Analysis and Management of Risk in Civil Engineering

Interest assessment there would be discussion of the planning and the management requirements of the modular construction project. The aim of the project is to assess the role of the building information modelling in the planning and management processes of the construction industry. Purpose of the assessment is directed towards the formulation of solution that would use BIM software. Responding to the needs of the offsite construction, managerial or the design choices taken in the process of the construction project would also be justified by applying disciplinary knowledge of the BIM implementation in the construction project specifically in the oxide from structure that as in the modular construction project. There would also be discussion of it BIM software package that can be used implementation of the solution devised for the offsite construction. Considering there has been development of new tools and software and advancement had been reached in the construction project a possibility of the business information modelling would be discussed in this assessment. A comprehensive approach would be taken towards oxide construction by assessment of the possibilities of BIM implementation to assess future possibilities of BIM in construction projects.

Project life cycle to be discussed is of a modular construction project and its successive implementation on the site of the project. Modular construction process has become very popular today as it is considered to be involving modern methods of construction and modern construction practices. The planning of the project of the modular construction project involving the prefabricated housing it consists of the selection of the foundation, selection of the material to be used, selection of the connection and joints and supports. Planning process also include the transportation of the material to the site of the construction. The selection of the construction material and other requirements is based upon an analysis of the side that help in the development of the plan and the proposal. Requirement of the management includes the use of sketch and setting out the constituent and also analyse the positioning of the site for the construction process (Wuni and Shen, G2020). The requirement of the management is also related to the assessment of risks associated with the selection of the site that can hamper the over process of construction.

Project Life cycle include site setting for the proposed development of the modular construction process. It needs to be noted that the planning involving the setting out of the site in the development of the modular construction would be divided across three phases. The three phases would deal with the development of the sketch of the different phases of the construction process on the site to set out the development areas (Bertram et al. 2019). The planning process involving the plan of the different phases of the construction on the site is important as it would give an overview of the different stages in which the construction would take place. It is noted that the planning process involving the development of the site had its focus upon the development area, site storage, plant storage, site office and the parking area and across the three phases of setting out of the site, the development plan of the site had shown progression (Molavi and Barral, 2016).

With respect the discussion of the modern methods of construction in the context of modular construction, it can be stated that the planning involves the discussion of foundation selection that would be most appropriate for the purpose of the modular construction and would be able to give structural support the building that would be able to transfer the load of the building across the walls (Kamali and Hewage, 2017). Planning would be related to the maintenance of the safety of the construction process it would also include the planning of the selection of the foundation at which gives stability to the structure. Apart from the project planning regarding the selection of the foundation for the modular construction, planning process in project life cycle would also include the planning regarding the materials that would be used for maintaining the quality in the modular construction (Goh and Goh, 2019). There are many alternative regarding the materials to be used in the modular construction that includes the use of wood, steel, and concrete. The selection of foundation and the material are part of the basic planning process in the project life cycle and the planning needs to be very accurate as changes will not be able to be made to the modular construction project later. In this context it needs to be noted that the management requirement is related to planning process to be accurate and use technology in a manner that the objective of the modular construction can be achieved effectively (Kamali Hewage and Milani, 2018). Management requirement related to the modular construction process would also revolve around the checking of the assessment of quality of the different materials and foundation be used for the modular construction. Management requirement is around the assessment of the physical constraints that can impact the implementation of the prefabricated module on the selected site (Arashpour et al. 2018).Without the involvement of the management it would not be possible to understand the requirements necessary for the construction process. The project life cycle would necessitate the assessment of the project outcomes for all the involved stakeholders in the process and the requirement of management would be regarding the assessment of the best ways that can be implemented for the reduction of the consumption of the resources so that sustainability can be achieved in the modular construction process (Guo, Wang and Park, 2020). The requirement of the management is towards the assessment and overview of the requirement across the different phases of construction process from Phase 1 to Phase 3 so that any risk to be noted in the project lifecycle can be identified and addressed.

