Virtual Design And Construction Research Articles

Analysis of the Construction Sequence of a Reaction Wall in a Structural Laboratory Supported by the VDC Methodology

The structures laboratory is a crucial facility for supporting research development related to the construction industry. This kind of laboratory has several components, and one of its key components is the reaction wall. The reaction wall supports the execution of experimental tests on structural elements under specific configurations and loads. Constructing a reaction wall presents challenges due to the highest standards to be met. This research analyzes the construction process of a reaction wall at a private university in Peru. Initially, a schedule was proposed by a contractor. However, the client, knowing the complexity of such construction, asked to review the initial schedule to ensure that it would meet the constructability requirements under the integrated product-organization-process approach given by the virtual design and construction (VDC) methodology. The result of this study pointed out the need to revise the original proposed schedule, extending the construction time to 66% due to the lack of construction processes compatible with the requirements for the reaction wall’s execution. Finally, a survey was conducted to observe the learning curve associated with implementing the VDC methodology.

Impact of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) on the Construction Industry: Changes and Challenges for Project Managers

The study focuses on the adoption and implementation of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) in the construction industry and its impact on the project manager’s job. By utilizing VDC, project managers are now required to focus on collaboration, data management, technical expertise, and adaptability to effectively use the technology in their projects. These changes have expanded the skill sets required of project managers, while providing opportunities for improved project delivery and outcomes, but have not dramatically changed the role and responsibilities of a project manager. This study aimed to answer two questions: the changes in the digitalization of project manager work over the last five years, and the challenges that construction project managers face when using the VDC framework by conducting a literature review, interviews, and document study. Three direct challenges were identified: the absence of VDC mention in contracts, lack of mutual understanding between the team and stakeholders, and inadequate leadership support. Further analysis revealed four additional challenges: integration with traditional processes, data management and analysis, technical expertise, and change management.

Information – analytical support and formalized administration of business processes in the operating systems of construction developer enterprises

The article highlights the evolution of scientific views regarding the methodological foundations of the formation of economic and management tools by the administration of a project-oriented enterprise in the new era of the fourth industrial revolution and analyzes the paradigms of the implementation of enterprise management processes on the basis of information systems, identifies the development trends of the implementation of enterprise management processes in the structure and means of intellectual information systems It has been proven that the dynamism and high degree of uncertainty of the external environment have a negative effect on the efficiency of domestic construction enterprises, forcing modern organizations to transform into more and more complex systems. The basis of their adaptive diffusion into a competitive environment is the competition not only of goods or services, but also of innovative management technologies. The leading and systematic way out of crisis and destructive situations for construction enterprises, as well as for other industrial enterprises, is an innovative activity strategy, a radical or partial transformation (modernization) of the enterprise's operating system and the system and structure of the administration of its activities based on the latest information technologies. architectural environment including integrated project delivery (IPD, Integrated Project Delivery), virtual design and construction (VDC, Virtual Design Construction) and integrated digital delivery (IDD Integrated Digital Delivery), building information modeling (BIM, Building Information Modeling) are used in the construction and implementation of models of management processes in information systems, the use of which simplifies the complexity of modernizing the information system to solve the tasks of enterprise management processes. The main models of the organization of activities in the digital economy and the possibilities of improving the efficiency of the management processes of the construction enterprise using information systems as a digital way of presenting directive and economic-functional characteristics of the construction object are defined and systematized.

Construction management in space: explore solution space of optimal schedule and cost estimate

Multi-planetary life is one of humanity's audacious dreams. A key challenge towards achieving such a space mission is the design and construction of space habitats, for instance, on Mars. This paper presents a virtual space construction decision framework (SCDF) prototype developed and tested to address the question: "How can space construction project partners make informed decisions and leverage new construction methods and cutting-edge technologies that are developed and transform the AEC terrestrial industry?" We consider six practical and theoretical points of departure reflecting knowledge and technology and their application towards developing SCDF: General Contractor Workflow; BIM; Generative Scheduling and Construction Schedule Optimization; Construction Robotics; 3D Printing; Virtual Reality (VR) and Visualization. SCDF development applied virtual design and construction (VDC) to model - simulate - optimize - visualize - validate a space construction project by exploring the solution space in the context of extra-terrestrial construction environments from concept design to construction completion in the virtual environment before any mission is launched. Results confirm that insights from terrestrial construction apply to extra-terrestrial construction and vice versa. These insights contribute to the six points of departure at three levels: 1. The SCDF; 2. Extensions to existing technology platforms; 3. New approaches and methods.

