ITcon Vol. 17, pg. 213-236, http://www.itcon.org/2012/13

Construction workspace management: the development and application of a novel nD planning approach and tool

submitted:December 2011
revised:August 2012
published:September 2012
editor(s):Amor R.
authors:Rajiv Chavada, PhD Researcher1,
Centre for Construction Innovation & Research, Teesside University, UK;
email: R.Chavada@tees.ac.uk

Nashwan Dawood, Professor,
Centre for Construction Innovation & Research, Teesside University, UK;
email: n.n.dawood@tees.ac.uk

Mohamad Kassem, Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer,
Centre for Construction Innovation & Research, Teesside University, UK;
email: M.Kassem@tees.ac.uk
summary:Activity Execution Workspace (AEW) is one of the main constraints and resources on constructionsites. The proactive management of AEWs is a very challenging task due to the dynamic nature of constructionsites, where the availability of AEW is continuously evolving and changing over time. Project managers arelooking for proactive approaches and innovative IT tools to accurately manage workspaces on construction sitesas this affects not only costs and duration of projects, but also the safety of construction sites. The review ofcurrent state-of-the-art shows that limited research has been devoted to this area and that significantmethodological and practical limitations exist. This research paper presents a novel approach for themanagement of AEWs. The objective of this approach is to enable the management of AEWs by integrating thetraditional planning process (CPM – Critical Path Method) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) data in a4D/5D environment and providing real-time management and rehearsal of AEWs. The approach, prototype andpilot case study presented in this paper have proven that it is feasible and effective to proactively manage AEWswithin a 4D/5D environment. This is in line with the principles of nD project management, where the ultimateaim is to give project planners the capability of rehearsing different construction options, before theconstruction starts, in order to improve the efficiency and productivity of construction processes.
keywords:Construction workspace, Building Information Modeling (BIM), 4D/5D Planning, Construction Workspace Management
full text: (PDF file, 1.709 MB)
citation:Rajiv Chavada, Nashwan Dawood, Mohamad Kassem (2012). Construction workspace management: the development and application of a novel nD planning approach and tool, ITcon Vol. 17, pg. 213-236, https://www.itcon.org/2012/13