Architecture, Engineering And Construction Industry Research Articles

Augmented Reality in AEC Education: A Case Study

Augmented Reality (AR) is a Construction 4.0 technology that is seen as a site-extension of Building Information Modelling (BIM). In addition to the practical aspect within the design and construction processes AR can be used to support teaching through visualizations and interaction. This article presents a new AR platform called “AR-supported Teaching”, applicable for both Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) education and as a Construction 4.0 technology. The aim of this project is to increase the amount of AEC AR content available for education and to introduce students to the productive use of AR. During its development, special attention was paid to the needs of the AEC industry. Users can employ BIM models to create AR scenes before adding animations and annotations without requiring programming skills. The AR platform enables interaction with remote experts and is therefore also suitable for distance learning. In a pilot study, use cases were defined and students tested the usability of the applications. The results were positive and additional suggestions for improvement were made. The feedback and motivation of the students indicate that AR has a future in education, especially if enough AEC AR content and practical use cases are available. The latter also concerns the application of AR in AEC practice.

Transformation towards a circular economy in the Australian construction and demolition waste management system

Australia's increasing rate of construction and demolition (C&D) waste generation indicates low resource efficiency in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. This study aims to identify C&D waste disposal reduction (WDR) opportunities and barriers in various stages of the construction materials lifecycle using a systematic literature review approach. The review is guided by the Less of Waste, More of Resources (LoWMoR) model. Overall, 58 barriers and 73 opportunities are identified from 62 Australian literature sources published over the last two decades. The results show that the most opportunities are presented at the design stage, followed by the transport and landfilling elements. Furthermore, the review identifies 20 stakeholders who play a significant role in realising these opportunities including key stakeholders such as project managers, government organisations, industry associations and waste operators. The study recommends improvements in fostering broader research collaboration, harmonising waste management systems, and analysing key stakeholders involved in C&D waste management. The research findings are valuable to various stakeholders in the AEC industry and waste management and resource recovery (WMRR) sector, to drive a circular economy and improve resource efficiency. Further research is recommended in the following areas: the benefits of University-Industry Engagement (UI-E) in the AEC and WMRR industries; the impact of technologies in achieving waste minimisation objectives in Australia; waste minimisation opportunities during construction material transportation; and the direct impact of sustainability rating tools in C&D waste minimisation.

Automated extraction of attributes of IFC objects based on graph theory and SPARQL query

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been widely adopted as an effective means for supporting information exchange in Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry based on unified and platform-independent standards. Among them, the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), an ISO standard for BIM, is the most widely used one. However, due to the complexity and flexibility of IFC, the extraction of the attributes of IFC objects is a challenging process for practitioners and software developers in AEC industry, which impedes in-depth application of BIM in many cases. To solve the problem, an approach is proposed in this paper based on graph theory and SPARQL query to automate and simplify the process. The approach consists of four operators, i.e., IFC-to-OWL Convertor, P-Path Acquirer, SPARQL Query Generator, and Ontology Reasoner. IFC-to-OWL Convertor translates IFC instance model into ifcOWL instance model, which can be queried by using SPARQL. P-Path Acquirer obtains all possible Predicate Paths (P-Paths) from an object entity to an attribute entity in the graph created based on ifcOWL schema model. Then SPARQL Query Generator generates SPARQL queries for extracting attributes based on the P-Paths. Finally, the ifcOWL instance model and the SPARQL queries are input into Ontology Reasoner to query attributes of IFC objects. The approach is validated by conducting a case study. The approach contributes to the convenient application of IFC standards in AEC industry.

