@phdthesis{Berhe,
  author    = {Berhe, Asgedom Haile},
  title     = {Mitigating Risks of Corruption in Construction: A theoretical rationale for BIM adoption in Ethiopia},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.4517},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20211007-45175},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  pages     = {336},
  abstract  = {This PhD thesis sets out to investigate the potentials of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to mitigate risks of corruption in the Ethiopian public construction sector. The wide-ranging capabilities and promises of BIM have led to the strong perception among researchers and practitioners that it is an indispensable technology. Consequently, it has become the frequent subject of science and research. Meanwhile, many countries, especially the developed ones, have committed themselves to applying the technology extensively. Increasing productivity is the most common and frequently cited reason for that. However, both technology developers and adopters are oblivious to the potentials of BIM in addressing critical challenges in the construction sector, such as corruption. This particularly would be significant in developing countries like Ethiopia, where its problems and effects are acute. Studies reveal that bribery and corruption have long pervaded the construction industry worldwide. The complex and fragmented nature of the sector provides an environment for corruption. The Ethiopian construction sector is not immune from this epidemic reality. In fact, it is regarded as one of the most vulnerable sectors owing to varying socio-economic and political factors. Since 2015, Ethiopia has started adopting BIM, yet without clear goals and strategies. As a result, the potential of BIM for combating concrete problems of the sector remains untapped. To this end, this dissertation does pioneering work by showing how collaboration and coordination features of the technology contribute to minimizing the opportunities for corruption. Tracing loopholes, otherwise, would remain complex and ineffective in the traditional documentation processes. Proceeding from this anticipation, this thesis brings up two primary questions: what are areas and risks of corruption in case of the Ethiopian public construction projects; and how could BIM be leveraged to mitigate these risks? To tackle these and other secondary questions, the research employs a mixed-method approach. The selected main research strategies are Survey, Grounded Theory (GT) and Archival Study. First, the author disseminates an online questionnaire among Ethiopian construction engineering professionals to pinpoint areas of vulnerability to corruption. 155 responses are compiled and scrutinized quantitatively. Then, a semi-structured in-depth interview is conducted with 20 senior professionals, primarily to comprehend opportunities for and risks of corruption in those identified highly vulnerable project stages and decision points. At the same time, open interviews (consultations) are held with 14 informants to be aware of state of the construction documentation, BIM and loopholes for corruption in the country. Consequently, these qualitative data are analyzed utilizing the principles of GT, heat/risk mapping and Social Network Analysis (SNA). The risk mapping assists the researcher in the course of prioritizing corruption risks; whilst through SNA, methodically, it is feasible to identify key actors/stakeholders in the corruption venture. Based on the generated research data, the author constructs a [substantive] grounded theory around the elements of corruption in the Ethiopian public construction sector. This theory, later, guides the subsequent strategic proposition of BIM. Finally, 85 public construction related cases are also analyzed systematically to substantiate and confirm previous findings. By ways of these multiple research endeavors that is based, first and foremost, on the triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data analysis, the author conveys a number of key findings. First, estimations, tender document preparation and evaluation, construction material as well as quality control and additional work orders are found to be the most vulnerable stages in the design, tendering and construction phases respectively. Second, middle management personnel of contractors and clients, aided by brokers, play most critical roles in corrupt transactions within the prevalent corruption network. Third, grand corruption persists in the sector, attributed to the fact that top management and higher officials entertain their overriding power, supported by the lack of project audits and accountability. Contrarily, individuals at operation level utilize intentional and unintentional 'errors' as an opportunity for corruption. In light of these findings, two conceptual BIM-based risk mitigation strategies are prescribed: active and passive automation of project audits; and the monitoring of project information throughout projects' value chain. These propositions are made in reliance on BIM's present dimensional capabilities and the promises of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). Moreover, BIM's synchronous potentials with other technologies such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and Radio Frequency technologies are topics which received a treatment. All these arguments form the basis for the main thesis of this dissertation, that BIM is able to mitigate corruption risks in the Ethiopian public construction sector. The discourse on the skepticisms about BIM that would stem from the complex nature of corruption and strategic as well as technological limitations of BIM is also illuminated and complemented by this work. Thus, the thesis uncovers possible research gaps and lays the foundation for further studies.},
  subject      = {Building Information Modeling},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Hollberg,
  author    = {Hollberg, Alexander},
  title     = {A parametric method for building design optimization based on Life Cycle Assessment},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.3800},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20180928-38000},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  pages     = {262},
