An analytical system for space planning on construction sites

Effective construction planning is essential to the successful completion of a construction project. Although workspace requirements are essential aspects of construction planning, they are often either overlooked or left to the intuition of the construction planner. Emerging computer based techniques are becoming predominant within the construction industry. In recent years, the development of four dimensional computer aided design (4D CAD) has particularly proved beneficial to construction project planning practice. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel computer based method to allow workspace, required during the construction process, to be planned and analysed using 4D CAD techniques. It is predicted that this approach will allow potential time-space conflicts to be foreseen. Based on a revIew of a large body of work, it emerged that specialist trade contractors were one of the primary parties affected by spatial constraints. Consequently, industrial case studies were carried out on UK construction sites to observe workspace planning practices for a general contractor, a groundwork contractor and a mechanical and electrical contractor. As a result, a conceptual framework was put forward to depict software development requirements to assist construction space planning and analysis. Using the framework as a basis, an approach was developed to represent the key processes required to plan construction workspace using a 4D methodology. Based on the proposed approach, a software tool was developed, the Specialist Trade Site Space Analyser (STraSSAn). The proposed tool allowed a CAD based product model to be fonnalised into a product breakdown structure, compliant with the Uniclass standard. The scheduling of construction tasks used a novel interactive 3D scheduling technique. The product model could then be decomposed into dynamic weekly geometry through use of an innovative method of decomposing 4D product geometry. Dynamic weekly site plans could then be generated and various contractors could allocate required workspaces. Potential time-space conflicts could be detected, and the severity of these conflicts could be analysed using a numeric Space Conflict Classification value. Subsequently, the construction process could be visualised in a 4D virtual reality environment, which included for the building product evolution and workspace requirements. Finally, construction practitioners evaluated the implemented prototype to test its usefulness for space planning requirements. It emerged that the implemented tool had achieved the fundamental requirements of the proposed conceptual framework. Furthermore, the evaluators deemed the software as having potential to assist space planning throughout the construction process.