Prefabricated Construction Projects Research Articles

Evolution of Project-Based Collaborative Networks for Implementing Prefabricated Construction Technology: Case Study in Shanghai

Prefabricated construction (PC) is considered to be a low-carbon construction method. Implementing prefabricated construction projects (PCPs) requires multiple industry organizations to participate and collaborate. As different PCPs are initiated and implemented, industry organizations will gradually gather into a complex and evolving collaborative network at the industry level based on specific collaboration relationships with different project backgrounds. The evolution of the collaborative network is related to how industry organizations interact with each other, and how PC-related knowledge and innovation has spread among organizations in the long term. However, the laws of network evolution and the micro effects that drive network evolution are still unknown. This study analyzes 236 prefabricated construction projects (PCPs) in Shanghai during 2015–2023, using the stochastic actor-oriented models (SAOM) method to explore how the macro structure of project-based inter-organizational collaborative networks for prefabricated construction (PC) technology implementation evolves over time, and how micro effects jointly support the evolution of the networks. The macro-level descriptive analysis of the network indicates that the collaborative network has become increasingly dense over time and continues to show a core–peripheral structure, with a small number of super-connected organizations. The micro-level SAOM analysis further reveals that the evolution of the collaborative network structure is driven by structure-based preferential attachment and geographic proximity effects, as well as attribute-based ownership similarity effect. This exploratory effort applies a network dynamics model to investigate the micro mechanism of the evolution of inter-organizational collaboration. The research results provide theoretical guidance and decision-making references for PC industry organizations to develop efficient network action strategies. In addition, it can help industry managers to formulate appropriate network management strategies.

Research on an Assembly Building Buffer Zone Based on Gray Critical Chain

The complexity of construction in prefabricated buildings makes it vulnerable to uncertainty in project timelines, and traditional project timeline management is insufficient to control project timelines for prefabricated buildings. Therefore, research on project timeline management for prefabricated buildings is needed in order to optimize project timelines and improve project execution rates. This study proposed an improved method of setting prefabricated building buffer zones through the use of improved grey critical chain technology. Five major factors affecting project timelines in actual prefabricated construction projects were selected: personnel experience, degree of prefabrication, technical complexity, reasonableness of construction plans, and degree of construction space availability. The OPA technique was introduced and combined with the entropy weight method to improve the comprehensive weight coefficient of the grey critical chain calculation of the factors affecting the timeline. Other influencing coefficients were determined, and a new calculation method for the size of prefabricated building buffer zones was proposed. Monte Carlo simulations were conducted in Matlab on actual construction projects to ensure the scientific rationality of the improved method. The results showed that compared with the classical buffer calculation methods (cut-and-paste method, C&PM and square root standard deviation method, RSEM), the project timeline was reduced by 14.3% and 11.7%, respectively, using the improved method. The improved method not only reduces project uncertainties, but also achieves the goal of optimizing project timelines, and it is reasonable and effective. The results of the study provide a direction for the project timeline management of prefabricated building critical chains, and this method can be applied to the planning and management of prefabricated building buffer zones.

Intelligent inspection of appearance quality for precast concrete components based on improved YOLO model and multi-source data

PurposeMonitoring of the quality of precast concrete (PC) components is crucial for the success of prefabricated construction projects. Currently, quality monitoring of PC components during the construction phase is predominantly done manually, resulting in low efficiency and hindering the progress of intelligent construction. This paper presents an intelligent inspection method for assessing the appearance quality of PC components, utilizing an enhanced you look only once (YOLO) model and multi-source data. The aim of this research is to achieve automated management of the appearance quality of precast components in the prefabricated construction process through digital means.Design/methodology/approachThe paper begins by establishing an improved YOLO model and an image dataset for evaluating appearance quality. Through object detection in the images, a preliminary and efficient assessment of the precast components' appearance quality is achieved. Moreover, the detection results are mapped onto the point cloud for high-precision quality inspection. In the case of precast components with quality defects, precise quality inspection is conducted by combining the three-dimensional model data obtained from forward design conversion with the captured point cloud data through registration. Additionally, the paper proposes a framework for an automated inspection platform dedicated to assessing appearance quality in prefabricated buildings, encompassing the platform's hardware network.FindingsThe improved YOLO model achieved a best mean average precision of 85.02% on the VOC2007 dataset, surpassing the performance of most similar models. After targeted training, the model exhibits excellent recognition capabilities for the four common appearance quality defects. When mapped onto the point cloud, the accuracy of quality inspection based on point cloud data and forward design is within 0.1 mm. The appearance quality inspection platform enables feedback and optimization of quality issues.Originality/valueThe proposed method in this study enables high-precision, visualized and automated detection of the appearance quality of PC components. It effectively meets the demand for quality inspection of precast components on construction sites of prefabricated buildings, providing technological support for the development of intelligent construction. The design of the appearance quality inspection platform's logic and framework facilitates the integration of the method, laying the foundation for efficient quality management in the future.

