Constructability

Research on blockchain technology implementation within civil engineering is quickly emerging. The use of blockchain for the integration of the material and economic flows within construction supply chain – thus creating a new digital business model for the related actors – to enhance a construction project’s production, logistics management, and constructability, has been only scarcely investigated. In this paper, this shortage is documented through a comprehensive literature review. Then, the potential of Swedish independent third-party logistics consultants as a fertile ground for such a digital business model, is examined. Finally, conclusions about the pursuance of this potential paradigm shift are drawn.

Although their potential for high environmental performance is largely accepted, adaptive façades have not yet become widespread in practice. Most of the current examples are developed by engineer-to-order design processes, as project-oriented, custom, and complex solutions. More simple and reliable solutions are needed to support the reuse of technical solutions between projects and increase the feasibility of adaptive façades. Therefore, this research aims to develop a procedure to design adaptive façades whose parts are based on engineered standard products with the least number of parts and layers. The research is initiated through the generation of concepts for designing adaptive façades to be manufactured using standard products. From several concepts, 'redesigning dynamic adaptive façades' has been selected for further investigation, as it pursues the goals for a solution determined for this research. A preliminary case study is conducted to redesign an adaptive façade to be manufactured with standard products. Its process steps are captured and analysed, and the steps that need improvement are revealed. To systematise and improve the captured redesign process, façade design and product design methodologies are analysed in the context of adaptive façade design. Redesign and reverse engineering processes used in product design are adapted and merged with façade and adaptive façade design processes, and a 5-phase adaptive façade redesign procedure is outlined. Each phase is developed based on mature tools and methods used in product and façade design. An iterative loop of development, application test, and review process is carried out for development of the process steps. Thus, a redesign procedure is generated by the combined application of DFMA and TRIZ in the synthesis of reverse engineering and redesign processes. Consequently, the application of the redesign procedure is demonstrated through a case study. The case study revealed that the procedure has the ability to generate a façade redesign that has a higher constructability index than the reference façade.

Within the Nigerian and Sub-Saharan African construction industries generally there has
been a lack of research profiling the constructability practices of contractors and possible
barriers to the use of appropriate methods. The aim of this study was to assess
constructability practices of contractors in construction projects in this context. The
objectives were to identify current constructability practices, and to examine the barriers
typically affecting constructability practices. Convenience sampling was used to select 19
contractors in Lagos state, Nigeria, who were interviewed using a structured interview
protocol. The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics. Results indicated
that constructability practices common to contractors include checking M & E drawings
for clashes and errors; site-layout planning; and preparation of schedule/construction
programmes. In-situ constructions, crane/lifting equipment, formwork technologies and
external scaffolding systems were used during site operations. Barriers affecting
constructability practices stem from contractors’ internal conditions, external factors, and
project-related factors including design, lack of knowledge in construction methods, and
project size and complexity. The findings have important implications for policy and
practice. We recommend public laws making it mandatory for projects to implement
constructability reviews and analyses. We also recommend that practice-experienced
constructors be employed on projects, and that professional bodies train and educate
members on constructability principles and practice for the better management of projects.

Coordinate mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEPF) projects is a great challenge. The inability in identify conflicts in 2D-drawings create delays in the construction process and the increase of the administration burden due the identification of conflicts on field when the budget it's already approved; produces rework to correct problems unidentified in the project phase and influence the productivity of all the involved on the process. Building Information Modelling can help the AEC industry to find possible problems before the beginning of the construction work. Nevertheless, BIM benefits related to project compatibility are associated with level of detail - currently named level of development - of the resulting model of the virtual construction phase (VDC). The paper is focused in evaluate requests for information (RFI) associated with water/sanitary facilities of a BIM model with the level of development 400 (LOD 400). Thus it is expected to add on the improvement of water/sanitary facilities projects, as well as assist the virtual construction team on notice and identify project problems. It is used a qualitative methodology. It was started with the question "How VDC can contribute to the improvement of MEPF projects?” Through coordination model analysis it was identified 167 RFI related to building facilities (or MEPF - mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection). From this total, 51 were associated specifically with the plumbing systems project. It's part of plumbing systems hydraulic, sanitary, ventilation and drainage plumbing. The results demonstrate the VDC's contribution for the improvement of plumbing system projects. Even though each project has its unique characteristics, is noticed that the results valid for it can be used as a guide to the adoption of a proactive posture towards conflict identification.