Blueprint for Construction 4.0 Technologies: A Bibliometric Analysis

To survive in an increasingly complex environment, the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry needs a game-changing innovation. As, the industrial sector has provided compelling evidence that Industry 4.0 gives the opportunity to gain competitive advantages, the construction industry started embracing what is now acknowledged as Construction 4.0. While Building Information modeling (BIM) has been extensively discussed and is perceived as a core enabler of Construction 4.0, this next revolution in the AEC industry goes beyond BIM. As Construction 4.0 is gaining momentum in the construction body of knowledge, there is still no consensus on what Construction 4.0 really means and what technologies it encompasses. Building on insights collected from the extant research corpus through a systematic literature review of the published scientific research in the last ten years, this paper proposes a blueprint for Construction 4.0. Bibliometric analysis was employed to map the currently discussed Construction 4.0 technologies, group them into clusters based on their occurrences, and determine the least researched ones. This blueprint sheds light on how well-defined the concept of Construction 4.0 is, detects the least researched technologies, and provides AEC stakeholders with a reference to better understand this transformation and where it stands today.

BIM divide: an international comparative analysis of perceived barriers to implementation of BIM in the construction industry

PurposeBuilding information modelling (BIM) research studies are highly contextual as the contexts provide lenses for interpreting the results. However, there has been a growing decontextualization in extant studies especially between the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large firms; and between developed and developing countries. Albeit these contexts are all in the same construction industry, they often react differently to the same conditions. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the perceptions of firms in varying contexts of size and location on the perceived barriers to the implementation of BIM in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry.Design/methodology/approachThe perceptions of 228 firms gleaned from 26 countries across the 6 continents were collated via an international empirical questionnaire survey. The data was analysed using the mean score, rank agreement analysis, Mann-Whitney U test and factor analysis.FindingsThe findings revealed the major factors impending BIM implementation in each of the contexts and a comparative analysis emphasized the difference in their perceptions. The findings underscore that there is a general digital divide as regard BIM implementation between the SMEs and large firms, and a deepening divide between the developed and developing countries.Originality/valueThe study has provided empirical evidence for the BIM divide in the AEC industry, which would influence the promulgation of BIM policy and transferability of best practices across varying contexts of both firm size and country level.

Modelling the blockchain adoption barriers in the AEC industry

PurposeIn the era of digitalisation, blockchain has the potential to fundamentally change the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry's workflow, trust and procurement environments. However, few studies have investigated blockchain adoption barriers in the AEC industry in detail. Therefore, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of these barriers and their interdependent relationships in the context of the AEC industry.Design/methodology/approachBased on a review of the literature, industry reports and expert feedback, 11 barriers towards adopting the blockchain were identified. Then, the authors investigated the interdependencies amongst the factors by adopting a two-stage integrated interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method.FindingsThe findings show that the lack of information technology infrastructure (BC4) and legal and regulatory uncertainty (BC11) are the most prominent barriers towards blockchain adoption in the AEC industry.Practical implicationsThe research contributes in providing a clearer understanding of related barriers and potential solutions for practitioners in this area. Subsequently, the identification of adoption barriers can enable an important knowledge foundation and suggest possible solutions for adopting blockchain techniques successfully and effectively in the AEC industry.Originality/valueThe study lays an essential research foundation for the effective adoption and use of blockchain in the AEC industry.

IFC-CENTRIC VEGETATION MODELLING FOR BIM

Abstract. There has been a growing interest in integrating vegetation into the built environment in order to ameliorate the negative effects of increasing urbanisation. In Singapore, government policies encourage the inclusion of skyrise greenery into new and existing buildings. To further streamline workflows, statutory BIM (Building Information Modelling) submissions in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries have been mandated. However, landscape plans are still excluded from these BIM submissions due to the lack of a centralised vegetation database and the absence of a standardised BIM format for landscape architectural submissions. This paper presents a streamlined methodology for creating and using a centralised vegetation library for landscape architects. The workflow leverages off the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) standard for data exchange regardless of the BIM authoring software used and provides a framework of four operational modules: an expandable and low-maintenance species-level vegetation library, a BIM authoring workflow that allows inclusion of vegetation objects, an IFC interface, and a lightweight 3D vegetation model generator. This paper also showcases a use-case of embedding information-enriched 3D vegetation objects into a simulated landscape plan. The proposed workflow, when adopted in AEC industries, will enable governing agencies to track diverse greening efforts by the industry and to potentially include other measurements such as cooling performance or maintainability.

