Project environment and process design of building projects supported by virtual design and construction methods

This paper discusses the project environment and process design of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) supported building projects. Case studies of the use of VDC methods and tools in construction projects and comparisons made with the evolution of the product development process in the manufacturing industry reveals: (1) Relational contracting in combination with a concurrent engineering process and advanced ICT tools can provide the base for an adaptive Virtual Design and Construction process. (2) There is no single model that contains all project information, but rather a collection of discipline-specific models, including non-model data that can be linked to mod-els. (3) Model information can be exchanged via files or can be available from product model servers. The data format can be proprietary or neutral. (4) An information manager, the Project Information Officer (PIO), is needed who speci-fies the requirements for model use and who ensures integration of models with other models and with non-model data.Godkänd; 2007; 20071009 (thoolo)