Research on the POPi Digital Model Framework for BIM Implementation in High-Rise Megaprojects

For more than a decade, researchers and practitioners have been working to advance the implementation of virtual design and construction (VDC) and building information modeling (BIM) in the construction industry. Based on the product-organization-process (POP) research model of VDC/BIM, this paper presents the product-organization-process-infrastructure (POPi) digital framework by adding the core element: the software and hardware infrastructure. This paper discusses the element models and corresponding relationship of the POPi framework in terms of practical characteristics: the diversity of BIM applications and software in high-rise megaprojects and cross-organizational task interdependence. In addition, by combining the practices of the Suzhou Zhongnan Center, this study analyzes the four core element models of the POPi framework and discusses the typical applications and benefits to projects in design and the early stage of construction based on the element models. The research results provide a theoretical framework for the BIM application and related software development of similar projects.

Applying Project-Based Learning (PBL) for Teaching Virtual Design Construction (VDC)

Learning-centered models, which rely on active methodologies such as Project-Based Learning (PBL), should be adopted in undergraduate programs to potentiate the development of collaboration skills within future industry professionals like civil engineers. Thus, this study reports the implementation of PBL in two successive Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) courses from an undergraduate civil engineering program: 1) VDC I, in which the VDC methodology implementation was applied theoretically in an already-built project, and 2) VDC II, in which the VDC methodology implementation was applied in a currently-under-construction project. The study's objective is to identify students' perceptions of PBL influence on their learning experience, degree of acquisition of generic competencies, and project development under the VDC methodology. To assess the PBL and VDC implementation, a survey was applied to measure students' perceptions of the three mentioned variables. Results show an increase in their perceptions about the benefits of implementing VDC and PBL for the generic competencies acquisition process by more than a third, compared to other studies which implemented Building Information Modelling (BIM) with PBL. This is due to the theoretical background of the VDC methodology in terms of collaboration, processes, and tools. Besides, VDC II students' perceptions of the generic competencies' development process, degree of learning, and project development improved by 6.13%, 7.15%, and 3.44%, respectively, compared to VDC I students' perceptions, which is owed to the natural interaction between students and stakeholders of the projects adopted.

The Integration of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) With the Fourth Dimension of Building Information Modeling (4D BIM)

The aim of the research is to shed light on the relationship between the concepts of Virtual design and construction (VDC) and building information modeling (BIM), and in particular to identify and evaluate the potential benefits of using a methodology based on the integration of the fourth dimension of (4D BIM) with virtual design and construction (VDC) and its impact on the preparation of the schedule and project planning and construction simulation. The research reviews a case study of Pharmacists Syndicate building - Tartous branch, the building model (3D BIM) was created in Autodesk Revit 2020 ®, then the model clash was detected, reviewed and resolved, and the quantities were calculated on the Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2020 ® program, and the time periods for each activity were estimated according to the quantities, workshop performance rates and teams. Finally, time schedule was created in Bentley Synchro PRO 2020® software, the elements of the schedule was linked to the (3D BIM) model and the resources needed to implement each activity, then the construction simulation of the model was performed. The results showed the importance of (4D BIM) and the use of software in accurate modeling of all building elements and solving design problems before construction, which in turn has a significant impact on reducing time and cost of the project implementation. Model-based calculation of quantities helps to accurately estimate resources and times for activities. The importance of scheduling within a virtual environment based on the (3D BIM) model lies in the ability to digitally plan all aspects of a construction project, create and discuss different work sequences, in addition to managing cost, schedule, earned value, risk management, site integrity, logistical planning and mega-project management before and during implementation. However, we cannot only rely on software and technologies, but there must be an integrated methodology that organizes construction operations, and here comes the role of (VDC) Virtual design and construction as an innovative implementation strategy that adopts (BIM) building information modeling. As the success of any project depends greatly on the efficiency of the management and organization of its operations to achieve its desired goals.

Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) Framework: A Current Review, Update and Discussion

Compared with other industries, construction has maintained one of the lowest growth rates in productivity and innovation over the last decades. Moreover, low compliance with schedule targets has remained a common issue throughout projects. Therefore, although methodologies developed have benefited productivity in design, construction and operation, meeting client and project objectives becomes challenging without properly integrating organization, information, systems and processes. This perspective introduces the Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) framework. First, this paper studies and reviews VDC since its creation at the Center for Integrated Facility Engineering (CIFE) of Stanford University in 2001. After that, a comprehensive bibliographical review of the VDC framework is presented and updated with examples of its application in construction projects, delving into its elements: Client Objectives, Project Objectives, Production Objectives, Controllable Factors, Integrated Concurrent Engineering (ICE), Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Project Production Management (PPM). Finally, the main benefits and project outcomes when applying the VDC framework are presented and discussed, followed by the conclusions and recommendations for future research.

VDC management in the industrialization process using prefabricated reinforcement cages. Case Study: Ovalo Monitor Bridge

Reworks and delays in production processes are commonly found in construction projects associated with a low level of industrialization and a lack of design constructability. To promote industrialization, improve project constructability, and reduce the execution time, we implemented the Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) methodology. An industrialization strategy was established using a prefabricated reinforcement cages system (PRC) elements in an 870-meters bridge construction project in Lima, Peru. The objective was to improve the project buildability with high industrialization of the steel rebar works. We replaced the traditional on-site cutting and bending steel reinforcement processes with an industrial process that integrates construction management with the supply chain through Building Information Model (BIM). As a result, the level of industrialization of the PRC elements of the bridge substructure and superstructure reached 85% and 40%, respectively, aligned with a 16% execution time reduction of the project.

Integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) with Stick-Built Construction to Implement Digital Construction: A Canadian General Contractor’s Perspective

Building information modeling (BIM) and virtual design and construction (VDC) are useful management processes and methodologies to enhance project communication and coordination. Over the past few decades, researchers and practitioners have made efforts to promote the adoption of BIM and VDC in the construction industry. However, currently, the promotion and adoption of BIM and VDC are relatively slow in North America. This paper focuses on developing an approach to drive the adoption of the technologies through cooperation among project stakeholders and proposing a method of collaboration through a case study. In this paper, the authors surveyed and interviewed a major Canadian general contractor on its implementation of BIM and VDC in construction projects. The was to benchmark the status of BIM and VDC applications in the Atlantic region of Canada from a general contractor’s perspective. Both surveys and interviews were conducted with various project participants throughout the organization. Based on the results, a “Digital Construction Framework for the Future” is proposed to increase the adoption of BIM and VDC. This research can provide a general understanding of BIM and VDC adoption in this particular general contractor and areas of improvement in transitioning to a more digital working construction environment.

Virtual design and construction (VDC) for double-storey residential building – Case study

Virtual design and construction (VDC) is a combination of building information modelling (BIM) technologies with adequate work and management scheme for product in supporting people working together in an integrated and simultaneous way. The use of VDC in construction project has positive effects in reducing risk related to design and multidisciplinary coordination. This enhanced the decision-making process by reducing miscommunication issue. This paper presents a case study to investigate the process of integrating different dimensions of information i.e., time (4D) and cost (5D) with a 3D model for doublestorey residential building construction considering the zoning conditions. Implementation of VDC with zoning plan leads to an efficient construction management in project feasibility study. It enabled comparison of a virtual model to evaluate the advantages and practicality of VDC for doublestorey residential building. The 3D architectural and structural models elements are prepared at level of detail (LOD300) using Autodesk Revit. The 3D models are then integrated to simulation software (i.e., Autodesk Navisworks Manage). Visualisation of the project (i.e., 4D and 5D) is achieved as the outcome of the simulation by implementation of VDC. The results revealed that the practicability of VDC was affected by LOD and software interoperability.