  abstract  = {The building sector is responsible for a large share of human environmental impacts. Architects and planners are the key players for reducing the environmental impacts of buildings, as they define them to a large extent. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) allows for the holistic environmental analysis of a building. However, it is currently not employed to improve the environmental performance of buildings during the design process, although the potential for optimization is greatest there. One main reason is the lack of an adequate means of applying LCA in the architectural design process. As such, the main objective of this thesis is to develop a method for environmental building design optimization that is applicable in the design process. The key concept proposed in this thesis is to combine LCA with parametric design, because it proved to have a high potential for design optimization. The research approach includes the analysis of the characteristics of LCA for buildings and the architectural design stages to identify the research gap, the establishment of a requirement catalogue, the development of a method based on a digital, parametric model, and an evaluation of the method. An analysis of currently available approaches for LCA of buildings indicates that they are either holistic but very complex or simple but not holistic. Furthermore, none of them provide the opportunity for optimization in the architectural design process, which is the main research gap. The requirements derived from the analysis have been summarized in the form of a catalogue. This catalogue can be used to evaluate both existing approaches and potential methods developed in the future. In this thesis, it served as guideline for the development of the parametric method - Parametric Life Cycle Assessment (PLCA). The unique main feature of PLCA is that embodied and operational environmental impact are calculated together. In combination with the self-contained workflow of the method, this provides the basis for holistic, time-efficient environmental design optimization. The application of PLCA to three examples indicated that all established mandatory requirements are met. In all cases, environmental impact could be significantly reduced. In comparison to conventional approaches, PLCA was shown to be much more time-efficient. PLCA allows architects to focus on their main task of designing the building, and finally makes LCA practically useful as one of several criteria for design optimization. With PLCA, the building design can be time-efficiently optimized from the beginning of the most influential early design stages, which has not been possible until now. PLCA provides a good starting point for further research. In the future, it could be extended by integrating the social and economic aspects of sustainability.},
  subject      = {Bauentwurf},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Dang,
  author    = {Dang, Trang},
  title     = {Automated Detailing of 4D Schedules},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.2310},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20141006-23103},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  pages     = {120},
  abstract  = {The increasing success of BIM (Building Information Model) and the emergence of its implementation in 3D construction models have paved a way for improving scheduling process. The recent research on application of BIM in scheduling has focused on quantity take-off, duration estimation for individual trades, schedule visualization, and clash detection. Several experiments indicated that the lack of detailed planning causes about 30\% non-productive time and stacking of trades. However, detailed planning still has not been implemented in practice despite receiving a lot of interest from researchers. The reason is associated with the huge amount and complexity of input data. In order to create a detailed planning, it is time consuming to manually decompose activities, collect and calculate the detailed information in relevant. Moreover, the coordination of detailed activities requires much effort for dealing with their complex constraints. This dissertation aims to support the generation of detailed schedules from a rough schedule. It proposes a model for automated detailing of 4D schedules by integrating BIM, simulation and Pareto-based optimization.},
  subject      = {Simulation},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Tauscher2011,
  author    = {Tauscher, Eike},
  title     = {Vom Bauwerksinformationsmodell zur Terminplanung - Ein Modell zur Generierung von Bauablaufpl{\"a}nen},
  isbn      = {978-3-86068-452-8},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.1466},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20110927-15572},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  year      = {2011},
  abstract  = {Die effiziente und zielgerichtete Ausf{\"u}hrung von Bauvorhaben wird in hohem Maße von der zugrunde liegenden Bauablaufplanung beeinflusst. Dabei ist unter Verwendung herk{\"o}mmlicher Methoden und Modelle die Planung des Bauablaufs ein zumeist aufw{\"a}ndiger und fehlertr{\"a}chtiger Prozess. Am Ende der gegenw{\"a}rtig {\"u}blichen Vorgehensweise f{\"u}r die Planung eines Bauablaufs erfolgt lediglich die Dokumentation des Endergebnisses. M{\"o}gliche Ablaufalternativen, die im Verlauf der Planung betrachtet wurden, sind im resultierenden Bauablaufplan nicht enthalten und gehen verloren. Eine formale Kontrolle des geplanten Bauablaufs hinsichtlich seiner Vollst{\"a}ndigkeit ist nur begrenzt m{\"o}glich, da beispielsweise existierende Methoden der 4D-Visualisierung derzeit nicht ausreichend in den Prozess der Planung von Bauabl{\"a}ufen integriert sind. Gegenstand der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die Entwicklung eines neuen Modells f{\"u}r die Unterst{\"u}tzung der Bauablaufplanung. Daf{\"u}r wird der gr{\"o}ßtenteils manuelle Vorgang der Bauablaufplanung auf Basis verf{\"u}gbarer Bauwerksinformationsmodelle (BIM) weitestgehend automatisiert und die Methodik der 4D-Animation in den Prozess der Bauablaufplanung integriert. Ausgehend von in