we collaborate and high-level consultancy with the industry in research related to construction IT

Transcription

1 we collaborate with the industry in research and high-level consultancy related to construction IT 8

2 Construction IT our member Construction IT Co-ordinator Tel: (852) Fax: (852) Members Name Prof. Heng Li BE, ME, PhD(Syd.), MAIB, MAIQS Prof. Geoffrey Q.P. Shen BEng (Tsinghua), PhD (Salford), VMF (List A), MIVM, MHKIVM Dr. Andy K.D. Wong AP(HK), PhD, MCIOB, MHKIE Research interests and area of expertise Intelligent decision support systems, product and process modelling, and knowledge management Value management in construction, sustainable development, and construction information technology Building information modelling, E-project management, E-tendering, and construction integrated management system Research Areas 1. Web-based project management systems. 2. Construction virtual prototyping. 3. Standard for drawing layers and data protocols. 4. Integration of value management and IT. 5. Computer aided and web-enabled learning. Technological Services 1. Construction process simulation and improvement using virtual prototyping technology. 2. Cost-benefit analysis of IT investments. 3. Application of value management and decision support system to design briefing preparation. 4. Computer assisted learning. Future Development Development targets The Construction IT group will continue its collaboration with industry in research and high-level consultancy related to construction IT, including project management systems, construction virtual prototyping and computer-aided learning. Key topics to be completed / developed 1. Advanced project procurement methods. 2. Building information modelling. 3. Construction law and legal systems. 4. Further development of construction virtual prototyping technology. 5. Integration of value management and decision support system. 9

3 Construction Virtual Prototyping Research team: Heng Li, Andrew Baldwin, Stephen Kong, Mike Chan, Ting Huang, Hong-ling Guo and Jack Chung Research project funded by 1. HK PolyU Niche Area Fund 2. RGC Project 3. Gammon Construction Ltd. 4. China State Construction Ltd. 5. Yau Lee Construction Ltd. 6. Chevalier Construction Co. Ltd. Background The Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK PolyU) has a very long history in leading research collaboration with and providing consultancy services to major contractors in Hong Kong and Asia. BRE is particularly advanced in developing and applying information systems for the construction industry. In 2005, BRE successfully engaged 3 major contractors in Hong Kong to utilize Delmia in 4 construction projects that were worth more than US$ 400,000,000. These projects have different sizes and types that allow us to explore the applicability of Delmia in a more extensive and comprehensive manner. Public Housing Project This project studies the feasibility of a 6-day floor cycle in the construction of two 40-storey residential buildings. The building project is a pioneering one adopting the new precast public housing design from the HKSAR Government. More than 70% of the building structure is made of precast elements which include precast walls, precast façades, preacast staircases, precast bathrooms and kitchens, and semi-precast slabs. This digital construction project emphasizes the study of the utilization of tower cranes, as well as the sequence of lifting and the locations for storing precast elements, with an aim to fully utilize the tower cranes and shorten the construction cycle. By making use of construction virtual prototyping, the construction project successfully shortens the current 6 full days work in each wing of the building to 5 days. The simulation also helps the contractor to improve the sequence of installing precast elements. 10

4 Construction IT the centre Railway Station Extension Project This project evaluates the methodologies of constructing an extension of a railway station above the existing rails. The main concern in this project is the assurance of building the podium above the rails without interference to the existing structure and railway services, and within the limited daily working time. The podium is made of giant precast beams and trusses. Three kinds of construction methods, including gantry, mobile crane and rolling trolley, are suggested by the contractors. The detailed plant movement and installation sequence are simulated to examine the suitability of each method. It is found that using gantry or mobile crane is unsuitable for this project. Hence, this study focuses on the virtual prototyping of using rolling trolley in the construction. Grade A Office Building Project This project studies the feasibility of using a 4-day floor cycle in a 70-storey grade A office building during the tendering stage. The construction schedule for this office building is very tight so the developer requires a 3- or 4-day floor cycle. The contractor intends to demonstrate the construction method, which shall be safe, technically feasible and environmental friendly, to be employed in the office building project. In this study, the locations of tower cranes, the utilization of jump forms and table forms, the utilization of tower cranes and Holland hoists, and the installation of safety screen are evaluated. The computer simulation of the final 4-day floor cycle is presented to the developer to illustrate a clear and detailed schedule of the overall construction process. Five Stars Hotel Project This project for the Venetian Macao Hotel Construction project involves building a tower of total gross floor area of 350,000 square meters. Each floor of the tower is divided into 5 bays and each bay is further divided into 4 small bays. A 4-day floor cycle has been prepared by the contractor. The feasibility of the 4-day floor cycle is evaluated with an emphasis on ensuring a levelled use of concrete throughout the 4 days and producing an efficient plan for lifting and storing system formworks. This study facilitates the contractor to understand the dynamic and interrelationship of the diversified activities in the construction site and to improve the 4-day floor cycle. 11

