https://doi.org/10.24928/2023/0224

Application of Fuzzy Logic for Selection of Off-Site Construction Approach

Amirhossein Mehdipoor¹, Ivanka Iordanova² & Mohamed Al-Hussein³

¹Ph.D. Student, Department of Construction Engineering, École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS), Montreal, Canada, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9889-2478
²Professor, Department of Construction Engineering, École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS), Montreal, Canada, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4596-2604
³Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1774-9718

Abstract

Compared to other industries, the construction sector has poor productivity performance. Many megaprojects in this industry incur cost overruns, and this is largely due to inefficiencies. Although there are several reasons for these inefficiencies, the most significant factor is the lack of efficiency. One effective solution to improve productivity in construction projects is to adopt Off-site construction (OSC) methodology, which enhances efficiency. The construction method selection is an important exercise toward the productivity and success of a building project. This exercise is particularly critical during the early stages of a building project, as it is important for decision makers to consider all criteria and make a prompt decision. The use of off-site construction (OSC) is gaining popularity in building projects. Therefore, assessing the most relevant and key success factors in this context is necessary. Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques have been widely used in the construction management domain. These are being applied as a medium for decision-making purposes in the construction sector. One of the most frequent methods is Fuzzy Logic to select an option among different alternatives based on a ranking system. In this paper, Fuzzy logic was applied to evaluate and rank the performance of two alternatives i.e. conventional method of on-site construction cast in situ works and Off-site construction steel structure fully modular approach. This project forms part of a Ph.D. research program which aims to develop a Two-Stage BIMLean Decision Support System (DSS) for the selection of a suitable Industrial Building System (IBS). The proposed DSS development consists of two main steps: 1) Identification and evaluation of Key Decision Support Factors (KDSF) for the selection of the OSC approach and 2) Choosing an appropriate IBS for a building project. This paper focuses on the second step where fuzzy logic is applied to rank and select the appropriate alternative. A decision maker was provided with a list of Key Decision Support Factors (KDSF), which had been validated by industry experts, to input data and measure the importance and performance of each alternative. Crisp scores calculated using a fuzzy model indicated the rank of each alternative. The highest score of alternatives indicates the best approach. The result shows that alternative B – Off-site construction Steel Structure Modular approach, is the better option

Keywords

Off-site construction, Fuzzy Logic, Decision Making.

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Reference

Mehdipoor, A. , Iordanova, I. & Al-Hussein, M. 2023. Application of Fuzzy Logic for Selection of Off-Site Construction Approach, Proceedings of the 31st Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC31) , 802-811. doi.org/10.24928/2023/0224

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