A Study of Virtual Prototyping in Construction Industry : A case study of Kwan Chung Public Housing Estate Project

Transcription

1 A Study of Virtual Prototyping in Construction Industry : A case study of Kwan Chung Public Housing Estate Project By Li Ka Ming DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF BSC (HONS) IN BUILDING SURVEYING THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

2 DECLARATION I declare that this dissertation, entitled A Study of Virtual Prototyping in Construction Industry : A case study of Kwan Chung Public Housing Estate Project, represents my own works, except where due acknowledgement is made, and that it has not been previously included in a thesis, dissertation or report submitted to this University or other institution for a degree, diploma or other qualification. Li Ka Ming i

3 Table of Contents Declaration Table of Contents List of Tables List of Figures Acknowledgements Abstract i ii vi vii x xi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION P Problem Statement P Purpose of Research P Research Objectives P Structure of the Dissertation P.5 CHAPTER II: LITERATIVE REVIEW P Traditional Techniques for Construction Project Planning P Drawing Tools :2D CAD P Strengths P Limitations P Scheduling Tools : Bar (Gantt) Chart P Scheduling Tools : Critical Path Method (CPM) P Innovative Technique of Construction Planning P.13 ii

4 D P D P Virtual Prototyping (VP) P CATIA P DELMIA P Advantage of Simulation P.17 CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY P Literature Search P Reasons for using Case Study and Interviews P Case Study P Interview P.22 CHAPTER IV: VIRTUAL PROTOTYPING IN BUILDINGS P Design P Manufacture and Assembly P Sale & Promotion P Facilities Management P Demolition P.32 CHAPTER V: FUNCTIONS OF CATIA V5 AND DELMIA P Introduction P Document Types P CATIA V5 GUI P Viewing & Manipulating Object P Sketching P.39 iii

5 5.6 Part Design and Modeling P Assembly Tools P Surfacing P Knowledge Ware P Simulation Process P.49 CHAPTER VI: CASE STDUY AND ANALYSIS P Background Information P Project Features P Simulation Process P D Model Construction P Construction Process Simulation P Day 1 P Day 2 P Day 3 P Day 4 P Day 5 P Day 6 P Summary of the Project P Analysis P Strength P Drawings P Site Space & Facilities Management P Communications P Scheduling P.82 iv

6 Information Management P Safety P Limitations P Design for Manufacture P License Fee P Lacking in Skilful Labour P Hardware Requirement P Human-Initiated Characteristic P.87 CHAPTER VII: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS P Conclusions P Recommendations P.90 REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES P.91 LIST OF APPENDIX P.98 APPENDIX I: Sample of Accompanying Letter P.99 APPENDIX II: Sample of Questionnaire P.100 APPENDIX III Method & Sequence of Construction P.101 APPENDIX IV 6-day Cycle Programme for Typical Floors P.102 v

7 List of Tables Table 4.1 Virtual Prototype Concept P.24 Table 6.1 Project Particulars P.55 Table 6.2 Cost Comparison of CATIA V5 & DELMIA and AutoCad P vi

8 List of Figures Figure 4.1 Example of lighting analysis P.26 Figure 4.2 Example of CFD Source P.26 Figure 4.3 2/F B5 Column of HKCC P.28 Figure 4.4 Clash of Reinforcement Bar P.28 Figure 4.5 Five tower cranes operates simultaneously in Venetian Macau Hotel P.29 Figure 4.6 Construction Method of Westland Road Office Project P.30 Figure 4.7 Construction Process of Westland Road Office Project P.31 Figure 5.1 CATIA V5 & DELMIA P2 Platform P.35 Figure 5.2 Traditional Tool Bars, Keyboard Shortcuts & Drop Down Menu P.36 Figure 5.3 CATIA V5 and DELMIA document types P.36 Figure 5.4 CATIA V5 GUI P.38 Figure 5.5 Rotation P.39 Figure 5.6 Sketcher environment P.40 Figure 5.7 Constraint Examples P.41 Figure 5.8 Constraint Errors P.41 Figure 5.9 Pad Dialog Box P.42 Figure 5.10 Design Table and Formula P.43 Figure 5.11 Compass Tool to move and rotate the element P.44 Figure 5.12 CATProduct Sample P.45 Figure 5.13 Sample Creating top surface P.46 vii

9 Figure 5.14 A tangent cover P.46 Figure 5.15 Simulation Process Work Bench P.50 Figure 5.16 Insert Activity P.50 Figure 5.17 Grab Activity P.51 Figure 5.18 PERT Chart P.51 Figure 5.19 Gantt Chart P.52 Figure 6.1 Proposed Kwai Chung Public Housing Estate P.54 Figure 6.2 Kwai Chung Public Housing Estate P.54 Figure 6.3 Location of the Site P.55 Figure 6.4 Concrete Slab P.57 Figure 6.5 Wall Reinforcement P.58 Figure 6.6 Fascade P.58 Figure 6.7 Toilet P.59 Figure 6.8 Temporary Wallform P.59 Figure 6.9 Working Platform P.60 Figure 6.10 Strut P.60 Figure 6.11 Tower Crane P.61 Figure 6.12 PERT CHART P.61 Figure 6.13 PERT CHART P.62 Figure 6.14 Gantt CHART P.62 Figure 6.15 Day 1 a.m. P.64 Figure 6.16 Day 1 noon. P.65 Figure 6.17 Day 1 p.m. P.65 Figure 6.18 Construction Process P.66 Figure 6.19 Movement of Wall Form P.66 viii

10 Figure 6.20 Movement of Wall Form P.67 Figure 6.21 Day 2 a.m. P.68 Figure 6.22 Day 2 noon P.68 Figure 6.23 Day 2 p.m. P.69 Figure 6.24 Construction Process P.69 Figure 6.25 Day 3 a.m. P.70 Figure 6.26 Day 3 noon P.71 Figure 6.27 Day 3 p.m. P.71 Figure 6.28 Movement of Concrete Boom P.72 Figure 6.29 Concreting by Boom P.72 Figure 6.30 Day 4 a.m. P.73 Figure 6.31 Day 4 noon. P.74 Figure 6.32 Day4 p.m. P.74 Figure 6.33 Day 5 a.m. P.75 Figure 6.34 Day 5 noon P.76 Figure 6.35 Day 5 p.m P.76 Figure 6.36 Fix Conduit & Reinforcement P.77 Figure 6.37 Day 6 a.m P.78 Figure 6.38 Day 6 noon P.78 Figure 6.39 Day 6 p.m P.79 ix

11 Acknowledgements I would like to express my respect, gratitude and foremost to my supervisor, Dr. Heng Li, Professor of Department of Building and Real Estate at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, for his kindly patience and advice on my dissertation. He always makes me in critically thinking and lets me recognize the enjoyment and happiness of undergoing a dissertation. I would like to express my appreciation to Mr. Stephen C. W. Kong, Mr. Yuk Huen Chan and Mr. Ting Huang, the Project Associate, the Research Assistant and Ph. D. Candidate respectively of the Construction Virtual Prototyping Laboratory, in the Department of Building and Real Estate of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, who shared their valuable time to give me suggestions and provide me with useful data which strengthened the content of this dissertation. Besides, i would like to thank Ms. Louie Law for spending her invaluable time to proof-read my dissertation and giving me useful advice on the use of English in the content of the dissertation. Lastly, I should like to express deepest thanks to my family who all gave me encouragement, patient and care. Li Ka Ming x

