Development of a decision support framework to aid selection of construction supply chain organisations for BIM-enabled projects

With the emergence of Building Information Modelling (BIM), a critical criterion for the qualification of a suitable Construction Supply Chain (CSC) for projects is the ability of individual organisations to deliver through the use of BIM. Despite emerging research on BIM capability assessment, there are very few studies which look specifically at the qualification (pre-qualification and selection) of CSC organisations for projects. Furthermore, there is a general dearth of knowledge about the links between often pre-emptive qualification criteria and actual delivery success, particularly, in the BIM or CSC context. This research identifies the most relevant BIM qualification criteria for CSC organisations, as well as investigates their relative importance and influence on various aspects of BIM delivery success. A sequential exploratory mixed method research strategy was adopted in a three-phase design. The first phase explored BIM expert views on appropriate BIM qualification criteria in the UK, through interviews with BIM specialists (n=8). The next phase consisted of two rounds of a Delphi study with experienced construction practitioners (n=30 and n=25) to ascertain the most critical among the BIM qualification criteria derived from the first phase. This was achieved through statistical determination of Delphi participant consensus with the inter-rater agreement (rwg) test. The final phase involved a survey of practitioners on BIM-enabled projects in the UK (n=64) in order to empirically establish the relationship between the critical BIM qualification criteria and various dimensions of BIM delivery success in practice. This was achieved through survey respondents’ independent appraisal of CSC organisations on recent projects in relation to quality of BIM deliverables, delivery of BIM within schedule and on budget, plus collaboration, coordination and integration of project CSC through BIM. Various multivariate statistical analysis techniques including correlation analysis, mean weighted contribution analysis, multiple regressions modelling and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were engaged to identify qualification criteria influence on success. A decision support framework (DSF) was developed and proposed, based on the coefficients and weightings computed from the inferential statistical analysis of survey data. The research findings and DSF were validated through convergence analysis, as well as elicitation of expert respondent feedback to ensure adequacy, suitability and relevance in practice.The findings highlight the multi-dimensional nature of the relationship between BIM capability and various elements of delivery success. It is surmised that individual BIM capability attributes influence various aspects of BIM delivery success to different extents and this must be taken into consideration when selecting CSC candidates. BIM ‘staff experience’ and the ‘suitability of proposed methodology’ prior to BIM project commencement were identified as the most influential criteria on BIM modelling success (quality of BIM models, delivery of BIM within schedule and on budget). Individual competencies were found to be most influential on modelling quality and delivery of BIM within budget while execution planning adequacy influenced ability to deliver BIM on time. On the other hand, the ‘administrative and strategic’ level capacities were found as the most influential in relation to leveraging BIM to achieve project CSC objectives namely, collaboration, coordination or integration on projects. From a consolidation of the findings, a DSF is proposed for prioritisation of CSC organisations based on their propensity to succeed in the delivery of BIM. The work also provides an enhanced guidance on the relationship between various dimensions of BIM capability and delivery success, as well as how this knowledge enhances the prediction of CSC candidate propensity to succeed at the pre-qualification and selection phase of construction projects

Understanding the challenges of immersive technology use in the architecture and construction industry: A systematic review

Despite the increasing scholarly attention being given to immersive technology applications in the architecture and construction industry, very few studies have explored the key challenges associated with their usage, with no aggregation of findings or knowledge. To bridge this gap and gain a better understanding of the state-of-the-art immersive technology application in the architecture and construction sector, this study reviews and synthesises the existing research evidence through a systematic review. Based on rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria, 51 eligible articles published between 2010 and 2019 (inclusive) were selected for the final review. Predicted upon a wide range of scholarly journals, this study develops a generic taxonomy consisting of various dimensions. The results revealed nine (9) critical challenges which were further ranked in the following order: Infrastructure; Algorithm Development; Interoperability; General Health and Safety; Virtual Content Modelling; Cost; Skills Availability; Multi-Sensory Limitations; and Ethical Issues

Enhancing Offsite Construction for UK SMEs through Building Information Modelling: A Comprehensive Analysis

