Building information modelling for off-site construction: Review and future directions

Knowledge-based Configuration incorporates knowledge representation formalisms to capture complex product models and reasoning methods to provide intelligent interactive behavior with the user. This book represents the first time that corporate and academic worlds collaborate integrating research and commercial benefits of knowledge-based configuration. Foundational interdisciplinary material is provided for composing models from increasingly complex products and services. Case studies, the latest research, and graphical knowledge representations that increase understanding of knowledge-based configuration provide a toolkit to continue to push the boundaries of what configurators can do and how they enable companies and customers to thrive.Includes detailed discussion of state-of-the art configuration knowledge engineering approaches such as automated testing and debugging, redundancy detection, and conflict management Provides an overview of the application of knowledge-based configuration technologies in the form of real-world case studies from SAP, Siemens, Kapsch, and more Explores the commercial benefits of knowledge-based configuration technologies to business sectors from services to industrial equipment Uses concepts that are based on an example personal computer configuration knowledge base that is represented in an UML-based graphical language

Knowledge-Based Configuration: From Research to Business Cases

Despite the benefits offered by offsite construction, as a percentage, the offsite market is still relatively small. This phenomena is complex; but for brevity, includes a myriad of factors, not least: lack of awareness; supply chain challenges (capacity and knowledge); cultural perception; lack of viable business process models/solutions; and paucity of skills (design/manufacturing/construction). However, many governments are still promoting the offsite agenda through various conduits. Given this, a CIB Task Group (TG74) developed a research roadmap for new production and business models for the construction industry uptake. This paper summarises the work of TG74, where people, process and technology drivers were investigated for construction, manufacturing and design and mapped against three levels of priority and three timeframes. Results indicate that for people drivers, new skills are urgently needed in the design field within a 0–5 year timeframe (compared to a timeframe of 6–10 years for the manufacturing sector). Regarding process drivers, construction process was classed as high priority, followed by design process and manufacturing process. Finally, for technology drivers, construction technology was identified as being high priority, followed by design technology and manufacturing technology, all of which need to be addressed in the medium term. This study presents a roadmap for future uptake.

New offsite production and business models in construction: priorities for the future research agenda

Purpose – While a considerable amount of knowledge has been accumulated about dispute causation, disputes continue to prevail and disharmonise the process of construction with considerable cost. This paper seeks to identify the underlying pathogens that clients and contractors perceive to contribute to disputes in construction projects. The identification of pathogens can provide an ameliorated understanding of the origin of disputes and therefore enable their prevention.Design/methodology/approach – Case law and focus groups with a client and contracting organisation from Western Australia are used to determine the pathogens of disputes.Findings – Analysis of the case law findings revealed that the underlying issues that were brought to litigation were to do with points of law, namely “civil procedure”. A significant number of disputes are thus settled using alternative dispute resolution methods such as adjudication, arbitration and mediation. For clients the underlying latent conditions that resulted i...

Dispute causation: identification of pathogenic influences in construction. | NOVA. The University of Newcastle's Digital Repository

Modularization is a well-established technique that can improve the construction industry by exporting a portion of site-based work to fabrication shops. However, its application in the ind...

Critical Success Factors and Enablers for Optimum and Maximum Industrial Modularization

Configuration through the parameterization of building components

This paper investigates a Swedish house manufactures building system regarding the documentation and information structures. The aim is to evaluate how product modeling technology can be used to facilitate product customization. By dividing the product in four different views the complexity of the product can be reduced and each view represent the interest of customer, engineering, production and assembly respectively. The analysis shows that the connections between the different view, i.e. the information transfer, is an area for potential improvements and little attention has been devoted to transfer information upstream from manufacturing and engineering to the customer view. The lack of information transfer can often lead to ad-hoc solutions in the customization process. We believe that successful cooperation and information exchange between these four views is the key to future development and customize-to-order configuration.

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Product modeling of configurable building systems - a case study

Construction is traditionally a trade that produces unique, one-off products designed specifically for individual projects via an engineer-to-order process. However, recently developed flexible product platforms based on the theory of mass customisation offer product flexibility with affordable costs. The degree of commonality between products can also be increased by applying the products-in-products concept. This study aims to conceptualise and test theories of mass customisation through modularisation for applications in the construction industry. Three case studies on building and infrastructure construction projects using different specification processes (modify-to-order, configure-to-order and select-variant) are presented. The results show that the products-in-products concept is useful for enabling mass customisation in construction. While select-variant specification is compatible with relatively integral designs, the architecture must have a modular structure to enable modify-to-order or configure-to-order customisation.

Product configuration in construction

Customers' demands regarding quality and cost efficiency caused the Swedish construction industry to increase its levels of prefabrication. However, the main focus has been on the structural design ...

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Product development through lean design and modularization principles

From 1990 to 2002, approximately 74% single-family detached houses in Sweden are prefabricated by industrialized housing builders To fulfill the benefits of industrialization, the design specifica 

Patrik Jensen

Papers

Configuration through the parameterization of building components

Product modeling of configurable building systems - a case study

Product configuration in construction

Product development through lean design and modularization principles

BIM-based lean-agile supply chain for industrialized housing