The construction industry suffers from the lack of adoption of advanced technologies. As a consequence, construction is among the least productive industries across various sectors. The researchers often point out that the critical issue is the lack of integration throughout the building project life cycle. Lack of information integration causes reworks unexpected changes, lower construction quality, delays, and on-site conflicts, which could be addressed in advance by a proper constructability study executed already in the design phase. Constructability is a technique that examines the logic of construction from the beginning to the end, seeking technical solutions that reduce project cost, time, and waste. The central part of the thesis provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of non-technical and technical constructability issues. Special attention is given to Lean and BIM approaches, which may serve as driving mechanisms that substantially improve constructability. The presented work tries to identify the value and integration of mechanisms for the improvement of constructability issues. Among the technical issues, the rationalization of the design plays an essential role in improving the execution and reducing project costs and delays.
The final part of the thesis focuses on the rationalization of design addressing constructability issues by employing Generative Design. This approach is demonstrated in a case study of a complex building –Stožice Arena. The Arena case study shows the design rationalization techniques using generative design and machine learning, enabling informed shaping and clustering of the building envelope. The presented solution contributes to the evolving field of future architectural-structural design methods.

• Constructability: the optimum use of construction knowledge and experience in planning, design, procurement and field operations to achieve overall project objectives
• Sustainability: the concept of promoting the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to achieve their own needs
• Risk analysis: the collective mathematical methodology to assess risk which allows a systematic process of making decisions to accept a known or assumed risk and/or the implementation of actions to reduce the harmful consequences or probability of occurrence of the risk

The use of a relationship based procurement method is promoted by many authors in the past few years. The construction industry is encouraged to adopt a relational contract in an effort to overcome its perceived problems prevail in the industry. Despite a number of benefits proposed for the adoption of a relationship based delivery method, the decision to select such a method should be made wisely, and clients should have adequate understanding about the strength and weakness of the method they intend to employ. There are several examples that incorrect selection of a procurement method resulted into value not delivered during the project and the outcomes were below of what it would have achieved by using a traditional type of delivery system. For this reason, this paper focuses on ECI procurement system as one of the relationship based procurement methods. This paper aims at identifying and analysing the particular characteristics of ECI that attract clients to opt for using this method and analysing these drivers in more details.

Resumen: La adopción del Modelado de Información de Edificios (BIM) ha sido lenta en Costa Rica. Para acelerar el proceso de adopción tecnológica se necesitan casos de estudio que ejemplifiquen la aplicabilidad del BIM en el contexto de la construcción en Costa Rica (materiales, métodos constructivos, modelos de contratación, etc.).  Este trabajo se propuso evaluar la aplicación del BIM como herramienta de trabajo en el mejoramiento de la constructibilidad y el planeamiento de un proyecto de construcción en Costa Rica. En el análisis de constructibilidad se elaboró un plan de utilización de sitio que hizo énfasis en aspectos de seguridad laboral y movilidad de materiales, maquinaria y personal. Se analizaron tres sistemas de apoyo de viguetas pretensadas para reducir la interferencia con acero de refuerzo de los elementos que las reciben y facilitar su instalación. Se estudió la interacción entre un modelo de tuberías y uno de obra gris para determinar la ubicación exacta de las mismas, facilitando así la prefabricación de los elementos de concreto reforzado que las reciben. Además se estudió la modulación de un muro de mampostería para determinar las dimensiones de los elementos de borde que minimicen el desperdicio de materiales y favorezcan la secuencia de instalación. Para ilustrar la aplicación del BIM en la programación de obra se describió en detalle el procedimiento para elaborar una simulación de la construcción. Mediante la simulación se detectó la omisión del sistema de entrepiso en la programación de las actividades correspondientes a uno de los entregables de la estructura de división de trabajo original. Se utilizó el modelo creado en la primera fase para aumentar en nivel de detalle del cronograma para las escaleras principales de la edificación. Se logró identificar una incompatibilidad en la secuencia de actividades para la construcción de las paredes de mampostería del primer nivel en dos zonas del edificio. Finalmente se elaboró una simulación detallada que refleja los cambios implementados y se presentó un cuadro comparativo entre la programación original y la que fue generada a partir del BIM.