12 Abstract This research presents an alternative tool, i.e. CATIA and DELMIA, for construction programme planning apart from traditional tools, e.g. AutoCAD, MicrosoftProject. Regarding the problems of traditional tools in terms of space and facilities management, scheduling and communication, the concept of Virtual Prototyping (VP) and functions of CATIA and DELMIA are introduced. An analysis concerning strengths and limitations of the new tool accompanied by an in-depth case study of Kwan Chung Public Housing Estate Project is administered. After investigation, it is found that CATIA and DELMIA can improve the planning process; however, they have not been extensively adopted in construction industry in Hong Kong because of its design purpose, license fee, requirement on hardware, also a lack of man power who familiarize with the software and its human-initiated characteristic. xi

13 CHAPTER I Introduction 1.1 Problem Statement 1.2 Purpose of Research 1.3 Research Objective 1.4 Research Structure 1

14 Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Problem Statement In construction project management, planning process is critical to the successful development and execution of a construction project (Waly and Thabet 2003). However, the planners rely on their experience and intuition, imagination and judgment to extract data from paper-based design documents and to decide the appropriate method of construction, its timing and site usage layout (Zhang, 2004). This drives faults or inefficiency in site space and facilities management, communication and information storage and scheduling. Site space and facilities management Present planning method has weakness in managing site space and facilities which is critical in a construction project as a result of the resources-driven nature of construction management, a construction manager must develop a plan of action for directing and controlling resources of workers, machines, and materials in a coordinated and timely fashion in order to deliver a project within the limited funding and time available (Halpin and Woodhead, 1998). Therefore, there is a strong need for more effective planning and management 2

15 Chapter 1 Introduction of site space and facilities (Ma, Shen & Zhang, 2004). Communication 2D drawings are not able to visualize the end product to the parties involved in a construction project, e.g. the clients, the contractors, etc. The increasing complexity of construction projects multiplies difficulties of handling huge amount of information. Much project information stored on paper as drawings and written documents is frequently unstructured and thus hinders its usage, also, it is very easy to lose or damage (Construct IT, 2000). This causes poor information transfer and communication among parties. Scheduling Critical Path Method (CPM) fails to seamlessly synchronize activity planning and resource planning, the two integral functions in project planning (Waugh and Froese 1990). Although it is used in time control and scheduling, it is insufficient to produce detailed site layout planning, use of space and identification of conflict among various activities because of a lack of spatial features of actual construction. 3

16 Chapter 1 Introduction Innovative Technology As a result, researches start investigating information technology to solve the above problems of paper-based documents, site space and facilities management and communication. Virtual Prototyping (VP) is one of the latest innovative technologies which integrates planning, visualization and simulation in construction programme, thus improves the efficiency of construction projects in planning stage. 1.2 Purpose of Research The purpose of this research is to provide an alternative choice for construction project planning by studying the concept of VP and the application of the software of CATIA and DELMIA in construction industry in Hong Kong. 4

17 Chapter 1 Introduction 1.3 Research Objectives The following objectives are examined in this study: 1. To outline the general problems arisen from traditional construction project planning in Hong Kong 2. To discuss the utilization of VP in construction industry 3. To introduce the functions of CATIA and DELMIA 4. To describe the construction simulation process of 6-day Cycle of Kwan Chung Public Housing Estate Project by CATIA and DELMIA (Case Study) 5. To analyse the strengths and limitations of CATIA and DELMIA 1.4 Structure of the Dissertation This dissertation is mainly divided into 7 parts. Part I Introduction This part states clearly problem statements, purposes of research, research objectives and the structure of the dissertation. Part II Literature Review This part consists of a comprehensive review of literatures of the traditional techniques for construction project planning and their 5

18 Chapter 1 Introduction problems, basic principles of VP and introduction to CATIA and DELMIA. Part III Research Methodology The research methods employed in this research are presented in this part. Part IV Functions of CATIA and DELMIA This part presents the main functions of CATIA and DELMIA. Part V Virtual Prototyping in Buildings This part presents the utilization of VP in areas relevant to buildings Part VI Case Study and Analysis This part describes the case of Kwan Chung Public Housing Estate Project and gives analysis from the case and interviews. Part VII Conclusions and Recommendations This part summarizes findings in this research, and makes a final conclusion. 6

19 CHAPTER II Literature Review 2.1 Traditional Techniques for Construction Project Planning 2.2 Latest Techniques for Construction Project Planning 7

20 Chapter 2 Literature Review Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Planning is crucially important in construction projects. The planning of construction operations is a complicated activity involving abstraction of constriction activities from the drawings, choosing on suitable plans and falsework, allocation of construction schedule and site space management are essential to project management, as they directly influence security, machine running, material deployment, power distribution as well as construction progress and cost (Ma, Shen and Zhang, 2004), so planners use different tools to develop the programme. In this chapter, firstly, some drawing and scheduling tools will be discussed and secondly, VP, CATIA and DELMIA will be introduced. 2.1 The Traditional Techniques for Construction Project Planning Drawing Tools: 2D Computer Aid Design (CAD) Computer Aid Design (CAD) is the most widely used in the construction industry. It provides users with a platform to build up drawings by operating lines, texts, circles etc on the screen. The process of revision can be carried out immediately when an original drawing has been created. AutoCAD is one 8

21 Chapter 2 Literature Review of the most commonly used software and largest share of the CAD market (Howard 1998) Strengths 1. As Sun & Howard (2004) points out, 2D CAD tools increase productivity, especially at the information production stage. This benefit is more evident when design changes. Instead of reproducing all the drawings, CAD allows designers to make changes to the existing ones. 2. Sun & Howard (2004) believes that 2D CAD tools help to improve the quality of design information. Using traditional paper drawings, keeping data accurate and consistent is a big challenge. In CAD drawings, all measurements are precise. 3. 2D CAD tools help to increase the speed of information exchange between project team members. Previously, it would take several days to send drawings through the post. Now CAD drawing files can be attached to s or sent via the Internet instantly (Sun & Howard 2004). 9

22 Chapter 2 Literature Review 4. 2D CAD tools allow designers to reuse previous drawings or part of the drawings (Sun & Howard 2004). 5. 2D CAD tools make the drawing storage and archive task a lot easier. Paper drawings present storage problems as they deteriorate, are usually very large and cause documentation problems. A CAD file stored in a structured directory on a PC prevents these problems from occurring, which will also ease quality assurance issues (Sun & Howard 2004) Limitations 1. In 2D CAD drawings, a building is represented by points, lines and surfaces, not by walls, windows and rooms. It cannot visualize the three-dimensional end product. 2. 2D CAD system cannot present the process of construction, and thus is not able to identify the clashes of activities. 3. Some of the latest CAD system adopted a model-based approach, however there is still a lack of integration with other cost and performance analysis 10

23 Chapter 2 Literature Review software packages (Sun & Howard 2004). 4. Most CAD packages are only suitable for drawing at the information production stage when all major design decisions have been made, not during the early design stages (Sun & Howard 2004). 5. The user interface of many CAD programmes is complex. Designers often find it difficult to operate it effectively. As a result, they can sometimes be distracted form the design task that they should really be concentrating on. While not undervaluing the benefits of computer aided drafting systems especially for information production purposes, their weakness are also apparent (Sun & Howard 2004) Scheduling Tools: Bar (Gantt) Chart A bar chart is a graphic representation of project activities shown in a time-scaled bar line with no links shown between activities (Popescu and Charoenngam 1995, 96). It was originally developed by Henry L Gantt in 1917 and also called as Gantt Chart. It involves the duration of activities/tasks, the position of timescale and identification of work sequence. A bar chart is simply 11

