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IFC-Based 4D Construction Management Information Model of Prefabricated

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Article

IFC-Based 4D Construction Management Information Model of

Prefabricated Buildings and Its Application in Graph Database
Bin Yang 1, Miaosi Dong 1,*, Congjun Wang 2, Boda Liu 1, Zhichen Wang 1 and Binghan Zhang 1

1 College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; yangbin@tongji.edu.cn (B.Y.);
182553@tongji.edu.cn (B.L.); wangzhichen@tongji.edu.cn (Z.W.); zhangbinhan@tongji.edu.cn (B.Z.)
2 Zhongyifeng Construction Group Co., Jiangsu 215131, China; wangcj310@hotmail.com

* Correspondence: 2032594@tongji.edu.cn

Abstract: Effective data interoperability and schedule analysis play a significant role in improving
the management of prefabricated buildings. However, there is a lack of efficient strategies and com-
prehensive approaches for data interoperability and data-based automated schedule analysis. This
paper intends to promote prefabricated buildings’ management by solving these two problems via
developing an IFC-based framework consisting of three parts. Firstly, this framework proposed a
mechanism to establish an IFC-based 4D construction management information model of prefabri-
cated buildings. Furthermore, a non-relational database—graph database—is introduced to twin
this model into a task-centered network to realize the interoperation of construction information
among different participants. Finally, graph database-based strategies to update data, automatically
analyze construction schedules and visualize the 4D construction management information model
are described. The proposed framework is validated in a prefabricated engineering case. In this case,
an IFC-based and graph database-based 4D construction management information model is estab-
Citation: Yang, B.; Dong, M.; Wang, lished through IFC standard’s extension. The graph database-based analysis of the model automat-
C.; Liu, B.; Wang, Z.; Zhang, B. ically recognizes the engineering case’s critical path information, delay analysis information, and
IFC-Based 4D Construction schedule network analysis information. It is illustrated that this framework can successfully estab-
Management Information Model of lish a unified IFC-based information model of prefabricated buildings’ construction management
Prefabricated Buildings and Its
to prompt effective data interoperability. In addition, the application of this IFC-based information
Application in Graph Database.
model in graph database can automatically analyze the construction schedules to prevent possible
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270. https://
delays in advance. In short, the significance of this paper is to innovatively propose an IFC-based
doi.org/10.3390/app11167270
and graph data-based information model to solve the difficulties of ineffective data interoperation
Academic Editor: Chiara Bedon
and unautomated schedule analysis in prefabricated buildings’ construction management. This
study can be the digital foundation of further IFC-based digital twin.
Received: 9 June 2021
Accepted: 5 August 2021 Keywords: IFC standard; prefabricated buildings; construction management information; graph
Published: 7 August 2021 database; delay analysis

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neu-

tral with regard to jurisdictional
claims in published maps and institu- 1. Introduction
tional affiliations.
In recent years, prefabricated buildings have rapidly developed due to their low cost
[1], high industrialization [2], and environment-friendly [3] characteristics, which are con-
trary to the traditional cast-in-situ constructions’ inefficiency and waste of resources [4].
Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Li-
Moreover, research demonstrates the energy-saving potential of prefabrication based on
censee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. life cycle analysis and thermal performance evaluation [5]. For instance, research proposes
This article is an open access article a method to design energy-efficient precast wall that can reach a high level of thermal
distributed under the terms and con- behavior and indoor comfort in cold climate [6]. In the construction field, prefabrication
ditions of the Creative Commons At- is regarded as the first level of industrialization [7]. However, the level of informatization
tribution (CC BY) license (http://crea- of prefabricated buildings’ construction management does not match the level of indus-
tivecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). trialization of their production.