Overall it can be stated that the planning process in the project lifecycle would include the selection of the foundation, material and joints that would be needed for the construction process. These are the basic selections that are needed to be made and this is followed by the planning of later stages that include risk assessment and the review and progressive planning of the setting out of the site across the different phases of planning. There is requirement for accuracy to be maintained in the planning processes for ensuring that the processes involved do not impact the final outcome of the modular construction project negatively. Furthermore, the management requirement would include the overall overview and review of the process planning in the different phases and stages of the project life cycle (Chauhan et al. 2019). The management is required to oversee the availability of the best technology, materials, foundation available along with the assessment of the different steps of the project cycle.

Based on the assessment of the case, it can be stated that there are various challenges identified in the project cycle of project as related to the project planning and management requirements. It would be very important to identify and address challenges to enhance the performance outcomes of the project. It had been noted that the challenges had been identified at the initial stages of the modular construction project so that the identified risks can be addressed through mitigation strategies and the implementation of advanced technologies that will be beneficial for achievement of the project outcomes. It is important to note that identification process of the challenge is an important aspect of the overview of the project by the management to understand the management requirements and to make required changes in the project planning in project life cycle for the success of the modular construction. The key challenges identified are as below:

1. Physical challenges : It has been identified from the case of the modular construction that the physical constraints are a major challenge identified. In the process of the modular construction there are challenges related to the transportation of module that had been planted on the construction site. This requires an assessment into physical constants that affects flow of the processes in the implementation process of the prefabricated module on the construction site. Although survey had been conducted on the transport roads such as on the turning circles, power lines and bridges to understand the physical constants there are issues of accuracy in the estimation (Alaloul et al. 2018). In this respect it can be added that the weight and the geometry of the module in the proposal need to be according to the physical constants and the challenges are also associated with the assessment of the permissible value for the module that the implementation plan on the construction site is not hampered. Without proper assessment of the physical constants there are also associated challenges of ensuring that the emergency and services are available. If the physical constants in the module of the construction site is not properly assessed then there can be challenges noted in the site drawings that are developed.

2. Selection of the foundation and the materials: It had been noted that the modular construction process requires appropriate selection of the foundation and the material to be used for the modular construction process in the site of the project. In this context it needs to be stated that the selection of the appropriate foundation and materials is a major challenge considering that there are various alternatives present and the selection needs to be adequately made for ensuring that the structure and stability of the construction project is not compromised. There are different kinds of foundation such as shallow foundation and deep foundation that need to be selected considering the appropriateness for the structure and stability of the construction site (Akadiri, 2018). Selection also needs to be appropriate aligned to the physical constraint being noticed in the site of construction. Moreover, it can also be added that the quality of the modular construction is dependent upon the use of the materials. There is availability of different kinds of material such as wood, steel, and concrete that has their individual advantages. Given the demand for the modular construction the challenge is regarding the selection of the material that would be most appropriate and would be sustainable and make the construction project resistant.

3. Challenge of maintaining sustainability: It had been noted that the concern in the modular construction process is associated with the implementation of the sustainable and any design and product in proposed modular construction project. The concern is regarding the use of renewable energy resources and sustainable practices for the installation of the modular construction process (Zavadskas, Šaparauskas and Antucheviciene, 2018). The challenge is regarding the development of Sustainable solutions that would protect the modular construction from heat and cold and would also offer ventilation. The requirement is for a technology system that would help in maintaining sustainability in the practices of the modular construction project and help in the selection of the practices that can be implemented for sustainable operations. The possibilities of sustainable solution in the modular construction process is endless however the challenge is regarding them selection of the best solution that would help in implementing sustainable solutions that are cost effective.

