Integrating RFID and BIM technologies for mitigating risks and improving schedule performance of prefabricated house construction

With its generally recognized benefits of clean and safe working environment and good quality, prefabricated house construction (PHC) as a solution is gaining momentum in the face of various housing challenges in Hong Kong's construction industry. Although prefabrication has its own benefits, its fundamental disadvantages of fragmentation, discontinuity, poor interoperability, and scarce real-time information availability have imposed significant adverse influence on the schedule performance of prefabricated house construction. As a result, despite the promise of the government to provide sufficient houses and harmonious housing, schedule delay problems still frequently beset the industry of PHC. To help address schedule delay problems encountered in the construction of prefabrication housing, this research first identified and analysed critical schedule risk factors that may have significant influence on the schedule performance of PHC. Based on the identified schedule risks, the challenges and corresponding required functions for enhancing schedule performance are determined. Then, a radio frequency identification device (RFID)-enabled BIM platform that integrates various involved stakeholders, information/data flow, offshore prefabrication procedures, and state-of-the-art construction technologies, is developed to handle the critical schedule factors. Smart construction objects and RFID-enabled smart gateway work collaboratively to ease operations within the three echelons of prefabrication manufacturing, logistics and on-site assembly construction, while real-time captured data are used to form a closed-loop visibility and traceability mode in which different end users can supervise the construction statuses, progresses in real time. The developed platform can provide various services, tools and mechanisms to different stakeholders, improve the success of daily operations and decision makings throughout PHC management, such that critical schedule risks can be mitigated and the schedule performance of PHC can be enhanced to ensure timely project delivery.