Prefabricated construction enabled by the Internet-of-Things

Abstract

Prefabricated construction has been used for public rental housing in Hong Kong. In order to speed up housing delivery, Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) have employed advanced technologies, including Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), in some of their pilot prefabrication-based construction projects. However, the information obtained from BIM and RFID is not well connected and shared among relevant stakeholders. This paper introduces a multi-dimensional Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled BIM platform (MITBIMP) to achieve real-time visibility and traceability in prefabricated construction. Design considerations of a RFID Gateway Operating System, visibility and traceability tools, Data Source Interoperability Services, and decision support services are specified for developing the MITBIMP. A case study from a real-life construction project in Hong Kong is used as a pilot project to demonstrate advanced decision-making by using cutting-edge concepts and technologies within the MITBIMP to providing a basis for real-time visibility and traceability of the whole processes of prefabrication-based construction.