Integrated CAD and GIS–Based Framework to Support Construction Planning: Case Study

Abstract

The construction plan of a structure should not be developed in isolation—that is, without considering the structure’s surroundings. It is affected by or has an impact on existing facilities/utilities in the structure’s immediate and broader surroundings. The computer-aided design (CAD)–based planning tools used in the construction industry primarily consider the geometry of a structure to be developed. The effects of surroundings and existing facilities/utilities on a construction plan are considered manually by planners based on their judgments and past experience. The CAD-based planning tools help planners in developing an execution schedule, cost estimate, and four-dimensional (4D) simulation but lack in considering surroundings that include topography, spatial constraints, and elevation. Geographic information systems (GIS) are generally used to consider surroundings and existing facilities/utilities and to carry out various geospatial analyses; hence, an interactive and collaborative framework integrating CAD and GIS was developed in the present study. The major contribution includes the development of an integrated framework for the 4D modeling of an execution sequence along with its surroundings to support construction planning. The integrated framework brought multidisciplinary areas together to create an executable construction plan. The developed framework was used in the construction planning of a building constructed at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Hamirpur, India. The construction plan was finalized by keeping in view the spatial constraints and dependence of the proposed structure on the existing facilities/utilities.