A case-based reasoning approach for solving schedule delay problems in prefabricated construction projects

The project schedule delay problem has received considerable attention for its significance in impeding project performance. Compared to conventional projects, prefabricated construction projects could suffer more from schedule delay problems. A possible solution to such problems is to provide countermeasures by referring to valuable experience of historical cases. This paper proposes a case-based reasoning (CBR) model to leverage past experience and knowledge to address the schedule delay problems in prefabricated construction projects. The study explains the development processes of the CBR model in detail, including the case base construction, case retrieval, case reuse and update. Subsequently, the study develops the CBR system and presents a case study to demonstrate the validity and practicality of the proposed approach. This study provides a potential tool to facilitate schedule management of prefabricated construction projects. It offers an effective reference for decision-makers, such as project managers, to tackle schedule delays through experience mining.

Blockchain-enabled cyber-physical system for construction site management: A pilot implementation

Prefabricated construction has become one of the most innovative methods to address the pressing housing demands. However, conventional prefabricated construction projects often suffer from challenges of managing numerous paper-based documentation, non-standardized management and intricate stakeholders in construction site management (CSM). The current design approaches lack sufficient consideration of the activity-based user relationships. To facilitate the system framework design and implementation for CSM, this study proposes a generic Cyber-physical Centered (CCD) Design, illustrating an effective and systematic approach to identify user-activity relationships in a cross-collaborative context. The consideration of entity, value chain and user-activity relationships facilitate identity management and value chain management services. The proposed approach was then utilized to a pilot project to design and implement the Blockchain-enabled Cyber-physical Site Management System (BCSMS) integrated with Digital Work Supervision System (DWSS), incorporating considerations on multi-source information flow and user-centric applications design. The implemented BCSMS decentralized two types of fundamental documents in CSM - Request for Inspection and Survey Checking (RISC) form and site diary. It addresses information fragmentation and asymmetry in a cross-collaborative environment caused by manual-input and error-prone records. The proposed system was evaluated by two important system performance indicators in terms of average response time and transaction per second. The system performance test shows that the accountability of BCSMS is significant compared to DWSS, given the p-value 0.01. Blockchain effectively improves DWSS with enhanced data submission, identity management and data-driven site performance evaluation functions. This study also qualitatively analyzed the pros and cons of proposed blockchain-enabled cyber-physical system (CPS) from society-economy-technology aspects for technical practitioners, construction stakeholders and governments.

Evaluation of Hidden Cost Risk of Prefabricated Construction Based on SEM-MEECM

Prefabricated construction offers numerous advantages, such as high efficiency and energy efficiency. However, its promotion is impeded by the significant associated costs. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to investigate the overall life-cycle costs of prefabricated construction, with a specific focus on hidden costs. To achieve this objective, the study establishes a comprehensive evaluation index system comprising 31 factors that facilitate the assessment of hidden cost risks at each stage of the construction’s life cycle. In order to effectively evaluate these risks, the study proposes a novel evaluation method that combines the structural equation model (SEM) with the matter–element extension cloud model (MEECM). Subsequently, the proposed model is applied to an actual case of prefabricated construction projects. The findings prove valuable in managing the hidden cost risks associated with prefabricated construction and offer effective means for evaluating such risks. The stage considered in this paper is more comprehensive than that of previous studies, and a quantitative analysis of the hidden cost risk index is constructed and a SEM–MEECM evaluation model is established. Based on the model presented in this paper, future research can further enhance the hidden cost risk index and explore suitable quantitative indicators to facilitate cost risk control in prefabricated construction projects, thus promoting the widespread adoption of prefabricated construction in developing countries.

Research on Database Construction and Calculation of Building Carbon Emissions Based on BIM General Data Framework

China is entering a new era characterized by carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, and the construction industry, which accounts for a high proportion of social carbon emissions, urgently needs a method to calculate and predict building carbon emissions in advance. This study proposes a method for calculating the life cycle carbon emissions (LCCEs) of buildings based on building information modeling (BIM) technology. The method uses a BIM universal data framework to establish a building carbon emission calculation model and a building carbon emission factor database instance. Taking prefabricated construction projects as an example, it is compared with the traditional calculation method. The results show that the method can more accurately predict building carbon emissions and provide methods and a basis for the construction industry to control carbon emissions in advance.

