A research team led by Janaka Ruwanpura, a civil engineering professor at the university's Schulich School of Engineering, developed the technology. I-Booth's 32-inch touch-screen provides instant access to information for daily planned activities at a construction site. Such information available from the onsite kiosk includes daily and weekly productivity targets, assignments for workers or crews, special technical information, safety instructions, jobsite targets, weather information, and 3D models of the assigned construction work.
From 2004 to 2006, Ruwanpura headed up the information-gathering phase of the research and three years ago began leading the implementation phase. The extra funding from NSERC is expected to provide another 30 months' worth of assistance toward advancing the technology, which PCI is testing.
Tests of a prototype information booth in an onsite pilot project revealed a 10 percent increase in tool time (the time that workers are spending in producing their work), a 17 percent boost in productivity, and more than a 70 percent jump in worker satisfaction, according to Ruwanpura.
Ruwanpura is hoping that commercialization of the technology can be achieved in the next 12-24 months. The price for an i-Booth could total approximately $CAN20,000 ($US19,612), he told CPC/BIM.
"Researchers have found that the morning tool box meeting in which foremen communicate the day's planned activities to workers lacks effectiveness and enthusiasm," Ruwanpura said. "It was also noted that supervisors do not deliver the information in a format that is easily understood by the workers." He believes that the i-Booth can become a solution to this dilemma.
Ruwanpura has been focusing on the following other research components: construction productivity improvement officers who assess and refine all jobsite practices to ensure maximum efficiency; Web-based materials management models, which are designed to improve coordination between contractors, suppliers, and subcontractors; a supervisory matrix to understand the skills, expectations, and motivational patterns of workers; and a "look-ahead planning/schedule form for subcontractors," which solicits input from each subcontractor to include their requirements relating to material, labor, equipment, and space so that the general contractor can prepare a better look-ahead schedule.
Overall, researchers intend to focus on the following 13 mini-projects under the Green, Management and Technology initiative:
G1 -- Development of Innovative Solutions to Improve Performance and Productivity in Construction Projects with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification
G2 -- Formation of a Sustainable Index for Building Projects to Improve Productivity
G3 -- Improving Productivity in Sustainable On-Site Construction Waste-Management Process
G4 -- A Geographic Information System-Based Decision Support System for Sustainable Supply Chain Management
M1 -- Improving Construction Productivity by Mitigating Design-Related Changes and Their Induced Reworks
M2 -- Enhancement of the Productivity of Design, Engineering, and Procurement Deliverables in Construction
M3 -- An Implementation Model to Integrate the Productivity ToolBox with the Construction Execution Plan
M4 -- Cost/Benefit Analysis of Construction Labour Productivity Performance for Benchmarking
M5 -- A Comprehensive Framework to Enhance Supervision and Worker Productivity
T1 -- An Automated Multiple Objects Tracking System for Construction Projects
T2 -- A Tracking System for Improving Safety, Security, and Productivity on Construction Sites
T3 -- Technological Integration for Construction Projects with a Virtual Supervision System
T4 -- An Integrated GPS Technology-Based Logistical Management System
