Application of BIM and views on the

developing construction market in

China

Dr Wilson W.S. Lu, Ms. Yuhan Niu, Mr. Diandian Liu,

Mr. Leo Chen, and Ms. Meng Ye

Dept. of Real Estate and Construction,

Faculty of Architecture,

The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

2nd Dec 2015, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

CIC Innovation Award 2015

Technical Seminar, Zero Carbon Building, Hong

Kong, 20-May-2016

RFID in construction projects

Radio Frequency Identification

(RFID) is used in the construction

industry

• Tracking the materials

• Identifying workers, equipment,

and resources

• Safety

• Quality assurance

• Security

UHF RFID is used in the Hong Kong

Public Housing Project

for identifying prefabricated

components such as facade, staircases,

and bathroom

After concreting, a hand-held

RFID reader will be used to

scan the RFID tag.

• The status of prefabricated components

that is traced by RFID devices can be

imported to the building information

model.

• Different colours can indicate the

progress, e.g. being ordered,

manufactured, on-the-way, or installed.

• Contractor can review the construction

process in the virtual model.

RFID with other Information technologies

• Extensive manual work in scanning

• Undetected broken tags

• Large amount of time wasted for

searching and testing tags

• RFID is only for identification but

not sufficient for supporting decision-

making process.

Drawbacks of RFID

• i-Core with GPS/GSM modules

• Each i-Core carries an unique ID and basic information of the

prefabricated component.

• It senses and pushes the real-time location of prefabricated

component to the cloud management platform

• Synchronizing real-time status in the BIM model

• Display the status in an interactive map in a real-time fashion

i-Core application 1

Construction logistics and supply chain management

• Finalizing the encapsulation of i-Core

• Battery tests

• Outdoor locationning tests

i-Core application 1

Construction logistics and supply chain management

• i-Core with sensors, IMU,

GSM/Bluetooth modules

• Autonomous action-taking, remote

control

• Improving operation efficiency

• Reducing human errors and

alleviating labor shortage

i-Core application 2

Smart Tower Crane

Switch

i-Core

Manager/foreman’s

phone

GSM

modul

e

Feedback:

Done by on/Done by off

When i-Core is connected to an electricity switch, managers/foremen could use text messages to

remotely control the switch.

Command On/Off

i-Core application 3

Remote controlling site electricity switches

• Collaboration with Gammon

Construction Ltd.

• The prototype is being used in the

old Central Police Station (CPS)

renovation project.

i-Core application 3

Remote controlling site electricity switches

• i-Core with thermometer,

sensors, vibrator modules

• To be embedded in goggles,

masks, helmets or

machines and plants

i-Core application 4 - Real-time monitoring for

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)

• Real-time monitoring of temperature, heat

stress, detrimental dust, operating time of

machines etc.

• Prompt hazards reporting to improve

OHS management

i-Core application 4 - Real-time monitoring for

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)

i-Core application 5

Collecting data for construction plant

monitoring and management

i-Core-enabled customizable smart construction

Awareness - the ability to sense and

log the real-time condition

Autonomy - the ability to

alert people for actions or to

take autonomous actions

Communicativeness - the ability to

share information with managerial

personnel or other SCOs

From i-Core to Smart Construction Objects (SCO)

i-Core, the integrated chip, with customizable

modules to cater for different needs

Extensible …

GPS/GSM – location tracking

IMU/Gyroscope – motion sensing

Bluetooth – data exchange

WIFI – data exchange

Thermometer – temperature sensing

i-Core – the heart of construction

Thank you!

Q&ADr. Wilson W.S. Lu

Ms. Nina Y.H. Niu

Mr. Lavender D.D. Liu

Mr. Leo K. Chen

Ms. Megan M. Ye

Special thanks given to Gammon Construction Ltd. for providing the test bed and full

support in trail of i-Core prototype