Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Education And Training Networks, Ken Thomas, Joe Harrington, Robin Stubbs, Sean Carroll, Emily Shakespeare, Rahat Ullah, Adhban Farea, Theresa-Marie Greiwe

Tools

Education And Training Networks Inventory is a review of relevant network in Ireland and the EU.

Building Services Engineering March/April 2024

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Building Services Engineering January/February 2024

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Delta In-Out For Irish Natural Gas Distribution Network, Utkarsha Chavan, Anthony Reynolds, Michael Carr, L. Walsh

Articles

This article investigates the issue of Unaccounted for Gas (UAG) in the natural gas distribution network of Ireland, focusing on the DeltaIO (i.e. the difference between the gas entering and leaving the network). The study applies the DeltaIO methodology developed for Italian distribution networks to Gas Networks Ireland (GNI), the sole Distribution System Operator (DSO) in Ireland. The analysis covers the period from 2013 to 2019 and provides insights into the magnitude and trends of UAG in the Irish context. The results show that GNI's DeltaIO ranges from 0.93% to 1.57%, with an average of 1.15%. Comparisons with large Italian …

Synergising Bim And Real-Time Data For Improved Efficiency: An Irish Case Study, Ahmed Hassan, Ankur Mitra, Alan Hore, Mark Mulville

Conference Papers

The evolution of 3D visualisation and the Internet of Things (IoT) presents a substantial opportunity for integrating real-time data with Building Information Models (BIM) to improve its functionality and construction workflow efficiency. Integrating real-time data with BIM can enhance the digital representation of construction buildings’ physical and functional characteristics and provide recordable status of on-site operations. Nevertheless, the integration between Visualisation and IoT technologies with BIM remains in its preliminary stages and faces a myriad of technical and operational challenges. Furthermore, developing advanced solutions to facilitate this complex integration requires a considerable understanding of the viability and feasibility of merging …

International Information Management And Bim Best Practice Report, Ted Mckenna, Davitt Lamon

Reports

In order to inform the Digital Leadership and Cultural Change pillar of the Build Digital, a study of international best practice in digital adoption within the built environment sector globally was undertaken and is presented here-in. In order to identify key learnings for Ireland in the context of digital transformation, eight countries were included in this study, namely, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), New Zealand, Australia and Singapore. These countries were selected for various reasons, including the level of digital maturity, the scale of the built environment sector and geographic spread. Key data for each country is included …

Sustainability And Circular Economy Horizon Scan And Needs Analysis, Sadaf Dalirazar, Mark Kelly, Derek Sinnott, James O'Donnell

Reports

The construction industry plays a crucial role in addressing the climate crisis as it is the largest global consumer of raw materials and contributes significantly to global energy consumption and emissions. Considering the world’s continuous population growth and the imperative to address infrastructure and housing demands the construction sector needs to adopt further sustainable strategies in its activities to reduce the pressure on natural resources. In addition, the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector is responsible for generating substantial amount of waste known as Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW), which is projected to increase due to the future construction developments. …

Information Management And Bim Standards And Supports Inventory, Ryan Dempsey, Barry Mcauley, David Burke

Tools

The Digital Standards pillar consists of industry experts who champion the benefits of common rules, guidelines, and workflows that facilitate the improvement of information flow and information management across asset life cycles. Digital standards provide a common language that can be translated to technical specifications enabling clients, designers, contractors, and facilities managers, irrespective of their preferred tools, to communicate efficiently and reduce cost, rework, and disputes. Working closely with the Digital Procurement and Digital Education and Training pillars, this pillar is developing and delivering Irish Information Management/BIM (Digital Construction) guidelines for the sector.

This report summarises existing digital construction standards, …

Digital Construction Annual Survey 2022 Report, Davitt Lamon, Ted Mckenna

Reports

The Annual Survey 2022 was conducted to assess the state of digital transformation in the Irish construction and built environment sector. This report presents the analysis of survey data, with a focus on implications for the Build Digital project and Build Digital’s five pillars: Digital Leadership & Cultural Change, Digital Standards, Digital Education & Training, Digital Procurement, and Sustainability & Circular Economy. Key findings from the survey indicated that a significant number of organisations have started their digital transformation journey, with many identifying themselves as proactive and possessing a clear business-focused strategy. However, a considerable cohort of respondents are keen …

Building Services Engineering November/December 2023

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Building Services Engineering September/October 2023

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Into Ireland’S Bim Skills Gap, Guadalupe Centanni, Barry Mcauley

Conference Papers

The adoption of digital skills within the Irish AEC Sector has the potential to enhance efficiency and competitiveness among its stakeholders. Despite this opportunity, there is still a high demand for skilled BIM professionals, which cannot be currently met. To meet this skills demand and directly target future skills gaps within Ireland, several challenges must be addressed to facilitate broader BIM adoption. This paper focuses on addressing this gap by identifying steps to be followed to develop skilled professionals within BIM. This has been achieved by investigating the extent to which construction stakeholders in Ireland comprehend BIM and, examiningthe training …