24 Chapter 2 Literature Review as a calendar which shows the timescale horizontally and flow of activities vertically. The vertical column also shows the timescale, duration and sequence of activity. It is commonly used in construction industry due to simplicity and ease of preparation and understanding. However, it lacks logical representation (relationships), too simple and insufficient to show the details of multitude of inter-related activities. It commonly used in small-sized project Scheduling Tools: Critical Path Method (CPM) A critical path method (CPM) is a scheduling technique using networks for graphic display of the work plan (Mubarak S. A. 2005). The method is used to determine the length of a project and to identify the activities critical to project completion. It was developed during the 1950s by DuPont and US Navy. It is one of the common techniques used in practice for construction planning and scheduling. Microsoft Project (2003) is one of the common software product used for project scheduling. The typical CPM is used to provide an overall view of the project including durations of activity, sequence of activity, and criticality of activities. It can show the use of resources, the cost of construction activities and the shortest project duration among all the sequence of activities. However, it does not describe how a construction work is built. 12

25 Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.2 The Innovative Technique of Construction Planning The traditional construction planning tools restricted by their limitations are insufficient to meet with the planners requirements nowadays. The construction projects are currently becoming more and more complicated and the traditional tools are insufficient to manage the information in these projects, so a new planning concept, VP, has came to the industry. The concept of VP will be introduced gradually D 3D modeling is the basic components for producing virtual environment. The planners, engineers can view the realistic images of construction projects in a 3D environment. However, 3D models can only provide static images and cannot display the exact status of a project at a specific moment, which means, no integration and interaction between models and time presents D 4D is a geometry-based construction process visualization technique (Koo and Fisher 2000). It can simply describe as 3D plus time. It enables graphic simulation and visualization of the construction process by visualizing the start 13

26 Chapter 2 Literature Review and finish of activities in different colour. It provides the project participants with a better communication in utilizing the space Virtual Prototyping (VP) VP provides a capacity to construct in the computer. It provides a modeling and simulation environment so powerful that the production, fabrication and assembly of construction components, including the associated operational processes, can be simulated in the computer (Karam 2004). VP takes into account all of variables in the project procurement process from feasibility analysis to maintenance management (Karam 2004). The primary objective is to evaluate the feasibility of construction processes with a view to minimize the time and resource use. VP can be described as simulation of construction activities in 3D Environment. All the construction activities are represented by dynamic behaviours of 3D CAD models and are linked by a simulation engine. The 3D CAD models, resources information and construction schedule are integrated in the simulation. 14

27 Chapter 2 Literature Review Computer-aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application (CATIA) Computer-aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application (CATIA) was first developed by Dassault System in the early 1980s for the aerospace industry. CATIA is one kind of VP software developed by IBM. It integrates a suite of collaborative product design software applications covering Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM).The latest vision is now CATIA V5. It allows users to design the products by 2D layouts as well as 3D models concurrently. The software has being applied by many manufacturing industries, e.g. aerospace, automotive, industrial machinery, electrical, electronics, shipbuilding, plant design, and consumer goods, including design for such diverse products as jewelry and clothing. It is now bringing into construction industry. According to Karam (2004), CATIA is the leading product development solution for all manufacturing organizations, from OEMs through their supply chains to small independent producers. The range of its capabilities allows CATIA to be applied in a wide variety of industries, such as aerospace, automotive, industrial machinery, electrical, electronics, shipbuilding, plant design, and 15

28 Chapter 2 Literature Review consumer goods, including design for such diverse products as jewelry and clothing. CATIA is the only solution capable of addressing the complete product development process, from product concept specifications through product-in-service, in a fully integrated and associative manner (Karam 2004). It facilitates true collaborative engineering across the multi-disciplinary extended enterprise, including style and form design, mechanical design and equipment and systems engineering, managing digital mock-up, machining, analysis, and simulation (Karam 2004). By enabling enterprises to reuse product design knowledge and accelerate development cycles, CATIA helps companies speed their responses to market needs and helps free users to focus on creativity and innovation (Kleismit 2004) DELMIA DELMIA is software mainly used in manufacturing process planning, detailing and simulation. It is designed for digital development of factory and production 16

29 Chapter 2 Literature Review processes. There are three main types of function, e.g. Process Detailing & Validation, Resource Modeling & Simulation and Process Planning. According to Kleismit (2004), the DELMIA Resource Modeling & Simulation solution suite provides the tools to develop, create and implement resources, application routines and mechanical programming that are integral with the Process Planning and Process Detailing & Validation solutions. The DELMIA Process Planning solution suite provides a comprehensive process and resource planning support environment. The resulting process diagrams can provide a clear overview of the sequences and links between processes and resources early in product design conception (Karam 2004) Advantages of Simulation The benefit of simulation is to provide users with practical feedback when designing real world situations. This allows the user to determine the correctness and efficiency of a design before the system is actually constructed. Consequently, the user may explore the merits of alternative designs without actually physically building the systems (Craig 1996). According to Craig (1996), another advantage of simulation is that it can be 17

30 Chapter 2 Literature Review adopted as an effective presentation tools for various types of usage, eg. teaching. This is particularly true of simulation that make intelligent use of computer graphics and animation. Such simulators dynamically show the behaviour and relationship of all the simulated system's components, thereby providing the user with a meaningful understanding of the system's nature. 18

31 CHAPTER III Research Methodology 3.1 Literature Search 3.2 Reason for using Case Study & Interviews 3.3 Case Study 3.4 Interviews 19

32 Chapter 3 Research Methodology Chapter 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This section describes the methodology used in achieving the research objectives. The dissertation is based on data collected from three main sources, namely literature, interview and case study. 3.1 Literature Search The data collection stage would rely on the reference books, journals, reports and websites which were mainly collected and obtained from the library and on-line electronic database systems, such as Sciencedirect and ProQuest. 3.2 Reasons for using Case Study and Interviews After investigation, there are few projects which have used CATIA & DELMIA as a planning tool. People who familiarize with the application of CATIA & DELMIA in construction industry are also limited. As a result, carrying out interviews with experienced professionals to obtain more details is more preferable than doing questionnaire to get some general opinions. Interview accompanied with a case study can help to understand on 20

33 Chapter 3 Research Methodology the utilization of CATIA & DELMIA in Hong Kong Construction Industry. 3.3 Case Study The case of Kwan Chung Public Housing Estate Project (KC Project) was brought into analysis. In case study, the VP software CATIA and DELMIA was used to simulate the 6-day construction cycle in New Harmony Block (Option 2) in Kwan Chung. I have participated in the Project on development of 3D models and simulation on the Construction Virtual Prototyping Laboratory, the Department of Building and Real Estate of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The drawings, schedules and other relevant information of the cases are provided by Yau Lee Construction Co., Limited. 21

34 Chapter 3 Research Methodology 3.4 Interviews Interviews with construction professionals were carried out to have a further understanding on the practice of VP in KC Project. In this research, three professionals involved in from the project were interviewed. They are: 1. Mr. Richard Lee, a Design Manager of the KC Project from Yau Lee Construction Co-operation Limited on 25 February Mr. Patrick Ho, Site Agent of the KC Project from Yau Lee Construction Co-opertaion Limited on 4 March Mr Zeon Yu, Project Manage of the KC Project from Yau Lee Construction Co-opertaion Limited on 11 March

35 CHAPTER IV VIRTUARL PROTOTYPING IN BUILDINGS 4.1 Design 4.2 Manufacture & Assembly 4.3 Sale & Promotion 4.4 Facilities Management 4.5 Demolition 23

36 Chapter 4 Virtual Prototyping in Buildings Chapter 4 VIRTUAL PROTOTYPING IN BUILDINGS Virtual Prototyping involves in different stages of a building life cycle, including design, manufacture, assembly, sales/promotion, facility management and even demolition. Extent utilization of Virtual Prototyping in construction industry is subject to the practicability of legacy, procurement and training (Brandon, 2003). The application of VP is discussed in the following sections. Table 4.1 Virtual Prototype Concept (Brandon P. 2003) 24