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11167270 www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 2 of 25

Simultaneously, BIM (Building Information Modeling) [8] technology gains signifi-

cant development in construction management, and it is regarded as the solution of pre-
fabricated buildings’ construction management. Since many different disciplines, partici-
pants, and BIM software are involved in prefabricated buildings’ construction manage-
ment [9], managers have to work with different types of file formats, which leads to diffi-
culty in data sharing. Research shows that information sharing among all participants and
processes is the most critical factor required to manage prefabricated construction [10].
In general, the issues related to data sharing in BIM projects are mostly solved with
a standardized file exchange format, i.e., Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). As the pri-
mary data standard of BIM, the IFC standard published by buildingSMART plays a sig-
nificant role in sharing data [11]. The latest official version of the IFC standard is IFC4
ADD2TC1(ISO 16739-1:2018) [12], which is used in this paper. Although the IFC standard
is widely applied in various scenarios, obvious shortcomings in the field of construction
management’s interoperability and schedule analysis still exist.
Firstly, there is no extension of prefabricated buildings’ construction management in
the current IFC schema, making it challenging to share completed construction manage-
ment information [13]. Secondly, IFC files are hard to timely modify, update, and interop-
erate [14]. Thirdly, most data mining techniques lack the capability to handle IFC directly
[15]. Finally, the applications to show a dynamic 4D presentation and visualize the ex-
tended schedule analysis information of IFC-based information model are not available.
In conclusion, an integrally efficient framework that can help to store, update, analyze
and visualize construction management information is essential for prefabricated build-
ings.
Therefore, this paper intends to promote prefabricated buildings’ management by
developing an IFC-based framework consisting of three parts. Firstly, this framework pro-
poses a mechanism to establish an IFC-based 4D construction management information
model of prefabricated buildings with the extension of the construction schedule analysis
information, which includes schedule network analysis information and delay analysis
information. Furthermore, a non-relational database—graph database—is introduced to
twin a task-centered network of the IFC-based 4D information model to realize the in-
teroperation of construction information among different participants. The last part of this
framework is graph database-based strategies to update data, analyze the construction
schedule and visualize the 4D information model.
The content of this paper is organized as follows. In Section 2, a concise literature
review summarizes the 4D BIM technology, delay analysis, and IFC extension in state of
the art. Section 3 is the introduction to the proposed framework of prefabricated build-
ings’ construction management. Section 4 is the first part of the framework in which an
IFC-based extension schema of the construction management information model is given,
and an IFC-based 4D construction management information model of the prefabricated
building is established through this template. Section 5 is the second part of the frame-
work in which an approach to twinning the IFC-based 4D construction management in-
formation model into a non-relation database is proposed. This section also lays the foun-
dation of the following analysis. In Section 6, workflow to analyze the construction sched-
ules and visualize the information model is described when the IFC-based 4D construc-
tion management information model is twinned into the graph database. In Section 7, the
feasibility and rationality of the proposed framework are studied through a case study.

2. Literature Review
2.1.4. D BIM and Construction Management
The 4D BIM construction technology increases the dimension of time based on the
3D model [16] so that the entire construction process can be expressed dynamically and
thus be more intuitive. The 4D theory was first proposed by Stanford University in 1996,
and the CIFE 4D-CAD system was developed on this basis [17]. Jianping Zhang’s team
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 3 of 25

proposed an extended 4D construction management model [18]. This model takes WBS
as the core and combines construction management elements such as schedule planning
and resource management to visualize the construction process. In 2012, a 4D Site Man-
agement Model (4DSMM) [19] was further proposed by this team. 4DSMM links 3D mod-
els with specific schedules to generate 4D models of site management. Additionally, Chen
[20] used the 4D BIM model coupled with the quality information model to implement
the project’s construction quality control. De Soto [21] also used a tabu-search algorithm
and 4D models to improve the construction project schedule.
Although using 4D BIM in the management of prefabricated buildings is beneficial,
4D BIM cannot be cultivated with incomplete, untimely data exchange and lacking real-
time visibility [22]. Firstly, forming the 4D BIM models relies on specific BIM software
[23]. It means information is inaccessible once being separated from this particular soft-
ware. Additionally, the 4D BIM is mainly focused on on-site construction management.
Prefabricated buildings have a lot of off-site construction information, which has difficul-
ties in interoperating among different stakeholders, phases, and BIM software [24]. Once
specific details of one model are modified, other models cannot update the information
timely. This is disadvantageous for the highly dynamic construction process of prefabri-
cated buildings. In summary, the lack of information interoperation between BIM soft-
ware keeps the management of prefabricated buildings inefficient and locked-in to tool
vendors [25]. Unlike the methods of 4D BIM and construction management in this litera-
ture, this paper adopts the standard for sharing data in the whole process of engineering
projects—IFC standards—as the basis for modeling the 4D management information
model of prefabricated building. By establishing IFC-based information model and by
combining it with the innovative graph database technology proposed in this paper, the
problem of ineffective data interoperability can be solved.