Accelerating Bim Adoption In Ireland: A Ten-Year Review Of Cita Bim Gathering Proceedings, Alan Hore, Roger West, Barry Mcauley

Conference Papers

Digital construction interfaces have been studied extensively over the last few decades, with an ever-grow- ing catalogue of publications. The CitA BIM Gathering conferences have played a key role in bringing together the research and industry communities ina collaborative setting over the past decade in Ireland. In this paper the authors systematically review 10 years of papers published in the BIM Gathering pro- ceedings since the inaugural conference in 2013. A total of 175 papers involving over 200 authors have been reviewed and classified under the 2018 World Economic Forum (WEF) recommendations in respect to ac- celerating BIM adoption. The …

The Development Of A Lean Digital Construction (Bim) Innovation Framework For Irish Construction Smes, Marina Andreou, Barry Mcauley, Alan Hore

Conference Papers

The adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must overcome several challenges to succeed. Potential barriers include the need for financial resources, correct BIM guidance, and training. In recent years, SME organisations have investigated how the complementary application of BIM and Lean principles can maximise digital construction practices. For this approach to be successful, structured guidance is paramount. This paper presents the results from an extensive literature review that explores BIM and Lean capabilities, focusing on synergies and existing frameworks. Based on the results from the literature review, the paper suggests an experimental framework that …

Barriers To Bim Implementation For Cost Management In The Irish Construction Industry, Uchenna Sampson Igwe Dr, Alan Hore Dr, Dermot Kehily Dr., David Colmenero Lechuga

Conference Papers

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the foundation of digital transformation in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry that enables efficient collaboration and information sharing among stakeholders in the industry. It has been identified as a powerful tool for construction cost management because it provides accurate and timely information about the cost implications of design decisions. BIM development in Ireland is expected to continue growing in the coming years, driven by the proposed 2024 government mandate, continued state supports and the benefits that BIM brings to the construction industry, including improved collaboration, reduced errors and waste, and increased efficiency. Notable …

Industry Colloquium Report, Robert Moore

Reports

In the ever-evolving landscape of the construction industry, digital transformation has emerged as a pivotal force reshaping the way projects are conceived, executed, and delivered. This transformation, fuelled by cutting-edge technology and innovative practices, holds the promise of greater efficiency, sustainability, and collaboration within the construction sector.

This report offers a comprehensive summary of the Build Digital Project colloquium. It provides actionable insights and recommendations for clients, supply chain partners, and for prioritisation within the Build Digital Project pillars. As the industry partners seek to build a more efficient, sustainable, and collaborative construction sector, understanding and harnessing the invaluable insights …

Skills Matter – Up-Skilling Across Construction Stakeholders For Emerging Roles, Avril Behan, Paul Mccormack, Barry Mcauley

Conference Papers

The EU’s Climate Target Plan To 2030 (European Union 2020b) of achieving at least 55% reduction in Green House Gas emissions from 1990 levels, delivering towards a climate-neutral economy by 2050, requires systems-level change in the way we design, construct, and operate our built assets. Funding initiatives, such as co-ordinated by BUILD UP Skills, aim to deliver upskilling to the market but targets set by the European Skills Agenda may not be reached at current achievement levels. This paper presents the results of one completed and the progress of one ongoing Horizon 2020 funded project, BIMcert and ARISE, respectively. Learning …

Digital Challenges And Opportunities Of Addressing On-Site Productivity And Safety On Construction Job Sites: An International Perspective, Ahmed Hassan, Ankur Mitra, Mark Mulville, Alan Hore

Conference papers

The slow pace of digital transformation in construction remains an impediment to the industry’s evolution. Despite rapid developments in digital technologies, the vast bulk of data generated on construction job sites remains underutilised due to the limited use of real-time data capture. The diffusion of digital solutions in construction depends on successfully capturing critical real-time data that can inform and contribute to more productive work patterns and safer job sites. Nevertheless, the construction industry’s fragmented nature has segregated the digital solutions offered by technology providers from the volatile challenges facing on-site construction practitioners.

This paper will present the early development …

Public Sector Bim Adoption: Development And Evaluation Of Government Policy Interventions: A Systematic Literature Review, Shiyao Kuang, Alan Hore, Ahmed Hassan, Barry Mcauley, Roger West

Conference Papers

Rapid technological advancements in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector have provided a significant opportunity for improving the industry's efficiency, performance and sustainability. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is an innovative approach to information management in construction that provides a structured methodology for storing and analysing building information exchanged between project stakeholders. However, successful interventions and supports introduced by the public sector in accelerating BIM adoption can be seen through BIM mandates, promotion of information management ISO standards, guidance, funding and procurement integration. In this study, a systematic literature review is adopted to identify BIM policy interventions. The study aims …

Construction Semantics And Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (Gpt) Language Models, Ankur Mitra, Ahmed Hassan, Mark Mulville

Articles

The article explores the impact of ChatGPT, a powerful language model developed by OpenAI, on the construction industry. ChatGPT, with its ability to provide contextually accurate responses to a wide range of queries, has the potential to enhance safety, scheduling, and knowledge dissemination in construction. While it shows promise in tasks like hazard recognition and project scheduling, the article emphasizes the need for cautious optimism and human oversight. The construction industry could benefit from ChatGPT's digital assistance to boost productivity and address skills shortages, but it is essential to recognize the value of human expertise alongside AI advancements.

