1. Existing processes and business environment
• Business environment– U.S census on the Construction Industry– Contract type.
• Existing processes– Existing process– Current Used Technologies– Process mode
Business Environment
• 1997 Economic Census (US census Bureau)
IndustryTotal number of
employees
Value of construction work
(US $1,000)
Value added
(US $1,000)
Construction 5,664,853 845,543,552 383,845,728
Building, developing, &
general contracting1,342,953 381,641,600 120,322,720
Heavy construction 880,400 127,841,600 68,775,976
Special trade contractors
3,441,500 336,060,352 194,747,056
Business Environment
The construction industry is very unique because…
1. It has many characteristics common to both manufacturing and service industries.
2. It is fragmented and sometimes divisive.
3. It is very custom-oriented.
4. It is incentive-oriented.
As a result… The construction industry highly depends on
personnel rather than technologies. Technologies play the role to support making
decisions during industry’s whole phases.
Business Environment
• Construction Management has emerged as a strong alternative to traditional construction contracting procedures.
• Construction manager represent owner’s profits in the current construction industry that is getting more complicated and specialized.
• Construction management treats the project planning, design, and construction phases as integrated tasks.
• So, construction manager’s great role is to understand each specialized areas and to make diverse information into optimized information while reducing resources and making more benefits.
Business Environment
CM Agent1%
CM at risk30%
Design-build4%
Competitivesealed
proposals46%
Design-bid-build19%
• Example : Market share of CM type contracts.
Texas K-12 and public higher education projects
(source: Effects of State Legislation on Contracting Methods of Public Schools and Universities)
Directly or indirectly, construction management plays a big role in 81% of projects.
Business Environment
• Relationships of project teams at CM at Risk
Owner
Designer
Construction Manager
Owner
Designer
Contractual: Functional:
(Source: Professional Construction Management)
IndependentContractors
Construction Manager
IndependentContractors
Existing Processes
• Existing Working Processes
Planning Process
Constructability, Procurability,
Commissioning, Operability, Maintainability, Health, Sustainability Analyses
during Planning and Design
Design ProcessPreliminary Studies Plans and Specifications
Construction Process
Evaluation of Project Construction Performance
Plans and Specifications
Operations & Maintenance Process
Evaluation of Facility Operation Performance
Existing Processes
• Current Used Technologies
Planning Phase Owner Team
1. Assessment & Objectives Setting
2. Preliminary, planning & Funding
3. Project Definition Package
Design Phase Design Team
(Engineers/Architects)
1. Conceptual / Schematic Design
2. Design Development
3. Contract Documents
Construction Phase Construction Team (Construction Managers /General Contractors/Subcontractors)
1. Bid or Negotiate, & Award
2. Construction Planning
3. Execution
4. Start-up
Operation Phase Operations Team
(Users/Operators)
1. Operation/Management / Maintenance
2. End of Service Life Decision
For Drafting & Rendering
AutoCAD, ArchiCAD
3D-Studio, FormZ
……
For Planning
Primavera Project Planning, MS Project
For Estimating
Dodge, MS Excel
For Contracting
Primavera Expedition
Technologies
Existing Processes
• Project Documentation Problems
(Source: CIFE Summer Program)
Existing Processes
(Source: CIFE Summer Program)
• Current Process-Issues / Problems
Existing Processes
• Current Technologies and Processes’ Problems
– Lack of understanding• Danger not to reflect owner’s intend.• Inefficient work due to misunderstanding about
projects.
– Not integrated data between each applications• Rework to interpret.• Problems caused by misunderstanding different
areas’ works.
• Conditions of new information technologies
• Available and suitable technologies– Process model– Advantages
• Assessment of the technologies– Benefit– Obstacle
2. Available and suitable information technologies
Conditions of new alternative technologies
1. They can be easily understood without special training.
Owner needs to know what’s going on.
2. They are also easily understood by computer.
The information has to be understood by both people and computer.
3. They must integrate each area’s tasks.
We need the tool that can reduce meaningless works like counting numbers or copying data.
Available and suitable information technologies
1. 4D CAD System– 4D CAD system is for integrating the information
within the design and construction phases.
