Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted AN INTEGRATED DIGITAL TWIN FRAMEWORK AND EVACUATION SIMULATION SYSTEM FOR ENHANCED SAFETY IN SMART BUILDINGS(Western Michigan University, 2024-06-29) Almatared, Manea Mohammed S; Liu, HexuFire hazards in buildings continue to pose a substantial risk to human life and property safety despite declining deaths, injuries, and damages over the past decade. Consequently, fire safety management (FSM) is crucial to effectively preventing and controlling fire hazards. However, several challenges need to be addressed to ensure optimal FSM in buildings, such as the lack of effective integration of advanced technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, fire detection systems, and automated response mechanisms, the reliance on insufficient fire safety equipment (FSE) maintenance and a lack of operational skills among occupants. In particular, traditional manual methods of searching for information, such as using two-dimensional drawings and relying on paper documents, have become inefficient and costly as buildings have become larger and more complex. This leaves room for improvement in current FSM practices— specifically, high-efficiency evacuation- the best approach for minimizing mortality and property loss. Digital twin (DT) technologies have been widely used in other industries, such as manufacturing and transportation, to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance safety. However, the FSM sector has been a slow adopter of DT technology. This study investigated the adoption of DT technologies in the FSM sector. This research aims to explore the limitations, opportunities, and challenges associated with adopting DT technology in the FSM sector and further develop a DT-based FSM framework towards smart facility management (FM). This framework lets decision-makers obtain comprehensive information about the building's communication and safety systems. It can also enable the real time monitoring of FSE and provide predictive maintenance. Toward this objective, several DTs for FSM were first reviewed, including building information modeling (BIM), the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and augmented reality (AR). These technologies can be used to enhance the efficiency and safety of FSM in smart buildings. The framework was then synthesized based on the literature review, application requirements, and industry needs. A questionnaire survey was conducted for FM professionals to evaluate the framework and identify the challenges of adopting DT and the proposed framework in the FSM sector. The survey results identify the current state of DT technology in the FSM sector, provide insights into the perception of DT technology among FM practitioners, and validate its expected benefits and potential challenges. The main barriers to adopting DTs in FSM are a lack of knowledge about DTs, their initial costs, user acceptance, difficulties in systems integration and data management, education training costs, a lack of competence, development complexity, and data security. Furthermore, the research develops a building fire evacuation simulation system based on the validated framework, i.e., smart lighting. This system integrates the data from the BIM platform, Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS), and Agent-Based Simulation (ABS) platform for evacuation through customized developments. Real-time fire situation is transmitted to the evacuation simulation platform to assess the impact of dynamic fire spread on the evacuation of people. A model for optimizing evacuation route planning is designed to improve the utilization of each evacuation exit and provide a visualization of evacuation routes as smart lighting in Dynamo. This proposed system was validated by conducting a case study on three fire evacuation scenarios. An average of 20.9 % increases the evacuation efficiency in three scenarios. The main contributions of this research include (1) Developing a DT-based FSM framework for smart buildings, (2) Developing a fire emergency evacuation simulation system for buildings by integrating DT technologies, and 3) Achieving the integration and interoperability of BIM data, fire data, and evacuation data from different platforms.35 0Item Restricted Examining Efficiency of Building Information Modelling to Minimize Waste in Saudi Construction(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-08-14) Aladmawi, Tariq; Manege, SylvesterSaudi Arabia is currently undergoing rapid population and economic growth, which has spurred a heightened demand for construction projects to cater to housing, developmental, and social needs. These projects also serve to diversify the country's economy, moving beyond its primary export commodity. Nevertheless, the construction sector confronts a significant challenge in managing construction waste. With the surge in construction demand, ensuring quality and meeting client expectations becomes imperative. Thus, the adoption of practical technologies is being pursued to enhance productivity and promote sustainability in Saudi Arabia's construction industry. One such approach is Lean Construction (LC), rooted in Lean methodologies and thinking, which aims to minimize construction waste and uphold client values. LC leverages tools like Building Information Modeling (BIM) to enhance the functioning of building organizations. This paper examines the effectiveness of implementing BIM as a tool within Lean Construction to mitigate waste in Saudi Arabia's construction sector. By integrating this technology, the industry anticipates improved building quality and timely completion, alongside reduced construction waste facilitated by BIM's infrastructure. This study also addresses sectoral weaknesses by identifying prevailing industry barriers. Keywords: Lean Construction (LC), Building Information Modeling (BIM), Lean Thinking, Saudi Arabia (KSA), Barriers35 0Item Restricted EVALUATING BIM EXECUTION PLANNING ELEMENTS AND THEIR ALIGNMENT TO INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT STANDARDS(2022) Gadi, Moad; Messner, JohnBuilding Information Modelling (BIM) adoption continues to increase throughout the design and construction process. Planning for the implementation of BIM must be performed to achieve success, including defining responsibilities, performing coordination processes, and planning technologies to be implemented. A BIM Execution Plan (BEP) aids parties in the process of planning and managing a collaborative BIM process. There are already several standards developed for creating a BEP including the U.S. National BIM Standard and the ISO 19650 Part 2 standard. There are also well-developed BEP templates containing important information for supporting BIM implementation. Yet there remains a challenge of developing a current, standard list of elements that should be incorporated into a BEP at various stages of project procurement and delivery. This research focused on developing a core list of required and optional BEP content elements based upon a detailed review of existing publications and requirements documents along with focus group meetings with industry experts. An initial detailed content analysis was performed of 17 existing guideline and requirements documents. This was followed by detailed discussions with experts in the U.S. National BIM Standard BEP Workgroup to identify the elements that should be required in a BEP at various stages. Finally, these elements were mapped to the ISO 19650 Part 2 framework and additional elements were suggested based upon this analysis. The results of this research are a detailed analysis along with a categorical listing of specific items that are suggested to be incorporated into a U.S. BIM standard for BEPs. In total, 17 sections of the BEP are developed, 189 elements are identified, 105 elements are considered as new from the analysis and BEP WG discussions, and 84 elements were from the previous BEP version. These elements are further categorized as required or optional at three stages of project delivery, 1) the owner’s request for proposal template BEP, 2) the proposer’s response BEP, and 3) the collaborative Project BEP. At the end, 97 elements are categorized as required and 92 as optional for the collaborative Project BEP.17 0