Parametric Structural Modelling for Tunnels in Hard rock (to aid Decision-making during Early Phase of the Project)

Abstract

Construction projects involve a collaboration of minds which come from different backgrounds. For a team to function effectively, communication, understanding of the subject at hand is of utmost importance. The team goes through various design options during the initial phase. Design choices made during the initial phase can make or break a project. These choices are also responsible for the finalisation of a significant portion of the life cycle cost of the project. Therefore, this thesis aims to develop a tool which will facilitate and improve the decision-making process during the early stages of the project. The thesis examines the impact of the client’s decision-making skills on the project, the use of BIM during the early phase of the project and the use of visualisation to support decision-making. Using parametric modelling technique, the developed tool aids creation of multiple design options by varying pre-defined design parameters. The tool supports visualisation of the designs and data to improve decision-making. Tool’s user interface (UI) makes it easy to use and independent of the user’s knowledge of the software. An internal survey conducted to review the effectiveness of the tool suggests that it has good potential to develop into a mature and fully functional business tool. The survey supports the further development of the tool and is confident that it will help make better decisions and aid the client during the early design phase of the project.