Analysis of Factors Affecting Prefabricated Building Quality Based on ISM-BN

In recent years, the rise of the domestic industry has boosted the use and popularity of prefabricated buildings. Prefabricated buildings differ significantly from traditional design, construction, and production models. However, due to the short development period of prefabricated buildings in China, the quality management of these new structures is still not mature, resulting in frequent project delays and failure. To improve quality management, this paper aims to establish an evaluation model of factors affecting prefabricated building quality. The 4M1E framework was used to categorize and generalize related quality factors. Then, GeNIe software was used to establish a visual Bayesian network quality factor evaluation model. The factors that need to be managed and given attention to in the prefabricated construction project were discovered using reverse reasoning, sensitivity, and critical factor analysis. The results indicated that among the multiple stages of prefabricated buildings, the construction stage has the greatest impact on the quality of buildings. C2(Insufficient sense of responsibility of construction personnel) is the most significant factor that needs to be controlled. In addition, this paper combined the ISM-BN model with actual engineering projects to identify key factors affecting the project’s quality, demonstrating the model’s applicability. The evaluation model of quality factors in prefabricated buildings was established. It can identify the underlying causes of quality issues in prefabricated buildings and control engineering quality at the source, acting as an effective guide for practitioners and enterprises.

Prediction of Ergonomic Risks and Impacts on Construction Schedule through Agent-Based Simulation

Construction workers are vulnerable to excessive workloads that may cause ergonomic risks, disturbing the construction schedule. Hence, ergonomic risks and the responding measures for mitigating them, namely ergonomic measures, need to be predicted and assessed so as to help make decisions about management policies. This study focuses on agent-based simulation to predict ergonomic risks and impacts of ergonomic measures on the construction schedule (ERIEMCS) along with the construction process consisting of physical or light tasks. Workers are regarded as the agents and their behaviors in performing tasks and ergonomic measures are modeled by considering different physical capacities due to different workers’ ages. Energy expenditure–based fatigue quantification and the Ovako working posture analyzing system (OWAS) –based quantification of work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) risk for an individual worker are the basis for quantitative prediction of the fatigue and the WMSD risks of a crew undertaking the construction process through agent-based simulation. An application study based on a prefabricated construction project is presented to demonstrate and justify the proposed method. The results indicate that ergonomic risks can be effectively reduced by adopting ergonomic measures to balance mitigating such risks and maintaining productivity. Prediction of the ERIEMCS through agent-based simulation prior to commencement of work facilitates investigating the effects of aging workers and planning their working schedules using ergonomic measures in combination with schedule management. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on simulation-based methodology for applying ergonomics in construction management, which is especially meaningful given the trend of labor aging and the direction of industrialization in construction.

Study on the Application of BIM5D in Modular Prefabricated Building Project in Changsha Makeshift Hospital

Building makeshift hospitals is one of the important measures to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, which has brought great pressure and challenges to China's public health system. Makeshift hospital construction usually uses prefabricated boxes, which provide faster construction, safer manufacturing, better quality control and lower environmental pollution compared with traditional on-site construction. In the process of procurement, transportation and installation of prefabricated boxes, there will usually be installation deviation, material failure to arrive in time leading to labor slowdown, low efficiency of hoisting and installation, poor coordination among different professions and other problems. Taking Changsha makeshift hospital project as an example, this paper analyzes the application of BIM5D technology in the processing of prefabricated components, the layout of construction site, construction simulation, construction cost management and construction schedule management, and concludes that the use of BIM5D technology in the construction management stage of the prefabricated construction project of makeshift hospital can greatly improve the management and control ability of the management personnel. Obviously improve the quality of prefabricated buildings, save time and cost, through the BIM5D information integration and construction simulation to make the construction management of prefabricated buildings more efficient coordination.

Bim and Blockchain-Based Automatic Asset Tracking and Delay Propagation Analysis for Prefabricated Construction Project

Bim and Blockchain-Based Automatic Asset Tracking and Delay Propagation Analysis for Prefabricated Construction Project

Study on Influencing Factors of the Elasticity of Safety Management System of Prefabricated Construction Project

Study on Influencing Factors of the Elasticity of Safety Management System of Prefabricated Construction Project

A Novel Hybrid Methodology to Study the Risk Management of Prefabricated Building Supply Chains: An Outlook for Sustainability