2.2. Delay Analysis of Construction Management

Off-site prefabrication and transportation are also reasons for construction delay,
which is a primary barrier to adopting prefabricated construction [26]. The monitoring
and management of prefabricated buildings’ construction processes are widely consid-
ered to have strategic importance in responding to the building industry’s dynamics [27].
Delay analysis is a method that determines whether delays caused by a party in individual
activities result in a delay in total project duration [28]. There are many methods to ana-
lyze the delays of construction processes. Researchers [29] pointed out that the Critical
Path Method (CPM) is the most frequently used method to plan and control the construc-
tion execution process. The CPM method facilitates the analysis of delays in (1) supporting
the computation of project duration, shortest path, and critical path [30] and (2) analyzing
the delayed activities’ impact on the duration [31]. However, the CPM also has shortcom-
ings. Firstly, identification of deviation occurs too late because schedules are often up-
dated monthly [32]. Moreover, Turkakin [33] also concluded that schedule updates are
often not performed. The critical path method cannot be executed in analysis and critical
path changes cannot be considered [34]. Additionally, deviations are not clearly visual-
ized [35]. Finally, in the actual projects, we find that drawing the construction network
plan diagram and calculating the parameters in the CPM rely on the manual way, which
makes it not convenient for the applicants in actual projects. It is worth noting that the
current CPM lacks the capability to handle IFC directly. Yet, the method of schedule anal-
ysis based on the IFC and graph database proposed in this paper can calculate the IFC
models’ information and is entirely different from the current CPM. After twinning the
IFC-based 4D construction management information model into the task-centered net-
work, the graph database-based data update will solve the problem of lagging data up-
dates in the current CPM. In addition, the graph-based critical path mining algorithm will
automatically calculate CPM parameters and delayed tasks’ parameters, which is differ-
ent from the currently manual calculation. In addition, the analysis of task-centered net-
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 4 of 25

works based on graph theory and network analysis methods can recognize schedule net-
work analysis information, which is impossible by the current CPM method. In summary,
the IFC-based and graph database-based schedule analysis methods are automated and
can further improve the management of prefabricated buildings.

2.3. IFC Extension

The IFC standard was widely studied and applied when it launched. Yu [36] estab-
lished the FMC (Facilities Management Classes) data description standard for construc-
tion equipment management based on the IFC standard. Lam [37] used IFC for energy
consumption analysis and realized a data mapping engine between the building model
and the energy analysis model. Zhang [38,39] committed to the research and development
of IFC-based intelligent facilities management systems and an IFC-based graphic infor-
mation model for virtual construction. Ma [40] succeeded in establishing static infor-
mation models of building energy consumption based on IFC. Xu [41] innovatively devel-
oped a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project performance evaluation model based on
IFC. The IFC standard has been used in all aspects of the construction industry. Moreover,
many scholars extended the IFC standard in terms of construction management infor-
mation. Akinci [42] proposed extending the IFC framework and integrating the project
model of completion and design information to achieve automatic completion conditions
assessment. Seo [43] proposed an IFC extended model that can store plan information.
Park et al. [44] proposed a visualization method supported by web and database technol-
ogy to realize the visualization of daily 4D BIM.
In general, the IFC standard has good scalability, whereas currently, the IFC standard
only supports a limited number of engineering cases in actual projects, especially in pre-
fabricated building construction. One difficulty in popularizing and applying IFC exten-
sion models is that there is seldom appropriated software to visualize IFC-based 4D in-
formation models. The functions and characteristics of common IFC software are shown
in Table 1. For example, common open-source 3D BIM software, such as XBIMXplore,
IFC++, and Bim Vision, perform an excellent 3D display of IFC files, but do not support
visualizing time-related entities. In other words, the extended information in the IFC
model can only be presented statically in the existing papers, but in this paper, the infor-
mation associated with the task in the extended IFC-based 4D construction management
information model is presented dynamically through the framework based on IFC and
graph database. This will facilitate the managers to grasp the construction information
dynamically and prevent possible failure in advance.

Table 1. Software for parsing IFC files and their features.

