• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2020.12a
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• pp.75-84
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• 2020

Modular construction is a construction method whereby prefabricated volumetric units are produced in a factory and are installed on site to form a building block. The construction productivity can be substantially improved by the manufacturing and assembly of standardized modular units. 3D printing is a computer-controlled fabrication method first adopted in the manufacturing industry and was utilized for the automated construction of small-scale houses in recent years. Implementing 3D printing in the fabrication of modular units brings huge benefits to modular construction, including increased customization, lower material waste, and reduced labor work. Such implementation also benefits the large-scale and wider adoption of 3D printing in engineering practice. However, a critical issue for 3D printed modules is the loading capacity, particularly in response to horizontal forces like wind load, which requires a deeper understanding of the building structure behavior and the design of load-bearing modules. Therefore, this paper presents the state-of-the-art literature concerning recent achievement in 3D printing for buildings, followed by discussion on the opportunities and challenges for examining 3D printing in modular construction. Promising 3D printing techniques are critically reviewed and discussed with regard to their advantages and limitations in construction. The appropriate structural form needs to be determined at the design stage, taking into consideration the overall building structural behavior, site environmental conditions (e.g., wind), and load-carrying capacity of the 3D printed modules. Detailed finite element modelling of the entire modular buildings needs to be conducted to verify the structural performance, considering the code-stipulated lateral drift, strength criteria, and other design requirements. Moreover, integration of building information modelling (BIM) method is beneficial for generating the material and geometric details of the 3D printed modules, which can then be utilized for the fabrication.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.265-272
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• 2023

This paper presents a conceptual strategy and technologies for the digital transformation of design and construction of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. The development of an automated detail design strategy for RC structures is described. Integrated digital platform based on 5D BIM concept is proposed for the replacement of the current technology environment-based 2D CAD. Generally, the detail design development is labor-intensive and iterative. Effective automation of relevant aspects can dramatically improve productivity and accuracy. The proposed solutions for the automated BIM modeling based on the rebar and formwork detail design automation achieves the productivity and accuracy sufficient for site application. The platform integrates and manages the information flow between each solution or application and provides it to all participants of the project. Finally, it is expected that the proposed strategy and technologies can be further enhanced to achieve the productivity and accuracy needed for widespread site application and digital transformation.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2022.06a
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• pp.1226-1236
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• 2022

Because students majoring in construction-related fields must develop a broad repository of knowledge and skills, effective transferal of these is the primary focus of most academic programs. While inculcation of this body of knowledge is certainly critical, actual construction projects are complicated ventures that involve levels of risk and uncertainty, such as resistant neighboring communities, unforeseen weather conditions, escalating material costs, labor shortages and strikes, accidents on jobsites, challenges with emerging forms of technology, etc. Learning how to develop a level of discernment about potential ways to handle such uncertainty often takes years of costly trial-and-error in the proverbial "school of hard knocks." There is therefore a need to proactively expedite the development of a sharpened intuition when making decisions. The AGC Education and Research Foundation case study committee was formed to address this need. Since its inception in 2011, 14 freely downloadable case studies have thus far been jointly developed by an academics and industry practitioners to help educators elicit varied responses from students about potential ways to respond when facing an actual project dilemma. AGC case studies are typically designed to focus on a particular concern and topics have thus far included: ethics, site logistics planning, financial management, prefabrication and modularization, safety, lean practices, preconstruction planning, subcontractor management, collaborative teamwork, sustainable construction, mobile technology, and building information modeling (BIM). This session will include an overview of the history and intent of the AGC case study program, as well as lively interactive demonstrations and discussions on how case studies can be used both by educators within a typical academic setting, as well as by industry practitioners seeking a novel tool for their in-house training programs.