list of risk scenarios and treatment prompts. Additionally, public press releases reporting construction accidents were analysed to identify and characterise risk scenarios, which were then mapped to appropriate treatment suggestions and included in the Safety Risk Library. This dataset can assist construction industry stakeholders in identifying, characterising, communicating and mitigating safety risks in construction projects. It can also be integrated into building information modelling environments to assist designers to implement prevention through design

BIM-based construction safety risk library

This paper presents a digital tool and Safety Risk library to assist designers in their health and safety work in BIM digital environments. Addressing an industry need for improved knowledge sharing and collaboration, the BIM Safety Risk library tool aligns with a Prevention through Design (PtD) approach that links safety risks to treatments via different risk scenarios. Motivated by continuing sub-optimal health and safety management processes, the research employs a conceptual framework rooted in construction guidance: structuring data via a 7-stage ontology to improve designer knowledge of issues and give access to an expanding safety knowledge base (the BIM Safety Risk Library). The tool facilitates tacit and explicit knowledge sharing in visual environments, enabling the construction industry to benefit from their health and safety data while providing an interactive learning tool for designers. The structuring of data also opens up possibilities for other digital advances (e.g. via automatic rule checking)

ECMO for COVID-19 patients in Europe and Israel

Since March 15th, 2020, 177 centres from Europe and Israel have joined the study, routinely reporting on the ECMO support they provide to COVID-19 patients. The mean annual number of cases treated with ECMO in the participating centres before the pandemic (2019) was 55. The number of COVID-19 patients has increased rapidly each week reaching 1531 treated patients as of September 14th. The greatest number of cases has been reported from France (n = 385), UK (n = 193), Germany (n = 176), Spain (n = 166), and Italy (n = 136) .The mean age of treated patients was 52.6 years (range 16–80), 79% were male. The ECMO configuration used was VV in 91% of cases, VA in 5% and other in 4%. The mean PaO2 before ECMO implantation was 65 mmHg. The mean duration of ECMO support thus far has been 18 days and the mean ICU length of stay of these patients was 33 days. As of the 14th September, overall 841 patients have been weaned from ECMO support, 601 died during ECMO support, 71 died after withdrawal of ECMO, 79 are still receiving ECMO support and for 10 patients status n.a. . Our preliminary data suggest that patients placed on ECMO with severe refractory respiratory or cardiac failure secondary to COVID-19 have a reasonable (55%) chance of survival. Further extensive data analysis is expected to provide invaluable information on the demographics, severity of illness, indications and different ECMO management strategies in these patients

Gestión del conocimiento. Perspectiva multidisciplinaria. Volumen 9

El libro “Gestión del Conocimiento. Perspectiva Multidisciplinaria”, volumen 9, de la Colección Unión Global, es resultado de investigaciones. Los capítulos del libro, son resultados de investigaciones desarrolladas por sus autores. El libro es una publicación internacional, seriada, continua, arbitrada de acceso abierto a todas las áreas del conocimiento, que cuenta con el esfuerzo de investigadores de varios países del mundo, orientada a contribuir con procesos de gestión del conocimiento científico, tecnológico y humanístico que consoliden la transformación del conocimiento en diferentes escenarios, tanto organizacionales como universitarios, para el desarrollo de habilidades cognitivas del quehacer diario. La gestión del conocimiento es un camino para consolidar una plataforma en las empresas públicas o privadas, entidades educativas, organizaciones no gubernamentales, ya sea generando políticas para todas las jerarquías o un modelo de gestión para la administración, donde es fundamental articular el conocimiento, los trabajadores, directivos, el espacio de trabajo, hacia la creación de ambientes propicios para el desarrollo integral de las instituciones

A method for discrete event simulation and building information modelling integration using a game engine

Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Discrete Event Simulation (DES) are tools widely used in the context of the construction industry. While BIM is used to represent the physical and functional characteristics of a facility, DES models are used to represent its construction process. Integrating both is beneficial to those interested in the field of construction management since it has many potential applications. Game engines provide a human navigable 3D virtual environment in which the integrated BIM and DES models can be visualised and interacted with. This paper reports the experience obtained while developing a simulator prototype which integrates a BIM and a DES model of a single construction activity within a commercial game engine. The simulator prototype allows the user to visualise how the duration of the construction activity is affected by different input parameters interactively. It provides an environment to conduct DES studies using the user's own BIM models. This approach could increase the use of DES technologies in the context of construction management and engineering outside the research community. The presented work is the first step towards the development of a serious game for construction management education and was carried out to determine the suitable IT tools for its development

Dataset of characterised construction safety risks and related treatments

The Safety Risk Library [1] is a structured database [2] that integrates knowledge drawn from multiple sources to address the problem of information disaggregation in the construction industry. This knowledge base maps construction safety risk scenarios to treatment suggestions that help designers implement the concept of prevention through design. In the context of the Safety Risk Library, risk scenarios are characterised by six data categories based on a formalised ontology [3]. To build the first iteration of the Safety Risk Library, nine different risk scenarios were identified and mapped to relevant risk treatments in focus groups. Subsequently, the Safety Risk Library was pilot tested in six construction projects, and user feedback and input were used to expand the list of risk scenarios and treatment prompts. Additionally, public press releases reporting construction accidents were analysed to identify and characterise risk scenarios, which were then mapped to appropriate treatment suggestions and included in the Safety Risk Library. This dataset can assist construction industry stakeholders in identifying, characterising, communicating and mitigating safety risks in construction projects. It can also be integrated into building information modelling environments to assist designers to implement prevention through design

Sociología de la cultura, arte e interculturalidad

Este libro compila investigaciones sociales sobre diversas manifestaciones culturales y artísticas latinoamericanas. muchas de estas experiencias estudiadas fueron posibles, en parte, por la movilización social, la creatividad y las transformaciones en la legislación internacional, ratificadas en varios estados. A partir de las investigaciones presentadas en este volumen se visualizan nuevas disputas por la distribución de recursos materiales y simbólicos de actores comunitarios otrora invisibilizados. Se muestran avances a la vez que persisten desigualdades económicas y prácticas de discriminación. En este sentido, y a la luz de la vigente amenaza a nivel regional y mundial de retroceso de los derechos adquiridos , cobra aún más vigor la pregunta orientadora de este libro: ¿cuál es el lugar de la cultura (valores, creencias, expresiones artísticas y simbólicas atravesadas por múltiples tecnologías) en los procesos de transformación actual