Why is construction using the concept of virtual construction and design (VDC)?
The construction process hasn’t seen much change over the past few decades. Paper documents are still a common thing. Many methods still use spreadsheets. As per the 2021 JB Knowledge ConTech Survey, 45 percent of workflows for managing projects depend on spreadsheets. Excel is an effective tool; however, when you consider the complexity and rapidity of large construction projects, Excel is also prone to errors.
The spreadsheet is only as effective as the software it uses, and any errors cannot be discovered until they cause problems. It is difficult to restrict the rights of users while giving them the access they require. If incorrect information is recorded in a spreadsheet, it’s often difficult to determine when it was created and by whom, as well as the reason.
Documents and spreadsheets made of paper can be time-consuming to make. They also impede planning and decision-making. A single change, such as the type of material used, affects the schedule of the project as well as the need for labor equipment, cost, and schedule. It can take days to record the changes and assess the impact of these changes on the project, not to mention how they will affect the anticipated results of the assets. If you’re in the process of building an undertaking that is already underway, the productivity of workers suffers also.
These issues also affect people who are no longer the use of paper or Excel. A lot of them employ point solutions or software designed to serve a single purpose. Although these programs are a significant improvement over Excel or paper documents, If there are problems in interoperability and integration, they could affect the integrity of data, which makes the process of planning and making decisions more difficult.
This is the reason it’s crucial to plan as far as you can at the earliest possible time. However, due to the desire to start construction quickly, time can be restricted in the design and planning stages. In the end, projects progress without any crucial decisions being taken. Construction teams have to make decisions and changes during the project, in which case they have no control over the ripple effects that result from the changes. Virtual construction and design were invented to address this issue.
Virtual construction overview and design
VDC was invented by Stanford University’s Center for Integrated Facility Engineering (CIFE) in 2001. Since the 1980s, CIFE has been dedicated to enhancing the way that the AEC industry manages, conceptualizes, and implements construction and design. Before the inception of the CIFE organization, a Stanford professor had recognized that choices made at the beginning of the process of construction can have a direct impact on the overall cost of projects. CIFE has been at the forefront of dealing with the issue of productivity in construction, and VDC is one of its most notable developments.
With VDC, Planning, and construction are done digitally before the ground is broken in the actual world. The diverse teams of designers, owners, contractors, and subcontractors in the construction project are able to collaborate in a virtual setting in which they are able to evaluate different options for making consequential decisions and procedures, like materials and sequences, in advance.
Projects are created twice. However, instead of taking up time, VDC can save time. It’s all too familiar to us that the saying goes, “measure twice, cut once.” VDC adopts the same concept and applies to all aspects of construction and not just the carpentry process.
A framework to support VDC
The easiest, most understandable approach to understanding this process is Singapore’s Building Construction Authority of Singapore:
Source: Building and Construction Authority of Singapore
Construction teams develop virtual models of construction and timelines to translate expectations, concepts, and performance objectives into the most efficient strategy feasible. They make use of precise 3D models to build digital copies of an asset and practice the sequence of construction prior to and during the construction phase. The VDC models:
- Concentrate on the asset and the teams who will design, define, build, and operate it, along with the method they will be following.
- Integrate so that data can be shared and can record the dependencies of models relevant to the user making changes.
- Can you be used to predict the aspects of the project’s performance and explain how this is related to the objectives of project performance?
- Are responsive and flexible, so all project users can access the information they require
To build these models, construction teams employ processes, product modeling tools, and organizational visualization software as online collaborative tools. Utilizing these tools, project teams can create realistic images of spaces to enhance communication between the various stakeholders.
Design teams may combine models of various building components, including the structure and architectural details, as fire protection systems to detect clashes and evaluate the feasibility of construction. They also can manage the different trades involved in a project and assess the logistics of the site and sequence to identify the most effective approach towards the phase of construction.
Here’s how a renowned construction company, Mortenson Construction, is making use of VDC to address problems with design and to provide superior service to their customers:
Common VDC terms
When you look into VDC, it is possible to find a few commonly used words:
Building Information Modeling (BIM)
BIM is commonly utilized interchangeably with VDC; however, this is not the case (more on this in the future). BIM is the method by which 3D models are created. A lot of VDC teams employ BIM software to generate 3D models of assets that are being constructed. Innovative construction companies use BIM to eliminate drawings from the construction process, like in the instance of the Randselva Bridge in Norway.
Common Data Environment (CDE)
A shared data space is the only source of the entire project’s information. Models, contracts, reports, estimates, and much more are all stored in cloud-based software that is accessed by users anywhere. The use of CDE CDE is crucial to eliminate data silos and prevent productivity loss that can occur when construction teams must find information hidden in documents or emails.
Check it out now: Discover what a CDE is in just 60 minutes.
