A concept design stages protocol to support collaborative processes in architecture, engineering and construction projects.

Purpose: This paper proposes and tests, through a series of structured multi-disciplinary design activities, a “Concept Design Stages Protocol” (CDS Protocol) to structure project initiation, to attain smoother collaboration and greater consensus among multi-disciplinary project teams. Design/methodology/approach: A collaborative approach from the outset is imperative for project success, especially when considering multi-disciplinary teams in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. However, involving different disciplines hinders communication paths and affects informed decision-making. Findings: Based on these findings, the research demonstrates that the CDS Protocol provides a solid foundation to aid in the optimal implementation of collaborative design, and with particular regard to multi-disciplinary working. Originality/value: The research demonstrates the potential for significant improvement in the optimisation of the conceptual design stages, with positive implications for time, communication and whole-team engagement

Towards computational dialogue types for BIM collaborative design: an initial study.

Collaborative design is an iterative process of selecting and evaluating solutions under potentially conflicting requirements, a concept central to Building Information Modelling (BIM) implementation. Previous research has shown that design can be better understood via computational argumentation-based dialogue. We suggest that in BIM context different types of dialogue should be considered and we propose an approach that translates collaborative, conceptual and perceptual activities undertaken by design and construction professionals to dialogue types

Application of a conceptual stages design protocol for early collaborative design through computer based mediation.

Effective conceptual and collaborative design process in architecture is a prerequisite for efficient overall project development. This can be facilitated by computer mediation methods, including emerging augmented reality technologies and tactile and tangible interfaces. With the current paradigm of conceptual design process being disorganised and quite often overpowered by communication gaps between the different design professionals, collaborative conceptual design is essential to be understood and most importantly effectively managed. Bridging the conceptual design stage with the later detailed design ones by using digital technologies can effectively assist transferring the information and initial ideas between the different design stages and bridge the communication gap between the different stakeholders, like the design professionals i.e. architects, engineers, design managers, etc., as early as possible. This paper is focused on reviewing different design processes and on presenting a predefined Conceptual Design Protocol (CDP) as a descriptive model that illustrates the steps of the design process as sequences of actions that occur during design and eventually manages the conceptual design process. Two studies illustrate the evolution from the current paradigm to the proposed design process and are both briefly presented in the paper. The preliminary study showcases a multidisciplinary conceptual design approach. During the second study, the design process is managed to follow the CPD and the participants utilise a design application developed specifically for the particular study and installed on a tangible user interface (TUI). The nature of design progression and collaboration is recorded and analysed, allowing for a number of conclusions to be drawn regarding the conceptual design process, the role of digital technologies and the application of the CPD

Identifying the immediate and remote causes of pipeline disasters in Nigeria.

Several occurrences of the transport system of the natural gold vandalisms in Nigeria, especially in the Niger Delta part of Nigeria is so upfront and seem neverending. However, this seemed also to be a result of many factors ranging from the unemployment of youths and the inadequate management and necessary government policies to be put in place to ensure guaranteed security. Past researchers have observed and given the fact that the major causes of this disaster are attached to a technical fault and some failures in aging, corrosion, and mechanical challenges like those welding effects. This research work examined immediate and remote causes of pipeline disasters considering the dimension of factors, the level of preparedness of people for the pipeline disasters, and the risk perception of people, the socioeconomic characteristics and the destruction of the pipelines

Development of a computer mediated multidisciplinary design protocol and its application to the early architectural design stages.

Effective multidisciplinary design collaboration and increased effort during the feasibility and early design stages in architecture provide the greatest potential for added value and overall success of a built environment project, from the initial design to construction and operation of a building. This can be facilitated, supported and promoted through human-computer interactions technologies that allow the integration of physical and digital realms. The aim of the thesis is to investigate the concept design processes assisted by computer mediation for bridging smoothly the pre Building Information Modelling stages and the concept development with the more advanced design stages in an efficient and effective way. For that purpose, an extensive literature review and a number of interviews with senior practitioners of the Architecture, Construction and Engineering industry assisted in clearly identifying the design workflow problems and drivers. Furthermore, concept design processes have been investigated and analysed and a Conceptual Design Stages Protocol was developed to guide design teams through the feasibility stages. The Protocol was further supported by an Information Technology environment for concept design; a design software applicable to a Tangible User Interface has been developed for benefitting multidisciplinary design teams from the haptic and visual experience, which is substantial for externalising, communicating and sharing ideas among them. Three different multidisciplinary studies were undertaken that tested both the current paradigm of concept stages and the proposed Conceptual Design Stages Protocol together with the computational design tool. Based on these results a number of conclusions were drawn, with the most important ones being the promotion of cognitive and conceptual activities due to the organised approach supported from the Conceptual Design Stages Protocol, the maturity of the concept ideas owning to the multidisciplinary approach and the importance of technology for promoting collaborative design and bridging different professional viewpoints. Overall, the research provided a deep understanding of the concept stage design processes and the effect of technology on design activities and it contributed in providing an enabling context for pre Building Information Modelling collaboration; hence, the research has the potential to improve the final design solutions for buildings, by making it possible for multidisciplinary teams to work collaboratively and to involve stakeholders more effectively at the early stages of the design process

The conservation of our built heritage, in particular statues in Aberdeen, evaluated through a social and historical context and their impact, through the use of 3D scanning.