The management of the prefabricated building supply chain involves the entire process of prefabricated buildings. There are many uncertain factors, and the risk factors in any link will affect the overall operation of the supply chain. In order to achieve the “dual carbon” goal as soon as possible and promote the sustainable development of the building supply chain, it is very important to study the risk management of the assembly building supply chain. The risk management of the prefabricated building supply chain involves risk recognition, risk prediction, risk assessment, and risk response. In this study, on the basis of literature research, the WBS-RBS (Work Breakdown Structure–Risk Breakdown Structure) method comprehensively uses the working link and risk type of the prefabricated building supply chain to establish an indicator system for risk factors in the prefabricated building supply chain. Then, the risk prediction and evaluation model of the neural network of BP (Back Propagation) through Python software is established to predict the risk of prefabricated building supply chains. After verification, it was found that the accuracy of the training set and test set reached 100% and 96.6667%. The results showed that the BP neural network had good effects on the risk forecast of the prefabricated building supply chain, which provided certain risk predictions for the risk prediction of the prefabricated building supply chain. For reference, on the basis of risk prediction, in order to explore the importance of risk factors to the results of BP neural network prediction results, the characteristic importance algorithm of machine learning replacement features further analyzes the risk factors of the prefabricated building supply chain. Finally, based on the prefabricated construction project of enterprise A, risk prediction and evaluation of its supply chain management were carried out, countermeasures for targeted risks were proposed, and we provided new research on the sustainable development of the assembled building supply chain to provide new research ideas.

Research on Construction Safety Risk of Prefabricated Construction Project

With the development of the construction industry and the vigorous promotion of national policies, prefabricated buildings have developed rapidly. Compared with traditional buildings, prefabricated buildings have the characteristics of fast construction, low cost and low pollution. The construction of prefabricated buildings has higher requirements for constructors and is more difficult to obtain professional skills. In particular, safety accidents are prone to occur during the hoisting of prefabricated components, resulting in casualties and economic losses. The safety risk in the construction of prefabricated buildings has become an urgent problem to be solved. This paper focuses on the safety risk analysis from the four aspects of manufacturing, transportation, storage and on-site assembly of prefabricated components in the construction process of prefabricated buildings, and gives the corresponding safety risk prevention measures.

Embodied carbon determination in the transportation stage of prefabricated constructions: A micro-level model using the bin-packing algorithm and modal analysis model

The prefabricated construction generates considerable embodied carbon emissions during the manufacture, transportation, and construction stages. However, the contribution from the transportation stage is usually overlooked, leading to biases in life-cycle sustainability analysis of these projects. This article provides a micro-level transportation CE calculation method that estimates the project-specific emissions according to the features of prefabricated elements. The method simulates the transportation status of prefabricated elements as bin packing (BP) problems. Then, a modal analysis model is employed to calculate the CE of each vehicle based on vehicle type, road condition, and freight weight. Considering the minimum transportation CE as objective, a genetic algorithm is then used to search for the optimal solution and corresponding CE values. The comparative results among different CE calculation methods show that this BP-algorithm-based method provides reliable data across different loading rates, rendering the method suitable for calculating the transportation CE of prefabricated construction projects. Additionally, the BP-algorithm-based method differs the emission characteristics among different element types—the prefabricated floor generates the highest emissions, followed by prefabricated beam, wall, and column—suggesting the need to identify disparate emission factors for different element types and considering the sustainability aspects when selecting prefabricated approaches of projects. The results also highlight the efficiency of considering more prefabricated elements in a single transportation batch and selecting suitable vehicles for the optimisation of embodied carbon emissions. Architects, engineers, and contractors can use the method for project-specific transportation CE calculations and transportation planning. The calculation variables concerning the geometric features of prefabricated elements and vehicles can be adopted in the optimisation of project design and construction management for achieving less embodied carbon.

Exploring the Impact Mechanism of Interface Management of Prefabricated Construction Projects

Prefabricated construction (PC) is gaining more acceptance worldwide as a sustainable construction method due to its advantages in energy savings, emissions reduction, and cleaner production. However, the inherent geographical and organizational fragmentation of PC projects causes numerous interface issues. Effective interface management is key to the success of PC projects. Thereby, this study aims to explore how interface management is affected by various factors. Based on the literature review, the hypothesis of interaction between different factors is deduced and put forward, and the conceptual model of the interaction path of influencing factors in interface management of PC projects is established. Based on 117 valid questionnaires, an empirical test based on PLS-SEM analysis was conducted. According to the results, 10 paths affecting the performance of interface management were verified. The 7 factors in the conceptual model can all have an impact on the performance of interface management through direct or indirect paths. Among them, information communication, trust and cooperation, technology and management ability have a greater direct impact on interface management, while technical environment, information communication and contract relationship have a greater total impact on interface management. This study reveals the influence mechanism of interface management of PC projects, which can bridge the existing research shortcomings and provide a reference for solving interface management problems in practice to promote the development of PC.

