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A tower crane is one of the major items of equipment used in the construction of high-rise buildings. However, crane operators do not receive adequate information, such as the target space conditions and the material being lifted, to control the crane. This limitation degrades productivity and safety. This study describes a prototype of an advanced tower crane (ATC) equipped with wireless video control and radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. With these advanced technologies, the ATC can provide the crane operator with an enhanced view of the work space and various other functions providing up-to-date material status. The ATC can also provide faster information flow with greater accuracy and improved driving efficiency. The ATC was used on a pilot construction site as a case study to test its performance. The results confirmed considerable improvement in operational speed and significantly enhanced performance in workplace safety and communication efficiency.

Construction firms attempt to estimate building information modeling (BIM) return on investment (ROI) to confirm whether BIM effects are sufficiently positive to satisfy decision-makers. Previous studies have presented the ROI in various ways, but a more definitive answer is required to consider possible various effects. Therefore, this study proposes a framework for an integrated BIM ROI, a simple, easy-to-understand, and practical tool that is established from substantive requirements from experts in the construction field. The framework consists of a three-phase process including a total of 11 steps. These phases are assessment planning, primary BIM ROI based on preventing rework, and integrated BIM ROI. Based on the proposed framework, an actual effect analysis of BIM project was conducted and the suitability of the methodology was discussed. The results of applying the framework showed that the primary ROI based on prevented rework costs was about 167.8% and the integrated BIM ROI to consider the overall effect of applying BIM was about 476.72%. In addition, the expert’s discussion confirmed that the framework can be employed as a practical means to evaluate BIM performance. This framework can be provided as a guideline to present an integrated BIM effect and assist to efficiently BIM application.

Recent increases in the number of irregularly shaped tall buildings have created a need for more applicable formwork methods and automated support for formwork layout planning, which has mainly depended on heuristic approaches based on the intuitive judgment of experienced engineers. This study proposes a new table formwork method integrated with a systematic layout planning approach for tall building construction. Adjustable subunits of the formwork cope with diverse building shapes and the software-based mathematical model helps practitioners make useful layouts for the method with minimal time and effort. In a case study, the proposed layout planning model offered lower costs and improved work efficiency in less time than the heuristic approach. Supported by the planning model, our advanced formwork method showed a 15.5% increase in covered area of irregularly shaped building floors and a 23.9% decrease in material costs compared with existing table formwork methods.

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