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Project cost estimating is an important part of construction project management. Traditionally, estimators use project drawings and specifications to create quantity takeoffs (QTO) and subsequently calculate sub/total costs based on their judgments and historical cost information.During the past decade, BIM practitioners in academia and industry have aimed to leverage BIM capabilities for cost estimating to overcome the current challenges. The result is BIM-enabled methods for QTO and cost estimation also known as Model-Based Estimating (MBEst). However, the effectiveness of MBEst has been limited mainly due to a lack of standard MBEst workflows and a lack of integration between design development and cost estimating processes. In response, the intent of this technical report is to make a comprehensive review of model-based QTO/estimating and to provide a standard method for BIM experts to adopt and implement MBEst.
This report is a product of a study led by Prof. Carrie Sturts Dossick, Director of the Center for Education and Research in Construction (CERC) and Faculty lead in the Communication Technology and Organizational Practices Research Group (CTOP) at the University of Washington and Assistant Professor Hyun Woo Lee in the Department of Construction Management. The research team included Alireza Borhani (Research Analyst, University of Washington), and Dr. Laura Osburn (CERC Research Scientist, University of Washington).
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This technical report presents a review of current Record Modeling practices in the building sector of the construction industry. Our Center for Education and Research in Construction (CERC) research team collected and reviewed Record Modeling specifications from large public and private institutional owners from across the U.S. These specification documents consisted of published Building Information Modeling (BIM) guidelines, contract specifications, and BIM Project Execution Planning documents. This report summarizes the results of our findings and online resources to Record Model BIM guides used for Design-Intent Record Models and As-built Construction Record Models.
This report is a product of a study led by Prof. Carrie Sturts Dossick, Director of the Center for Education and Research in Construction (CERC) and Faculty lead in the Communication Technology and Organizational Practices Research Group (CTOP) at the University of Washington. The research team included Bita Astaneh Asl (PhD, University of Washington), and Dr. Laura Osburn (CERC, University of Washington).
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This report features an applied research consortia project that analyzed the potential value of VR for operations staff training. To accomplish this task, the project team developed a Virtual Environment (VE) for the West Campus Utility Plant on the University of Washington’s Seattle campus. We used this VE to compare conventional switchgear training with VR switchgear training, observing an operator’s interactions and movement in VR and through a questionnaire. We report our findings and recommendations for future research.
This report is a product of a an applied research consortia project at the Center for Education and Research in Construction and Mortenson Construction. Project collaborators included Devarshi Patel (MA, University of Washington), Marc Kinsman (Mortenson), Ryan Trickett (Mortenson), John Baker (Mortenson), and Prof. Carrie Sturts Dossick, Director of the Center for Education and Research in Construction (CERC) and Faculty lead in the Communication Technology and Organizational Practices Research Group (CTOP) at the University of Washington.
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This report is the culmination of several years of research about collaboration with BIM and integrated design and construction teams, as well as a synthesis of best practices from Skanska professionals.
Our study focused on construction management and owner/developer perspectives; however, many of the collaborative techniques are relevant to all parties in an integrated project—those who lead teams as well as those who are on these teams. For collaboration to improve between designers and builders, it is important to help the team see the value of collaboration and the purpose for information exchange. When a project is risky, open communication through a collaborative culture drives clarity and certainty, where teams develop a better understanding of the project process at all levels.
We provide a series of guidelines and tested practices as to how to:
- collaborate effectively with owner representatives, designers, and contractors
- create a project team culture that supports information exchange
- lead an integrated project in the AEC industry
This guideline is a product of a study conducted with the support of a 2014-2015 Skanska Innovation Grant Award. This effort was led by Prof. Carrie Sturts Dossick, Director of the Center for Education and Research in Construction (CERC) and Faculty lead in the Communication Technology and Organizational Practices Research Group (CTOP) at the University of Washington. The research team included Omid Parsaei (MS, University of Washington), Dr. Laura Osburn (CERC, University of Washington) and Prof. Renee Cheng (University of Minnesota).
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The construction industry has long tried to improve the efficiency of its outcomes and maximize the value to owners by improving the team integration and applying manufacturing-oriented production philosophies. We studied a successful example of the recent approach to project delivery in the industry and interviewed key project participants to understand their working processes. This is a healthcare project on the west coast of the US which included a tenant improvement in an existing core and shell tower. An architecture and general contractor team delivered this project.
This report is divided into two main themes. First, we describe the project team’s integrative efforts as it relates to current Integrated Project Delivery industry trends. Then, we explain the value-adding activities in this project along with their applied tools and shows how collaboration facilitated maximization of the value to the client.
Finally, a summary of the key findings of this project are highlighted to be applied by the industry. Based on these findings, some of the key elements for establishing collaboration among the team members include the creation of an integrated team of project participants, the relationship development and open communication, and early involvement of all project parties (including users and subcontractors) into programming and design of the project. These principles resulted in the success of this project while combined with value-adding focus of the team through design optimization, pull-planning, and supply chain management.
Authors:
Rahman Azari
Carrie Dossick
Omar El-Anwar
Yong-Woo Kim