37 Chapter 4 Virtual Prototyping in Buildings 4.1 Design In design inception stage, architects/engineers usually make scale models to illustrate their design concept with clients in order to make discussions and compromises. While alteration of design often happens, amending scale models frequently may be a problem. VP provides an easy changing visual model to designers. Secondly, a scale model is difficult to involve building services design. Steady state heat loss and heat gain calculation is utilizated currently, some factors, e.g. thermal mass, are neglected in building services design. VP allows the negligence to be involved and visualized, dynamic thermal modeling can be workable. (Stribling, 2003) Thirdly, integration of various kinds of design, e.g. building aesthetics, building services, is feasible through the technology of VP which can include different functions. (Stribling, 2003) Finally, VP is applied on building energy simulation including lighting and daylight analysis (Figure 4.1), dynamic thermal model and Computational Fluid 25

38 Chapter 4 Virtual Prototyping in Buildings Mechanics (CFD) (Figure 4.2). CFD can predict the internal climate which is widely used on assessment of HVAC system and ventilation strategies. These technologies can identify energy saving opportunities and thus reduces expenditure on energy. Fig 4.1 Example of lighting analysis Source: Fig. 4.2 Example of CFD Source: 26

39 Chapter 4 Virtual Prototyping in Buildings 4.2 Manufacture and Assembly Manufacture and assembly stages are merged together in construction. The successful of these stages depend on planning before works. Frequent faulty of sequences and crash of activities can seriously affect the construction progress causing uneconomical. VP gives various means to overcome these problems. Firstly, try before you use (Li, 2005) is a slogan of promoting the idea of VP in construction industry. That means project planner can preview the processes of the project visually in advance and test alternative courses of action. By preview, identification of idle time and resources, and rapidly experiment new alternatives to achieve optimization can be achieved. In the case of Ho Tung Lau Railway Extension Project, three alternative construction methods, including gantry, mobile crane and rolling trolley were tested. Secondly, clash of activities and planning errors can be identified by previewing the processes, so as to improve the fluency and save resources (Kong, 2006). This function is very useful in building services design because clashes are commonly occurred when building services systems are integrated 27

40 Chapter 4 Virtual Prototyping in Buildings especially on suspended ceiling and raised floor. The function of identifying clash can detect whether there is any clashes of building services elements including air duct, fire sprinkler pipe, pipe, electricity trucking etc. To illustrate, in the project of Hong Kong Community College, the clashes of reinforcement bars between the precast elements was sorted out to shorten the construction period (Fig 4.3&4.4). In the project of Venetian Macau Hotel, VP can eliminate hurtles of five towel cranes which operate simultaneously (Fig 4.5). Fig /F B5 Column of HKCC Fig.4.4 Clash of Reinforcement Bar 28

41 Chapter 4 Virtual Prototyping in Buildings Fig.4.5 Five tower cranes operates simultaneously in Venetian Macau Hotel Thirdly, VP acts as a presentation tool to disseminate the complicated construction processes to project staff from top management to worker level, so they can understand planning information easily (Kong, 2006). In Westlands Road Office Building Project, contractors utilized the technology of VP to introduce the construction method(figure 4.6) and the construction process to developers. 29

42 Chapter 4 Virtual Prototyping in Buildings Fig. 4.6 Construction Method of Westland Road Office Project 4.3 Sales/Promotion In Property Sales, firstly, buyers may expect to preview the product before they buy. Sellers/developers in Hong Kong usually build show-room to fulfill buyers expectation. Show-rooms can also be a promotion tool to attract potential buyers, so developers are willing to invest a relatively large amount of capital in building short-life-span show-room. It is a waste to have a luxurious and expensive show-room. VP can replace show-room to visualize the end product of property to customers. It provides an alternative choice for the developer. 30

43 Chapter 4 Virtual Prototyping in Buildings Fig 4.7 Construction Process of Westland Road Office Project 31

44 Chapter 4 Virtual Prototyping in Buildings 4.4 Facility Management According to Sarshar (2004), people responsible for collecting and archiving project data may not always understand the specific needs of those who will utilize it, such as those involved in building maintenance. VP has a function of storing information. The storage and transfer of construction information thoroughly by VP can contribute to a better management of facilities in future, e.g. providing a detail plan of building services to help the facility manager to sort out the problems. 4.5 Demolition VP allows demolition professional to identify building technologies, process and methods, eg. Post-tension members, so the professionals can choose the most appropriate demolishing method for particular building. Time & Cost of investigating the buildings may be reduced. 32

45 CHAPTER V FUNCTONS OF CATIA V5 AND DELMIA 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Document Types 5.3 CATIA V5 GUI 5.4 View & Manipulating Object 5.5 Sketching 5.6 Part Design and Modeling 5.7 Assembly Tools 5.8 Surfacing 5.9 Knowledge Ware 5.10 Simulation Process 33

46 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA Chapter 5 FUNCTIONS OF CATIA V5 AND DELMIA This chapter describes the main functions of CATIA and DELMIA. The software screen captures are used to illustrate how the functions work. 5.1 Introduction CATIA is designed for collaborative product development. It is mostly used in virtual product design. DELMIA is designed for digital development of factory and production processes. It is mainly used in manufacturing process planning, detailing and simulation. CATIA V5 provides various configurations including Platform configuration, Application portfolios and Workbenches. The P2 Platform (Figure 5.1) is commonly used and provides the extended design tools and additional process oriented tools. The process tools are fully interchangeable and scaleable. The Application portfolios (Figure 5.1) furnish a set of product applications (workbenches) to fulfill the requirements of users in the development procedure and production processes. The first menu Start can change workbench which provides various types of tools, for example, from 34

47 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA Part Design to Sheet Metal to Surfacing by CATIA, DPM Assembly Process Simulation by DELMIA. Workbench Application portfolios CATIA V5 Platform P2 Fig.5.1 CATIA V5 & DELMIA P2 Platform CATIA V5 and DELMIA interface is more like a typical Windows-type environment. It provides Window-like features (Figure 5.2) including object linking and embedding (OLE) integration, copy and paste functions, contextual and drop-down menus, traditional toolbars, drap-and-drop function and keyboard shortcuts. 35

48 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA The change of object-orientated tools on the right side relies on which module is currently adopted. The first icon (Figure 5.2) shows which module (e.g. Part Design) is used. A set of selection tool is always available on the screen no matter which module is adopted. Drop Down Menu First Icon Eg. Part Design Keyboard Shortcuts Traditional Tool Bars Fig. 5.2 Traditional Tool Bars, Keyboard Shortcuts & Drop Down Menu 5.2 Document Types There are three types of document in CATIA V5 including Part, Product and Process. Process is a document commonly used in DELMIA. Fig. 5.3 CATIA V5 and DELMIA document types 36

49 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA 5.3 CATIA V5 GUI Generally, CATIA V5 and DELMIA share the same GUI. This helps users to famaliarise with the operation of both of them Configuration Tree Configuration tree (Figure 5.4) is fundamental tool for manipulating, controlling, and organizing model elements and features. The branches along the tree comprise the history and processes used to create parts. For example, in Figure 5.4, when the Chamber icon is currently selected, the corresponding identification in the tree turns orange Compass Tool Compass tool (Figure 5.4) is used to modify the location or orientation of part correspondent to the X-Y-Z co-ordinate system. 37

50 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA Compass Tool Configuration Tree Chamber Element Fig. 5.4 CATIA V5 GUI 5.4 Viewing and Manipulating Objects CATIA allow objects viewed and manipulated easily. There are various functions including pan, rotation and zoom for object viewing and manipulating. How to operate the functions? Pan: To hold down the roll of mouse and move a mouse simultaneously Zoom: To hold down the roll of mouse and click either button of mouse and then move the mouse up or down simultaneously to zoom in or out. 38