– 4D CAD is now been developing to
1. manage and minimize risk throughout all stages of a construction project
2. effectively communicate the design, schedule, and other project data
3. rapidly explore design and construction alternatives (By Martin Fischer, Kathleen McKinney Liston)
Available and suitable information technologies
• Applications based on 4D CAD– The prototype of 4D CAD developed by 4D CAD
research team of Stanford University.– ProVis developed by VIRCON– Revit developed by AutoDesk
2. Information networking - VERA
Available and suitable information technologies
• Process Model of 4D-CAD Models
AutoCAD
dwg files
.P3
file
Start with
Primavera
AutoCAD
dxf
.pm
Multigen
Alias
Wavefront
.EGG
Egg-
VRML
translator
.wrl
file
VRML 4D
-Appli.
.VFD
Cave
VRML 4D
-Applet
Ended with:
Prototype developed to import VRML files and schedule content and provide basic 4D functionality in an on-line environment
Internal translator was updated for input into Java/4D application
Application was written to import VFD format into CAVE to generate relationships between 3D components and activities
Hierarchical 3D file format
Commercial tool
Prototype 4D tools
(Source: CIFE Summer Program)
Available and suitable information technologies
• System Architecture of 4D-CAD (Pro Vis)
RDBMS(SQL)
Information Structure(Uniclass)
MS Project
ODBC
User Interface
VBASpreadsheets
Costing Models
Virtual Reality
AutoCAD
VBA
4D Simulator(ProVis)
VBA
VBA: Visual Basic for Applications
ODBC: Open Database Connectivity
RDBMS: Relational Database Management System
VBA: Visual Basic for Applications
VBA: Visual Basic for Applications(Source: VIRCON )
Available and suitable information technologies
• Advantages of 4D-CAD
1. To reduce time and cost from design to construction phases.
2. To help communications and understanding between each teams.
3. To improve the productivities and to reduce meaningless works.
As a result…– Owners can expect to save the cost and to get
higher value.– Each teams can expect to earn more money by
improving their productivities.
Assessment of the Technologies
• Benefits for owners– To save the cost and time– Better quality of a final product– Better understanding about the project
• Benefits for design teams– To reduce planning time and cost– To communicate with each teams easily– To prevent errors and mistakes– To reduce rework
Assessment of the Technologies
• Benefits for construction manager teams– To reduce the time and cost– To build database easily– To increase productivity– To reduce wasted materials– To expect constructability
Screenshot of InVIznOne
4D model of The Helsinki University of Technology
Screenshots of ProVis (1)
Screenshots of ProVis (2)
3. A framework target plan
• The characters of the cases which adopted 4D-CAD
• The cases implemented by 4D-CAD
• A long term IT adoption goals
The characters of the cases which adopted 4D-CAD
• 4D-CAD Cases (1)
Project Facility type Phase Contract Value
Disney’s California Adventure-Paradise Pier
Amusement Facility Project planning, Bid -
Paradise Pier-Seafood Restaurant
Restaurant Construction Administration
-
Paradise Pier Hotel Façade Renovation
Hotel Renovation Planning, Construction -
Disney Concert Hall Concert Hall Construction $200 Million
Hospital Hospital Construction $400 Million
Lab/Office Facility Lab/Office Pre-Construction $100 Million
Office Complex Complex Bid $259 Million
Bay Street Project Theatre Planning, Construction -
The characters of the cases which adopted 4D-CAD
• 4D-CAD Cases (2)
Project Facility type Phase Contract Value
Sequus Pharmaceuticals Pilot Plant
Multi-Purpose Planning, Construction -
School of Health, University of Teeside
Educational Institute– University
Planning, Construction -
Westmorland Primary School, Stockport
Educational Institute-High School
Planning, Construction -
The characters of the cases which adopted 4D-CAD
• Post-Construction AnalysisRountree Plumbing Paragon Mechanical Rosendin Electric
Process Piping/HVAC Wet HVAC Dry Electrical
Contract Value $2,018,937 $1,071,237 $488,414
Increased Design Costs
30% 20-30% 20-30%
Number of Change Orders
6 1 3
Reason for Change Orders
4-Owner Requested
1-Value Engineering
1-Unforeseen Condition
1-Owner Requested 3-Owner Requested
Percentage of Total Cost
-1.0028% 0.9958% 0.9746%
Productivity Significantly increased Much more Productive No Difference
Rework Dramatically reduced Minimal No Difference
Profitability Same Same Less
Expects greater return with increased use
Expects greater return with increased use
Increased design time with less benefit from coordination
(Source: Martin Fischer, CIFE)
The characters of the cases which adopted 4D-CAD
• Based on the cases, 4D-CAD makes more values from the projects on following conditions.