5 Aims and Objectives The short-term objectives (achievable in 1 to 2 years) of the Construction Virtual Prototyping are to 1. Successfully complete the existing research and consultancy projects. 2. Become a recognized leader in Virtual Prototyping research and development in Hong Kong and China Mainland. 3. Establish a training base for research personnel and students to acquire adequate professional skills for their career development. 4. Develop strong partnerships and collaborations with major public and private organizations. The medium-term objectives (achievable in 2 to 4 years) are to 1. Secure additional research funding and enhanced collaboration with internationally renowned research institutes. 2. Become a recognized leader in Virtual Prototyping research and development in Asia. 3. Provide technical advice and consultancy services to the industry in Hong Kong and China Mainland. 4. Develop strong working relationships with more than half of the major public and private construction organizations. The long-term objectives (achievable in 5 years) are to 1. Become a recognized International Centre of Excellence in Virtual Prototyping research and development. 2. Provide technical advice and consultancy services to international organizations. The underlying objective at all stages is the advancement of the construction industry in Hong Kong through implementation of Virtual Prototyping technology. Outcome and deliverables This project will further mature the Virtual Prototyping technology in construction industry. 12

6 Construction IT References Azadivar, F. and Tompkins, G. (1999) Simulation optimization with qualitative variables and structural model changes: A genetic algorithm approach, European Journal of Operational Research, 113, Chau, K.W., Cao, Y. and Anson, M. (2002) Application of data warehousing and decision support system in construction management, Automation in Construction, 11, Halpin, D.W. and Riggs, L.S. (1992) Planning and Analysis of Construction Operations, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. Magoulas, G., Eldabi, T. and Paul, R. (2002) Global search strategies for simulation optimization, Proceedings of the 2002 Winter Simulation Conference, Song, Y., Clayton, M.J. and Johnson, R.E. (2002) Anticipating reuse: Documenting buildings for operations using web technique, Automation in Construction, 11, Soibelman, L. and Kim, H. (2002) Data preparation process for construction knowledge generation through knowledge discovery in databases, Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, 16, Scarborough, H., Swan, J. and Preston, J. (1999) Issues in People Management: Knowledge Management: A Literature Review, Institute of Personnel and Development, The Cromwell Press, Wiltshire. Zhang, H., Li, H. and Huang, F.L. (2005a) Particle swarm optimization-based schemes for resource-constrained project scheduling, Automation in Construction, 14, Zhang, H. and Li, H. (2005b) Multi-mode project scheduling based on particle swarm optimization, Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, in press. 13

7 Application of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Hong Kong Research Team: Andy K.D. Wong and Kenny T.C. Tse Background BIM stands for Building Information Modelling and is recognized as an innovative approach to architectural design and documentation supporting all phases of design and all the architectural drawings and schedules required for the design, construction and management of a construction project. In line with the increasing capabilities of computer hardware and software, most computeraided design (CAD) vendors have launched more powerful object-based CAD software in recent years which are now commonly known as BIM systems. This trend is considered revolutionary in the construction CAD market, and enables seamless downstream construction IT applications through the rich information generated by the model. Swire Properties Limited (SPL) and the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK PolyU) jointly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in June Under the MOU, the two parties agreed to collaborate in a research study on the application of BIM in a commercial development - One Island East. The Research Team members, including Dr. Andy K.D. Wong (Principal Investigator) and Mr. Kenny T.C. Tse (Co-Investigator), evaluate the benefits for the application of the BIM tool, Digital Project, in various stages as the project proceeds. Digital Project was first introduced to Hong Kong by Gehry Technologies in December It is an alternative BIM application and the programming architecture is rooted in a mechanical CAD system - CATIA. This research project, representing the first case study in the world, will use Digital Project in building a complete 3D Architecture and Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing (MEP) model for a commercial tower of such a magnitude of scale. Significance of the Project BIM is the next generation of CAD. The outputs of this project have the following major long-term impacts: 1. Reducing the transition time and cost, hence achieving earlier productivity gain. 2. Raising the CAD literacy of local practitioners to an international level. 3. Contributing to the establishment of information standards for BIM in Hong Kong. 14

8 Construction IT projects Aims and Objectives This research studies the application of BIM to construction and real estate developments in Hong Kong. Outcome and Deliverables The Research Team produces a series of outputs, such as reports, conference proceedings and journal papers summarizing the latest findings. The reports, conference proceedings and journal papers shall contain the evaluation of the benefits of applying BIM in various project stages. References AIAB (2005) Autodesk Industry Advisory Board, Autodesk (2004a) Autodesk Homepage, Bentley (2004a) Bentley Homepage, Bo-Christer, B., Kurt, L. and Arto, K. (1997) ISO DIS The proposed international standard for structuring layers in computer aided building design, ITcon, 2, 32-55, Day, M. (2002) Autodesk is buying Revit, CAD Digest, Eastman, C.M. (1999) Building Product Models: Computer Environments Supporting Design and Construction, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida ETWB (2004) Computer-Aided-Drafting Standard for Work Projects, Environment, Transport and Works Bureau, HKSAR Government, Grabowski, R. (2002) Autodesk buys Revit - Frequently asked questions, CAD Digest, GraphiSoft (2004) GraphiSoft Homepage, Graves, J. (2002) AutoCAD to acquire Revit Technology Corporation, Press Release, Nemetschek (2004) Nemetschek AllPlan, NIBS (2004) U.S. National CAD Standard, National Institute of Building Sciences, Niemioja, S. (2001) IFC Test - GraphiSoft ArchiCAD / Nemetschek AllPlanADT / Autodesk Revit, Tse, T.C., Wong, K.D. and Wong K.W. (2005) The utilisation of building information models in nd modelling: A study of data interfacing and adoption barriers, ITcon, 9, 1-20, 15