Enhanced Automated Quantity Take-Off in Building Information Modeling Enhanced automated quantity take-off in building information modeling

Document Type : Article

Authors

1 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Utah, Utah, USA

2 - School of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran - Tecnosa R and D Centre, School of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, P.O. Box 1417613131, Iran

3 Tecnosa R and D Centre, School of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, P.O. Box: 1417613131, Iran

Abstract

Material quantity take-off is a necessary factor in estimating the cost of construction projects; accordingly, fast and precise estimations would better facilitate the overall construction process. In recent years, several Building Information Modeling (BIM) based applications (e.g., Autodesk Revit, Tekla Structure, Autodesk Navisworks Manage, and Solibri Model Checker) have emerged to assist in performing quantity take-off. Quantity take-off measurement using these applications is accurate when the elements length multiplies with their precise section area. Still, the process encounters errors when using element volumes or Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). In this study, the authors examined the embedded quantity take-off feature of these applications for sample steel and reinforced concrete structure and provided precautions in employing BIM properties. Consequently, an automated approach has been applied to facilitate an accurate quantity take-off by using an Application Program Interface (API) extracting information from a Navisworks model as well as database management systems. A case study is subsequently presented to demonstrate and validate the proposed methodology.

Keywords


References:
[1] Matipa, W.M., Kelliher, D. and Keane, M. “How a quantity surveyor can ease cost management at the design stage using a building product model.” Construction Innovation, 8(3), pp.164-181 (2008). DOI: 10.1108/14714170810888949.
[2] Zhiliang, M., Zhenhua, W., Wu, S. and et al. “Application and extension of the IFC standard in construction cost estimating for tendering in China.” Automation in Construction, 20(2), pp.196-204 (2011). DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2010.09.017.
[4] Chen, S.M., Chen, P.H. and Chang, L.M. “A framework for an automated and integrated project scheduling and management system.” Automation in Construction, 35, pp.89-110 (2013). DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2013.04.002.
[5] Arayici, Y., Coates, P., Koskela, L., and et al. “BIM adoption and implementation for architectural practices.” A structural survey, 29(1), pp.7-25 (2011). DOI: 10.1108/02630801111118377.
[7] Lee, G., Sacks, R. and Eastman, C.M. “Specifying parametric building object behavior (BOB) for a building information modeling system.” Automation in construction, 15(6), pp.758-776 (2006). DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2005.09.009.
[8] Nadeem, A., Wong, A. K. D., Akhanova, G., and et al. “Application of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Site Management—Material and Progress Control.” In Proceedings of the 21st International Symposium on Advancement of Construction Management and Real Estate, pp. 289-297 (2018). Springer, Singapore. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-10-6190-5_26.
[9] Taghaddos, H., Mashayekhi, A. and Sherafat, B. “Automation of Construction Quantity Take-Off: Using Building Information Modeling (BIM).” In Construction Research Congress 2016, San Juan, Puerto Rico, pp. 2218-2227, (2016). DOI: 10.1061/9780784479827.221.
[10] Bellido-Montesinos, P., Lozano-Galant, F., Castilla, F.J. and et al. "Experiences learned from an international BIM contest: Software use and information workflow analysis to be published in Journal of Building Engineering." Journal of Building Engineering, 21, pp. 149-157 (2019).  149-157. DOI: 10.1016/j.jobe.2018.10.012.
[11] Bryde, D., Broquetas, M. and Volm, J.M. “The project benefits of building information modeling (BIM).” International Journal of Project Management, 31(7), pp.971-980 (2013). DOI: 10.1016/j.ijproman.2012.12.001.
[12] Sacks, R., Eastman, C.M. and Lee, G. “Parametric 3D modeling in building construction with examples from precast concrete.” Automation in construction, 13(3), pp.291-312 (2004). DOI: 10.1016/S0926-5805(03)00043-8.
[13] Bosch-Sijtsema, P.M., Gluch, P. and Sezer, A.A. "Professional development of the BIM actor role." Automation in Construction, 97, pp. 44-51 (2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2018.10.024.
[14] Fountain, J. and Langar, S. "Building Information Modeling (BIM) outsourcing among general contractors." Automation in Construction, 95, pp. 107-117 (2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2018.06.009.
[15] Marini, M., Mastino, C.C., Baccoli, R. and et al. "BIM AND PLANT SYSTEMS: A SPECIFIC ASSESSMENT." Energy Procedia, 148, pp.623-630 (2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.egypro.2018.08.150.
[16] Marmo, R., Polverino, F., Nicolella, M., and et al. “Building performance and maintenance information model based on IFC schema.” Automation in Construction, 118, 103275 (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2020.103275.