51 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA Rotation: To hold down the roll of mouse and either button of mouse and then move the mouse simultaneously to rotate (Fig. 5.5). Fig. 5.5 Rotation 5.5 Sketching The sketch environment (Figure 5.6) provides the functions of making and editing 2D elements used in forming 3D objects by the means of 2D tools, e.g. rectangles, circles, splines, polylines, arcs etc. 39

52 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA Position Display X-Y Plane Operation Toolbar Figure 3.5 Rotation Sketcher Geometry Sketcher Grid Fig.5.6 Sketcher environment The function of Constraints is commonly used in Sketcher Workbenches. Supplementary geometrical or dimensional constraints are added when creating or adjusting 2D elements. For example, the dimension of rectangle is easily edited by dimensional constraint and properties of line are edited by geometrical constraints. Various simple symbols and colours (Figure 5.7) represent different constraints. The Configuration Tree and Dialog Box show the error (Figure 5.8) when over-constraints occur. 40

53 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA Constraint Toolbar Element Colour Under Constrained Over Constrained Inconsistent Selected Description White Violet Red Orange Constraint Defined in Dialog Box Fig. 5.7 Constraint Examples Constraint Error Fig. 5.8 Constraint Errors 41

54 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA 5.6 Part Design and Modeling A set of modeling tools (Figure 5.9) can be used after a 2D sketch is finished. The sketch-based toolbar (Figure 5.9) helps users to handle the functions of filleting, chamfering, shelling, hole creation etc. e.g. as shown in Figure 5.9, a 2D element is constructed to 3D object by Pad and the dimensions of 3D object can be adjusted by dimensional constraint. 2D Sketch Sketch-Based Toolbar Dimension Constraint Fig. 5.9 Pad Dialog Box CATIA V5 provides functions of developing the complex elements or objects. A 42

55 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA number of formulas (Figure 5.10) can be established to modify the elements or objects from the original part file to a newly formed part file, so elements or objects in the original part files can be used in other projects in the future. In addition, as shown in Figure 5.10, there are different types of parameter in the design table. Options in the design table are entered, CATIA V5 can then automatically select the most appropriate option to be used in the elements or objects. If there is a change in parameters, it will also have an effect on construction cost and schedule generated by CATIA V5 and DELMIA. Formula Design Table Fig Design Table and Formula 43

56 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA The Compass tool located in the upper right corner makes the movement and rotation of 3D objects easier. The Compass tool can also be attached to an object for the purpose of moving and rotating it (Figure 3.10). Compass Tool Fig Compass Tool to move and rotate the element 5.7 Assembly Tools Assembly tools in product file can help to create a product by getting objects in part files into a product file. Objects are multiple-used in product files. However, if there is a change of parameters of objects, the original part file and the corresponding objects in product file will change. As a result, a new part file 44

57 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA should be created before any changes of an object. CATParts Constraints Application Product Structure Toolbar Fig 5.12 CATProduct Sample 45

58 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA 5.8 Surfacing CATIA V5 provides basic surfacing tools including extrude, sweep, revolve and loft 2D profiles. The tools can also help to join, extend, split and trim surfaces and extract surfaces from a solid. There is also a healing tool and a Fill command which can be used to create a tangent cover for the shape shown in Figures 5.13 and It solves most CAD programs problems. Fig Sample Creating top surface Fig A tangent cover (Source: CATIA Generative Shape Design (GSD), a basic tool for constructing surfaces, allows users design more advanced mechanical shapes of a hybrid nature. It also houses knowledge-based engineering tools and laws functions (Beckert 2000). 46

59 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA 5.9 Knowledge Ware According to Beckert (2000), Dassault offers three KnowledgeWare products on CATIA V5 targeted at users performing advanced design and engineering. CATIA Knowledge Expert helps designers establish rule bases that capture and automate knowledge process such as best practices, profession processes, or design validation and corrections. CATIA Knowledge Advisor ensures design compliance with corporate standards early in the design cycle. CATIA Generative Knowledge, based on a scripting language, lets users declare and reuse specification in a script format to automatically generate intelligent designs. Those designs have to respect the software s programmed constraints. For example, titanium cladding torques at this thickness but not at that or glass windows reflecting light at that angle will create heat traps. Therefore, the software allows for considerable freedom of design choices yet ensures that design decisions conform to corporate rules during the design process (Schrage 2000). WISE consortium conducted a research on managing engineering knowledge. In WISE research (2002), it stated that CATIA supports the development of rule-based applications through its integrated knowledge based engineering 47

60 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA capabilities. A company using the system adds its know-how by defining rules in the knowledge base. These rules are then invoked by various means when the system is being used to support a specific process or scenario. For example, a company may determine that the treatment or material for screws, which are the basic connections between the framing members of building facades, will have a particular specification for a corrosive commodity. On placing the screws, the system can check the suitability against the rules and automatically assign the appropriate attribute Simulation Process When the workbench changes to Assembly Simulation Process (Figure 5.15), it provides different sets of icon to carry out a simulation process by DELMIA. A clear overview of the sequences and links among processes, timing, cost, and resources shows in this workbench. All the components involved in the simulation process can be inserted in the lists which include Process, Product and Resource (P.P.R.) list in the Configuration Tree. As shown in Figure 5.15 and 5.16, the movement and duration data of each activity, e.g. the rate of concreting, the movement of tower crane, are required 48

61 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA to operate a simulation process by means of simulation creation tool and the data can be adjusted if required. These data can be adjusted through Microsoft Excel. The sequence of activities can be adjusted by PERT Chart (Figure 5.18). Each activities and links are represented by pictures and symbols which are easily understood and modified if necessary. The function of Gantt Chart (Figure 5.19) is similar to Microsoft Project which shows the duration, start and end time of an activity and resource used in each activity (Figure 5.19). The changes in Gantt Chart or PERT Chart can directly reflect in the simulation process. 49

62 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA Simulation Tools P.P.R List Simulation Creation Tools PERT Chart /Gantt Chart Fig Simulation Process Work Bench Movement Set up Motion Set up Fig Insert Activity 50

63 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA Motion Set up Fig Grab Activity Set Activities Icon Sequence of Activities Fig PERT Chart 51

64 Functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA Duration of Activities Fig Gantt Chart 52

65 CHAPTER VI CASE STUDY and Analysis 6.1 Background Information 6.2 Project Features 6.3 Simulation Process 6.4 Summary of the Project 6.5 Analysis 53

66 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Chapter 6 CASE STUDY AND ANALYSIS 6.1 Background Information Fig. 6.1 Proposed Kwai Chung Public Housing Estate Fig. 6.2 Kwai Chung Public Housing Estate 04/03/

67 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Project Name Domestic Location Architect, Engineer and Quality Surveyor Main Contractor Cooking Bench, Sink Unit and Panel Wall Redevelopment of Kwai Chung Flatted Factory, (Contract No ), Kwai Chung Public Housing Estate 1983 Rental Flats Wo Tong Tsui Street, Kwan Chung, Hong Kong Housing Department Development and construction division, The Hong Kong Housing Authority Yau Lee Constriction Co-operation Limited Yau Lee Wah Concrete Precast Product Co., Limited Project Duration 18 Jan Aug 2007 Construction Time Contract Sum Project Situation 31 Months HK$366M Under Construction Table 6.1 Project Particulars Proposed Kwan Chung Public Housing Estate Fig. 6.3 Location of the Site Source : 55

68 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis 6.2 Project Features The works comprise the construction of two nos. 41 storey modified New Harmony 1 (Option 2) Blocks (Blocks 1 and 2), each block approximately 51.4 x 46.4m overall on plan and approximately 127m high from ground floor to main roof level. The external fascade, walls (structural and non-structural), bathrooms, stair-core, lift shafts and bathroom-cum-kitchens of the domestic units to Block 1 and 2 are proposed to construct in precast concrete panels/components. In this project, over 70% of the concrete elements are constructed by precast concrete. 6.3 Simulation Process The construction process simulation of 6 Day Cycle of Harmony One was constructed by CATIA V5 and DELMIA for the purpose of developing a detailed and improved construction programme with minimum time and resources use D Model Construction 3D models of concrete and reinforcement elements of public housing estate, large panel wall forms, slab and beam forms, working platforms, and tower 56

