UTSA researchers seek to streamline information exchange in construction projects
Share this Story(Feb. 16, 2015) – Rui Liu, assistant professor of Construction Science at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), is leading a research project exploring new ways to improve how professionals in the construction industry exchange digital information in building projects.
Design and construction professionals currently utilize Building Information Management (BIM) systems to efficiently store and exchange data pertaining to design and construction phases of their projects. BIM software can store information from 3-D, 4-D and even 5-D representations of buildings to manage construction processes, time and budget.
BIM’s multi-layered information exchange often results in data fragmentation, dubbed “information disintegration.” Information disintegration is characterized by inconsistencies in the consolidation, unification and integration of building data over a project’s lifecycle and across the teams involved in the projects including designers, construction contractors, and facility managers.
“The ways in which data is shared through current BIM software is circuitous and not conducive to open communication from a project’s design and construction phases to operation and maintenance,” said Liu. “Designers and contractors relay information to facility managers without understanding the manager’s operational requirements and receive very little feedback to improve this process. We are hoping to develop an alternative way to make project data easily accessible to all necessary parties.”
Liu, in collaboration with Eric Jing Du, assistant professor of Construction Science, and Bing Dong, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering, received a prestigious grant from Fiatech – an international community of researchers dedicated to transforming infrastructure delivery and operations through innovation – to complete their project in two proposed phases.
In the first phase, the researchers will compare current BIM software packages; study the utilization, limitations and issues of BIM systems in facility management; and develop unique requirements for successful implementation of BIM in operation and maintenance. In the second phase, the researchers aim to use this information to reduce data fragmentation and streamline data communication among project stakeholders.
The researchers also plan to create a comprehensive strategy to improve integration at each phase and level of management that will include:
- Digital resources to better integrate building information into existing BIM systems
- Information modeling guidelines provided
- An in-depth best practices guidebook
Liu received the 2014 International Conference on Innovative Technologies in Construction Best Paper Award for her work in cloud-based data collection in immersive environments. Her work is an extension of the UTSA Department of Construction Science research focus of exploring innovative technological applications in the field of construction science.
To support these efforts, the department recently opened its first BIM laboratory, the Bartlett Cocke Teaching and Research Laboratory. Students and faculty use the laboratory to facilitate top-tier instruction and research of BIM systems using state-of-the-art equipment. Read about the new facility. (www.utsa.edu/today/2015/01/bartlettcockelab.html)
The UTSA Department of Construction Science, housed within the UTSA College of Architecture, Construction and Planning, provides quality construction education for the next generation of construction professionals and leaders based on a solid foundation of ethical, managerial and technical principles. The American Council for Construction Education is the accrediting organization for the UTSA Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Science and Management.
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Learn more about the UTSA Department of Construction Science at construction.utsa.edu.
Learn more about the UTSA College of Architecture, Construction Planning at cacp.utsa.edu.
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