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Adams, J (2019) Dynamic criticality analysis of industrial assets and system, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Institute of Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.

Al Asali, M W (2020) Craft-inclusive construction: design strategies for thin-tile vaulting, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Cambridge.

Anagnostopoulos, I (2018) Generating as-is BIMs of existing buildings: from planar segments to spaces, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge.

Ariyachandra, M F (2021) Automating the generation of geometric information models to support digital twinning of existing rail infrastructure, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Cambridge.

Bartlett, H V (2006) Understanding the implementation of sustainability principles in UK educational building projects, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Centre for Sustainable Development, University of Cambridge.

Baumgärtner, C E (2000) Collaboration between engineering consultants and their clients: characteristics of success, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Cambridge.

Busic-Sontic, A (2019) Energy efficiency investments in residential buildings: does personality matter?, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Cambridge.

Jimoh, I (2021) What explains the efficiency of major public project delivery in Nigeria?, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Cambridge.

Jin, Y (2018) Supervised learning for back analysis of excavations in the observational method, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Cambridge.

Konstantinou, E (2018) Vision-based construction worker task productivity monitoring, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge.

Lloyd, C A (2020) Modular manufacture and construction of small nuclear power generation systems, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Cambridge.

Mándoki, R (2022) The social sustainability of standardisation in the Hungarian residential building sector, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Cambridge.

Montali, J (2019) Digitised engineering knowledge for prefabricated fac?ades, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge.

  • Type: Thesis
  • Keywords: case study; collaboration; conflict; construction sector; design process; environmental impact; manufacturing; optimisation; productivity
  • ISBN/ISSN:
  • URL: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.37905
  • Abstract:
    Fac?ade design is a multidisciplinary activity requiring the balancing of many conflicting design requirements. Very often, however, the designed fac?ade does not respond to these requirement, as relevant design and manufacturing knowledge, normally originating downstream in the design process, is not properly used upstream in the process. The inability to respond to this challenge increases the environmental impact of the construction sector, which is currently covering nearly 40% of the global emissions. Also, improving the stagnant sector's productivity is of paramount importance today, as it is deemed to be nearly as half as that of the manufacturing sector. This research has thus investigated ways to collect, store, represent and digitalise the engineering knowledge that underpins the design of fac?ade products for fac?ades that are better designed. The work has involved a close collaboration with the British general contractor (and fac?ade manufacturer) Laing O'Rourke. The research has explored ways of using design and manufacturing knowledge and it has developed a digital tool and tested its functionalities. In the first part, after a review of the state-of-the-art in knowledge-based approaches in other fields, the digital tool, and relevant methodology, are developed. The tool informs the user about the expected performance and manufacturability of the fac?ade product under analysis. The boundaries of traditional research were also pushed beyond the proof-of-concept by validating the digital tool in both simulated and real-world scenarios. The goal was to understand how people can develop a design solution while being supported by a digital tool. It was found that using such tool increases the user's awareness about the consequences of the his/her choices in less time. In the last part of the research, the tool was used to develop a novel optimisation algorithm, by including considerations about aesthetics and manufacturability, in parallel with the traditional performance-based approach. The application of the algorithm to a case study has shown that it is possible to improve existing solutions in terms of performance, without affecting aesthetic and manufacturability significantly.

O'Brien, S (2022) Critical infrastructure organisation management: an analysis of the transition to the Industry 4.0 era, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Cambridge.

Pelenur, M (2014) Retrofitting the domestic built environment: Investigating household perspectives towards energy efficiency technologies and behaviour, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Cambridge.

Robertson, B (2020) On-site installation flexibility for disruption management in modular off-site construction systems, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Cambridge.

Tomašević, V (2004) Developing productive relationships in the construction industry, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge.

Vick, S (2018) Automated spatial progress monitoring for asphalt road construction projects, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge.

Zomer, T (2021) Institutional pressures and decoupling in projects: the case of BIM Level 2 and coercive isomorphism in the UK's construction sector, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Cambridge.