Information from 3D structural models, unit costsof construction materialand labors, construction productivity ratesand project simulations were integratedto estimateconstruction costsand timerequired for building construction. Construction costsand timedifferences between a reinforced concrete anda structuralsteel buildingswere also determined. The two types of structure were subjected to identical requirements, building area and usage. The3D structural models were created to determine amounts of material to be used for entire projects. The unit costs of construction material and the productivity rates were applied to evaluate material costs and activity durations, respectively.The estimated durationswere usedin conjunction with unit cost of labors to yieldlabor costs. Simulation models were developed and simulation runs were performed to determine project durations. The simulation models were validated by comparing the project durations predictedfrom the simulation runs with those calculated fromcritical path method (CPM) . It was found that the project durations obtained from the two methodologies were consistent. In addition, when using simulations, some special conditions may be added to models, making simulation results more realistic. Itcan be seen that information from 3D structural models, unit prices, productivity rates, and project simulationwere able tobeintegrated for the determination of construction costs and time as required. The findings also indicated that, for the projects in this study, steel structure construction cost was 3 9 % higher than that of reinforced concrete, while construction duration of the latter was 69% longer.
Keywords
Construction cost, Construction duration, Model, Productivity rate, Simulation.