Digital data and associated semantics play a fundamental role in supporting the vision of Construction 4.0. Advancements in digitization workflows such as scan-to-BIM and automated meta-data generation are being used for data-driven decision making. A challenge with collecting and processing raw, non-semantic data is the process of integrating intelligence into and characterizing data automatically. This paper demonstrates how spatial parameterization (i.e., extracting, modifying and analysing parameters that define the spatial properties of a component) can be used as a method for automating steps in disassembly planning for buildings. The potential use cases of disassembly planning include adaptive building reuse, robotic assembly programming, reconfigurable prefabricated assemblies and selective disassembly for rehabilitation and repairs. This paper presents spatial parameterization in a framework to disassemble building components via a rule-based algorithm that comprises three dimensional Cartesian properties and clash detection between non-semantic CAD elements. Demonstration of the framework is carried out using a case study where the interior wall of a building on the University of Waterloo campus was disassembled for adaptive reuse purposes. Comparison of the case study results to the actual disassembly sequence demonstrates how spatial parameterization is effective for automating key steps in disassembly planning. A discussion is provided to identify key barriers to increased automation which relate to modelling accuracy, Level of Development (LOD) for Building Information Modelling (BIM), and global spatial constraints for disassembly.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.