Lessons learned from building information modelling uptake in water infrastructure construction project: a case study of River Rejuvenation Project

The study promulgates the lessons learned by introducing the building information modelling (BIM) as a part of the virtual design and construction (VDC) strategy for a water treatment plant construction of a River Rejuvenation Project. A case study-based method comprised a combined literature review followed by a qualitative study. The semi-structured interviews engaged five specialised experts. A BIM steering head of the project team was deployed to recognise the critical lessons learned and the challenges involved while implementing the application of BIM as a part of the VDC execution policy in the firm. The study examined the adoption of BIM in terms of its pros and cons by analysing qualitative data through a theoretical lens of the P3 model (people, process and product) framework using Nvivo. This study investigates one of the digital transformation initiatives of the construction organisation.

Towards digital architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry through virtual design and construction (VDC) and digital twin

The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is undergoing a substantial change, and the technological advancements are shaping the future of this industry. Over years, numerous tools have been developed based on building information modeling (BIM) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to manage a variety of tasks and activities within different construction and operational phases in the AEC industry. Recently, with the advent of novel internet-enabled technologies in providing the ability of real-time connectivity, researchers have started to develop virtual design and construction (VDC) and digital twin approaches to remotely monitor, control, and optimize different work progresses and activities in real-time at any work level in the AEC industry. This paper presents a reference model to illustrates the main advantages and applications of VDC and digital twin, and to demonstrate their trends and anticipated cost savings in the AEC industry at a global level. These technological advancements along with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) can offer the unique benefit of real-time monitoring of the current status as well as predicting the future of any physical structure at any level of work. The global demand and usage of these technological advancements will lead to great cost savings in the AEC industry which would be US$950 million in design and construction and US$400 million in operation and maintenance phases in the non-residential AEC industry in 2025. This paper also discusses the future challenges of VDC and digital twin in the industry. As a main line of future research, these technologies can simultaneously be utilized with artificial intelligence to enable human-centered decision making to automate and optimize work progresses. Such integrations of VDC, digital twin, artificial intelligence, and human-centered approaches will shape the future of the AEC industry and provide numerous research opportunities in this domain.

A Cast Study to Investigate an Affordable Cloud-based Server for Worksharing to Benefit Academia & Small Businesses

Real-time collaboration of multiple digital models is vital for successful construction projects using Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) or Building Information Modeling (BIM). Real-time collaboration allows users to workshare within a multidisciplinary team to co-author multiple smart digital models for better efficiency. This can be done in two ways, either using a physical server (Local Area Network/LAN server) or cloud-based server (Wide Area Network/WAN server). Such cloud-based servers are A360, C4R, Collaboration for Revit, or BIM360Design collaborate, etc. However, above-mentioned cloud services come at a significant price, making it challenging for academia and small businesses to perform real-time collaboration using BIM/VDC models. To find an affordable alternative, an attempt was made as part of the Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) course offered by the Construction Science and Management Department (CSM). For this case study, a popular and free (Google) cloud server was tested as a WAN server to host four multidisciplinary collaborative VDC central models for five users across five different geographic locations and time zones. The study rendered successful results to establish a real-time collaborative workshare environment; hence, can significantly benefit academia and small business.

Segmentation of point clouds via joint semantic and geometric features for 3D modeling of the built environment

Generating 3D models from point cloud data is a common Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) service. Research has focused on automating several key steps, including segmenting point clouds based on appearance and geometric attributes. These methods dominantly use Manhattan-World assumptions in their approach. Hence, in cases where building systems are close to architectural/structural elements, these methods result in over-segmentation and require significant fine-tuning by the users. To overcome these limitations, this paper presents a learning method based on Markov Random Field (MRF) that assigns semantic labels to point cloud segment. The MRF enforces coherence between the semantic (e.g., beam, column, wall, ceiling, floor, pipe) and geometric labels (e.g., horizontal, vertical, cylindrical), and it uses the neighborhood context to enhance the semantic labeling accuracy. Experimental results show an average accuracy of 90% on semantic labeling, achieving state-of-the-art performance on labeling beam, ceiling, column, floor, pipe, and wall elements.