Abstract: Building Information Modeling (BIM) adoption in Costa Rica has been slow process. Case studies that exemplify the applications of BIM in the context of the Costa Rican construction industry (construction methods, materials, contracts types, etc.) are needed in order to accelerate technology adoption. This project aims to evaluate the application of BIM as a tool in the improvement both constructability and the planning of a construction project in Costa Rica by using a three story university building as a case study. In the improvement of constructability, a Site Utilization Plan (SUP) was developed making emphasis in security aspects as well as the mobility of materials, machinery and workers. Three slab support systems were analyzed using BIM in order reduce interferences between prefabricated joists and the reinforcement in the concrete elements that support them and to increase the ease of installation. A coordination model was used to study the interaction between piping systems and reinforced concreted elements to enable better planning and prefabrication. The model was also used to determine appropriate dimensions for border elements of masonry wall systems in order to reduce waste of materials and improved installation sequencing. To illustrate the uses of BIM in construction planning, the process of developing a 4D BIM was documented in detail. The 3D Model was used to increase the level of detail of the WBS in order to better understand the interaction of subcomponents in the stairs of the building and reduce the risk of affecting the critical path of the project. The analysis of the 4D model allowed for the detection of omissions in the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) used by the general contractor in the completion of the building and also to detect sequencing incompatibilities between the masonry walls systems and their respective foundations. As a final point, a detailed construction simulation was rendered and presented to illustrate the changes made to the original project schedule and these changes were also presented in tabular format.

The technological advances in the last century, exponentially augmenting in the speed of occurrence, quality and quantity of collaborations, increasingly force the construction industry to a paradigm shift. Adaptability to ruptures becomes indispensable. Seeking efficiency in constructiveness includes a large gain for construction companies, project offices, stakeholders and everyone involved,
with advantages in productivity, costs and deadlines, obtained through the project analysis and its compatibility made prior to the subsequent execution. Intervention variables and characteristics were analyzed and delimited in the management of civil constructions, based on current methods and experiences, and their results, in Constructability and Building Information Modeling (BIM), through international literature. Based on best code of practices, the scenario resolution was developed, and a multidisciplinary and deterministic assessment was proposed, with precepts of constructability and information management of
building construction. Buildability scores aim at time and cost savings, but also improve jobsite safety conditions, reduce rework, help overcome adverse conditions, reduce labor requirements, reduce overhead, increase productivity, improve quality construction, and optimize the schedule with faster and more assertive work fronts. Through research and analysis of BIM delivery projects of
buildings constructed in Brazil, an automated validation process of
constructability assessments, with BIM tools, was proposed and performed.

Constructability can be defined as the optimum use of construction knowledge and experience in planning, design, procurement, and field operations to achieve overall project objectives. Constructability, the integration of construction expertise into all phases of a project, can benefit cost, schedule, quality, and other key objectives. Most organizations participating in the construction industry informally integrate construction knowledge and experience in their planning and design activities. In developing countries, many owners that do not apply formal constructability programs on projects are unaware of the potential savings that are being lost by unnecessary rework, reduced quality, lower construction productivity, and increased schedule durations. Our research focus is to investigate the challenges and opportunities of best practices for constructability implementation in a developing country, the case of North Cyprus Construction Industry. We aim to 1) determine current constructability implementation practices and identify elements that contribute to successful implementation, 2) assess the existence and severity of barriers to constructability implementation and 3) propose methods for overcoming common barriers to constructability in the construction industry of a developing country and develop a framework of best practices for constructability implementation in North Cyprus construction industry. Our research includes review of background literature, interviews with managers on building projects, analysis of this information to develop findings, and extending these to develop a framework of best practices for improving constructability implementation in a developing country, North Cyprus. By carrying out an effective constructability review process in a framework of best practices, the owners and contractors will be able to optimize construction costs, time, quality and safety whilst ensuring minimum interference to existing site operations. This will assist with maintaining consistently high construction performances in North Cyprus construction industry.