The status quo of Facebook usage among young generations in civil engineering education

The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is known to be slow in technology adoption. Higher education is an industry that well-placed to assist the AEC industry to move towards digital transformation. Given the popularity of Facebook among generations Y (ages 28–42 years old) and Z (ages 13–27 years old), Facebook could be an innovative learning and teaching platform in higher education. Although research on Facebook usage has been studied extensively in the past, users’ behaviour tends to evolve with the emergence of new social media and new features. Hence, this study aims to explore the current state of Facebook usage among civil engineering undergraduate students. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey. Results of questionnaire discovered that Facebook usage among civil engineering students could be categorized into four groups, namely: ‘Fulfill basic needs of psychological health’, ‘Personal enhancement/life long learning’, ‘Maintaining social connectivity’ and ‘Engaging for academic achievement’. In conclusion, Facebook is a viable and preferable choice of a learning and teaching platform among younger generations. Educators can consider exploring further the benefits and limitations of using Facebook in improving students’ learning experience and collaborative skills in civil engineering programme in the digitalization era.

Information traceability platforms for asset data lifecycle: blockchain-based technologies

PurposeThe emergence of new digital technologies in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution presents a turning point that could change the fate of the traditional ways of designing, build and manage asset data. Disruptive technologies such as Blockchain and theInternet of things (IoT) are one of the main pillars that are driving this revolution. The integration of decentralised networks and automated workflows has the potential to become a pivotal factor in construction projects, especially in supply chain ecosystems within the off-site manufacturing field. Obstacles related to fragmented information, interoperability, transparency and “big data” management are the main drivers for change that the industry needs to address. Whilst organisations and users can automate workflows and processes by utilising IoT technology to transfer data without human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction, the interaction, storage and management of the data generated are not safe or reliable.Design/methodology/approachThe approach outlined in this paper addresses the challenges that IoT and centralised networks present. Blockchain, a peer-to-peer distributed database, offers the possibility to support and maintain the asset information without interruptions in all the stages of the life cycle. The synergy between these technologies, along with other techniques, methods and platforms (such as building information modeling (BIM)), based on a single environment, will support information traceability from the strategic definition to end of life.FindingsThe framework of this study presents an excellent opportunity to apply new workflows and processes with the application of new technologies and protocols. It benefits from a well-established platform such as BIM to enable the coordination and management of digital assets as well as giving illustration and collaboration to the supply chain members. IoT and Blockchain are the other layers that work together with the third layer (BIM). This framework proposed the use of these platforms to ensure the information traceability of physical and digital assets, data automation and information management, in a dynamic supply chain ecosystem, bringing efficiency and transparency to stakeholders and users.Practical implicationsThis study provides an exploratory framework to be used by the supply chain members in offsite manufacturing, and the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry in general, to track asset information throughout their entire life cycle securely and transparently.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the knowledge of IoT, Blockchain technology and BIM use in offsite manufacturing under the AEC industry. It provides a basis for future research by professionals, experts and academics regarding these technologies and their workflows.

Computer Vision-Based Construction Process Sensing for Cyber-Physical Systems: A Review.