[17] Simeone, D., Cursi, S. and Acierno, M. "BIM semantic-enrichment for built heritage representation." Automation in Construction, 97, pp. 122-137 (2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2018.11.004.
[18] Scherer, R.J. and Katranuschkov, P. "BIMification: How to create and use BIM for retrofitting." Advanced Engineering Informatics 38, 54-66 (2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.aei.2018.05.007.
[19] Xiang, Z., Rashidi, A., and Ou, G. G. “States of Practice and Research on Applying GPR Technology for Labeling and Scanning Constructed Facilities.” Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities, 33(5), 03119001 (2019). DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0001313.
[20] Song, S., & Marks, E. “Construction Site Path Planning Optimization through BIM.” In Computing in Civil Engineering 2019: Visualization, Information Modeling, and Simulation, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, pp. 369-376 (2019). DOI: 10.1061/9780784482421.047.
[21] Sherafat, B., Rashidi, A., Lee, Y. C., and et al. “Automated Activity Recognition of Construction Equipment Using a Data Fusion Approach.” In Computing in Civil Engineering 2019: Data, Sensing, and Analytics, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, pp. 1-8 (2019a). DOI: 10.1061/9780784482438.001.
[22] Sherafat, B., Rashidi, A., Lee, Y-C., and et al. “A Hybrid Kinematic-Acoustic System for Automated Activity Detection of Construction Equipment.” Sensors, 19(19), p. 4286 (2019b). DOI: 10.3390/s19194286.
[23] Mohsenijam, A. and Lu, M. “Framework for developing labour-hour prediction models from project design features: case study in structural steel fabrication.” Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 46(10), pp.871-880 (2019). DOI: 10.1139/cjce-2018-0349.
[24] Shahnavaz, F., Taghaddos, H., Najafabadi, R.S. and et al. “Multi crane lift simulation using Building Information Modeling.” Automation in Construction, 118, p.103305 (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2020.103305.
[25] Liu, H., Lei, Z., Li, H. and et al. “An automatic scheduling approach: building information modeling-based on-site scheduling for panelized construction.” In Proceedings of the Construction Research Congress, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, pp. 1666-1675, (2014). DOI: 10.1061/9780784413517.170.
[26] Khosakitchalert, C., Yabuki, N., and Fukuda, T. “Automated modification of compound elements for accurate BIM-based quantity takeoff.” Automation in Construction, 113, 103142 (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2020.103142.
[27] Fazeli, A., Dashti, M. S., Jalaei, F., and et al. “An integrated BIM-based approach for cost estimation in construction projects.” Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, (2020). DOI: 10.1108/ECAM-01-2020-0027.
[28] Sampaio, A. Z., Antunes, B. G., and de Almeida, N. M. “Quantity Take-Off Process Supported by Building Information Modeling (BIM) Methodology.” In Sustainability and Automation in Smart Constructions, Springer, Cham, pp. 21-28 (2021). DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-35533-3_4.
[29] Piaskowski, A., and Svidt, K. “Automating BIM Objects Quantity Take-Off for Lifecycle Costing of Cleaning Operations.” In International Conference on Computing in Civil and Building Engineering, Springer, Cham, pp. 683-696 (2020). DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-51295-8_48.
[30] Wijayakumar, M. and Jayasena, H.S., “Automation of BIM quantity take-off to suit QS’s requirements.” In The second world construction symposium, socio-economic sustainability in construction, Colombo,  Sri  Lanka, pp. 14-15 (2013). Retrieved from http://www.irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB_DC26702.pdf.
[31] Shafaghat, E., Taghaddos, H., Sherafat, B. “Investigating the Precision of Quantity Take-off in BIM Applications.” Civil Engineering Sharif Journal. Volume 34.2, Issue 4.1, pp. 145-152 (2019). DOI: 10.24200/j30.2019.1437.
[32] Whang, S. W., and Park, S. M. “Building Information Modeling (BIM) for Project Value: Quantity Take-Off of Building Frame Approach.” International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, 11(12), pp. 7749-7757 (2016). DOI: 10.13189/ujm.2015.030905.
[33] Liu, H., Lu, M., and Al-Hussein, M. “Ontology-based semantic approach for construction-oriented quantity take-off from BIM models in the light-frame building industry.” Advanced Engineering Informatics, 30(2), pp. 190-207 (2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.aei.2016.03.001.
[34] Akanbi, T., and Zhang, J. “Automated Design Information Extraction from Construction Specifications to Support Wood Construction Cost Estimation.” In Construction Research Congress 2020: Project Management and Controls, Materials, and Contracts, Reston, VA, USA, pp. 658-666 (2020). DOI: 10.1061/9780784482889.069.
[35] Alwisy, A., Bu Hamdan, S., Barkokebas, B., Bouferguene, A., and Al-Hussein, M. “A BIM-based automation of design and drafting for manufacturing of wood panels for modular residential buildings.” International Journal of Construction Management, 1-19 (2018). DOI: 10.1080/15623599.2017.1411458.