TY - GEN
T1 - The Cost-Effectiveness of Integrating Digital Fabrication for Concrete Formworks
AU - Fardhosseini, Mohammad Sadra
AU - Karji, Ali
AU - Dossick, Carrie Sturts
AU - Lee, Hyun Woo
AU - Jebelli, Houtan
AU - Beatty, Sean
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported, in part, by the Turner Construction Company through the ARC (Applied Research Consortia) Program at the University of Washington (UW). The authors thank Turner personnel, specifically, Renzo di Furia, Joshua Lohr, and Matt Johnsen involved in the study for their interest and input. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Turner or UW.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Digital fabrication has significant potential to support concrete formwork in the construction industry. While previous studies have been done on digital fabrication in construction, few empirical investigations have taken into account the cost-effectiveness of digital fabrication, which is a crucial factor. Currently, the percevied high initial cost of digital fabrication equipment makes companies reluctant to change their traditional approach. To address this knowledge gap, this study aims to determine the financial benefits of using digital technology in fabrication. Specifically, the study focuses on the use of a computer-numerical controlled (CNC) machine that can be used to automate formwork fabrication. To examine the cost-effectiveness of using a CNC machine for concrete formworks, a case study was carried out based on the prefabrication of edge formwork for a 26-story post-tensioned, cast-in-place structure. The study results indicate that the use of a CNC machine for formwork fabrication could help substantially improve labor productivity, fabrication quality, and worker safety, each of which led to a significant cost saving in the project. The study results provide evidence of the advantages of digital fabricatoin over the traditional approach and support project teams to make informed decisions when implementing digital fabrication.
AB - Digital fabrication has significant potential to support concrete formwork in the construction industry. While previous studies have been done on digital fabrication in construction, few empirical investigations have taken into account the cost-effectiveness of digital fabrication, which is a crucial factor. Currently, the percevied high initial cost of digital fabrication equipment makes companies reluctant to change their traditional approach. To address this knowledge gap, this study aims to determine the financial benefits of using digital technology in fabrication. Specifically, the study focuses on the use of a computer-numerical controlled (CNC) machine that can be used to automate formwork fabrication. To examine the cost-effectiveness of using a CNC machine for concrete formworks, a case study was carried out based on the prefabrication of edge formwork for a 26-story post-tensioned, cast-in-place structure. The study results indicate that the use of a CNC machine for formwork fabrication could help substantially improve labor productivity, fabrication quality, and worker safety, each of which led to a significant cost saving in the project. The study results provide evidence of the advantages of digital fabricatoin over the traditional approach and support project teams to make informed decisions when implementing digital fabrication.
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M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85096786703
T3 - Construction Research Congress 2020: Computer Applications - Selected Papers from the Construction Research Congress 2020
SP - 1077
EP - 1086
BT - Construction Research Congress 2020
A2 - Tang, Pingbo
A2 - Grau, David
A2 - El Asmar, Mounir
PB - American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
T2 - Construction Research Congress 2020: Computer Applications
Y2 - 8 March 2020 through 10 March 2020
ER -