69 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis cranes are draw. The concrete structure is divided into slab, beam and wall elements, as shown in the following figures. The division is made according to the sequence of concrete pouring and the layout of 6-day construction cycle. These elements can be easily regrouped when there is a change in construction sequence or redesign in layout of construction bays Parametric models are built for generating reinforcement elements. By adjusting parameters like dimensions of concrete elements, concrete cover, steel bar diameter, steel bar spacing, length of steel bar projection from concrete element, etc, the 3D slab, beam and wall reinforcement elements are generated automatically. Fig 6.4 Concrete Slab 57

70 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Fig. 6.5 Wall Reinforcement After creating the basic elements, they can be grouped into external walls, internal wall panels, etc. Fig. 6.6 Fascade 58

71 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Fig. 6.7 Toilet Temporary works elements including wall form, slab form, beam form and working platform are also generated from parametric models. Parameters in these models are defined according to their specific design criteria. All of the parametric models are stored in library and can be reused easily in the future projects Fig. 6.8 Temporary Wallform 59

72 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Fig. 6.9 Working Platform Fig Strut 3D model of tower crane with 40m jib length is built for this project. Parameters like speed and angle of movement are defined in the models to control their movement during simulation. 60

73 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Fig Tower Crane Construction Process Simulation The 6-day cycle for construction of typical floor in Kwan Chung Public Housing Estate is inputted through Gantt chart and PERT chart interface. Activity start time, duration and precedent activity are handled in Gantt chart interface, while logical sequence of activities is handled in PERT chart interface Fig PERT CHART 61

74 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Figure 6.13 PERT CHART Fig. 6.14Gantt CHART Parameters like rate of concreting by placing boom, rate of lifting external formwork by tower crane, rate of lifting rebar by tower crane, etc, are defined in the construction process. These parameters can be retrieved through 62

75 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Microsoft EXCEL for update and modification. The duration of activities is linked to these parameters and are updated automatically when there is change in these parameters The duration of concreting is linked to concreting rate parameter and the measurement value of volume of concrete elements. The measurement value is taken directly from 3D models and is updated dynamically. The construction process simulation can run in real time or in accelerated and decelerated speed. In reality every construction material or temporary support is moved from one place to another by human or plant. In this Kwan Chung Public Housing Estate 6-day cycle simulation, only those movements involving use of tower crane are simulated, as other movements are considered not necessary for supporting the 6-day cycle planning. Construction activities without movement simulation are simulated by change in color. Please refer to the Appendix III & IV for the 6-Day Cycle Programme and method & sequence of construction. The 6 day cycle construction process simulation is showed in the following photos. 63

76 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Day 1 Wing B Install Precast component (Figure 6.15) Wind D Fix Reinforcement and Conduit (Blue while in progress) (Figure 6.15) Wing D Fix Precast Component Reinforcement & Conduit (Figure 6.16) Wing B Weld Type A Precast Wall (Figure 6.16) Wing B Install Wall From for Fascade and Type C Wall (Figure 6.17) Wing B Concrete to Wall (Red while in Progress) (Figure 6.17) Wing A Wing B Wing D Wing C Fig Day 1 a.m. 64

77 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Fig Day 1 noon. Fig Day 1 p.m. 65

78 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Fig Construction Process. Fig Movement of Wall Form 66

79 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Fig 6.20 Movement of Wall Form Day 2 Wing A Fix Slab Reinforcement & Conduit (Blue while in Progress)(Fig. 6.21) Wing B Strike Wall Form (Green While in Progress) (Fig. 6.21) Wing C Install Precast Components (Blue while in Progress)(Fig. 6.22) Wing C Fix Precast Component Reinforcement & Conduit (Figure 6.22) Wing C Weld Type A Precast Wall (Figure 6.22) Wing C Erect Scaffolding for Semi-precast slabs (Figure 6.23) Wing C Install wall Form for Fascade and Type C Wall (Figure 6.23) Wing C Concreting to Wall (Red while in progress) (Figure 6.23) 67

80 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Wing A Wing B Wing C Wing D Fig Day 2 a.m. Fig Day 2 noon 68

81 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Fig Day 2 p.m. Fig Construction Proces. 69

82 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis DAY 3 Wing C Strike Wall Form (Figure 6.25) Wing C Erect Scaffolding for Semi-precast Slab(Red while in progress) (Figure 6.25) Wing B Install Semi-Precast Slab (Red while in progress) (Figure 6.26) Wing B Grouting to Type A Precast Wall (Figure 6.26) Wing C Install Semi-precast Slab (Figure 6.26) Wing D Concrete to Floor Slab & Half Central Core (Figure 6.27) Wing A Concrete to Floor Slab (Figure 6.27) Wing A Wing B Wing C Wing D Fig Day 3 a.m. 70

83 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Fig Day 3 noon Fig Day 3 p.m. 71

84 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Fig Movement of Concrete Boom Fig Concerting by Boom 72

85 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis DAY 4 Wing D Install Precast Components (Figure 6.30) Wing B Fix Slab Reinforcement & Conduits (Figure 6.30) Wing C Grout Fascade Joint (Blue while in progress) (Figure 6.30) Wing D Fix Precast Component Reinforcement & Conduit (Blue while in progress) (Figure 6.31) Wing D Weld Type A Precast Wall (Figure 6.31) Wing D Install Wall Form for Fascade and Type C Wall (Figure 6.32) Wing D Concrete to Wall (Red while in progress) (Figure 6.32) Wing A Wing B Wing D Wing C Fig Day 4 a.m. 73

86 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Fig Day 4 noon. Fig Day4 p.m. 74

87 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis DAY 5 Wing D Strike Wall Form (Green while in progress) (Figure 6.33) Wing C Fix Slab Reinforcement & Conduits (Blue while in progress) (Figure 6.33) Wing A Install Precast Components (Figure 6.34) Wing A Fix Precast Component Reinforcement & Conduit (Figure 6.34) Wing D Erect Scaffolding for Semi-precast Slab (Figure 6.35) Wing A Grout Fascade Joint (Purple while in progress) (Figure 6.35) Wing A Concrete to Wall (Red while in progress) (Figure 6.35) Wing A Wing B Wing C Wing D Fig Day 5 a.m. 75

88 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Fig Day 5 noon Fig Day 5 p.m 76

89 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Fig Fix Conduit and Reinforcement DAY 6 Wing A Strike Wall Form (Green while in progress) (Figure 6.37) Wing A Erect Scaffolding for Semi-precast Slab (Figure 6.37) Wing D Install Semi-precase Slab (Figure 6.38) Wing D Grout Fascade Joint (Purple while in progress) (Figure 6.38) Wing A Install Semi-precast Slab (Red while in progress) (Figure 6.38) Wing B Concrete to Floor Slab & Half of Central Core (Figure 6.39) Wing C Concrete to Floor Slab (Red while in progress) (Figure 6.39) 77

90 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Wing A Wing B Wing D Wing C Fig Day 6 a.m Fig Day 6 noon 78

91 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Fig Day 6 p.m 6.4 Summary of the Project This project study the feasibility of a 6-days floor cycle in the construction of two 40th stories residential buildings. This pioneering project is the first to adopt the new precast public housing design from the Hong Kong Government. More than 70% of the building structure is made of pre-cast elements, including precast wall, precast façade, preacast staircase, precast bathroom and kitchen, and semi-precast slab. The emphasis of this digital construction project is to study the utilization of the tower crane, the sequence of lifting precast elements, and the locations for storing precast elements, with an aim 79