Functions Software Features

xBIM It can generate IFC files.
It can automatically generate syntax trees based
IFC-gen
on the input IFC files.
IFC files pars-
IfcEditor Simple text parsing. It can generate syntax trees.
ing
IFC File Analyzer It can generate xls files.
It supports Python to compile IFC 2X3 and IFC4
IfcOpenShell
files.
BIM Vision
1. Can display 3D models
IFC models dis- Solibri Anywhere
2. Does not support visualize time-related enti-
play XBIMXplore
ties, such as IfcTask, IfcTaskTime.
IFC++
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 5 of 25

2.4. Conclusion
Through literature reviews, we found that the existing research achievements cannot
well resolve the following issues of 4D construction management. Firstly, the prefabri-
cated buildings’ construction management information cannot be integrated into a unified
information model. Secondly, the unified information model based on IFC is difficult to
interoperate among various phases and participants in the construction of prefabricated
buildings. Finally, effective methods to automatically carry out delay analysis and dy-
namic presentation of construction information are essential to prefabricated buildings’
construction management. Therefore, this paper proposes the IFC-based 4D construction
management framework to promote the prefabricated building’s construction manage-
ment by achieving the construction information’s interoperability and enhance the man-
agers’ control of the construction process by automated analyzing construction schedules.

3. Methodology
This paper develops a framework consisting of three parts to realize the interopera-
bility and automated analysis of prefabricated buildings’ construction management infor-
mation, as Figure 1 shows. In this figure, we can explicitly find the framework is divided
into four layers, namely, Data Acquisition Layer, Realization Layer, Interoperability
Layer, and Analysis Layer. Data Acquisition Layer gleans fabrication information,
transport information, hoisting information, and installation information of construction
process. The Realization Layer realizes an IFC-based 4D construction management infor-
mation model of prefabricated buildings. After twinning the obtained information model
into the graph database, the Interoperability Layer is the platform for data interoperation.
The Analysis Layer is based on the IFC and graph database and has the function of data
update, schedule network analysis, delay analysis and 4D visualization.

Figure 1. Framework overview.

Firstly, this framework realizes an IFC-based 4D construction management infor-

mation model of prefabricated buildings. Through this part, the construction management
information needed in the construction process is integrated into a unified information
model, and thus lays the foundation for the information management of prefabricated
buildings’ construction process. The establishing procedure is divided into two steps. The
first step is extending the IFC schema. An integrated prefabricated buildings’ construction
management information model is established in this step, including task information and
related component information, resource information, cost information, and schedule
analysis information. The second step is to instantiate the template one-by-one according
to the obtained construction information to complete the IFC-based 4D construction man-
agement information model of prefabricated buildings. The detailed creation process is
shown in Section 4.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 6 of 25

Furthermore, this framework twins the obtained IFC-based 4D construction manage-

ment information model into the graph database. Through this part, the IFC-based con-
struction management information model can be well interoperated among different par-
ticipants and facilitates the construction analysis in the following part at the same time.
The information model obtained in the previous parts of the framework is based on the
IFC standard, which has high structural complexity and low data density [45]. These fea-
tures lead the IFC-based information model to have difficulties in reading, retrieve, and
interoperation. This framework introduces a non-relationship database—graph data-
base—to solve the problem; first, by formulating the mapping rules and twin the IFC-
based construction management into a task-centered network. In this network, all the re-
lationships between tasks, resources, costs, components, and schedule analysis infor-
mation can be obtained and used, making the IFC-based information retrieved and read
easily. Secondly, all the participants can operate the database to update the construction
information. This information will be transmitted to other participants timely, making the
interoperation among stakeholders and different construction stages efficient. Finally, IFC
files are outputted from the graph database by traversing the graph database’s infor-
mation, thus achieving the round-tripping between the graph database-based information
network and the IFC-based 4D information model. The detailed creation mechanism is
shown in Section 5.
The last part of this framework is strategies to analyze the graph database-based in-
formation model. Through this part, the framework based on IFC realizes the data update,
automatic analysis, and dynamic display of construction data, which will significantly
benefit the synergistic and reduce the manual work on construction analysis. The data
update is mainly about the project participants to update the actual construction data in
the graph database for other participants to search and analyze. Construction schedule
analysis includes schedule network analysis and delay analysis. Schedule network analy-
sis means calculating the schedule networks’ parameters and storing them in the extended
IFC schema. Delay analysis means calculating the critical information in the whole pre-
fabricated project, feeding back on project delays, and storing schedule changes in ex-
tended IFC schema to assist decision-makers. The 4D model is then introduced to help
project participants understand the progress of the project more intuitively. The 4D model
information will be extracted into Microsoft Project and Navisworks through the graph
database’s powerful retrieve capabilities. The detailed realization mechanism can be seen
in Section 6.