Cyber–physical systems (CPSs) are generally considered to be the next generation of engineered systems. However, the actual application of CPSs in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is still at a low level. The sensing method in the construction process plays a very important role in the establishment of CPSs. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to discuss the application potential of computer vision-based sensing methods and provide practical suggestions through a literature review. This paper provides a review of the current application of CPSs in the AEC industry, summarizes the current knowledge gaps, and discusses the problems with the current construction site sensing approach. Considering the unique advantages of the computer vision (CV) method at the construction site, the application of CV for different construction entities was reviewed and summarized to achieve a CV-based construction site sensing approach for construction process CPSs. The potential of CPS can be further stimulated by providing rich information from on-site sensing using CV methods. According to the review, this approach has unique advantages in the specific environment of the construction site. Based on the current knowledge gap identified in the literature review, this paper proposes a novel concept of visual-based construction site sensing method for CPS application, and an architecture for CV-based CPS is proposed as an implementation of this concept. The main contribution of this paper is to propose a CPS architecture using computer vision as the main information acquisition method based on the literature review. This architecture innovatively introduces computer vision as a sensing method of construction sites, and realizes low-cost and non-invasive information acquisition in complex construction scenarios. This method can be used as an important supplement to on-site sensing to further promote the automation and intelligence of the construction process.

Mitigating Disputes and Managing Legal Issues in the Era of Building Information Modelling

Construction disputes are inevitable. They often arise between project stakeholders for numerous reasons and to resolve them, construction professionals adopt various dispute resolution methodologies. This study aims to identify the role of building information modelling (BIM) in mitigating such disputes and addresses the legal barriers faced by the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry while adopting BIM. The study reveals that disputes can be mitigated and managed efficiently with the intervention of BIM, as BIM offers various designing, planning, estimating, collaborating and controlling features. The benefits of BIM are impressive and exceptional; however, it comes with some legal issues that are first clarified and addressed with the support of a literature review and later validated through interviews with industry professionals. Dispute resolution, contractual arrangements, design responsibility, intellectual property (IP) rights and a lack of standardisation are identified as substantial concerns when adopting BIM. Thus, a strategy is proposed to manage these legal issues that entail the adoption of the appropriate contract suite, the formation of a common data environment (CDE) and the establishment of a firm BIM execution plan (BEP). Workshops, training sessions and seminars are also recommended to educate the industry with BIM features as it brings about the second revolution in the AEC industry.

Formulating a Strategic Plan for BIM Diffusion within the AEC Italian Industry: The Application of Diffusion of Innovation Theory

The importance of digital skills diffusion in fostering the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry has been highlighted for more than a decade. The extent to which this objective can be achieved depends on several factors. An augmented building information modelling (BIM) adoption stems from, but is not restricted to, government policies and initiatives. This study aims to assess the diffusion of digital skills, specifically through BIM adoption and to establish feasible strategies for such adoption within the Italian AEC industry, taking into account institutional, organisational and project-related factors. This purpose is achieved through an initial investigation of the most significant hurdles in BIM uptake and various BIM-promoting policies adopted at an international level. Moreover, a rigorous review of recent developments in the diffusion of innovation theory is presented. Based on findings and combining the experiences of various authors in BIM-related research an exploratory online survey was conducted, resulting in identification of the clients' lack of knowledge as the most critical challenge to BIM adoption in the Italian AEC industry. Following this finding, the study suggests five strategies to leverage BIM benefits to their full extent, to increase the perception of BIM benefits and to bridge the current gap between the industry and academia.

Sustainable finance and the construction industry: new paradigms for design development

Enabling sustainable growth is highly dependent on the ability of private capital to invest in projects capable of achieving sustainability objectives divided into the three economic, environmental and social components. The international financial system has defined criteria for assessing the sustainability of investments, also applicable in the construction sector. Still, these criteria do not always appear integrated with the sustainability assessment systems developed by the AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) industry. This article proposes reflections on the relationships between the sustainability indicators of sustainable finance and those typically used in the AEC industry with the purpose of identifying possible impacts on the disciplines involved in the design process.

