Demonstrating hybrid concrete construction performance through virtual simulation - A case study approach

The construction industry continues to face the challenge of meeting up with performance targets such as time and cost based on clients’ requirements. Hybrid concrete construction (i.e. the combination of precast and in-situ concrete and other materials) offers the construction industry stakeholders a wide range of benefits. Depending on the appropriate selection of structural materials, the method enshrines an efficient cost and time saving regime in the implementation of construction projects. However, the need to assess these performance benefits prior to (and as a basis for planning) the construction phase of the project is paramount. A methodology of demonstrating performance through the virtual simulation of the key performance indicators of time and cost as a basis for adopting hybrid construction is hereby presented. A typical steel-frame construction project was used as a case study in which the salient aspects of the design, programme/ construction method and progress were captured on–site. Data collated were used to simulate the development in real-time using the prototype of the VR model virtual reality model. Future work entails the generation of alternative hybrid construction schemes and comparing the performance of these against the steel frame alternative.