Research on blockchain technology implementation within civil engineering is quickly emerging. The use of blockchain for the integration of the material and economic flows within construction supply chain – thus creating a new digital business model for the related actors – to enhance a construction project’s production, logistics management, and constructability, has been only scarcely investigated. In this paper, this shortage is documented through a comprehensive literature review. Then, the potential of Swedish independent third-party logistics consultants as a fertile ground for such a digital business model, is examined. Finally, conclusions about the pursuance of this potential paradigm shift are drawn.

Opportunities offered by the explosion of Information Technology (IT) tools are not being adequately used to solve productivity, schedule, cost and quality problems faced by the design and construction of industrial projects.
The Computer Advanced Visualization Tools (CAVT) concept defined as “the collection of all the necessary tools, which allow for the visual representation of the ends and the means of AEC/EPC needed to accomplish an AEC/EPC design and construction project” was developed and its impact in the design process of industrial projects was described as an answer to the stated problem.
The research was carried out using the observation-participation method in which the industry became a laboratory that offered the opportunity to have access to events and groups that are not commonly accessible to scientific research.
The design process was studied considering the state of the art about production principles applied to the construction industry through the Lean Construction approach. This allowed the ability to model, analyze, understand and describe the design process, providing and adequate framework to study the impact of CAVT which is presented mainly considering activities that add value to the design process.
The research led to discover change patterns and trends in the design process of industrial projects that can lead to obtain benefits in terms of cost and schedule reduction, and productivity, quality and safety increase in construction industry projects.

Traditional construction scheduling approaches have proved not to have the capacity to produce and make it easily and timely available the information needed for a latter effective and efficient construction control and execution reflected in a high Percentage of Planned Activities Completed. nD poses barriers and opportunities associated to big transformations which for example could lead to relegate traditional construction scheduling approaches like the CPM in which the critical path has become a bottleneck, a constraint of a project. The big change of working with a nD construction schedule can lead to lose less time on the critical path itself but exploiting this constraint and subordinating everything else to it. Most problems that impact the critical path do not occur on the critical path itself, then subordination is not a nicety, it is a must (Goldratt, 1997). Another big change is that using nD Modeling it is possible to alter the order in which the different level of detail schedules are developed for a construction project. Using nD and CAVT it is possible to develop first the more detailed schedule and then obtaining the master schedule grouping activities in this more detailed schedule. The master schedule can then be adjusted to project requirements and the detailed schedule reviewed in an iteratively process. This opposes to the way scheduling is carried out today in which the detailed schedule follows the master schedule development effort and rarely one goes back to review the master schedule deeply, but makes the maximum effort to adjust the detailed schedule to the master schedule. And finally a very important change is that Visualization, Planning, Analysis and Communication capabilities embedded in a new nD construction scheduling development process can improve the traditional scheduling process to the extent that this schedule could finally be used as a real production control mechanism that could lead to tackle problems proactively and re-schedule the project as necessary.