4. Realization of IFC-Based 4D Construction Information Model of Prefabricated

Buildings
This section is the first part of the framework and gives the method to extend the IFC
schema to store 4D construction management information. In this section, IFC standard
and its extension mechanism is first introduced in Section 4.1. According to the three main
extension mechanisms, the extended schema of process information model, resources in-
formation model, cost information model, and schedule analysis information model are
illustrated in Section 4.2. Section 4.3 describes the instantiation process of the IFC-based
4D construction management information model of prefabricated buildings in detail.

4.1. IFC Standard and Its Extension Mechanism

The IFC standard’s data schema is divided into four conceptual layers, from bottom
to top: resource layer, core layer, interop layer, and domain layer. The quotation of infor-
mation between the various layers in the IFC schema complies with strict regulations that
the next layer prohibits reference to the upper layer’s information. Therefore, when the
IFC standard needs to be extended, it is only necessary to add information to the upper
structure of the IFC standard, and new categories can be created by quoting the data from
the lower layer by the upper layer without changing the overall schema of the IFC stand-
ard.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 7 of 25

There are three main extension mechanisms [46]: The first one is to increase the IFC
entity types [47]; the second method is to instantiate IfcProxy, IfcBuildingElement [48]; the
third method is to increase the property sets. A comparison of the three extension methods
is shown in Table 2. The three methods have their advantages and disadvantages and are
suitable for different application needs. The method based on increasing entity types has
the highest operational efficiency and consumes the most time. Therefore, for choosing
the extension methods of the IFC-based 4D construction management models of prefab-
ricated buildings, this paper will avoid increasing entity types, which means that the ex-
tension process in this paper should use IfcProxy, IfcBuildingElement, and property sets
more.

Table 2. Comparison of three extension methods.

Time Con- Operational Effi-

Extension Methods Usability Compatibility
sumption ciency
Based on increasing Cannot be
Difficult Long High
entity types. guaranteed
Based on IfcProxy,
IfcBuildingElementry-
Easy Good Short Low
Proxy, and existing
entities.
Based on property Somewhere in Somewhere in Somewhere in be-
Easy
sets. between between tween

4.2. Realizing the Extension of IFC-Based 4D Construction Management Information Model of

Prefabricated Buildings
Much construction management information will be obtained outside the construc-
tion site for highly industrialized characteristics of prefabricated buildings. To dynami-
cally manage the construction information, a framework is proposed in this paper to es-
tablish an IFC-based construction management information model of prefabricated build-
ings. Furthermore, since all components are discretized during the prefabricated building
construction process and can only correspond to one task simultaneously, this infor-
mation model will center on IfcTask. In realizing the IFC-based information model’s ex-
tension, this article will center on the IfcTask entities and associate all the related process
information, resource information, cost information, component information, and con-
struction schedule analysis information.

4.2.1. Realizing Process Information’s Extension Based on IFC Standard

This part is to realize process information’s extension based on IFC standard. In the
IFC standard, the entity IfcProcess (an abstract IFC entity) and its subtypes and the corre-
sponding relationship entities are used to describe the project’s process. Figure 2 illus-
trates how to extend the schema of the construction process information model. Firstly,
IfcTask is a subtype entity of IfcProcess, used to describe specific tasks in the construction
process, and the entity IfcRelSequence is used to describe the sequence of these tasks. Fur-
thermore, IfcTask can establish a hierarchical relationship with each other through the
entity IfcRelNests. In addition, The IfcRelAssignsToControl relationship is used to assign
controls in the IFC model to related objects to establish a one-to-many relationship be-
tween the general schedule and IfcTask. General schedule is described by the IfcControl
entity. The IfcControl has two subtypes, namely, IfcWorkPlan and IfcWorkSchedule. The
IfcWorkPlan entity can describe project plan information and the IfcWorkSchedule entity
can describe various schedule information. The IfcRelDeclares relationship is used to pro-
cess the declaration of the objects or attributes of the project so that this entity can be used
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 8 of 25

to describe the relationship between the construction project (IfcProject) and the project
plans (IfcWorkPlan, IfcWorkSchedule).

