CONSTRUCTION SITE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT
Ambawrish Pati 1
1
MBEM, 1st Year (Enrolment No.: SPA/NS/BEM/731), Department of Building Engineering
& Management, School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi, India
Abstract:
Managing the work space, material traffic, human traffic & other pre-construction site
planning related issues are the crucial tasks for managing a construction project. Poor usage
of space & site is one of the leading causes of decreased productivity. Nowadays project
managers need a proactive approach to manage the work spaces on the construction sites. The
current state-of-the-art shows that project managers are managing the work spaces from their
past experiences, ad-hoc rules etc. which may lead to inefficiency. This study is aimed to
analyse the prevalent strategies of construction space management at site & to find a
comprehensive solution for the same.
Key Words:
Construction space planning, activity execution workspace (AEW), Dynamic Site Layout
Planning (DSLP), Genetic Algorithm
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Overview
Planning & managing the construction site layout for proper work space, material & people
movement has a direct impact on the construction cost, time, productivity, safety & the project
as whole. It consists of strategically positioning various construction related activities &
resources such as project office, material storage, equipment, parking etc. & also planning the
site movement for people & material of different nature & usage. Construction activities are
generally performed by multiple stakeholders, which require at any point of time, different
work spaces for labourers, equipment, material storage, support infrastructure etc. This work
space is sometimes referred to as Activity Execution Workspace (AEW) (Armor R. et al.,
2011). Current construction management techniques or tools like Gantt Charts, Precedence
Diagram Method, CPM etc. have been proved to be not suitable to handle the work space
management, hence the project managers require a structured approach & tool to analyse,
control & monitor work space & its conflict (Dawood, Mallasi et al., 2006). Like any other
construction resources, the space requirement & site movement changes with time or schedule
of work. So, with time & schedule the site organisation may need to be efficiently re-organised
to satisfy the upcoming requirement.
1.2. Problem Statement
Despite having some existing technique to handle the site organisation & work space
management, there are a number of limitations. Space management conflicts are the causes of
productivity loss in construction industry (Ahuja & Nandakumar, 1984; Kuntz, 1994; Oglesby
et al., 1989; Rad, 1980; Sanders et al., 1989). As per Sanders et al. (1989) efficiency of
construction projects can suffer a loss of up-to 65% due to poor work space management & up-
to 58% due to restricted access. Howell et al. (1993) suggested to reduce the shared resources,
such as work spaces as the initial step for improved efficiency. Many solutions have been
developed to address those limitations. Some of the noted tools or systems are listed below.
A. Dynamic Site Layout Planning (DSLP)
B. Construction Logistics Planning Model (CLP)
C. Congested Construction Logistics Planning Model (C2LP)
D. Multi-Objective Construction Logistics Optimization System
E. Construction Site Security Planning Model
F. nD Planning Approach & Tool
G. Genetic Algorithm
H. Chronographical Modelling Concept
1.3. Aim
From the above discussion it is clear that the present situation of construction site planning
& logistics planning is not very efficient. The aim of this study is to strengthen or optimise the
construction space or site planning techniques. The aims can be listed as following.
A. Ensure optimisation of site layout planning.
B. Find a proper integration system between material flow at site & their storage or handling.
C. Optimise use of internal building space for the betterment of site layout planning.
D. Looking for some automated dynamic tool for proper integration & processing of site data
in order to formulate optimal site logistics.
E. Taking care of the construction site safety in combination with site layout planning.
1.4. Research Objectives & Research Questions
The primary goal of this study is to analyse the existing models & systems that enable
optimisation of site layout & material logistics planning during construction in order to develop
a comprehensive strategy in the field of construction space management & construction
logistics. The objectives are broken down into the following points along with their relevant
research questions.
A. Research Objective
To study the models of Dynamic Site Layout Planning (DSLP) in order to reduce inefficiency
in site layout decisions. For this purpose, studying the dynamic nature of various construction
environments & facilities is a key aspect. Dynamically changing the site organisation can
minimise the wastage of various resources.
B. Research Questions
i. What are the deciding factors of dynamic site layout planning (DSLP) & what are their
impact on the cost of construction & relocation of facilities?
ii. How to quantify the relocation cost of temporary facilities?
iii. What are the constraints of dynamic site layout planning (DSLP)?