Cultural heritage sites all over the world are at risk due to aggressive urban expansion, development, wars and general obsolescence. Not all objects are recorded in detail although they may have social and historical significance. For example more emphasis is placed on the recording of castles and palaces than on crofters' cottages or tenement blocks, although their history can be just as rich. This paper will investigate the historic fabric of Aberdeen through the use of digital scanning, supported by a range of media including old photographs and paintings. Dissemination of social heritage through visualisations will be explored and how this can aid the understanding of space within the city or specific area. Focus will be given to the major statues/monuments within the context of the city centre, exploring their importance in their environment. In addition studying why many have been re-located away from their original site, the reasons why, and how we have perhaps lost some of the social and historical importance of why that monument was first located there. It will be argued that Digital Media could be utilised for much more than re-creation and re-presentation of physical entities. Digital scanning, in association with visualisation tools, is used to capture the essence of both the cultural heritage and the society that created or used the sites in association with visualisation tools and in some way re-enacting the original importance placed upon the monument in its original location, through adoption of BIM Heritage

Integrating rapid 3D data collection techniques to support BIM design decision making

In recent years, there have been rapid developments in techniques available to capture three dimensional data with regards to the existing built environment. Such technologies support the collection of both large scale landscape and streetscape data, as well as information pertaining to building details such as sculpture and decorative features. During the past five years, there has also been a similar development in the software technologies available to support building information modelling (BIM). Whilst the emphasis in terms of initial introduction of BIM has been predominantly within the construction phase of new developments,there is clear potential to incorporate 3D data pertaining to the existing environment, with apparent value in terms of both the conceptual design phase and during detailed consideration of spatial layout and environmental analysis. This paper describes the processes involved in incorporating on-site collected 3D data within BIM, including modelling and analysis processes

Analysis of collaborative design and decision making through argumentation applied for pre-BIM stages.

The early design stages are the most vital for the development of the design of a building project and the decisions taken during these steps are significant for the further progress of the project, regarding aspects like cost, performance, reliability and sustainability. Being able to trace backwards the thoughts that led to these decisions at any point of the design process provides clarity and transparency during the decision making process. Additionally, monitoring the design steps and decisions can lead to further observations on the effects of the design decisions during the early design stage, thus leading to a more sustainable and holistic design approach. This paper claims that efficient monitoring of the decision steps can be achieved employing a computational model of argumentation. Argumentation-based reasoning helps identify the rationale for a decision (i.e. arguments) and the relationships (i.e. attacks and preferences) between conflicting issues involved in making decisions. Our approach provides a method to rigorously trace the resolution of conflicts by extracting the set of acceptable arguments that led to a decision, and may eventually assist designers in analysing complex collaborative decisions within a pre-Building Information Modelling context. This paper was presented at the International Conference on Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Design, Construction and Operations, held in Bristol, 9-11 September 2015

Dialogue types for collaborative design: a front-end BIM application.

Collaborative design is an iterative process of selecting and evaluating solutions in the presence of several potentially conflicting requirements dictated by different professional expertise and preferences, a concept central to Building Information Modelling (BIM) implementation. In previous research, we showed that the core decision process can be better understood using argumentation-based models of practical reasoning. This allows the identification of the rationale and the relationships between conflicting issues, thus providing clarity and transparency for decisions achieved. This paper aims to take one step further in modelling this process, and suggests a novel methodological approach that translates collaborative, conceptual and perceptual activities related to design processes undertaken by design and construction professionals to correspondent argumentative dialogue types such as information seeking, deliberation and negotiation. Computational models of dialogue identify protocols for collaboration establishing reasons and evidence of claims made and joint identification of goals and solutions. Therefore, the proposed argumentative dialogue permits the formalisation of collaboration analysis, design decision steps can be monitored and the dependency relationships between professionals involved and decisions taken can be traced. Future research would develop a computational model to be employed by intelligent software agents to assist professionals in analysing complex collaborative decisions

Exploring visual asset management collaboration: learning from the oil and gas sector.

Visual Asset Management (VAM) is defined as a visual, collaborative and cloud-based database application for project sharing, viewing, delivery, operation and maintenance. VAM provides a platform that contains multiple visual data sources of an infrastructure project, including Building Information Models, associated asset documentation and 360{deg} photographic images of the asset. This research presents three cases of the use of VAM in major oil and gas platforms in the North Sea, identifying the challenges resolved using VAM, the benefits realised as well as the opportunities for learning and transfer of VAM to the construction industry. The findings demonstrate that VAM can be used effectively to support decision making process during infrastructure project planning and development. The case studies further demonstrated that VAM will be particularly beneficial in facilities management and built asset operation, thereby, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of information for operations and maintenance. Due to the increasingly complex nature of projects in terms of size, information technology and security, realizing these benefits would require a learning process for all stakeholders involved in procuring and managing assets. This research proposes stepped change and learning opportunity for built assets value maximization and delivery, management and operation efficiency using VAM