Organizing Constructability Knowledge for Design

Abstract

Construction contractors have significant constructability expertise to contribute to the design process of projects. To utilize this expertise most effectively, the right information must be made available to the design team at the proper point in time and at the appropriate level of detail. Current methods for utilizing construction knowledge in design have made significant advances to improving projects. However, they are typically rudimentary: unstructured, not very efficient, and rely heavily on reviews. Organizing constructability information according to its use in the design process will allow project teams to take the best advantage of the construction expertise. This paper introduces a model for organizing constructability information based on timing and levels of detail. The model differs from current approaches because of this focus. How the model was developed is described. It is tested on six case study projects to assess applicability on different projects. An illustrative example is provided using a detailed case study of the Pentagon renovation project to show how the model can be used as a metric to guide constructability input during design.