A. Thorpe

Collaborative design of structures using intelligent agents

The construction industry has a long tradition of collaborative working between the members of a construction project team. At the design stage, this has traditionally been based on physical meetings between representatives of the principal design disciplines. To aid these meetings, the information and communications technologies that are currently available have been utilised. These have yielded some success but are hampered by the problems posed by the use of heterogeneous software tools and the lack of effective collaboration tools that are necessary to collapse the time and distance constraints, within which increasingly global design teams work. In particular, there are very few tools available to support distributed asynchronous collaboration. Distributed artificial intelligence, which is commonly implemented in the form of intelligent agents, offers considerable potential for the development of such tools. This paper examines some of the issues associated with the use of distributed artificial intelligence systems within the construction industry. It describes the potential for the use of agent technology in collaborative design and then goes on to present the key features of an agent-based system for the collaborative design of portal frame structures. An example is presented to demonstrate the working and benefits of the prototype system, which makes a significant contribution by allowing for peer to peer negotiation between the design agents.

From CAD to virtual reality: modelling approaches data exchange and interactive 3D building design tools.

Virtual reality has the potential to improve visualisation of building design and construction, but its implementation in the industry has yet to reach maturity. Present day translation of building data to virtual reality is often unidirectional and unsatisfactory. Three different approaches to the creation of models are identified and described in this paper. Consideration is given to the potential of both advances in computer-aided design and the emerging standards for data exchange to facilitate an integrated use of virtual reality. Commonalities and differences between computer-aided design and virtual reality packages are reviewed, and trials of current system, are described. The trials have been conducted to explore the technical issues related to the integrated use of CAD and virtual environments within the house building sector of the construction industry and to investigate the practical use of the new technology.

Modelling information flow during the conceptual and schematic stages of building design

This paper reports on recent research the aim of which was to study, model and simulate the information flow at the conceptual and schematic stages of building design. The development of a generic model of the conceptual and schematic design process for buildings is described. This model comprising design tasks and their information requirements was produced using data flow diagrams. Examples from several levels of the model are provided. Details are then given as to how the model may be used to assist the management of the design process both directly and by providing primary data for other tools and techniques. Industry feedback on the data modelling and these tools and techniques is then discussed. It is concluded that it is only by a better understanding of the flow of information among project participants that the management of design may be improved, and that although the generic data flow model provides immediate benefits to design managers these can be enhanced greatly by the use of the model as a primary data source for other tools and techniques including the design structure matrix and simulation.

Negotiation within a multi-agent system for the collaborative design of light industrial buildings

This paper is a review of intelligent agents with respect to their use within the Agent-Based Support for The Collaborative Design of Light Industrial Buildings (ADLIB) project. In the ADLIB project, the core objective is to develop a multi-agent system (MAS) framework for the representation of activities and processes involved in collaborative design of light industrial buildings. This includes the planning and fabrication of steel structural components. ADLIB intelligent agents are concerned with modelling action and knowledge in a collaborative environment. The design process that ADLIBs agents are trying to automate is the interaction and negotiation between specialist design team members. Each team member with a different area of expertise will be primarily concerned with his own area of interest. This paper starts with an introduction to intelligent agents. It then moves on to a discussion of agent classification systems and negotiation theories and their applications in MAS. The last section analyses the needs of agents within the ADLIB project. A negotiation protocol and strategy are then presented.

A survey of indirect cost estimating in practice

This paper presents the findings of an investigation into the current practices of estimating the indirect costs involved in tendering for construction work. It shows the results of a survey of current practices and attitudes in seven firms towards the quantification and allocation of general overheads, risk contingencies and profit in a tender. The survey indicates that the methods used are highly subjective and are based on past experience. Quantitative methods involving statistics and probability, even though advocated, are rarely used. This suggests that future methods adopted in a computerized estimating environment should reflect the subjective nature of the process and should be simple enough to be applied.

The use of electronic information exchange on construction alliance projects

Abstract Several methods of electronic data transfer are available to construction organisations and their clients. These technologies are collectively called Information Exchange (IE). This paper reviews partnering, alliances and Information Exchange. A case study involving a major industrial project constructed under an alliance agreement was used to highlight the important issues relating to these areas of study. This study also provided the focus for a survey of 67 major construction organisations. The findings of this survey confirmed that construction alliance and IE have reciprocating benefits which together produce a significant impact on the project.

A review of financial ratio tools for predicting contractor insolvency

There is a variety of financial ratio analytical methodologies for evaluation of construction companies corporate performance and identifying potential insolvent contractors. These methodologies comprise traditional approaches, subjective index and ratio models. The shortcomings of the financial ratio analytical methods are highlighted and some approachesto improving their efficiency presented. It has been suggested that standardizing the assessment criteria of subjective index methods for the construction industry can reduce the variation in different expert evaluations and so lead to a more uniform assessment. Secondly, the transformation approach has been recommended as a means of improving the efficiency of ratio models.

Information procurement practices of key actors in construction supply chains

Abstract This paper presents a survey on the practices associated with the acquisition, use, storage and transfer of information by a sample of professionals (actors) within the construction supply chain. The role of information in construction supply chains witnessed a shift from its passive function in decision-making from the 1990s, to a strategic resource that drives both the processes and competitiveness of companies. This change presents challenges for organisations that participate in the construction supply chain. The way organisations involved in the construction supply chain manage this resource will have direct impact on their competitiveness. This is influenced by the information acquisition, processing, utilisation and transfer practices of their professional staff (actors) involved in the processes of the construction supply chain. The paper presents results from a survey that looks at some aspects of how key actors in the construction supply chain address these information-related issues.

Planning building design by simulating information flow

Successful project management requires the effective control of the design teams and the exchange of information between them for successful design management. This paper describes a methodology involving discrete event simulation that can help the planning and control of building design. Discipline-based information flow models of the building design process are used to define the activities of the simulation model, concentrating on the concept and schematic design stages. Factors such as task durations and resources are then allocated along with any specific constraints that are to be evaluated. The model predicts the outcomes of the specific scenario of information related events, including design schedules and resource histograms. The paper describes the development and validation of the simulation model and discusses its potential application during the planning and design phases of building projects. It is concluded that this approach could form the basis of a useful tool for design managers responsible for multidisciplinary building design work.

Making the Case for Mobile IT in Construction

The construction industry is typically characterised as being slow to change and to adopt new information technologies. Mobile technologies have been no exception; the primary reasons given for this hesitancy are the perceived lack of return on investment and an absence of industry -specific examples of successful adoption. A series of eleven case studies have been undertaken to facilitate the removal of these barriers. The case studies, detailed in this paper, were selected to demonstrate the use of mobile technologies by point-of-activity workers in construction, their influence on process efficiency, improved opportunities for data collection, and that rapid return on investment is usually achievable. The analysis identifies generic benefits of the applications and the lessons learnt provide clear guidance that should help ensure mobile technologies are appropriately deployed in construction. This paper concludes that the successful implementation of mobile technology typically produces a return on investment within one year of adoption, regardless of the initial set -up costs, and that the adoption of mobile technologies can make a significant contribution to the ongoing drive for process improvement. As such, they are a valuable tool to reduce some of the unnecessary costs currently inherent in construction projects .