92 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis to fully utilize the tower crane and shorten the construction cycle. This project successfully shortens the 6 full day s works to 5 days. The simulation also helps the contractor to produce an improved sequence of installing precast elements. 80

93 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis 6.5 Analysis Integrating the findings from the case and the interviews, an analysis concerning the strengths and limitations of utilizing CATIA and DELMIA is conducted Strengths CATIA and DELMIA has the strengths of the present 2D CAD technology as mentioned in Chapter D Computer Aid Design and overcome some of its limitations which are discussed in the following sections Drawings Referring Yip (2005), by using CATIA, it can offer the building industry a breakthrough 3D digital environment enabling the shift away from 2D drawing, layering-oriented systems originally used to produce paper documents. The object-orientated tools allow users to create model three dimensionally, but not in two dimensions only Site space and facilities management As mentioned, more than 70% of the building structure is made of pre-cast elements, the locations for storing precast elements is one of the emphases of 81

94 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis utilizing CATIA and DELMIA which allows managing the site space visually. The simulation environment provides an intuitive way to plan storage (Kong, 2006) Communication CATIA and DELMIA stimulates communication in various aspects. Holtzman (2002) explained that using CATIA can decrease the amount of discrepancy between different contractors work as everyone is directly referencing a single, complete, 3D model. The 3D model and the simulation process which provide an easy understanding platform allow planners to communicate within their team, with their clients and the contractors, e.g. the function of process simulation in DEMIA allows users to view various stages of a cycle, so the dynamic and interrelationship between activities can be understood by different parties (Kong, 2006). Subsequently, communication became more efficient and effective according to Lee (2006) Scheduling Planners can analysis and summarize the utilization of resources subject to particular activity and time through Provision of Resources Usage Report: Two 82

95 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis types of resources usage report can be generated automatically from the simulation. The first type is report showing usage of a particular resource for which activities and at which time. The second type is report showing what resources are used for a particular activity and at what time. These reports can be in bar chart or table format to improve the flow and optimize the use of resources (Kong, 2006) Information Management One of the functions of CATIA is parameter editing. The case of 6-day cycle simulation is based on productivity rate parameters which can be checked against the real productivity rates measured during construction, and then, be adjusted to refine the simulation. The adjusted productivity rate can be used as a benchmark for projects in the future, so information management for future use is improved Safety CATIA and DELMIA can identify clashes of movable plants, e.g. tower crane and improve the utilization of the plants, so rate of accident may be reduced and this improves safety in construction. 83

96 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Limitations Although CATIA and DELMIA has plenty of advantages, planners do not adopt the technology in a large extent because there are still many limitations to be overcame Design for Manufacture Martyn Day (2003) stated that although Dassault System (CATIA V5 and DELMIA) has perfectly viable systems for structural and mechanical, CATIA does not have any as it is not tailored to the building industry which involves huge amount of complex information. Buildings may contain 10 to 50,000 structural plates and I-beams with corresponding numbers on the curtain wall and ductwork, so CATIA and DELMIA may not have the capability to integrate all that information so it still has modeling limitation License Fee According to Dassault Systems, CATIA products can be ordered in three ways: As an integral part of a standard configuration As an add-on to a configuration 84

97 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis As a license that can be shared by moving between configurations A set of products bundled together to solve a particular design or engineering problem is called a configuration. Most of these configurations include four to twelve products and their price is quite high. After the first configuration is purchased, it is possible to expand the toolset by purchasing a single product. Moreover, the company has to pay for the license subscription fee annually. The license fee of CATIA and DELMIA is comparatively superior to the traditional CAD software, e.g. AutoCAD 2006, Microsoft Project 2003, etc, as shown in the following table. Software AutoCAD Microsoft CATIA V5 & DELMIA 2006 Project 2003 License Fee HK$32,999a HK$6,999a >HK$1,000,000 Remarks : a(asscess though on 20 February 2006) Table 6.2 Cost Comparison of CATIA V5 & DELMIA and AutoCad 2006 Although the price of CATIA software program has been reduced recently, obviously, companies with small investment cannot spend such a large amount of money in software (Ho, 2006). 85

98 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Lacking in skillful labour CATIA and DELMIA is fresh to construction industry. According to Ho (2006), there is a lack of skillful labour who familiarize with the operation of CATIA and DELMIA in construction field (Lee, 2006). Although there are publications teaching CATIA and DELMIA, training programme is far lacking comparing with AutoCAD, Micro Station and Microsoft Project, etc Hardware Requirement Apart from license fee and labour problem, CATIA and DELMIA requires high quality computer hardware to support processing of massive amount of data, e.g. according to website of IBM, an internal or external disk drive (minimum recommended size is 4 GB) is required to store program executables (installation of all CATIA Version 5 Products requires 2.0 GB on Windows, 2.4 GB on AIX, 2.7 GB on HP-UX, 2.5 GB on IRIX, and 2.3 GB on Solaris), program data, usage environment and paging space. These are also a significant cost to implement CATIA and DELMIA. 86

99 Chapter 6 Case Study and Analysis Human-Initiated Characteristic CATIA and DELMIA are obviously very powerful software to help planner design the construction programme, however, they cannot generate the best programme to achieve optimization by itself. Software cannot create the best programme without planner who design, prepare and input the basic data, and then, the software help to generate and simulate the possible programme in order to identify any possible planning errors. CATIA and DELMIA can improve the programme designed by planners, but not create a new one. They must be initiated by professionals. 87

100 CHAPTER VII Conclusions and Recommendations 7.1 Conclusions 7.2 Recommendations 88

101 Chapter 7 Conclusions & Recommendations Chapter 7 CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS 7.1 Conclusions Inefficient site space and facilities management, crashes of activities and poor communication are common problems in construction projects. These problems often lead to inefficient utilization of cost and time. A comprehensive planning is the solution to solve the problems. CATIA and DELMIA provides a platform to create a comprehensive planning. Derived from the functions of CATIA V5 and DELMIA and interviews with professionals, advantages in terms of drawings, site space and facilities management, communication, scheduling and information management are found. However, there are some limitations to restrict the popularity of CATIA and DELMIA in construction industry in Hong Kong because, firstly, it was designed for manufacture, but not tailor made for construction, secondly, its license fee is significantly high, thirdly, there is a lack of trained labour, fourthly, its hardware requirement is higher than other planning software, and finally, it has to be initiated by professionals but not generate a programme automatically. In conclusions, it is undeniable that CATIA and DELMIA can help planners to 89

102 Chapter 7 Conclusions & Recommendations design construction programme, however, they have not widely used in construction industry subject to the limitations mentioned in previous paragraph. 7.2 Recommendations This research investigates the utilization of CATIA and DELMIA by qualitative method because of the limitation in collecting data from companies. However, it is worth to have further study on the issue by using quantitative method, e.g. comparing the cost and time invested in a project with and without using CATIA and DELMIA. It can provide investors with more convincing reasons to adopt this new tool in their developments. 90

103 Reference and Bibliographies References and Bibliographies 1. Antill, J.W., and R.W. Woodhead. (1990).Critical path methods in construction practice. 4 th ed. New York: Wiley, 2. Brandon, P. S., (1999) Product Process Development in 2000 Beyond, Berkeley-Stanford CE&M Workshop, Standford Beckert, Beverly A. (2000) CAD software gets "smarter", Computer - Aided Engineering Vol 19, Iss 1, Jan Bocking C E, Rennie A E W and Jacobson D M (2003).Rapid and Virtual Prototyping and Applications, Professional Engineering Publishing Limited. 5. Callaham, M.T., D.G. Quackenbush, and J.E. Rowings Construction project scheduling. New York: McGraw Hill. 6. Cellier, François E., Continuous System Modeling, Springer-Verlag, New 91