4. Transportation challenges : Transportation is a major challenges associated with modular structure because module is constructed in the factories are required to transport into the construction site and then requires to be fit on the site. The challenge is associated with the timely delivery of the module to the site of construction. The major problem associated with the transportation process is regarding the preliminary assessment of the roads that includes dimensional restrictions (Innella, Arashpour and Bai, 2019). It needs to be noted here that the challenge of the dimensional restrictions can challenge the transportation of the module the site of the construction. Choice of the transportation link to be chosen for the purpose of the transportation to the site is a major problem that requires to be addressed.If the transportation challenges persist and there can be higher cost of transportation and there would be problem in the visibility of the modular construction process. There can also be challenges of transporting the module to the site with significant delays in the overall construction time.

5. Challenges of the site analysis: the analysis of the site in preliminary stage is very important however the challenges associated with the assessment is training accuracy in the planning and setting out of the constituent of the plan. The preliminary analysis includes the assessment of personality that need to be included in the modular construction process however the challenges associated with maintaining that in the sketch of the location and the setting out of the constituents (Salama et al. 2017). There can be major risks found in the final processes of the modular construction fitting into the site is accuracy is not maintained in the preliminary assessment.With the use of the traditional means of preliminary assessment such as the use of sketch for the assessment of the site, the challenge can be regarding the maintenance of accuracy and the assessment process that requires the use of advanced and reliable technology for advanced assessment.

In the construction industry practices and has been increased significance of the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) but can be considered as a digital representation of the functional and physical characteristics of the facility (Turk, 2016). Business information modelling involves the use of a process using intelligent 3D model that gives insight into the efficient planning, designing and construction of the management of the infrastructure and buildings (Pärn, Edwards and Sing, 2017). It can be considered as a digital representation of shared resources supported by the use of tools and technologies.Process of implementation begins with the creation of the 3D model that supports document management, simulation and coordination in the entire project life cycle that includes the planning, building and operation management. The use of the model had been effectively noted in the analysis and assessment for exploring design options and creation and visualisation of the building before they are actually constructed.

1. Modular construction process enables delivery of building as assembly of set of module that are manufactured offsite in a facility that is characterized by manufacturing process. For addressing the challenges of the modular construction into the onsite by addressing the challenges of planning and transporting of the physical constants that might be faced in the onsite instruction process, BIM-based framework can be used for integrating linear schedules of the offsite and onsite construction. The BIM-based framework would include the use of hybrid modular construction using the LSM and CCPM in BIM based solution.

Justification of the BIM based solution

The use of the LSM and CCPM in BIM based solution can be helpful for the development of an interactive 3D model that can help in scheduling methodologies and synchronising the onsite and offsite operations. This solution is justified as it would help in the integration of the onsite and offsite and enable the visualisation of integrating schedule that would enable overcoming the physical limitations of the modular construction. The solution is justified on the account that it would help in the calculation of the safe activity durations and Sequencing of the activities of the schedule and resolving the problems of resource management (Salama, Salah and Moselhi, 2017). The critical sequences of the events can also be identified and project buffers can also be added in the onsite schedule as noted in the onsite schedule baseline formulated below using the LMS and CCPM:

Figure 1: critical points of onsite scheduling in modular construction using BIM solution

(Source: Salama, Salah and Moselhi, 2017)

2. Challenges in the selection of foundation and the materials as part of the supply chain management in the modular construction process can be addressed the integration of the 4D BIM and GIS. The solution of integrating the BIM and GIS would help in better visualisation of the status of the supplies in the construction process by using rich data and the visualisation capability for supplier selection. It would also allow the use of the semantic graphs and ontology for managing the facility requirements.

Figure 2: 4D BIM-GIS framework for material and supplier selection

(Source: Deng et al. 2019)

Justification of the BIM based solution

4D BIM-GIS framework, as noted in the framework above would have important layers that would help in material selection and other supported activities in the supply chain management of the construction project. As noted in the framework, 4D BIM would provide all the information of the construction project such as the material quantity and the onsite inventory for the selection of the price. GIS shall be beneficial for the assessment of the logistic information as per the updated geodatabase. Overall the system implementation is justified as there is better visualisation and planning of the supplier site entry, material selection, ordering entity in the supply chain of the project.