Numerous government publications have highlighted the need to address challenges within the construction sector. Many studies recommend adopting technologies such as offsite construction and expanding the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) to resolve industry issues. Building Information Modelling (BIM) and offsite construction (OSC) have gained increasing popularity in the architecture; engineering; and construction (AEC) industry due to the various benefits they offer to project stakeholders; including enhanced design visualisation; efficient data exchange; reduced construction waste; and improved productivity and efficiency. Despite significant research in these areas and an extensive body of literature on BIM and OSC; many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) still need quantifiable benefits for adopting BIM in offsite construction processes. This study examines the impact of BIM on offsite construction in terms of cost; quality; time; and safety. The primary objective of this research is to encourage SMEs to adopt BIM for offsite construction projects. To achieve this goal; the study collected primary data using a questionnaire completed by 66 respondents from the construction industry. The study establishes that BIM for offsite construction outperforms offsite construction without BIM

Analysis of College Education Art Curriculum and Its Impact on Teacher Productivity at Primary Schools. The Case of Northern Ghana

This article examines the art curriculum at the colleges of education that prepares teachers at pre-service to teach creative art at the primary schools in Ghana with a focus on the northern region of the country. The study also assesses pupils’ knowledge and skills in the teaching and learning of creative art and reveals the teachers’ professional competencies of teaching creative art at the primary level. The article argues that the current teaching and learning of art as a subject at the primary schools requires improvement in the use of teaching and learning tools for effective classroom activities. Also, the quality of training received by teachers at pre-service is among factors that influence the current conditions of teaching and learning of creative arts at the primary level. The study reveals a mismatch in the relationship between the colleges of education curriculum and the basic school creative arts subject. The article suggests that the teacher training curriculum in creative arts that prepares teachers for Basic schools in Ghana and the Creative Arts syllabus for schools in Ghana are properly aligned in content knowledge. Adopting the qualitative and quantitative inquiry with descriptive and survey research methods, the instruments used for the data collection were questionnaire and interview. Keywords: Creative arts, art, curriculum, primary, college, education DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-17-15 Publication date:June 30th 202

Environmental management systems in the architecture, engineering and construction sectors

Implementing and using environmental management systems (EMSs) in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sectors has received worldwide attention but never through a phenomenological lens. This study investigates the ‘lived experiences’ of experts who have implemented and used ISO 14001 in AEC organisations based in the UK. Using a qualitative research strategy of semi-structured interviews, extensive analysis of the conversations reveals several themes – namely, participants believe that ISO 14001 is not just an environmental business tool, ISO 14001 offers a means of delivering sustainability, ISO 14001 accreditation opens doors for business accruement and, moreover, ISO 14001 is more than a badge, rather it is a modern-day business necessity. The study also reveals that not all organisations asking for ISO 14001 have the accreditation themselves. Based on this evidence, and contrary to previous studies that have proposed that EMSs are chiefly implemented to save costs and comply with legislation, it seems that box ticking as part of the tendering process is now the major motivation for organisations to attain and maintain International Organization for Standardization accreditation. Further, concerns are expressed that some organisations are unwilling to state their sustainability objectives or embed their operations within an EMS that will be audited because it could emphasise their poor performance to stakeholders

An Implementation Strategy for the Application of Digital Twin for Construction Progress Monitoring Using Wearable Technologies

Challenges such as schedule delays and discrepancies between as built and planned structures are common issues in the construction industry. Consequently, effective monitoring and analysis of construction progress remain vital aspects of productivity. Digital twins provide a promising solution to these challenges by creating a digital replica of a corresponding real-world entity, enabling simulation, tracking, analysis, and various operations throughout its entire lifecycle. Digital twins have been applied to various construction lifecycle stages to address specific issues, including BIM, structural system integrity, facilities management, monitoring, logistics processes, and energy simulation. However, a significant gap remains in utilising digital twins for construction progress monitoring with safe, wearable technologies. Employing an exploratory mixed-method approach, the study combines qualitative and quantitative analyses to recommend using digital twin applications to monitor construction progress using wearable technologies. The study proposes an implementation strategy for construction progress monitoring by integrating BIM, multiple reality capture methods (GIS, IoT, UWB, WSN), digital twin technology, and wearable technology (AR). The framework outlines methods to create, record, synthesize, interpret, and visualise construction progress analytics, information, and summaries

