Ontology to support multi-objective integrated analyses for sustainable construction: A conceptual framework
Book Chapter
Zhu, Y. (2015). Ontology to support multi-objective integrated analyses for sustainable construction: A conceptual framework
. 73-96. 10.1061/9780784413906.ch04
Zhu, Y. (2015). Ontology to support multi-objective integrated analyses for sustainable construction: A conceptual framework
. 73-96. 10.1061/9780784413906.ch04
A typical construction project involves many parties with different objectives. Sustainable construction requires multi-dimensional thinking of social, economic and environmental implications. Therefore, a meaningful analysis of sustainable design options depends on a large amount of economic, technical and environmental data from a life cycle perspective. Although a significant amount of effort has already been put into research and development of integrated solutions that address traditional project objectives such as time, cost, safety and quality, environmental impacts represent a new dimension and need to be integrated with other project objectives. This chapter discusses the need for an ontology-based solution to integrate environmental protection considerations into project performance assessment. An ontology representation of integrated time, cost and environmental impacts (TCEI), called TCEI-Ontology, is presented. Ideas of reusing concepts in the Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs) are also discussed. The potential application of TCEIOntology to solve integration issues in time, cost and environmental impact analyses is illustrated with a case study. Further development and tests are needed to determine the feasibility and the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed approach.
