Integration of BIM and Computer Simulations in Modular Construction, A Case Study

Abstract

Construction Sector has long been criticized for its lower productivity compared with other industries. To address the problem, recent years, new construction methods and information techniques such as modular construction and Building Information Modelling (BIM) are developed and implemented. Besides, computer simulations, like Discrete Event Simulation (DES) and Agent Based Simulation (ABS), are also incorporated in construction sector. Despite contributions of the 3 techniques to the industry have been investigated respectively by many researches, more benefits could be brought if they are applied simultaneously. However, there is no comprehensive research yet to combine all of them in a single project. To bridge the research gap, this paper first briefly introduces strengths and current applications of the 3 techniques; then a framework integrating them together containing simulation module, BIM database module and decision making module is constructed; finally, a case study of a multistoried canteen project is demonstrated to further explain functions of the framework.