Resumo. Avanços no Design Computacional associados ao conceito de modularidade e parametrização, racionalização da construção e Machine Learning, trouxeram possibilidades advindas do desenvolvimento da Inteligência Artrificial. Com o Generative Design não há uma solução única, mas sim, várias ótimas soluções. Um conjunto de inputs, parâmetros constritivos com os objetivos de projeto, podem ser treinados para gerar um conjunto de outputs de difícil obtenção utilizando-se outros recursos consagrados. Ao profissional basta escolher, dentre as soluções, o design que melhor se adapte às necessidades e objetivos do projeto. Ideais contemporâneos de entregar mais, de modo mais personalizado, com maior desempenho, e com cada vez menos impacto podem ser obtidos de modo facilitado com o auxílio da Inteligência Artificial, suas ferramentas e algoritmos. Entretanto, trazem consigo a necessidade de reconsiderar o processo iterativo de projeto, que busca resultar em um único bom artefato final. A popularização do acesso à informação, acelerou a mudança nos processos aplicados na construção civil e necessidade de novas ferramentas, mas também apresentou o contraponto do paradoxo da escolha. O artigo buscou analisar e trazer paralelos de outros campos de estudo acadêmico, investigando a contribuição do Generative Design no setor de Arquitetura, Engenharia e Construção Civil (AEC), onde o desafio não é apenas tecnológico. Palavras-chave: Generative Design, Projetos paramétricos, Concepção de projetos, AEC, Design Computacional. Abstract. Associated with modularity and parameterization, construction rationalization and Machine Learning concepts, advances in Computational Design brought several possibilities from Artificial Intelligence development. With Generative Design there is no single solution, but multiple great solutions. A set of inputs, constrictive parameters with the design objectives, can be trained to generate a set of outputs that are difficult to obtain using other established resources. For the professional it is enough to choose, among the solutions, the design that best adapts to the needs and objectives of the

Increased competitiveness in the construction industry requires the improvement of a construction company’s capabilities to combine quality with economic and schedule aspects. Many studies and procedures in quality improvement focus on project quality improvement techniques and efficiency such as total quality management, value engineering, designability, contractability, constructability, operability, maintainability and other quality improvement techniques. This research focuses on constructability, which is the optimum use of construction knowledge and experience in planning, engineering, procurement and field operation to achieve overall project objectives. A case study was performed at an Indonesian refinery project, which applied the design and build type of contract. The case study aims to discuss and analyse the implementation of constructability innovation in the planning and design stage of the refinery project, focusing on optimization and improvement of pipe rack structu...

Practitioners and construction management researchers lack believable and practical methods to assess the value proposition of emerging methods such as Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) including understanding how different levels of implementation affect its benefits. Furthermore, current methods of understanding VDC implementation and benefits cannot be updated easily to incorporate new data. This paper presents a Bayesian framework to predict benefits from application of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) given data about its implementation. We analyzed data from 40 projects that performed some formal modeling of the project scope and/or the construction process. The analysis suggests that more extensive or higher levels of VDC implementation lead to higher project benefits. We explain the use of a Bayesian framework as an alternative to the application of classical probability theory to construction management research, how we used it to interpret data about VDC practice and outcomes, our finding that benefits have strong positive contingent correlation with the level of VDC implemented on projects, and our suggestion to use the method to update conclusions about benefits given changing data about implementation and outcomes.

La constructabilidad  es un programa de mejoramiento continuo, que introduce la experiencia constructiva en etapas previas del proyecto. La implantación de la constructabilidad en una empresa promotora de viviendas en la ciudad de Barquisimeto, Venezuela se inició con un diagnóstico inicial, con la identificación de áreas de oportunidad y con la selección de un proyecto piloto: una obra en ejecución de su primera etapa, y una segunda etapa en planificación. La incorporación de los conceptos de constructabilidad en este proyecto piloto, utilizando el método cualitativo de grupos de enfoque o “focus group” proporcionó excelentes resultados en cuanto  a disminución en los tiempos, costo de la obra y la mejora en la calidad del producto final, es por ello que se tomó la decisión de implementar dichos conceptos en cada obra de la empresa. En este artículo, se muestran los procedimientos para la incorporación de los conceptos de constructabilidad en el área inicial de diseño, específicamente en el proceso previo al anteproyecto. Estos procedimientos han sido muy provechosos ya que generan en el personal un sentido de pertenencia con respecto a la constructabilidad como práctica permanente, para mejorar la productividad percibiendo beneficios en tiempo, costos, calidad y metodología de trabajo.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the process, and analyse the implementation of constructability improvement and innovation result during the planning and design for seawater intake structure of fertilizer plant project. Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology approach is case study method at the project level. This constructability improvement process was investigated by using constructability implementation checklists, direct observation, documented lessons learned analysis and key personnel interviews. Findings – The case study shows that the implementation of constructability during planning and design stage for this seawater intake structure has increased the project performance as well as improved the schedule by five months (14.21 percent) and reduced the project cost by 15.35 percent. Research limitations/implications – This case study was limited to three previous seawater intake projects as references and one new method seawater intake struc...