3. The BIM based solution that can help in increasing the sustainability of the construction project and enable construction method to be implemented would include the solution of Smart Construction Planner. Smart Construction Planner software development that facilitates collaborative, modular and iterative design by implementing lean management principles for enhancing the productivity of the construction activities and reducing the wastage of resources.

Justification of the BIM based solution

Smart Construction Planner as an interface between lean management principles and BIM can be a justified solution for addressing sustainability in the modular construction because it would enable collaborative planning and efficiency in the prerequisites management for minimising the wastage of resources (Guerriero et al. 2017). Through the dynamic site layout planning (figure below) there can be better assessment of the planning of the material delivery on site and its tracking. It also includes a collaborative interface between computer and human intervention with tangible table top devices that would give better visualisation of data sets for managing logistics and quality following the lean management principles.

Figure 3: the dynamic site layout planning of Smart Construction Planner

( Source: Guerriero et al. 2017)

4. For addressing the transport related limitations existing in the modular construction process as identified in the case, business information modelling can be the solution for the transport infrastructure development. A potential solution using the BIM tool platform would be the implementation of Civil 3D, that is an Autodesk BIM based tool. Focus of the Civil 3D is on the modelling of the specific road element that are not editable by using standard library such as the retaining walls and the guardrails.

Justification of the BIM based solution

The use of the Autodesk® Civil 3D as a BIM based solution for addressing the transport related challenges in the project is testified as if in the process methodology given below:

Figure 4: use of the Autodesk® Civil 3D: BIM based solution for transport challenges

(Source: Biancardo et al. 2020)

As noted in the model, 3D model can be carried out using Autodesk® Civil 3D BIM-tool. The BIM tool allows the development of the digital Terrain model (DTM) that helps in the projects about that is significant for resolving the interferences such as the piles of motorway or any connection problem with the existing road network such as fences and walls. The Civil 3D model would enable the assessment and attitude visibility of the horizontal and vertical alignment of the retaining walls and the guardtrails by the exploration of different methods available on the BIM platform such as the Autodesk Civil 3D, Autodesk Subassembly computer and Autodesk Revit (Biancardo et al. 2020).

5. For addressing the issues of site planning in the modular construction process the solution that can be suggested is onsite productivity information management system (OPMS) using the BIM software. 3D/BIM modeling considered as a means for using structural drawings of project and increasing its visualisation through the use of the 3D design software.

Justification of the BIM based solution

Daily progress reporting can be recorded using the 3D modelling software and that would allow better object tracking and accumulation for managing the onsite productivity in the modular construction process. Solution is justified as allowed the constitution of the performance across different units using 3D drawings for supporting the work experience of the staffs in the different phases of the construction using interactive drawings that are editable (given below)

Figure 5: conceptual framework of OPMS using BIM

(Source: Cha and Kim, 2020)

Conclusion

To conclude the study it can be said that the significance of use of the BIM had been increase in recent times because of the digital representation of the physical characteristics and functionalities of the construction process. It had been noted that the use of advanced tools and technologies and software implementation apart from the 3D model can be considered to be supportive of the document management, simulation and coordination in the entire project life cycle. In the context of the project life cycle of the module of instruction in the given case, BIM solution had been offered to calendar is not in the planning and management requirements of modular construction. The implementation of the hybrid modular construction using the LSM and CCPM for addressing challenge of planning and transportation related physical constraints had been discussed. Moreover, integration of the 4D BIM and GIS considered being important for better visualisation of the status of the supplies and material selection. Smart Construction Planner is the solution given for planning the sustainability of the construction project whereas implementation of Civil 3D, that is an Autodesk BIM based tool has been suggested for addressing transport challenges in the modular construction process. OPMS using 3D/BIM modeling can address the problem of site assessment in the modular construction.