INFORMATION INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY

APPLICATIONS IN APPLICATIONS IN CONSTRUCTIONCONSTRUCTION

Construction ProcessConstruction ProcessWhole life cycle of a building

from conception, to design, construction and maintenance

RIBA Plan of WorkRIBA Plan of Work

The RIBA Plan of Work is a robust process protocol which describes the activities from appraising the clients requirements through to post construction

It is recognised throughout the construction industry as a model framework for running a job - it assists in the management of projects and is a basis for office procedures

RIBA Plan of WorkRIBA Plan of WorkRIBA (Royal Institute of British

Architect) Plan of Work process protocol describes the construction in 11 stages:

Construction ProcessConstruction Process1. Appraisal:

◦ identification of client’s requirements and possible constraint for the development

◦ Preparation of studies for client to decide whether to proceed and to select probable procurement method

2. Strategic briefing◦ By or on behalf of client confirming key

requirements and constraints◦ Identification of procedures, org.

structures, range of consultants and others to be engaged for projects

Construction ProcessConstruction Process

3. Outline proposal◦ Commence development of

strategic brief into full project brief◦ Preparation of outline proposal and

estimate of cost review of procurement

4. Detailed proposal◦ Complete development of project

brief◦ Preparation of detail proposal

Construction ProcessConstruction Process5. Final proposal

◦ Preparation of final proposal for the project sufficient for co-ordination of all components and elements of the project

6. Production information◦ Production info to enable tender to

be obtain◦ Production info required under

building contract

Construction ProcessConstruction Process7. Tender documentation

◦ Preparation and collation of tender documentation

8. Tender action◦ Identification and evaluation of potential

contractors/ specialists for the construction of project

◦ Obtaining and appraising tenders and submission of recommendations to the client

Construction ProcessConstruction Process

9. Mobilisation◦ Appointing the contractor◦ Arranging site handover to the

contractor

10. Construction to practical completion

◦ Administration of the building contract up to and including practical completion

Construction ProcessConstruction Process

11. After practical completion◦ Administration of the building

contract after practical completion◦ Making final inspections and

settling the final account

Construction ProcessConstruction Process 11 stages can be divided into 5

phases:1. Requirement analysis

◦ Incl. Appraisal and Strategic Briefing

2. Design phase◦ Incl. Outline proposals, Detailed

proposals, Final proposals, Production of Information

Construction ProcessConstruction Process3. Tendering phase

◦ Incl. Tender Documentation and tender action stages

4. Construction phase◦ Incl. Mobilisation and Construction

to Practical Completion 5. Maintenance

◦ Covers the After Practical Completion

Construct IT Bridging the Construct IT Bridging the GapGap

Software applications are available to support most aspects of a construction

project… (DoE, 1995)

Department of Environment. (1995). Construct IT Bridging the Gap, An Information Technology Strategy for the UK Construction Industry. Department of Environment. UK

IT ApplicationsIT ApplicationsA list of 1650 programs from over

500 software houses for use in the design, construction and maintenance of building (CICA, 2003)

CICA. (2003). Software Directory. Construction Industry Computing Association (CICA). www.cica.org.uk

IT ApplicationsIT Applications

Can be classified into six categorised:1. Business and Information Management2. Computer Aided Design and

Visualisation3. Building Engineering Applciations4. Computer Aided Cost Estimating5. Planning, Scheduling, Site Management6. Computer Aided Facilities Management

““Roadmap” of IT Applications Roadmap” of IT Applications in Constructionin Construction

SharedProject

Database

Requirements

Desig

n

Tendering

Con

structio

n

Mainte

nanc

e

Business and Information

Management

CAD and Visualisation

Computer Aided Cost Estimating

Building Engineering Applications

Planning, Scheduling,

Site Management

Computer Aided Facilities Management

Integration

In BriefIn Brief

1. Business and Information Management

Common type of information incl: site survey, cost analysis, design drawings, specification, regulations, BoQ, project planning, job costing and estimate etc

The info is presented in a range of paper drawings, documents, correspondence, fax, computer files or emails

In BriefIn Brief

1. Business and Information Management

E.g. Electronic Document Management (EDM) System creates environment within which disparate forms of information can be linked together to achieve easy access and control

Collaborative Working System

In BriefIn Brief

2. Computer Aided Design and Visualisation

CAD widely used by design professionals

Popular CAD packages: Microstation; ArchiCAD; MiniCAD; FastCAD etc

Replaced traditional drawing board Basic function: allowing users to

In BriefIn Brief

2. Computer Aided Design and Visualisation

Basic function: allowing users to build up drawings by manipulating lines, circles, rectangles and text interactively on the screen

Or even provide graphical libraries of commonly used building elements such as doors, windows etc (AutoCAD Architectural Desktop)

In BriefIn Brief

3. Building Engineering Applications Clients want their buildings to look

good visually, to be safe structurally, to provide comfortable living environments for their occupants and to consume less energy in operation etc

To simulate accurately the building’s performance at the design stage so that problems can be identified and solved

In BriefIn Brief

3. Building Engineering Applications To predict building performance in

thermal, lighting, acoustic and structural aspects

Application for energy analysis, HVAC design, structural analysis, lighting simulation

Allow designers to evaluate alternative design solutions in order to reach optimum design

In BriefIn Brief

4. Computer Aided Cost Estimating Allow project managers to perform

estimation and to keep track of project spending

Assist in quantity take-off by helping estimator to measure, count, compute and tabulate quantities, lengths, areas, volumes etc of objects found in plans and specs.

In BriefIn Brief

5. Planning, Scheduling, Site Management

On-site operation is mainly physical work

Requires careful planning and skillful management of human and physical resources

Can assist on-site managers to plan ahead, evaluate different options, adopt and execute the most efficient construction operations

In BriefIn Brief

5. Planning, Scheduling, Site Management

Incl: ◦ Drawing receipts and distribution◦ Subcontractor procurement◦ Issue of instruction◦ Change control◦ Outstanding works and defects

E.g. Microsoft Project, Primavera

In BriefIn Brief

6. Computer Aided Facilities Management

FM is a new discipline emerged in the early 1980s

Recognise the importance of building operation and maintenance and the impact to life cycle cost of a building

Building layout, asset management, online reporting are part of this

E.g: Archibus, CMMS, CAFM

In BriefIn Brief

7. Integration Different IT application developed by

different IT vendors They used their own formats which

are not compatible with each other As a result, data cannot be

exchanged electronically between them

Increasing need for integration E.g Gallicon