Computing in Civil Engineering Computing in Civil Engineering

Dr. Benny Raphael Dr. Benny Raphael

Assoc. Professor, Civil Engg., IIT Madras
Outline
Link between computing and civil engineering
Outline
Examples of applications of computing in civil
engineering engineering
Business process automation
Computer aided design p g
Monitoring of construction projects
Knowledge management
Implementing automated building systems Implementing automated building systems
h d l h There is increased realization that
Information Technology (IT) can improve
productivity and increase quality in projects productivity and increase quality in projects
Enterprises can no longer survive without the
d d d b competitive edge provided by IT
3
A survey conducted in 2000 shows the
percentage of construction companies that percentage of construction companies that
use various IT tools
Source: Rivard,
Electronic
4
journal of IT in
Construction,
5, 2000, pp.
37-56.
Source: Rivard,
Electronic
5
ect o c
journal of IT in
Construction,
5, 2000, pp.
37-56.
Source: Rivard,
Electronic
6
ect o c
journal of IT in
Construction,
5, 2000, pp.
37-56.
What exactly is Information
Technology?
Business process automation
Computer aided design
Monitoring of construction projects
Knowledge management
I l ti t t d b ildi t Implementing automated building systems
Develop specifications for software
development development
8
1. Improving efficiency in
construction projects
According to a NIST report (2004): USD 15.8 billion waste in the US
d d l k f b l h b construction industry due to lack of interoperability. This can be
extrapolated to over 60 billion globally.
Inefficiencies result from use of paper-based information management
due to manual re-entry of data, repetition of tasks, delay in retrieving
relevant information, etc.
Efficiency improvements can be achieved y p
only through integrated solutions
At an
i ti l
IT resources should
be optimized across
organizational
level
be optimized across
all the stages of the
value chain
At the
IT solutions should
enable easy sharing of
At the
industry level
y g
data and avoid
unnecessary
repetition of work
Islands of automation are no longer acceptable! g p
Eliminating islands of automation
Representation
Syntax
Standardization of
Semantics
Communication
protocols
d d l ( ) Industry Foundation Classes (IFC):
Standardization at the semantic level
The data schema covering the many disciplines that
contribute to a building throughout its lifecycle:
from conception, through design, construction and p g g
operation to refurbishment or demolition.
IFC can be used to exchange and share BIM data
between applications developed by different between applications developed by different
software vendors
http://buildingsmart.com/standards/ifc/model-industry-foundation-classes-ifc
Building Information Modeling (BIM)
Conceptual design (massing models)
u d g o at o ode g ( )
p g ( g )
Schematic design (architectural) Schematic design (architectural)
Detailed design (structural, M&E, etc)
Construction
Facilities management
BIM in Facilities Management BIM in Facilities Management
I i th t f iliti h d l f Imagine that a facilities manager has a model of
her building on her computer and she can click on
a chiller to get all the information about it; when it a chiller to get all the information about it; when it
was installed, the make, the warranty period,
where it can be serviced, etc. She can search the
model to locate where all the projectors of a
particular type are installed. She can compute the
fl f i l Th floor area of any room or zone instantly. These are
potential benefits of BIM for FM.
15
Use of BIM
Simulations
Lighting, Energy, Ventilation
Design coordination
Collision detection, Space validation, Technical feasibility
d Quantity and cost estimation
Construction Planning Construction Planning
Scheduling, 4D Visualization
Information for operation and maintenance
Inefficiency in the construction industry is y y
now internationally recognized!
Many countries are taking measures to rectify the
problem
Launched CORENET in 1995 to achieve
problem.
quantum improvements in turnaround
time, quality and productivity.
In 2011, published BIM Roadmap. By
Singapore
2013, mandatory architecture BIM e-
submission for all new building
projects. By 2014, mandatory
Singapore
engineering e-submissions.
http://www.bca.gov.sg
2. Computer aided design g
Manual draughting tools are no longer
seen in architectural design offices!
Hand calculation methods have been
replaced by computer programs
Phone and fax have given way to the
internet facilitating collaborative design
Multi-criteria decision making Multi criteria decision making
With more information available electronically, more
scientific ways of decision making could be adopted.
Designs could be optimized according to multiple Designs could be optimized according to multiple
criteria and good compromises could be adopted.
R h l B M l i i i d i i ki f ll b i d i Raphael B., Multi-criteria decision making for collaborative design
optimization of buildings, Built Environment Project and Asset
Management, (Emerald publishers), Vol 1, Issue 2, Nov, 2011.
3. Monitoring construction 3. Monitoring construction
A big trend is the use of laser scanning
(along with BIM). 3D scanners can
collect many data points at a jobsite
with accurate coordinate information.
The group of points can be used to g p p
create a point cloud model. The point
cloud can be pulled into the 3D model
to compare site conditions with the to compare site conditions with the
design. It can also be used for
estimation and for accurate as-built
models after completion.
Tracking technologies Tracking technologies
RFID tags help to track elements in a just-in-time supply
chain, from casting to shipping, delivery and placement. , g pp g, y p
Impacts on waste reduction and sustainability are enormous.
RFID tags work better than bar codes, because the chips are
more damage-resistant and can be read in bright sunlight.
4. Can we learn from past experiences?
C b d h f f l
p p
Case based reasoning is a technique from Artificial
Intelligence, which aims to make use of past
experiences for solving new problems experiences for solving new problems.
A case base of projects containing data as well as
knowledge benefits every one. Each case might
contain data related to cost quantities design contain data related to cost, quantities, design,
performance, lessons learnt, unusual experiences,
etc. etc.
5. Automated Building Systems 5. Automated Building Systems
Energy can be saved through automation and
control
Sunlight
Ceiling of high
reflectivity
External
Lightshelf
Internal
Lightshelf
...
Glass window
Room interior
6. Development of engineering software
Ind str needs people ho kno abo t ci il engineering
p g g
Industry needs people who know about civil engineering
as well as computing in order to develop specialist
software tools for engineers and managers. These people
develop algorithms, write specifications for software,
develop user interfaces, test software, etc.
...
Conclusions Conclusions
Quite significant developments
have taken place during the
last few years in the area of last few years in the area of
construction IT. Progress in
the areas of electronic
information representation information representation
and data exchange has
opened the doors to numerous
t iti f th opportunities for the
construction industry