Name
STRING

GlobalID
STRING
Status
STRING
(ABS)IfcProject
WorkMethode
STRING RelatingContext
(INV)Declares S[0:?]
Priority
INTEGER
IfcRelNests IfcRelDeclares
IsMilestone
BOOLEAN RelatedObjects RelatingObjects RelatedDefinition
(INV)Nests S[1:?] (INV)IsNestsBy S[0:?] (INV)HasContext
RelatedObjects S[1:?]
PredefinedType
(INV)HasAssignment
LOGICAL IfcTask IfcRelAssignsToControl (ABS)IfcControl

RelatingProcess RelatedProcess RelatingObjects

IfcTaskTime (INV)IsPredecessorTo (INV)IsSuccessorFrom (INV)IsNestsBy S[0:?]
S[0:?] S[0:?]

IfcRelSequenceEnum IfcRelSequence IfcWorkSchedule IfcWorkPlan

Figure 2. Process information’s extension model.

4.2.2. Realizing Resource Information’s Extension Based on IFC Standard

This part is to realize resource information’s extension based on IFC standard. Figure
3 illustrates how to extend the schema of the construction resources information model.
Firstly, using the entity IfcResource and its subtype IfcConstructionResource to describe
resource information. Specifically, IfcConstructionEquipmentResource, IfcConstruction-
MaterialResource, IfcConstructionProductResource, IfcSubContractEquipmentResource,
IfcLaborResource, and IfcCrewResource are used to describe equipment resources, mate-
rial resources, product resources, subcontracted equipment resources, labor resources,
and crew resources, respectively. What is more, IfcConstructionEquipmentResource, the
entity representing equipment resources, can be associated with IfcTransportElement,
IfcDiscreteAccessory, and IfcProxy to represent equipment information more detailed. Ifc-
ConstructionMaterialResource represents the entity of material resources, which can be
associated with the entity IfcQuantityWeight to express the required resources’ weight
information. Following this logic can extend the IFC resource information model.

(ABS)IfcResource

(ABS)IfcConstructionResource
IfcTransportElement
RelatedObjects RelatedObjects
(INV)HasAssignments s[1:?] (INV)HasAssignments s[1:?]
IfcDiscreteAccessory IfcConstructionEquipmentResource IfcSubContractResource IfcActor

IfcProxy RelatedObjects
RelatedObjects
(INV)HasAssignments s[1:?]
(INV)HasAssignments s[1:?] IfcActor
IfcQuantityWeight IfcConstructionMaterialResource IfcLabourResource

RelatedObjects RelatedObjects
(INV)HasAssignments s[1:?] (INV)HasAssignments s[1:?]
IfcProduct IfcConstructionProductResource IfcCrewResource IfcActor

Figure 3. Resource information’s extension model.

4.2.3. Realizing Cost Information’s Extension Based on IFC Standard

This part is to realize cost information’s extension based on IFC standard. Figure 4
illustrates how to extend the schema of the construction cost information model. Firstly,
in the IFC standard, the entity IfcCostItem is used to describe the cost items. Then, Ifc-
CostItem is related with the entity IfcApplied Value through the entity IfcRelAssoci-
atesAppliedValue, which is used to describe the association between cost items, resources,
and cost values. The application entity IfcAppliedValue is used to capture the value used
for the formula calculation. Finally, the cost entity IfcCostValue is used to define a mone-
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 9 of 25

tary amount or the value that affects a monetary amount. The entity IfcAp-
pliedValueRelationship is used to describe the algorithmic association between cost and
value, such as construction cost equal to the sum of labor cost, material cost, and mechan-
ical cost. Therefore, the cost information of the IFC information model can be formed.
Therefore, the extended schema to describe the resource information is completed.

(ABS)IfcCostItem

RelatedObjects
(INV)HasAssociations S[0:?]

