Authors: T. Gominuka and F. Sadeghpour
CSCE 2008 Annual Conference, June 12, 2008
Abstract
One of the main challenges of a complex construction project is the use of space on
construction sites. Space is considered an important resource on construction site that needs to be planned for: it is often very limited and is shared by various items such as workers, materials, equipment, temporary facilities and other structures. Therefore, efficient site space planning is important to minimize delays on construction sites and increase productivity. This paper proposes a framework for defining the space requirements for construction activities, and will focus on construction equipment. It extends previous research on construction activities workspace requirements focusing on the following two issues:
(1) development of equipment classification system based on equipment operating tasks; and (2)
identification of equipment operating space requirements and generation of operating areas and volumes.
The operating space of construction equipment is represented in a number of layers such as equipment space, work space, rotation space, maximum reach space and safety space. This representation will allow to account and plan for possible interference with other objects or different layers of other equipment. The proposed framework is implemented using a database that will allow the selection of equipment based on tasks that are required for activities that are scheduled for a construction project. The developed database provides an efficient tool for construction site managers to identify equipment space requirements for a construction project and can be easily integrated with space planning tools.