einer Erfahrungsdatenbank gespeicherten Informationen werden auf Basis einer {\"A}hnlichkeitsermittlung Bauteilen des betrachteten BIM geeignete Vorg{\"a}nge zugeordnet und mittels Algorithmen der Graphentheorie ein Workflowgraph aller m{\"o}g\-lichen Bauablaufvarianten generiert. Aufgrund der vorgenommenen Kopplung des Bauablaufplans mit Bauteilen eines BIM und der visuellen Darstellung des Bauablaufs kann vom Planer im Rahmen der Modellierungsgenauigkeit des BIM auf die Vollst{\"a}ndigkeit des Bauablaufplans geschlossen werden. Dies erm{\"o}glicht dem Anwender ein hohes Maß an Kontrolle des geplanten Bauablaufs bereits innerhalb der Planungsphase. Weiterhin unterst{\"u}tzt das entwickelte Modell die Integration von Ablaufvarianten, was deren Gegen{\"u}berstellung erm{\"o}glicht und die Wiederverwendbarkeit bereits geplanter Bauabl{\"a}ufe durch eine entsprechend ausgerichtete Abbildung des Modells. Die Anwendbarkeit des erarbeiteten Modells wird anhand einer prototypischen Implementierung nachgewiesen und anhand eines Praxisbeispiels verifiziert.},
  subject      = {Terminplanung},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Tulke2009,
  author    = {Tulke, Jan},
  title     = {Kollaborative Terminplanung auf Basis von Bauwerksinformationsmodellen},
  isbn      = {978-3-86068-416-0},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.1424},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20100805-15135},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  year      = {2009},
  abstract  = {Im Rahmen des sich derzeit vollziehenden Wandels von der segmentierten, zeichnungsorientierten zur integrierten, modellbasierten Arbeitsweise bei der Planung von Bauwerken und ihrer Erstellung werden Computermodelle nicht mehr nur f{\"u}r die physikalische Simulation des Bauwerksverhaltens, sondern auch zur Koordination zwischen den einzelnen Planungsdisziplinen und Projektbeteiligten genutzt. Die gemeinsame Erstellung und Nutzung dieses Modells zur virtuellen Abbildung des Bauwerks und seiner Erstellungsprozesse, das sog. Building Information Modeling (BIM), ist dabei zentraler Bestandteil der Planung. Die Integration der Terminplanung in diese Arbeitsweise erfolgt bisher jedoch nur unzureichend, meist lediglich in der Form einer nachgelagerten 4D-Simulation zur Kommunikation der Planungsergebnisse. Sie weist damit im Verh{\"a}ltnis zum entstehenden Zusatzaufwand einen zu geringen Nutzen f{\"u}r den Terminplaner auf. Gegenstand der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die tiefere Einbettung der Terminplanung in die modellbasierte Arbeitsweise. Auf Basis einer umfassende Analyse der Rahmenbedingungen und des Informationsbedarfs der Terminplanung werden Konzepte zur effizienten Wiederverwendung von im Modell gespeicherten Daten mit Hilfe einer Verkn{\"u}pfungssprache, zum umfassenden Datenaustausch auf Basis der Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) und f{\"u}r das {\"A}nderungsmanagement mittels einer Versionierung auf Objektebene entwickelt.Die f{\"u}r die modellbasierte Terminplanung relevanten Daten und ihre Beziehungen zueinander werden dabei formal beschrieben sowie die Kompatibilit{\"a}t ihrer Granularit{\"a}t durch eine Funktionalit{\"a}t zur Objektteilung sichergestellt. Zur zielgenauen Extraktion von Daten werden zudem Algorithmen f{\"u}r r{\"a}umliche Anfragen entwickelt. Die vorgestellten Konzepte und ihre Anwendbarkeit werden mittels einer umfangreichen Pilotimplementierung anhand von mehreren Praxisbeispielen demonstriert und somit deren praktische Relevanz und Nutzen nachgewiesen.},
  subject      = {Terminplanung},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Nour2006,
  author    = {Nour, Mohamed},
  title     = {A Flexible Model for Incorporating Construction Product Data into Building Information Models},
  doi       = {10.25643/bauhaus-universitaet.740},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:wim2-20060317-7781},
  school      = {Bauhaus-Universit{\"a}t Weimar},
  year      = {2006},
  abstract  = {When considering the integration and interoperability between AEC-FM software applications and construction products' data, it is essential to investigate the state-of-the-art and conduct an extensive review in the literature of both Building Information Models and electronic product catalogues. It was found that there are many reasons and key-barriers that hinder the developed solutions from being implemented. Among the reasons that are attributed to the failure of many previous research projects to achieve this integration aim are the proprietary developments of CAD vendors, the fragmented nature of construction product data i.e. commercial and technical data, the prefabrication versus on-site production, marketing strategies and brand-naming, the referencing of a product to the data of its constituents, availability of life-cycle data in a single point in time where it is needed all over the whole life-cycle of the product itself, taxonomy problems, the inability to extract search parameters from the building information model to participate in the conduction of parametric searches. Finally and most important is keeping the product data in the building information model consistent and up-to-date. Hence, it was found that there is a great potential for construction product data to be integrated to building information models by electronic means in a dynamic and extensible manner that prevents the model from getting obsolete. The study has managed to establish a solution concept that links continually updated and extensible life-cycle product data to a software independent building information model (IFC) all over the life span of the product itself. As a result, the solution concept has managed to reach a reliable building information model that is capable of overcoming the majority of the above mentioned barriers. In the meantime, the solution is capable of referencing, retrieving, updating, and merging product data at any point in time. A distributed network application that represents all the involved parties in the construction product value chain is simulated by real software tools to demonstrate the proof of concept of this research work.},
  subject      = {Produktinformation},
  language  = {en}
}