104 Reference and Bibliographies York, New York, Chau K, W,,Anson M, Zhang J.P. (2005). 4D dynamic construction management and visualization software : 1.Development. Automation in Construction 14(2005) Chau C. K., S.H. and R.K. L. Gay (1999). Rapid Prototyping Verus Virtual Prototyping in Product Design and Manufacturing. Int J Adv Manuf Technol (1999) 15: Springer-Verlag London Limited. 9. Chau K. W., M. Anson, J.P. Zhang (2004) 4D dynamic construction management and visualization software : 1. Development. Automation in Construction 14 (2005) Construct IT (2000), Construction Modelling Methodologies for Intelligent Information Integration (COMMIT), Construct IT Centre of Excellence, UK, ISBN Craig Donald C.(1996), Extensible Hierarchical Object-Oriented Logic 92

105 Reference and Bibliographies Simulation with an Adaptable Graphical User Interface. St. John's Newfoundland 12. Halpin, D., and Woodhead, T. (1998). Construction management, 2 nd Ed., Wiley, New York 13. Howard R., 1998, Computing in construction pioneers and the future. Butterworth Heinemann. 14. Issa, R.,(1999) Virtual Reality: A solution to Seamless Technology Integration in the AEC Industry, Berkeley-Stanford CE&M Workshop, Stanford Karam Fred and Kleismit (2004), Using CATIA V5, Thomson Learning. 16. Li Heng, Ma Zhiliang, Shen Qiping and Kong Stephen (2003), Virtual experiment of innovative construction operations, Automation in Construction 12 (2003)

106 Reference and Bibliographies 17. Ma Z., Shen Q. & Zhang J. (2004) Application of 4D for dynamic site layout and management of construction projects. Automation in Construction 14 (2005) Malkawi Ali M. and Godfried Augenbroe (2003). Advanced Building Simulation, Spon Press. 19. Mubarak, Saleh A Construction project scheduling and control. Pearson Education limited. 20. Popescu, C.M., and C. Charoenngam Project Planning, scheduling and control in construction : An encyclopedia of terms and application. New York: Wiley. 21. Pratt M. J.(1994), Virtual prototypes and product models in mechanical engineering, Proceedings, IFIP WE 5.10 on Virtual Environment and their Applications and Virtual Prototyping, pp , Project Management Institute A guide to the project management body of knowledge : PMBOK guide. Newtown Square, PA : Project 94

107 Reference and Bibliographies Management Institute. 23. Ripley, Brian D., Stochastic Simulation, John Wiley & Sons, New York, New York, Sarshar,M., Betts, M., Abbott, C., Aouad, G., (2000) A Vison for Construction IT , RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) Research Series, Dec Sarshar,M., Tanyer, A., Underwood, J.,(2002) A Vision for Construction IT , RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) Research Series, Dec Sawhney, A., (1999) Research and Development Plan for the AEC Industry, Berkeley-Stanford CE&M Workshop, Stanford Schrage, Michael (2000). Nice building, but the real innovation is in the process, Fortune Vol 142, Iss 2, Jul 10,

108 Reference and Bibliographies 28. Shi, J. J. (1999) Computer Simulation in AEC and its Future Development, Berkeley-Stanford CE&M Workshop, Stanford Stribling, David (2003), Building Simulation Virtual prototyping for construction projects, Ingenia Issue 17 October/November (2003) Sun Ming and Rob Howard (2004), Understanding I.T. in Construction. Spon Press 31. Tang S.L., S.W. Poon, Syed M. Ahmed and Francis K.W. Wong Modern Construction Project Management, second edition, Hong Kong University Press. 32. Thabet, W., (1999). Design-Construction Integration Through Virtual Construction for Improved Constructability, Berkeley-Stanford CE&M Workshop, Stanford Waly A. F. and Thabet W. Y. (2003), A Virtual Construction Environment for preconstruction planning. Automation in Construction 12(2002) 96

109 Reference and Bibliographies Waugh, L. M., and Froese, T. M. (1990). Constraint knowledge for construction scheduling. IEE Conf. Publ., Institute of Electrical Engineers, London, WISE consortium (2002) State of the Art Survey: Managing Engineer knowledge. The WISE consortium. 36. Zeigler, Bernard P., Multifacetted Modelling and Discrete Event Simulation London, Academic Press,

110 Appendix LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix I - Sample of Accompanying Letter Appendix II - Sample of Interview Question Appendix III - Method and Sequence of Construction at Typical Floor Appendix IV - 6-day Cycle Programme for Typical Floors A Study of Virtual Prototyping in Construction Industry : A case study of Kwan Chun Public 98

111 Appendix Appendix I: Sample of Accompanying Letter February 2006 Dear Sir, Invitation of Participating in a Research Interview I am hereby writing to invite you being the interviewee of a research. I am Li Ka Ming, a student of BSc (Hons) of the Building Surveying of the Department of Building and Real Estate in The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. I am currently carrying out a research project on The application of Virtual Prototyping in the Construction Industry : a case study of Kwan Chung Redevelopment Project. The main objectives of this project are to evaluate the effectiveness of construction simulation process, improve the traditional construction planning and make recommendations on the further development of virtual prototyping. I strongly believe that your experience and opinion is highly valuable to the academics and practitioners. The information you provide will be kept in strict confidentiality and used for academic purposes. Only generalized summaries and conclusion will be presented even in research reports. Time and place of interview can be arranged at your convenience. If you have further enquires, please contact me via mobile (no ) at your convenience. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your assistance. Yours sincerely, Li Ka Ming For Correspondence Li Ka Ming Year 3 of Building Surveying Department of Building Real Estate The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Tel : d@polyu.edu.hk Encl: Interview Question Endorsed by : Dr. Heng Li Professor Department of Building and Real Estate The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Tel : A Study of Virtual Prototyping in Construction Industry : A case study of Kwan Chun Public 99

112 Appendix Appendix II: Sample of Interview Questions Interview Questions Aims 1. What are your expectations on the technology of virtual prototyping in projects? Were the results complied with your expectations? 2. Why do you/your company invest in the technology of virtual prototyping? 3. Do you think that virtual prototyping is effective in improving the planning and construction of a project in term of time, cost and quality? 4. What are the considerations/criteria of using virtual prototyping? To collect the practitioners view on the expectations of virtual prototyping To collect the practitioners view on the investment of innovation technology To evaluate the effectiveness of virtual prototyping to improve the planning and construction of a project To identify the relative importance of various factors using virtual prototyping. 5. What do you think about the ease of use, practicability and cost of using virtual prototyping in construction industry? 6. Do you think virtual prototyping acts as a Design tool successfully? 7. What do you think about using virtual prototyping in project planning? 8. What do you think the future of virtual prototyping in CRE field? 9. Are there any improvements on the tool of virtual prototyping (CATIA V5 & DELMIA)? To evaluate the attractiveness of using virtual prototyping in project planning To evaluate whether virtual prototyping helps designers to choose the best alternative designs To collect the practitioners view on using virtual prototyping in the construction industry. To collect the practitioners view on the development of virtual prototyping in the construction industry. To collect professionals suggestion to the improvement of virtual prototyping ~~ Thank you ~~ A Study of Virtual Prototyping in Construction Industry : A case study of Kwan Chun Public 100

113 Appendix Appendix III: Method and Sequence of Construction at Typical Floor A Study of Virtual Prototyping in Construction Industry : A case study of Kwan Chun Public 101

114 Appendix Appendix IV: 6-day Cycle Programme for Typical Floors A Study of Virtual Prototyping in Construction Industry : A case study of Kwan Chun Public 102

115