Constructability Review is a process of identifying and mitigating possible project implementation failures at the design stage. It can be done through the traditional review and computer-based review.
It serves as quality control and quality assurance measure at the pre-construction, construction, and post-construction stages of a project. It serves as a preventive project implementation catalyst at all stages of the project management life cycle as it makes the construction, fabrication, installation, or production processes comply with quality at design and implementation phases, and its impact is beneficial at maintenance and product life-cycle.
Process flow of constructability study involves –
- Review design deliverables for constructability.
- Re-design deliverables.
- Validate deliverables for implementation.
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Various parties in constructability review are involved in the design phase to summarily achieve the following:
Architects – construction considerations on project architectural performance.
Builders – performance of materials, construction methodology, and equipment.
Project Manager – project delivery performance, project integration, and smooth project review coordination.
Risk, Health, Safety and Environment Engineers –project risks, safety, and environmental considerations.
Civil (Structural and Geotechnical) Engineers –construction performance on stability, strength, and support.
Engineering (MEP) Services Engineers – constructability performance of engineering services.
Quantity Surveyors – construction cost performance and bringing their design into life within project budget and contract terms and conditions.
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All specialist disciplines experts contribute to constructability review with the intent of eradicating project implementation failures and archiving functionality, adequacy, reliability, availability, and securability.
HOW? Each discipline expert makes use of design review checklists to study the design deliverables such as drawings and models, specifications, bill of quantities, and preliminary reports in delivering the constructability review report. A design integration phase comes in place when the deliverables of each discipline are applied in checking how the package affects the actualization of other discipline packages. This applies in all forms of project implementation types, whether – construction, installation, or manufacturing.
WHAT IS NEEDED?
- Design deliverables from various disciplines.
- Design review checklists for various disciplines.
- Experts for review of various disciplines.
- High-performance software solutions for model-based review.
- Constructability review reports for re-designing and validating designs.
BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING (BIM) goes a long way to simplify the process of constructability review engineering and project review applications.
Autodesk Design Review, Revit, and Navisworks Manage are good for model-based physical model checks such as checks for tolerances, interference checks, alignments, analytical model checks, etc. Models can be exported to interoperable applications for static and dynamic stability checks.
Virtual inspections are carried out via visualization tools. Inspections like clash detection help in multidisciplinary project integration. Structural elements, architectural elements, and engineering services components are checked against each other, and clashes are detected and resolved virtually before the actual implementation of the project.
COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING (CAE) contributes immensely in reviewing projects in relation to engineering-based parameters that can result in project implementation failures. Code-based engineering reliability checks, testing of products as per standards, and codes eradicate project implementation delays due to design alterations arriving from unforeseen errors. Simulations can be carried out as a virtual construction measure that allows for experiencing the project before it comes into life. This process is called engineering prototyping, and it serves as a constructability review solution.
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Contact solvers detect surface friction and help designers on making decisions on allowances for tolerances. Assembly tests that determine the compatibility of parts or components such as frames analysis and static part analysis such as the center of gravity; driving of movable parts for motion coordination termed dynamic analysis helps in reducing construction risks, errors, and cost during implementation. Autodesk Fabrication, Robot Structural Analysis, and Inventor are good fabrication and installation solutions for review engineering prototyping.
COMPUTER-AIDED MANUFACTURING (CAM) uses high technology solutions in automating manufacturing or production process. These solutions can be pre-programed, checked, and debugged for use in robotic manufacturing processes. Constructability reviews become demystified in high-performance embedded computational means and help the reviews to test processes in design model forms to detect all possible gaps and remove those gaps before the commencement of actual production. Autodesk Feature CAM and Fusion 360 are good model-based review solutions for CAM.
CONCLUSION: Constructability studies involve so much, but this much can be achieved by cutting review time tremendously using BIM, CAE, and CAM applications for design with the input of the right professionals. Alterations, omissions, errors, wastes, discrepancies, operational risks, and delays associated with project implementation are reduced to ‘As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP).
At Safety Consultants and Solution Providers Limited, we provide the benchmark for excellence in the provision of security and safety services to critical national infrastructure, industrial facilities, critical assets, government departments, and private sector organizations in general. Through best practice guides, we deliver innovative and quality engineering design solutions we deliver optimum levels of life safety, process safety, and environmental protection.
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Author: William Nwoagu
Safety & Security Systems Engineering Manager
Safety Consultants and Solution Providers Limited
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