Sacks, R; Esquenazi, A and Goldin, M (2007) LEAPCON: Simulation of lean construction of high-rise apartment buildings. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 133(7), pp. 529-539. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
A lean model has been proposed for the construction management of high-rise apartment buildings with customized apartment designs. It incorporates a number of changes to traditional management practice, including single-piece flow with pull scheduling, work restructuring, and multiskilling. A simulated construction process scenario was devised for experimental evaluation of the model. The simulation was first implemented as a live management game, in which participants played the roles of the clients, general contractor, and subcontractors. Eleven runs with different teams indicated that the lean model increased throughput, improved cash flow, and reduced apartment delivery cycle time. However, the limitations of the live simulation led the writers to implement a discrete event computer simulation of the same process. The computer simulation reinforced the findings of the live simulation and emphasized the specific beneficial effect of single-piece flow under pull scheduling. The lean model may be of immediate interest to construction planners and managers because it enables full customization with minimal waste and no additional resources. The demonstrative clarity of the lean model simulation, both live and computerized, makes it a powerful tool for education and research.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | buildings; high-rise; buildings; residential; computer aided simulation; lean construction; project management; scheduling |
| Index terms: | subcontractor, customization, management practice, computer simulation, general contractor, construction planner, cash flow, scheduling, project management, lean construction, manager, apartment building, computer aided simulation, construction process |
| Subjects: | practitioner, construction type, financial management, modelling and simulation, project management theory and practice, building construction, construction manufacturing, operations research, management |
| Topics: | Time Control, Business Strategy, Construction Technology, Project Management, Roles and Professions, Site Management, Digital Applications, Cost Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
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