Construction managers in infrastructure projects in different societies offer and use approaches that can conclude each project's triangle of cost, time, and quality in the most optimal mode, satisfying important needs of the projects. One of these approaches is benefiting from concepts of Constructability, Operability, and Maintainability (the threefold concepts of COM), which can satisfy such need in infrastructure projects. In order to implement each approach, while the desired approach is innovative, as well, there are some barriers. It is significantly required to offer solutions to obtain desired results from that approach. Therefore, the aim of this research is presenting solutions to overcome existing barriers in implementing the threefold concepts of COM in infrastructure projects. For that, the Meta-Synthesis method is applied, which is placed in qualitative research category. In order to analyze collected data, descriptive and pattern coding techniques have been used. As the result of this study, a systematic classification of the solutions to overcome barriers of implementing the threefold concepts of COM in infrastructure projects is presented. The aim of construction managers is successful delivery of projects, for that, it is suggested to use such approaches that result in integration of different project life cycle phases. This facilitates optimization of project time and cost, aiming to provide a better quality of constructions. Therefore, in order to achieve infrastructure projects main objectives, such approaches are to be used, and in order to overcome barriers in implementing them, some solutions are to be identified, classified and presented.

The main objective of this research is to develop an automated constructability rating framework for different concrete formwork systems that are commonly used for the construction of reinforced concrete residential buildings. Initially, various constructability criteria (cost, time, quality, safety and environmental sustainability) that are analogous to the concrete formwork construction are rationally characterized through an intriguing data acquisition mechanism (a complete process involving the collection, recording and processing of data) known as constructability survey. Withal, an unified 3D Building Information Modeling (BIM) Model (i.e., 3D Structural BIM Model and 3D BIM Formwork Family or Module) is developed to providence CONSTaFORM, an automated constructability assessment framework for concrete formwork systems. The CONSTaFORM is a supplementary Add-in for Autodesk Revit developed by a process called API-fication, i.e., customizing Revit API to provide additional functionalities and hence enhancing the capabilities of existing framework invariably. The optimal constructability scores of various concrete formwork systems obtained from the constructability survey are initially fed into their respective 3D BIM formwork families as shared parameters, which are later used for the computation of the overall constructability rating of the formwork systems involved in the entire project, using BIM via CONSTaFORM Add-in. To reinforce the profundity and advocacy of CONSTaFORM Add-in, a suitable case study is reported.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the process, and analyse the implementation of constructability improvement and innovation result during the planning and design for sea water intake structure of fertilizer plant project. Design/methodology/approach The research methodology approach is case study method at project level. This constructability improvement process was investigated by using constructability implementation check lists, direct observation, documented lesson learned analysis and key personnel interviews. Findings The case study shows that the implementation of constructability during planning and design stage for this sea water intake structure has increased the project performance as well as improved the schedule by 5 months (14.21%) and reduced the project cost by 15.35%. Research limitations/implications This case study was limited to three (3) previous sea water intake projects as references and one (1) of new method sea water intake structure at fertil...