Building Services Engineering July/August 2023

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Supporting The Delivery Of Information Management And Bim In Ireland: Learnings From Selected International Regions, Alan Hore, Ciaran Mcnally, Adekunle Qudus Adeleke, Wahib Saif

Reports

The Executive Summary introduction the report recommendations for Build Digital with respect to information management and the use of BIM as a critical vehicle of innovation to unlock improved project outcomes in construction.

Digital Education And Training Inventory, Ken Thomas, Joe Harrington, Robin Stubbs, Emily Shakespeare, Theresa Marie Greiwe

Tools

As the construction industry continues to evolve and increasingly embraces digitisation, an early-stage deliverable for Build Digital Project was to conduct a horizon scan of the opportunities available for those within the construction sector. A primary aim, therefore, is to provide a comprehensive inventory of educational and training provisions that exist within Ireland at present.

The resulting searchable inventory focuses on key educational sectors including Universities, Educational Training Boards (ETBS), Colleges of Further Education, Professional bodies and similar organisations.

Using Bim To Increase The Efficiency Of Energy-Driven Retrofitting Projects, Anne Grego, Shannon Chance, Barry Mcauley

Conference Papers

The building sector is responsible for nearly 40% of global energy consumption. Many existing buildings have poor thermal insulation and low energy performance, hindering sustainability goals. Energy-driven building retrofitting could address this issue and implementing Building Information Modelling (BIM) in retrofitting can reduce process time, costs, and waste associated with such undertakings. Yet, there is a lack of research and insufficient guidance for implementing BIM in energy-driven retrofitting. A BIM framework is presented to enhance decision-making processes during retrofitting. The aims of this study were to (1) identify BIM technologies and methodologies that could address existing barriers and improve efficiency …

Building Services Engineering May/June 2023

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Housing In Kibera's Soweto East Informal Settlement, Kenya: A Socio-Technical Evaluation, Tiernan Brennan

Masters

In 2003, the Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP) was launched in partnership with UN-Habitat and the Government of Kenya (GoK) to improve the livelihoods of people in Kenya by 2020 through the provision of improved shelter, infrastructure, land tenure and income generation. Kibera is an informal settlement in Kenya where varying housing typologies and traditional vernacular-style designs coexist with modern housing units. Soweto East was one of eighteen villages located in Kibera selected for KENSUP’s first major housing development initiative. Soweto East was selected from a screening of several housing projects that could be subjected to a socio-technical (STE). The …

Building Services Engineering March/April 2023

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

The Infrastructure Metaverse Already Exists, Ankur Mitra, Ahmed Hassan, Mark Mulville

Articles

The construction industry is currently undergoing a profound digital transformation, primarily driven by the innovative concept of digital twins. The United Kingdom's National Digital Twin Programme (NDTp) stands as a visionary initiative striving to establish a cohesive digital ecosystem wherein all forms of infrastructure, both existing and newly constructed, are replicated in the digital realm. Digital twins are not merely static visual representations; they serve as the cornerstone for a comprehensive information management framework that enables real-time data sharing. This data-sharing capability spans the entire lifecycle of construction projects. What makes this technology particularly powerful is its capacity to facilitate …

How Can Visual Programing Be Used To Aid The Development Of A Structural Scheme Design Process Utilising Geometric Data Within An Architectural Revit Model?, Ed Carthy, Kieran Lakhera O'Shea

Reports

The early-stage structural scheme design of a building is a complex task requiring the collection of multiple information categories such as geometry, loading and materials. The collection and review of this information is traditionally conducted in a 2D environment. This is inefficient, time-consuming, and tedious. This paper provides a review of how structural engineers’ understanding and implementation of BIM has evolved significantly in recent years, validated by extant literature in areas such as BIM automation, visual programming, and structural optimisation in the structural engineering sector. Structural engineers are growing more aware that BIM provides a vast repository of data to …

Virtual Industry Visits, Cian Farrell

Articles

Cian Farrell of Technological University Dublin describes a virtual educational approach trialled during the Covid-19 pandemic to engage students during a period of remote learning and educate them on industry processes and practices. Virtual industry visits saw students receive online briefings and tours of manufacturing plants and construction sites from industry representatives to complement their taught modules. The virtual visits have continued since Covid restrictions eased as part of a hybrid approach to learning that increases student exposure to real-life projects. The initiative won the Institution of Structural Engineers Excellence in Structural Engineering Education Award in 2022.