Critical success factors for BIM adoption during construction phase: a Singapore case study

PurposeAs a pillar of integrated digital delivery (IDD), building information modeling demonstrates the tremendous potential to enhance productivity for the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industry worldwide. However, the implementation of digital solutions presents numerous challenges related to its adoption and implementation. Distinguishing a comprehensive set of critical factors can facilitate the construction professionals to execute their strategies in a properly planned manner, thus augmenting the possibilities of successfully implementing BIM in their organization. This study aims to identify critical success factors (CSFs) for BIM adoption and implementation in Singapore.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted structured empirical questionnaire survey. Relevant data were collected from the various stakeholders in Singapore AEC industry through an online survey questionnaire. Furthermore, data analysis was done using SPSS Statistics software in order to identify the key factors (KFs) based on which the CSFs were derived for BIM adoption and implementation during the construction phase.FindingsFrom a set of 45 influencing factors, 35 KFs were derived after performing ranking analysis, from which a set of 26 CSFs were finally obtained based on the factor analysis methodology.Originality/valueThis study has identified the CSFs of BIM adoption in Singapore, as well as in the builders' perspective on how to enhance the digitalization in construction projects.

Building Information Modeling Deployment in Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Industry: An Adoption Roadmap

The implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is growing rapidly. The Oil, Gas and Petrochemical industry (OGPi), however, is still lagging in harnessing the BIM capabilities. Therefore, the main question of this research is: How and what actions should be adopted for deploying BIM in the OGPi? The research is divided into three parts as an action research. This study investigates the second part, namely preparation of an adoption roadmap for deploying BIM in collaboration with Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) in the OGPi. To achieve this goal, the extensive literature review including the most established roadmaps in the AEC industry and also the semi-structured interviews with the OGPi's experts were conducted. In this part of the research, an adoption roadmap is derived for OGPi via Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT), ‘Why, How, What’ questions (Sink model), strategic planning and innovation roadmap as well as the iterative process in the studies and interviews. The prepared roadmap validated by triangulation through focus group meetings and oils the wheels of BIM implementation alongside with IPD in the OGPi firms to grabs BIM merits and harness its challenges. Finally, the major limitations and the required future studies are addressed.

개방형BIM기반 건축 법규 검토를 위한 데이터 생성 가이드 제안

The importance of BIM in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry is increasing. Domestic and foreign government agencies are making efforts to make BIM mandatory step-by-step and roadmap and provide comprehensive guidelines or standards for the introduction of BIM. Data storage and sharing over the AEC industry is one of the important features of BIM, where the amount and quality of the data are determined by how the model is built. Even with reference to the BIM guidelines of the upper concept, modeling guides are needed to ensure that the correct data can be delivered according to the application stage or needs. This paper presents a building information level(BIL) 30-level BIM data generation guide for building code compliance checking at the architectural design stage. To this end, prior studies related to regulation check were analyzed, and object-specific guides were presented for users by comparing the requirements derived from regulation analysis with case-by-case models. BIM data generation guides developed through this paper are targeted at architectural methods, excluding items with high land or detail levels. In this study, users will be able to efficiently write models for complex regulation check, reducing errors in BIM models, improving quality and increasing efficiency.

Multiuser immersive virtual reality application for real-time remote collaboration to enhance design review process in the social distancing era

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to develop and assess the real-time multiuser virtual reality (VR) application that can be used in the design review process. In particular, the application was aimed to accommodate the design review meetings conducted among participants who are in different locations, which has become commonplace during the COVID-19 outbreak.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a methodology for the development of a real-time multiuser immersive VR application, to support remote collaboration during the design review process. The developed application can immerse remote project participants into the same virtual environment and provide virtual face-to-face discussions. An experiment was conducted with 44 university students to investigate the applicability and performance of the developed application by comparing it with the traditional approach.FindingsResults indicated that the group of students who used the developed immersive VR application outperformed the group that used the traditional approach. This was measured by the percentage of correctly identified design errors during a building inspection experiment.Originality/valueThe difficulty of bringing remote stakeholders together in a virtual environment has impeded the implementation of VR technology in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. Most research has focused on the improvement of a single user’s experience. Most of the previous multiuser VR studies were conducted in other industries while similar research in the AEC industry is limited. The study presented in this paper contributes to the AEC industry by presenting the development of multiuser immersive VR applications for real-time remote collaboration and the empirical evidence to substantiate its potential benefits.

