A Physical Internet-enabled Building Information Modelling System for prefabricated construction

Abstract

Prefabricated construction is believed to be energy conserving though opportunities for achieving higher energy efficiency have yet to be fully harnessed. From investigation of a prefabricated construction project in Hong Kong, two main problems have been revealed relating to energy consumption, including: (i) inefficient management of resources such as labours and machines, and (ii) inefficient production, transportation, and on-site assembly of prefabricated components. These problems are primarily caused by lagged information communication and human errors. This paper seeks to offer a solution by developing a Physical Internet-enabled Building Information Modelling System (PI-BIMS) that integrates Auto-ID technologies, BIM, and cloud computing. The PI-BIMS enables real-time collection, communication, and visualisation of information across the processes of production, transportation, and on-site assembly. Practical issues of the system implementation are provided through a pilot prototype. It is found that the PI-BIMS helps enhance the resource allocation efficiency and decrease human errors. Thus, an alternative opportunity to improve energy efficiency in prefabricated construction has become possible.

Keywords:

• prefabricated construction
• energy efficiency
• Physical Internet
• Building Information Modelling (BIM)
• cloud technologies

Acknowledgement

This work is supported by the Innovation and Technology Fund of the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) [Grant Number ITP/045/13LP]. The authors are grateful to the Hong Kong Housing Authority, Gammon Construction Limited, Wing Hong Shun Enterprise Limited, and Yingyun Transportation Limited.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Innovation and Technology Commission [ITP/045/13LP].