Wang, B (2014) End user oriented BIM enabled multi-functional virtual environment supporting building emergency planning and evacuation. PhD thesis, Cardiff University, UK.
Abstract
Relevant research has identified that high level of building emergency casualty (e.g. due to fire) has direct link with the delayed evacuation especially in residential and high-rising buildings. The traditional fire drill can only passively identify some bottleneck for evacuation after the building has been constructed and under its operation stage; and end-users normally lack of means to be effectively involved in the decision making process in the first place (e.g. building emergency planning and design) and lack of cost-effective and convenient means to be well trained about emergency evacuation at later operation stage. Modern building emergency management research has highlighted the need for the effective utilization of dynamically updated building emergency information. Building Information Modelling (BIM) has become the information backbone which can enable integration and collaboration throughout the entire building life cycle. BIM can play a significant role in building emergency management due to its comprehensive and standardized data format and integrated life cycle process. This PhD research aims at developing an end-user-oriented, BIM-enabled, virtual environment to address several key issues for building emergency evacuation and planning. The focus lies on how to utilize BIM as a comprehensive building information provider to work with virtual reality technology to build an adaptable immersive serious game for complex buildings to provide general end users emergency evacuation training/guides. The contribution lies on the seamless integration between BIM and a serious game based Virtual Reality (VR) environment, which enables effective engagement of end-uses. By doing so potential bottlenecks for existing and new buildings for emergency evacuation can be identified and rectified in a timely and cost-effective manner. The system has been tested for its robustness and functionality against the research hypothesis and research questions, and the results show promising potential to support more effective fire emergency evacuation and planning solutions.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building information modelling; emergency planning; evacuation; prototype development; virtual reality |
| Index terms: | building information modelling, virtual reality, emergency planning, building life cycle, prototype, life cycle, end user, virtual reality technology, decision-making process, virtual environment, functionality, emergency management, collaboration, integration, emergency evacuation |
| Subjects: | asset management, modelling and simulation, decision analysis, value management, stakeholder, organizational analysis, health safety and environment, information systems, management, financial risk, virtual reality, design features |
| Topics: | Health and Safety, Project Management, Design Practice, Engineering Principles, Risk Management, Cost Management, Digital Applications, Roles and Professions, Business Strategy, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 2 PC |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here