Critical BIM qualification criteria for construction pre-qualification and selection

© 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Despite emerging research on Building Information Modelling (BIM) capability, there remain no studies that specifically look at criteria for the pre-qualification and selection of construction supply chain (CSC) firms for BIM projects. As a consequence, there is insufficient theoretical insight and empirical justification for critical BIM qualification criteria for the CSC context. In order to bridge this knowledge gap, a study was conducted to ascertain the most critical BIM capability attributes, as well as relevance to the pre-qualification and selection of suitable CSC firms for BIM-enabled projects. The relative importance of these criteria was determined based on their perceived influence on overall BIM delivery success on recent BIM-enabled projects. A sequential exploratory mixed methodological research design was adopted involving semi-structured interviews (n = 8) and a Delphi survey (n = 25) of experts, as well as a survey of CSC firms (n = 64) on BIM-enabled projects. The findings reinforce the criticality of past BIM experience in delivery success. Furthermore, it revealed that while technological infrastructure-related capacities (such as software and hardware availability) are perceived as very important qualification criteria, their actual contribution to delivery success is not as high in comparison to criteria related to previous BIM experience. This study provides insights on prioritising BIM capability criteria based on evidence on their contribution to delivery success in practice rather than their perceived importance as capability metrics

Unmanned aerial vehicles in the construction industry - Towards a protocol for safe preparation and flight of drones

Purpose: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), colloquially called drones, are widely applied in many sectors of the economy, including the construction industry. They are used for building inspections, damage assessment, land measurements, safety inspections, monitoring the progress of works, and others. Design/methodology/approach: The study notes that UAV pose new, and not yet present, risks in the construction industry. New threats arise, among others, from the development of new technologies, as well as from the continuous automation and robotization of the construction industry. Education regarding the safe use of UAV and the proper use of drones has a chance to improve the safety of work when using these devices. Findings: The procedure (protocol) was developed for the correct and safe preparation and planning of an unmanned aerial vehicle flight during construction operations. Originality/value: Based on the analysis of available sources, no such complete procedure has yet been developed for the correct, i.e. compliant with applicable legal regulations and occupational health and safety issues, preparation for flying UAV. The verification and validation of the developed flight protocol was performed on a sample of over 100 different flight operations

Истоки морфонологии (морфонология в трудах ученых Московской фонологической школы)

Morphonology as an independent linguistic discipline evolved at the turn of the XIX—XX centuries due to the studies and writings of philologists and linguists, who had revealed and stated the phoneme and morpheme as abstract units of language system. Not coincidentally, this discipline was based on the theory of phonetic alternations as both units demonstrated deep interaction and vivid variations in respect to their sound form.Морфонология как отдельная языковедческая дисциплина зародилась на рубеже XIX—XX вв. благодаря трудам филологов-лингвистов, обосновавших статус фонемы и морфемы, пополнивших список абстрактных единиц языковой системы. Неслучайно эта дисциплина сложилась на основе теории фонетических альтернаций, или чередований, так как обе единицы обнаружили тесную взаимосвязь и явную вариативность в отношении звуковой формы

Integrated delivery of quality, safety and environment through road sector procurement: The case of public sector agencies in Ghana

Poor quality, safety and environmental (QSE) performance within Ghana's road sector has been cited as a major challenge in the procurement of infrastructure. This study evaluates the applicability and level of integrated consideration of QSE in the delivery of roads through procurement by public sector agencies in Ghana. Integrated delivery is explored on the basis of theoretical and empirical evidence of an existing synergistic relationship among QSE in the management and delivery of projects. A mixed methodological design was adopted to investigate two public road agencies through a questionnaire survey and interviews of technical staff with procurement responsibilities. This was done concurrently with soliciting professional perspectives on the subject. Procurement is widely regarded as paramount to the delivery of better QSE in the Ghana road sector. However, the level of synergistic consideration is low, which is attributable to an over-reliance on traditional procurement arrangements as a result of non-supportive local procurement regulatory frameworks. It is further established that a general lack of know-how and experience in the use of modern and integrated procurement arrangements prevent effective management and realisation of QSE beyond the current focus on time and cost through procurement processes within public road sector agencies