Improved building sustainability in seismic zones

Abstract

Construction worldwide is under great pressure to generate significant changes in the sector. A significant change requires a multidimensional vision that integrates different perspectives, promoting a deep knowledge of the constructive process and it’s parallel with manufacturing as a comparative basis. For the specific case of the construction of reinforced concrete in seismic zones, it is proposed to move from the division of labor by specialties to the division of labor by spatial volumes, which considers the functional and systemic perspectives. This is proposed in order to characterize the life cycles of the different systems within a building, guaranteeing a high level of sustainability. To achieve this objective, a real high-rise building project with its respective BIM model will be used as a basis for the construction of another twin BIM model (mirror) that will use design criteria that meet the objectives of this proposal. It will use the original model data and the information obtained from the monitoring of the project execution phase. This proposal will present, in a comparative way, this strategy’s impact on the design and execution of the real project in which the installations are completely disincorporated from the structure, emulating the simile of an assembly line. It is expected that the results will demonstrate that an evident improvement in sustainability is achieved by making the different systems of a building independent, allowing the life cycle of each system to maximized. This independence, in turn, generates the conditions for a substantial improvement in productivity. On the other hand, the integration of engineering with the construction of functional solutions off-site allows for a significant improvement in constructability, in addition to externalities that can only be characterized in the exploitation phase. This will allow a radical change in the supply market, transferring an important amount of knowledge towards the sector. This experience will generate outstanding leadership in the sector and a categorical emphasis in the direction of innovation.