Digital Technologies in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry-A Bibliometric-Qualitative Literature Review of Research Activities.

Digital technologies (DTs) are proven helpful in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry due to their varied benefits to project stakeholders, such as enhanced visualization, better data sharing, reduction in building waste, increased productivity, sustainable performance and safety improvement. Therefore, researchers have conducted various studies on DTs in the AEC industry over the year; however, this study explores the state-of-the-art research on DTs in the AEC industry by means of a bibliometric-qualitative review method. This research would uncover new knowledge gaps and practical needs in the domain of DTs in the AEC industry. In addition, bibliometric analysis was carried out by utilizing academic publications from Scopus (i.e., 11,047 publications for the AEC industry, 1956 for DTs and 1778 for DTs in the AEC industry). Furthermore, a qualitative review was further conducted on 200 screened selected research publications in the domain of DTs. This study brings attention to the body of knowledge by envisioning trends and patterns by defining key research interests, journals, countries, new advancements, challenges, negative attitudes and future directions towards DTs in the AEC industry. However, this study is the first in its vital importance and uniqueness by providing a broad updated review of DTs in the AEC literature. Furthermore, this research laid a foundation for future researchers, policy makers and practitioners to explore the limitations in future research.

Evaluation framework for BIM-based VR applications in design phase

Abstract The integration of building information modeling (BIM) and virtual reality (VR) has attracted increasing attention in the architecture engineering and construction (AEC) industry. Despite the rapid emergence of BIM-based VR applications, no evaluation framework specialized for the technologies exists in the AEC industry. After extensively reviewing existing studies and interviewing experts, the research team proposed an evaluation framework for BIM-based VR applications, which consists of 3 stages, 5 areas, 14 criteria, and 29 metrics and focuses on the design phase of the projects. To assess the usefulness of the framework, the team applied it to five BIM-based VR applications using a BIM-based design project for an educational building in Hong Kong. The team also interviewed experts to discuss the comprehensiveness of the framework. The results show that the framework provides consistent results for comprehensive evaluation criteria and metrics in a quantitative and flexible manner. Further research that considers additional criteria and/or metrics related to other phases (e.g. construction phase) is required to extend the framework to the whole lifecycle.

Drivers and barriers of virtual reality adoption in UK AEC industry

PurposeVirtual reality (VR) offers unique features of a three-dimensional (3D) model during early design stages in the virtual environment with immersive functions. Although the potential of VR is to increase the effectiveness and productivity of the project phases from initial concept design to detailed design preparation. VR adoption in the United Kingdom (UK) Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector is slow compared to other sectors. This research focuses on ascertaining the drivers and barriers of VR in construction projects in the UK.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts an online survey design. It uses Bristol Online Survey (BOS) to create a structured questionnaire that is used to assess UK construction professionals using a convenience sampling technique. Therefore, researcher uses descriptive and inferential technique for data analysis and presentation based on Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to analyze the questionnaire.FindingsThe research findings revealed the most significant barriers to VR adoption in UK construction industry were lack of skills/expertise and cultural change. Hence, the main drivers of VR adoption as rated by the professionals in the UK construction industry are improved safety, improved quality and improved productivity.Practical implicationsThe identification and assessment of the drivers and barriers to VR adoption could advance VR adoption among construction professionals and other stakeholders of the UK AEC sector. This could also be extended to developing countries, given the status of VR as being in the developing stage.Originality/valueThis study provides valuable insights to construction professionals and stakeholders to plan actions that could enhance the drivers and mitigate the barriers of VR. This study's main contribution is to group and classify various drivers and barriers into easily understood categories, in order to potentiate the drivers and reduce the barriers effectively. The groupings could be used as benchmarks in similar studies in developing countries.