The projects have…– Many stakeholders and players.– Complicate functions.– Large scales.
and…– Need much more information.– Adopt new technologies.
The cases implemented by 4D-CAD
• The project of the mine facilities in Chile (1)– Case study description
• A huge new copper concentrator facility to be built some 10 kilometers from the existing facilities
• It required– A 9.6 kilometer overland conveyor– An 164-kilometer pipeline to carry copper
concentrate– Living and recreation facilities for the
approximately 7,500 workers on site– The covered building to hold some 400,000
metric tons of ore
The cases implemented by 4D-CAD
• The project of the mine facilities in Chile (2)– Case Description (2)
• It also required– A system of conveyor belt hoppers and
chutes the rock and deliver it to an 11.6-meter-in-diameter, 26,000-HP semi-autogenous grinding mill, three 18,000-HP ball mills, and a set of 110 flotation cells.
The cases implemented by 4D-CAD
• The project of the mine facilities in Chile (3)
The Model of the Case Study Project
The cases implemented by 4D-CAD
• The project of the mine facilities in Chile (4)– Benefits
• Reduction of 10% in cost• Reduction in schedule, from 18 to 16 months• Improved design reflected in a reduction in
errors during construction• Reductions in uncertainty and risk reflected in
90% of fulfillment of the construction schedule
(Source: 4D-PS: Putting IT new work process into effect)
The cases implemented by 4D-CAD
• The Bay Street Project Case, Emeryville, CA (1)– Activities
• Start was 2D data and schedule with more than 200 activities for a office complex more than 1,000,000 SF.
• 252 hours of InVizOne 3D modeling services.• 200 hours of InVizOne 4D modeling services.
– Benefits• Discovered opportunity to save $3 million in
reduced cost for unexcavated courtyards• Discovered opportunities to save $5 million in
reduced cost overall
The cases implemented by 4D-CAD
• The Bay Street Project Case, Emeryville, CA (2)
The Models of the Case Study Project
The cases implemented by 4D-CAD
• As a result of the smooth communication and clear understanding between each player…
$2,000,000
$1,800,000
$1,600,000
$1,400,000
$1,200,000
$1,000,000
$800,000
$600,000
$400,000
$200,000
$0
$0 $500 $1,000 $1,500 $2,000 $2,500 $3,000 $3,500 $4,000 $4,500 $5,000
Total Unplanned Change by Individual Facilities ($000)
Valu
e of “A
voidable” C
hange
(Source: Building Better by Building Virtually First)
A long term IT adoption goal
• The impacts of 4D-CAD (1)
Schematic
DesignProgramming
Design Develop/
Construction Document
Construction Ope
ration
The Sequent Phases of the Project
A long term IT adoption goal
• The impacts of 4D-CAD (2)
Owner
Designer4D-CAD Model
&
Libraries
Construction Manager
Subcontractor
Subcontractor
Subcontractor
Subcontractor
Contracting
Flow of Information
4. Assess the expected costs of achieving the plan
• The major expected costs at the industry aspect– Collaboration between the players in the industry– Data exchange
• The minor expected costs at the firm aspect– The investment on equipments– The internal investment on the infrastructure
• Potential risks– The implementation of adopting a new technology
The major expected costs at the industry aspect
• Collaboration between each firms– The hesitance to open own information
• E.g. drawings of a new high-tech elevator
– The avoidance the rework due to feedback• E.g. reworks to change finished plans due to
the problems of other teams
– The responsibility problems• E.g. whose responsibility about the costs due to
the changing plans
The major expected costs at the industry aspect
– The necessity to adjust the existing contract conditions
• As the concept of the construction is changing, the contract conditions have to be modified.
