A simulation environment for construction site planning

This paper presents the design of a simulation environment for the modelling, visualisation and optimisation of construction site layouts. This construction site workspace application aims to support the site planning task by analysing space and risk on the site and generating automated site layouts which satisfy a combination of cost, efficiency and safety criteria. The construction site simulation environment forms part of an EU funded project called DIVERCITY (Distributed Virtual Workspace for enhancing Communication within the Construction Industry). This is concerned with the development of virtual simulation prototypes to support the client briefing, design review, and construction planning stages of the construction process. The site analysis module comprises a safety analysis component, a space analysis component, and an optimisation component. The safety analysis component is a generic model for the graphical and numerical representation of risk/hazard spaces. The space analysis component represents and classifies the various spaces on the construction site according to their relative importance in terms of accessibility and visibility. The optimisation component takes safety and space analysis information, and performs site layout optimisation according to travelling distance minimisation, risk minimisation, and space use maximisation criteria.