The Creation of Construction Schedules in 4D BIM: A Comparison of Conventional and Automated Approaches

Abstract

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is now a globally recognised phenomenon, though its adoption remains inconsistent and variable between and within the construction sectors of different countries. BIM technology has enabled a wide range of functional applications, one of which, ‘4D BIM’, involves linking the tasks in a project’s construction schedule to its object-orientated 3D model to improve the logistical decision making and delivery of the project. Ideally, this can be automatically generated but in reality, this is not currently possible, and the process requires considerable manual effort. The level of maturity and expertise in the use of BIM amongst the project participants still varies considerably; adding further obstacles to the ability to derive full benefits from BIM. Reflecting these challenges, two case studies are presented in this paper. The first describes a predominantly manual approach that was used to ameliorate the implementation of 4D BIM on a project in Paris. In fact, there is scope for automating the process: a combination of BIM and Artificial Intelligence (AI) could exploit newly-available data that are increasingly obtainable from smart devices or IoT sensors. A prerequisite for doing so is the development of dedicated ontologies that enable the formalisation of the domain knowledge that is relevant to a particular project typology. Perhaps the most challenging example of this is the case of renovation projects. In the second case study, part of a large European research project, the authors propose such an ontology and demonstrate its application by developing a digital tool for application within the context of deep renovation projects.

A distributed collaborative platform for multi-stakeholder multi-level management of renovation projects

“…It determines the sequence of work, facilitates the allocation of resources to project activities over time, and so ensures the completion of the project on time and within budget (Conlin & Retik, 1997). Hence, it plays a central role in a renovation project's success (Doukari et al, 2022). Moreover, planning and scheduling deficiencies have been identified as main causes that can lead to project delays and cost overruns (Flyvbjerg, 2014) and ultimately to claims and disputes (Aravindhan et al, 2021).…”

Contract administration practices on building information modelling (BIM)-based construction project – an exploratory study

“…The use of 4D BIM for planning and scheduling is also commonly regarded as one of the BIM benefits among recent scholars (Doukari et al , 2022). The update and tracking of the work sequences can be done using a simulation process, which can assist all parties in improving the site coordination and as a solution to minimise any delay activities that might impact the project completion (Porwal and Hewage, 2013; Charehzehi et al , 2017; Ahmadi and Arashpour, 2020; Guévremont and Hammad, 2021) Another essential element is the administration of claim and progress payment, particularly the importance of integrating cost management with 4D BIM scheduling to monitor the periodic payment processes paid to contractors (Chong et al , 2017; Khosrowshahi, 2017).…”

Maximizing project efficiency through construction prefabrication unveiling the benefits

“…undertake at on-site locations that include several challenges, i.e., major delays in the construction process, disputes between stakeholders, execution of construction plan without clients' consultation, the slower flow of information among sub-contractors and project team members allocated at on-site locations, lack of management skills and expertise among project engineers, non-preventive measures to avoid bad weather conditions, etc. it reduces the efficiency of project completion within expected time scale [58] . Moreover, an increase in cost and time put-certain complexities for project managers.…”