One of the most common operations to any construction project is earthwork. In fact, most, if not all, construction projects begin with earthwork activities. These activities require heavy equipment, are generally quite costly and consume a considerable amount of time.
This research proposes and tests an integrated framework for bottom-up simulation of performance in construction projects. The proposed framework conceptualizes construction projects as systems-of-systems in which the abstraction and micro-simulation of dynamic behaviors are investigated at the base-level consisting of the following elements: human agents, information, and resources.
The offshore wind industry in Europe is looking to move further from shore and increase the size of wind parks and wind turbines. As of now marine logistics during the operation and maintenance life cycle phase is, besides wind turbine reliability, the most important limitation for wind turbine service, repair and replacement, and pose a large risk for wind park operators and owners.
Economic slowdown and construction demand shrinkage reduces the profit backlog for construction contractors and bites into their profit margin. The resulting fierce competition for jobs forces construction companies to look for more sophisticated analytical tools to analyze and improve their bidding strategies. For each contractor, bidding strategy is a decision-making process that is driven by the firm’s financial goals with the final objective of maximizing the firm’s gross profit and surpassing the breakeven point. This paper proposes a methodology to model and analyze different bidding strategies with hybrid agent based-system dynamics (ABSD) simulation.
When dealing with larger and more complex construction operations, which are more difficult to manage using traditional project management tools, computer simulation methods have shown to be effective in designing and analyzing construction processes, regardless of the complexity or size. A simulation model can be built to describe the construction activities of a scope of work ranging from large, complex industrial projects to a simple room of a small building. Using simulation, engineers can test out different construction scenarios, estimate resource utilization and find bottlenecks, and forecast time and cost requirements without having to go to site.
The solution to the problem of electricity supply shortage in remote regions of Lebanon is described in detail using a discrete-event simulation model of a constructinon process developed in AnyLogic. The work illustrates the different construction stages from rough grading, access roads construction, foundation and electrical works, to wind tower assembly and erection. The whole process is then optimized to mainly minimize the project duration.
Although research into simulation of construction continues to advance and thrive in the academic world, application of simulation in the construction industry remains limited. Stakeholders on construction projects have yet to adopt simulation as their default tool of choice for managing large complex projects, instead of traditional techniques, which are often inadequate. This paper describes the building of an asphalt paving simulator, as an example of the rigor and effort required in developing construction simulation models, and then briefly describes an alternative model building method currently being researched which may potentially make it easier and faster for stakeholders to quickly build construction simulation models.