Developing a Framework for Dynamic Organizational Resilience Analysis in Prefabricated Construction Projects: A Project Life Cycle Perspective

Developing a Framework for Dynamic Organizational Resilience Analysis in Prefabricated Construction Projects: A Project Life Cycle Perspective

Analysis on Reformation of Digital Management Education of Prefabricated Construction Project Under the Background of Intelligent Construction

Prefabricated building is an important building development mode at present. It can improve the development speed and production efficiency of the construction industry, reduce the labor intensity of construction, play an important role in the development as well as the modernization of the construction industry. Due to the late development of prefabricated buildings, the talent training of prefabricated buildings lags behind, causing the development of prefabricated buildings to not achieve its required target. Therefore, the characteristics of intelligent construction need to be incorporated, the education of prefabricated buildings needs to be reformed, the education regarding digital management of prefabricated buildings should be improved, and more professional talents should be nurtured.

The Application of Computer BIM Technology in Prefabricated Construction Project Management

The construction industry is a pillar industry of the national economy, and it occupies a pivotal position in our country's economic development. With the rapid development of the construction industry today, traditional construction methods can no longer satisfy the use of information, data and resources in the management of construction projects. It is necessary for BIM technology to be applied to the management of prefabricated construction projects. In order to expand the scope of application of BIM technology in construction projects and enhance people's trust, this paper studies the application of computer BIM technology in prefabricated construction project management. This article mainly uses theoretical analysis, comparative analysis and statistics to deepen the understanding of BIM technology, discovers the characteristics of traditional construction methods and construction methods supported by BIM technology, and studies the application in construction project management. The survey results show that the scope of application of BIM technology in our country's construction industry is becoming wider and wider. After five years of development, the application rate of BIM in most areas has increased by more than 10%.

Analysis on risk factors related delay in PCPs

PurposeRisk factors related delay hinder the schedule performance of most construction projects in the world. It is a critical challenge to realize the advantages of prefabricated construction projects (PCPs) under the negative effect of schedule delay. This paper aims to propose an exhaustive list of risk factors impeding the progress of PCPs and evaluate the collected risk factors based on the cause–effect relations. The ultimate goal is to improve the understanding of the complex relations among various risk factors related delay in PCPs, and also offer managers a reference on aspect of schedule risk management.Design/methodology/approachThis paper proposes a hybrid method of GT–DEMATEL–ISM, that is combing grounded theory, DEMATEL (decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory) and ISM (Interpretative Structural Modeling), to collect, evaluate and structure risk factors related delay for PCPs. The research procedure of this methodology is divided into three stages systematically involving qualitative and quantitative analysis. In the first stage, GT is utilized to implement qualitative analysis to collect the risk factors leading to schedule delay in PCPs. While, the quantitative analysis is to analyze and evaluate the collected risk factors based on the cause–effect relations in the next two stages evaluation by the DEMATEL focuses on quantifying the priority and intensity of the relations between factors. Additionally, ISM is employed to construct the hierarchical structure and graphically represent the pairwise relations between factors.FindingsThe outcome of qualitative investigation by grounded theory proposes a theoretical framework of risk factors related delay for PCPs. The framework contains three levels of category, namely, core category, main category and initial category and provides a list of risk factors related delay. Following this finding, evaluation results by the DEMATEL classify factors into cause and effect groups and determine 11 critical delay risk factors. Meanwhile, the findings show that risks referring to organizational management issue foremost impact the progress of PCPs. Furthermore, a systemic multilevel hierarchical structure model is visually constructed by ISM to present the pairwise linkages of critical factors. The model provides the risk transmission chains to map the spread path of delay impact in the system.Originality/valueThe contribution of the study involves twofold issues. Methodologically, this research proposes a hybrid method GT–DEMATEL–ISM used to identify and analyze factors for a complex system. It is also applicable to other fields facing similar problems that require collecting, evaluating and structuring certain elements as a whole in a comprehensive perspective. The theoretical contribution is to fill the relevant research gap of the existing body of knowledge. To the best knowledge of the authors, this paper is the first attempt to integrate qualitative and quantitative research for risk analysis related delay and take the insight into the whole process of PCPs covering off-site manufacture and on-site construction. Furthermore, the analysis of findings provided both a micro view focusing on individual risk factor and a managerial view from a systematic level. The findings also contribute the effective information to improve the risk management related schedule delay in PCPs.