The major expected costs at the industry aspect
• Data exchange– The standardization problem
– Data supporting system• Internal supporting system
– e.g. AutoCAD’s libraries, Adobe Photoshop’s plug-in applications’ concept
• External supporting system– Web Hub– ASP solutions
The minor expected costs at the firm aspect
• The investment on equipments– New hardware and software– Employee’s training
• The internal investment on the infrastructure– Organizational restructure– Supporting system for new solutions– The enough infrastructure to maximize the
benefits of 4D-CAD
Potential risks
• The whole implementation of 4D-CAD– The lag time problem– The resistance of peoples to the new technology– The hidden costs
5. Analysis of the readiness of the CPM sector
• The currently readiness of the implementation– The current commercial applications– The current rate of the automation
• The impacts of the 4D-CAD– The impacts in a short term– The impacts in a long term
The currently readiness of the implementation
• The current commercial applications– Each sub-sectors have own applications– The familiarness to the computer based works– The fast rate of networking development– The lack of linkage between each sub-setors
• The current rate of the automation– The most segments are already automated or
being automated.– The lack of linkage between planning and
manufacturing
The impacts of the 4D-CAD
• The impacts in a short term– The limited implementation due to not fully
integrated data– A lot of modification manually due to lack of
accurate logic to replace decision makings
• The impacts in a long term– The fully integration through planners,
constructers and manufacturers– To provide better quality controls– To maximize the value of projects
6. A detailed plan for the next incremental step
• The further IT adoption’s goals of 4D-CAD– Plan– Design– Procurement– Finance– Construction
The further IT adoption’s goals of 4D-CAD
• Plan– The value analysis of the project– The examination of the project executions
• Design– To provide whole information include product
codes, specifications and etc
• Procurement– To integrate local dealers who provide
construction materials– To order materials as the needs of the
construction lead time
The further IT adoption’s goals of 4D-CAD
• Finance– To reflect constructor’s finance status include loan
cost, procurement cost and etc
• Construction– To improve quality controls– To enhance construction productivity
• E.g. Mobile computing on construction site, quality control by image processing
References
1. US census Bureau (http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/97EC23.HTM)
2. Donald S. Barrie and Boyd C. Paulson, Professional Construction Management - 3rd Edition, McGraw Hill, 1992
3. K. Everette Sylvester, Effects of State Legislation on Contracting Methods of Public Schools and Universities, Forum on Construction Project Delivery for Texas Public Work, January 31, 2001
4. Construction Management Associations of America (http://www.cmaanet.org )
5. 4D CAD Research (http://www.stanford.edu/group/4D/index.shtml)
6. CIFE Summer Program (http://www.stanford.edu/group/CIFE )
7. 3D/4D Workshops (http://www.stanford.edu/group/4D/4d-workshop-main.htm )
8. Construction Research Agenda Workshop ( http://www/ce/berkeley.edy/~tommelein/CEMworkshop.htm )
References
9. VIRCON ( http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/vircon/ )
10. K. Everette Sylvester, Effects of State Legislation on Contracting Methods of Public Schools and Universities, Forum on Construction Project Delivery for Texas Public Work, January 31, 2001
11. Robert A. Rodgers, A 4D-CAD implementation Utilizing JSPACE Schedule Simulator, Virginia Tech
12. Martin Fischer, 4D CAD: Learning from your virtual mistakes, Stanford University
13. Mark J. Clayton, Paul Teicholz, Martin Fischer, & John Kunz, Virtual components consisting of form, function and behavior, Automation in Construction 8, 1999, pp. 351-367.
14. Gijsbertus T. Luiten, Frits P. Tolman and Martin A. Fischer, Project-modeling in AEC to integrate design and construction, Computers in Industry 35, 1998, pp. 13-29.
References
14. Paul Teicholz, Vision of Future Practice, White paper on AEC Practice and Research Issues for the Future.
15. Peter Barrett, Construction management pull for 4D CAD, University of Salford.
16. Leonardo Rischmoller, 4D-PS: Putting an IT new work process into effect, Bechtel Group, Inc., June 12, 2002
17. Martin Fischer, Building better by building virtually first, Stanford University