Resumo. Esta pesquisa foi derivada de uma parte do embasamento teórico da tese de mestrado do autor, desenvolvido junto ao Programa de Maestría en Diseño, Gestión y Dirección de Proyectos, na Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana, UNINI México (UNINI-MX). O autor possui experiência em projetos do setor da construção, sua compatibilização e ensino de softwares específicos utilizados neste segmento, e foi motivado por observação do contexto na prática, e constrangimento pessoal. Nos demais países é realidade, e não novidade, a aprovação da pontuação dos projetos de edifícios, com relação aos seus critérios de construtibilidade, antes de se proceder a sua consecução. É notável também que projetos resultantes de modelagem de informações da construção (projetos BIM), dentre outros avanços tecno-metodológicos entrantes de forma exponencialmente crescente na velocidade de ocorrência, qualidade e quantidade de colaborações, cada vez mais, exigem mudanças de paradigmas na construção civil, mas facilitam a extração de dados que podem ser avaliados, com relação à sua edificabilidade, de forma automatizada. A finalidade do BIM não deveria ser somente a automatização de entregáveis gráfico-textuais. Este trabalho buscou conceituar, embasado em literatura e experiências, como e quando realizar a extração de informações de projetos BIM buscando a automatização da Avaliação de Construtibilidade de Edifícios. Palavras-chave: Construtibilidade, avaliação de construtibilidade, edificabilidade BIM, gestão de Projetos. Abstract. This research was derived from a portion of author's work developed in the theoretical basis of the author's master's degree thesis, carried out with the program Maestría en Diseño, Gestión y Dirección de Proyectos, at the Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana, UNINI Mexico (UNINI-MX). The author has experience in construction sector projects, their multidisciplinary compatibility and teaching of specific software used in this segment, and was motivated by observation of the context in practice, and personal embarrassment. In other countries than Brazil it is a reality, rather than a novelty, that building design scores are approved in line with their constructability criteria made prior to the subsequent execution. It is also noteworthy that projects resulting from Building Information Modeling (BIM projects), among other exponentially augmenting techno-methodological advances in the speed of occurrence, quality and quantity of collaborations, increasingly require paradigms changes in civil construction, but make it easier to extract data that can be evaluated for buildability in an automated way. The purpose of BIM should not

Within the Nigerian and Sub-Saharan African construction industries generally there has been a lack of research profiling the constructability practices of contractors and possible barriers to the use of appropriate methods. The aim of this study was to assess constructability practices of contractors in construction projects in this context. The objectives were to identify current constructability practices, and to examine the barriers typically affecting constructability practices. Convenience sampling was used to select 19 contractors in Lagos state, Nigeria, who were interviewed using a structured interview protocol. The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics. Results indicated that constructability practices common to contractors include checking M & E drawings for clashes and errors; site-layout planning; and preparation of schedule/construction programmes. In-situ constructions, crane/lifting equipment, formwork technologies and external scaffolding systems ...

Buildability seeks to improve efficiency of the overall building process by developing construction sensitive designs. The objective of this study is to investigate the relative importance of the key performance indicators of construction projects with respect to buildability at the design stage in the Malaysian construction industry. To achieve this objective, a questionnaire survey was distributed among key construction personnel to identify the most common buildability attributes in Malaysia. Then, an interview with eight construction professionals was conducted to compare the common buildability attributes with project performance criteria such as time, cost, quality, safety, and environment. The results reveal the equal importance of time and cost for buildability of the building, followed by quality, safety, and the environment.

Concrete overlays are highly susceptible to cracking due to the large surface area that is exposed to drying, the low water to cement ratio, the environmental exposure and loading conditions, the reflected cracks the underlying bridge deck, and the small thickness of the overlay. This research project investigated the potential benefits of synthetic fibrous additives with regard to the performance of bridge deck concrete overlays. Determining practical dosages and types of synthetic fibers that have the ability to enhance overlay performance, while maintaining convenient constructability without complications during mixing and finishing, was a major mission of this research. The project also outlined critical issues essential for successful and durable overlay applications with minimal cracking and delaminations. Various micro- and macro-fiber combinations were added to the fibrous overlay mixtures, resulting in 13 fibrous mix designs (nine LMC, two MSC, and two FAC). An extensive e...