Automatic Construction Schedule Generation Method through BIM Model Creation

Building information modeling (BIM) has recently experienced rapid technological advancement and gained prevalence in the architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. BIM models contain valuable information on buildings to support four-dimensional (4D) modeling that involves the integration of three-dimensional (3D) building components and time as specified in the one-dimensional (1D) construction schedule. While 4D modeling has been proven to be useful in effective construction management, a critical challenge in current 4D modeling practice is the discrepancy between the element breakdown structure (EBS) of the BIM model and the work breakdown structure (WBS) of scheduling. This discrepancy leads to considerable time and effort being spent on matching and linking BIM model components and schedule activities. This paper presents a framework for automating the generation of construction schedules during the BIM model creation process. A matching and pairing mechanism between EBS and WBS was created to automate the matching and linking between BIM model elements and construction schedule activities. A prototype system was developed and tested to validate this framework. The proposed framework is expected to automatically generate detailed construction schedules during the development process of BIM models.