Computer-aided Design (CAD)
Computer-aided design is the application of software to create designs, alter, or analyze designs. CAD was first introduced in the mid-1950s, and over time, it has eliminated the necessity to draw manual drawings. It is able in the creation of 2D and 3D designs. While VDC processes do not necessarily incorporate BIM CAD, it is a crucial element in the creation of VDC models.
Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)
Industries foundation classes comprise CAD data exchange formats, which are utilized to aid in interoperability between different technologies that are used in construction. The design was developed in conjunction with BuildingSMART; IFC is an open standard that promotes the ability to work with vendors of different types for construction technology.
Benefits of construction and design via virtual models
Through frontloading crucial decisions at the start of the process, VDC can provide a wide range of advantages throughout the entire construction process.
Improved Worker And End User Safety
Designers are usually responsible for ensuring the safety of workers and users when designing. It’s not easy to prevent accidents when you aren’t able to anticipate possible dangers. The degree of accuracy and precision that VDC models provide allows designers to predict risks with greater accuracy. Based on that knowledge, they can minimize or eliminate potential hazards. Furthermore, as VDC models are designed to be utilized by multidisciplinary teams, contractors can offer suggestions on safety concerns and use the information provided through the models to educate the team on risks that aren’t mitigated during the process of designing.
Communication With Non-Technical Specialists
Many parties require a clear understanding of the design and construction purpose; however, they do not have the technical knowledge to understand technical drawings and other documents. VDC helps government officials, executives without a technical background, and citizens to understand the scope of a project by using simple-to-read animations and images.
Reduced Risk
Risk reduction is a constant struggle in the construction industry. Finding out about risks in projects like conflicts, miscalculations, or financial mistakes is usually based on previous knowledge and experience as well as risk management skills. While learning and expertise are extremely valuable, every construction project is unique, and they cannot always be used to identify the exact risks for the project in question. VDC allows construction teams to precisely assess the risks of each project in order to avoid unexpected events and ensure that timeframes and schedules are on track.
Mortenson was capable of reducing schedules by an average of 32 days with VDC. Source: Mortenson, The Value Of Virtual Design & Construction
Sustainability Planning
As construction companies work towards environmental sustainability issues, VDC can enable project teams to evaluate the efficiency of their energy use, carbon emissions, environmental impact, and many more. For instance, the issue of the greenhouse gasses that are embodied during construction is increasingly becoming a focus.
In the future, as renewable sources of energy and on-site storage of energy become more common, VDC can be used to evaluate different energy scenarios and to plan for grid flexibility. Innovative materials may also reduce carbon embodied, but it’s crucial to look at the effects they have on costs as well as equipment and labor requirements, which can be accomplished with higher levels of precision using VDC.
One of the most effective methods to reduce carbon embodied is to do so through adaptive reuse. In one case, it was found that the U.S. Department of Energy discovered that adaptive reuse reduced the carbon footprint by 33 percent. But, it could be expensive to retrofit buildings. With VDC, the considerations of adaptive reuse could be considered during the stage of construction and decrease what is required to make buildings repurposed later on.
Construction teams may run simulations to assess how removing or adding walls can affect the airflow and comfort of the occupants, decide if it is necessary to provide the space needed to accommodate future cabling or wiring, or consider a plan to increase the size of the charging capabilities of electric vehicles in the near future.
Virtual construction and design FAQs
What’s the difference between VDC and BIM?
BIM and VDC are often misunderstood as one. But there are distinct distinctions among the two. VDC could include BIM. However, it doesn’t need to.
While VDC is focused on determining the best method of delivering the construction project, which includes the cost and schedule, as well as managing risk, BIM tends to be more about constructing a digital model of a physical asset. The higher levels of BIM include the scheduling, cost, and lifecycle of the project; however, they do not contain the people and processes that are involved in a project. VDC does.
What Is a VDC Team?
Although VDC is a multidisciplinary platform for stakeholders, the composition of VDC teams can vary. Certain companies have an inside VDC person who’s responsible for creating VDC models and overseeing the different areas of a project. Other companies have an entire VDC team. Others continue to outsource VDC tasks to external consultants.
How Are Companies Using Virtual Design and Construction?
AEC companies utilize VDC in various ways. Stanford researchers believe it is the most effective tool for large-scale projects such as infrastructure or multi-building projects such as corporate campuses. However, as all construction projects are an intricate web of multidisciplinary teams, VDC can be utilized in any way that construction teams think of. VDC isn’t only useful for traditional construction methods. It’s also a great tool to implement lean construction techniques and prefabrication.
VDC tackles the biggest construction challenges
In the context of construction, which is looking at alternatives to outdated, disconnected conventional processes, VDC can help project teams work more efficiently. By incorporating the approach, the people, and the products into a unified model, AEC firms can address the most common risks prior to them, leading to expensive, time-consuming work. Also, dealing with big issues such as sustainability as well as safety and transparency becomes much simpler when all parties have access to interactive visualizations of the work at hand.