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Dynamic Site Layout Planning (DSLP)
As per Hisham Mohamed Mahmoud Said, 2010 This model is aimed to develop optimal
decisions in every construction stages considering the future impact on the layout quality of
subsequent stages.
This model works in three different stages mainly.
C. Problem formulation & assumptions:
In DSPL framework all the resources & establishments are categorised into three types of
facilities.
i. Fixed facilities: Those with predetermined fixed positions on site such as the
constructed building and site access. Planners do not need to select the locations of
these facilities as their positions and dimensions are predetermined and can be
extracted from the construction drawings.
ii. Stationary facilities: Temporary facilities that planners need to determine their
positions only once such as tower cranes and batch plants. These facilities are not
allowed to be repositioned on site in later project stages due to the significant time,
cost, and/or effort required to relocate them.
iii. Moveable facilities: temporary construction facilities that can be relocated at the
start of any of the identified project stages. Examples of moveable facilities include
site offices, testing laboratories, storage areas, fabrication areas, and rest areas. A
moveable facility can be relocated in cases where there is newly freed space that is
better than its currently occupied spot, or if other new facilities have a greater need
for its current location.
D. Identifying decision variables or parameters:
Along with all the resources or facilities all the variables or parameters that are likely to
influence the site planning requirement are also considered. Such variables are - travel cost,
relocation time, relocation cost, number of construction stages, travel cost, orientation angle of
various facilities etc.
E. Formulation of genetic algorithm:
This is an evolutionary-based optimisation model, capable of optimizing the dynamic site
layout planning using genetic algorithm (Deb et al. 2001). It mimics the metaphor of natural
biological evolution by using a set of genetic operators (selection, crossover and mutation) to
search for global optimum solutions of complex problems.
2.2. Future Significance
The outcome of this study are expected to have the following contributions in the field of
construction management.
A. Impact on Construction Site Planning
Proper use of construction logistics planning can overcome the inefficiencies of the prevalent
models to produce optimal plans for safer & more efficient construction sites (Zouein &
Tommein, 1999).
B. Impact on Material Management
Proper coordination between material procurement & site storage management can
significantly reduce construction cost, delay & wastage of other construction resources
(Vrijhoef & Koskela, 2000).
C. Impact on Construction Productivity
A sound site layout planning & logistics planning can ensure a greatly improved productivity
by reducing the non-productive hours & also minimising the wastage of various resources.
Simultaneously it helps in using the resources efficiently (Tam et al. 2001)
D. Impact on Security
Multi-objective optimisation framework can help reduce the construction site risks by
addressing them at the very first stage of site layout planning & logistic planning, thus increase
the construction site security or safety.
E. Impact on Construction Conflict
A proper management of procurement & storage or site management planning can reduce the
chance of conflict between construction personnel & the suppliers. This will directly or
indirectly reduce the uncertainty as well as delay.
3. PROPOSED METHODOLOGY
To achieve the previously mentioned objectives, this research work has been organised
into following major tasks.
A. A comprehensive literature review of the related research or studies.
B. Analysing the present tools or system to control construction site space management.
C. Studying case example(s).
D. Formulate a new comprehensive tools or system for construction space management.
4. CONCLUSION
As discussed already the significance of an efficient site planning or layout is very crucial in a
construction project. Without an optimal & sensitive site planning there may be some serious
problem of cost & time over run due to disturbed productivity. To prevent this kind of problem
proper measure & tools should be used to ensure an efficient site layout & logistics planning.
5. REFERENCES
A. Hisham Mohamed Mahmoud Said (2010). Optimizing Site Layout and Material Logistics
Planning During the Construction of Critical Infrastructure Projects
B. Amor R. (2012). Construction Workspace Management: The Development and
Application of a Novel nD Planning Approach and Tool
C. Hyoun-Seung Jang (2004). Genetic Algorithm for Construction Space Management
D. Adel Franci, Erwan Le Meur, Edmond Miresco (2018). Space Planning of Material Flow
for Building Projects: The Chronographical Modelling Concept