Proposal for the application of ICE and BIM sessions to increase productivity in construction

Several studies have shown that the main problem in the construction industry is low productivity. Therefore, this study focuses on developing a proposal through a methodology that can increase productivity in the construction of buildings. The proposed methodology is Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), which has 4 pillars: Building Information Modeling (BIM), Integrated Concurrent Engineering (ICE), metrics and Project Production Management (PPM). However, the article mainly develops BIM and ICE sessions. In addition, in the ICE sessions, “work executors” will be added, so that the information is fed back by both parties, specialist engineers and work executors. Finally, the proposal will be applied in a multi-family building project in the city of Lima - Peru, in order to obtain improvement results.

Contractors as modern Master Builders: Virtual Design and Construction as an enabler of meaningful experiences to project teams for achieving optimized substation management

Effective substation management should include engineering and construction costs. While the construction process has to be methodically planned and sequenced to achieve optimized construction costs, substation designers play a vital role for delivering cost-efficient substations. Integrated design and construction has been proposed as a way to achieve effective project management, which historically viewed, was a responsibility of a “master builder”, thus causing Contractors to identify themselves as “master builders”.
 As EPC is a highly competitive arena, Contractors are looking for ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Some are turning to 3D technologies, while others turn to the design-construction integration. Virtual Master Builder (VMB) supports both 3D technologies and the design-construction integration. Due to a global shortage of worldwide available expertise, Contractors turn to education and training of their employees. While education aims at providing basic skills, training aims to provide the skill necessary to do the job. This paper examines these basic skills as a part of personal mastery before defining organizational learning as a key organizational competence. 
 Physical Virtuality realm is seen as a fruitful ground for staging of memorable and transformational experiences leading towards achieving “accelerated learning”, and especially 4D models as representations of a “space-time” environment. The project case of Skopje 4 SS 380/110 kV rehabilitation is given as an example of 4D models usage. Project Engineering is seen as a middle ground between engineering and management in order to achieve goals of effective substation management and cost-efficient substation solutions. Project teams are seen as Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) users to achieve these goals.

Evaluation of practicality of virtual design and construction (VDC) with 5D building information modelling (BIM) through a case study

Virtual design and construction (VDC) is defined as the use of multi-disciplinary performance models for the purposes of design-construction projects. The use of VDC in construction projects enables the stakeholders to communicate and visualize the buildability and construction sequence which will impact on a project’s success in terms of delivery time and cost. This case study investigated the process of integrating different dimensions of information such as time scheduling (4D) and cost estimation (5D) with a 3D model to simulate a 5D Building Information Modelling (BIM) process. The study explored the application of VDC with 5D BIM for a commercial building, namely Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Sungai Long City Campus. Through this case study, it enables comparisons of a virtual model and an actual construction in order to evaluate the advantages, practicality, and limitations of the VDC applications. The 5D model provided comprehensive information to manage the complex design-construction process by considering its timeline and cost. Six modelling stages were undertaken, namely inputting and modelling, clash detection test, time scheduling, quantification and cost estimation, virtualization, and walkthrough of the model. The results revealed that the practicability of the 5D BIM was influenced by the modelling effort, inter-operability, information output and limitations. The study also showed that VDC with 5D BIM significantly reduced the technical barrier for clients to participate in construction project, thus increasing the clients’ satisfaction of the works by bridging the gap of perception and actual outcomes from the construction.

Exploring the Potential of Technological Innovations for Temporary Structures: A Survey Study

AbstractTechnology innovations, such as virtual design and construction (VDC) tools, light detection and ranging (lidar), global positioning system (GPS), and other vision-based or sensor-based sys...

Virtual design and construction

Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) is the use of integrated multi-disciplinary performance models of design-construction projects to support explicit and public business objectives. Professor Levitt’s Virtual Design Team (VDT) project provided a fundamental point of departure of this work: the organisation model provides a central theoretical and practical element in the VDC framework. VDC models are virtual because they are computer-based descriptions of the project. This paper summarises the VDC framework that integrates an organisation perspective with perspectives that are implicit in VDT, including 3D Building Information Model (BIM) product models of a product to be designed, built and operated – typically a physical facility – management by objectives, Lean production management and the social method of Integrated Concurrent Engineering (ICE). Thus, VDC project models emphasise those aspects of the project that can be designed and managed, i.e., the product (typically a building or plant facility), the organisation that will define, design, construct and operate it, and the process that the organisation teams will follow. Many companies and hundreds of professionals now use VDC methods, and they consistently find that they improve project and business performance.