Spatiotemporal Planning of Construction Projects: A Literature Review and Assessment of the State of the Art

Abstract

Recently, new methods and technologies, including building information modeling (BIM) and lean management, have been introduced to the construction industry. Their objectives are to increase collaboration, ensure smooth flows of information, improve productivity, reduce different types of waste, and stabilize production. These constraints have forced the industry to gradually change by applying more adapted operational processes and contractual models that focus on value and by integrating the design, construction, and operation phases. Traditional scheduling methods based on activities modeling have become less adapted to this new reality. As a result, complementary concepts have emerged, particularly the Last Planner system, takt time, space planning, and spatiotemporal scheduling. This paper presents an extensive review and an assessment of the state of the art of the spatiotemporal planning of construction projects. The paper categorizes the research efforts, presents a timeline of the most significant scientific developments in this domain, and addresses their possible impacts on the construction industry.

A System Dynamic Modelling Approach for Integrated Lean-BIM Planning and Control Methods

“…4D planning encourages discussion of several plan alternatives, increases process transparency, and improves planning reliability (Bortolini et al, 2019). However, 4D planning is not fully exploited in production planning (Schimanski et al, 2021) because short-term planning is not considered in commercial 4D planning (Ardila & Francis, 2020), which is mainly programmed for documenting and analysing production plans according to activity-based logic. Thus, most BIM solutions are not fully developed for lean data processing; instead, they are used in parallel with LPS and LBMS (Schimanski et al, 2021).…”

Conceptual framework for lean construction ambidexterity in project-based organizations

“…A common approach is the integrated project delivery collaboration model (Tillmann et al 2012). The application of concepts from the lean and building information models can also promote communication and collaboration (Sacks et al 2010, Ardila and Francis 2020, Evans et al 2021. The LPS ™ enables a short feedback circle of planning and corresponding, requires team members to make a solid commitment, and encourages the acceptance of diverse perspectives in decision-making to minimize losses (Saurin and Rooke 2020, Lagos and Alarcón 2021).…”

Genetic algorithm-based temporary elevator planning from a spatio-temporal perspective

“…To this effect, temporary elevator planning should be adjusted accordingly to meet actual transportation demands. In other words, the number and type of temporary elevators serving different days and floors should be dynamic and not static, which is in line with the requirements of spatio-temporal construction management (Ardila and Francis, 2020). Informal traditional temporary elevator planning mainly relies on experience and knowledge from similar projects (Hwang, 2009); therefore, some heuristic and statistical methods are proposed for selecting temporary elevators (Shin et al, 2011).…”