Construction workspace planning: assignment and analysis utilizing 4D visualization technologies 

This article describes a construction activity execution space analysis approach and a decision support tool for resolving execution space interference and conflict between work-face construction activities. Lack of execution space planning interrupt and badly affect the progress of construction activities. Also, in real situations, spatial congestion can severely reduce the productivity of workers sharing the same workspace, and may cause health and safety hazard issues. The aim of this article is to present a critical space-time analysis (CSA) approach that was developed to model and quantify workspace congestion and was encapsulated in a computerized tool dubbed PECASO (patterns execution and critical analysis of site-space organization) that was developed to assist site managers in the assignment and identification of workspace conflicts. A new concept of "visualizing workspace competition" between the construction activities is presented based on a unique representation of the dynamic nature of activities within the execution workspace, in 3D space and time. PECASO embraces 4D visualization and highlights the critical space control aspect to formulate an innovative 4D space planning and visualization tool. The CSA methodology and PECASO were validated using a real case study and the article concludes that the PECASO system has the potential to reduce the number of competing workspaces, as well as the conflicting volume/space between occupied workspaces. This in turn produces better assessment of the execution strategy for a given project schedule. Additionally, the PECASO system has introduced a new way of communicating the program of work in a high level of detail for space planning purposes.