IfcRelAssociatesAppliedValue

RelatingAappliedvalue
(INV)ValueReferenced s[1:?]

IfcAppliedValue
ComponentOfTotal
(INV)ValueOfComponents S[0:?]

IfcAppliedValueRelationship IfcCostValue

Components
(INV)IsComponents S[0:?]

Figure 4. Cost information’s extension model.

4.2.4. Realizing Construction Schedule Analysis Information’s Extension Based on IFC

Standard
As stated previously, the IFC4 ADD2TC1(ISO 16739-1:2018) does not provide prede-
fined entities to represent construction schedule analysis’s results. Hence, realizing sched-
ule analysis information’s extension based on the IFC standard is necessary. To achieve
the objective of realizing the information model centered on IfcTask, this paper will intro-
duce IfcPropertySet to describe the analysis information and associate it with IfcTask.
Therefore, IfcPropertySet is determined by three categories, including Pset_ScheduleNet-
workAnalysis, Pset_CriticalPath, and Pset_DelayAnalysis, as shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Definition of the delay analysis property set.

Property Sets’ Names Application Entities Description

Property set to store parameters’
Pset_ScheduleNetworkAnalysis IfcTask
value of schedule network.

Property set to store information

Pset_CriticalPath IfcTask
of critical path.

Property set to store information

Pset_DelayAnalysis IfcTask
of delay analysis.

The Pset_ScheduleNetworkAnalysis is used to store results of the schedule network

analysis. Schedule network analysis results are composed of three parameters: degree cen-
trality, closeness centrality, and betweenness centrality, which are explained in detail in
Section 6. Therefore, this property set contains three properties, namely _IfcDegreeCen-
trality, _IfcClosenessCentrality, and _IfcBetweennessCentrality, as shown in Table 4.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 10 of 25

Table 4. Definition of the Pset_ ScheduleNetworkAnalysis.

Entity Data
Attributes Property Type Description
Type
A real value to express
IfcProper-
_IfcDegreeCentrality IfcReal the degree centrality of
tySingleValue
construction tasks.

A real value to express

IfcProper-
_IfcClosenessCentrality IfcReal the closeness centrality of
tySingleValue
construction tasks.

A real value to express

_IfcBetweennessCen- IfcProper-
IfcReal the betweenness central-
trality tySingleValue
ity of construction tasks.

The Pset_CriticalPath is used to store information of the critical path. This IfcProper-
tySet contains two properties to describe the critical path’s information, namely _IfcCriti-
calPath and _IfcCriticalPathDate, as shown in Table 5. The _IfcCriticalPath’s data type is
IfcBoolean. The _IfcCriticalPath uses a Boolean representing whether the activity resides
on the critical path of the project. Furthermore, the _IfcCriticalPathDate’s data type is
IfcDateTime. This property is extended to record when the critical path is made since the
critical path may be changed.

Table 5. Definition of the Pset_CriticalPath.

Attributes Property Type Entity Data Type Description

A Boolean representing whether the activity
_IfcCriticalPath IfcPropertySingleValue IfcBoolean
resides on the critical path of the project.
_IfcCriticalPathDate IfcPropertySingleValue IfcDateTime The date when the critical path is made.

The Pset_DelayAnalysis is used to store information of delay. This IfcPropertySet

contains nine properties to describe the delay events information, as shown in Table 6.

Table 6. Definition of the Pset_DelayAnalysis.

Attributes Property type Entity data type Description

_IfcDelayID IfcPropertySingleValue IfcInteger The ID number of delay events.
_IfcDelayStartTime IfcPropertySingleValue IfcDateTime The time at which the delay events start.
_IfcDelayFinishTime IfcPropertySingleValue IfcDateTime The time at which the delay events finish.
_IfcDelayDuration IfcPropertySingleValue IfcDuration The duration of the delay.
The stage at which the delay events occur,
_IfcDelayStage IfcPropertySingleValue IfcLabel such as fabrication stage, transportation
stage, installation stage, etc.
_IfcDelayFactor IfcPropertySingleValue IfcLabel The factors of delay events.
_IfcDelayDescription IfcPropertySingleValue IfcText The description of delay events.
_IfcDelayParticipant IfcPropertySingleValue IfcLabel The responsible participants of delay events.
A Boolean representing whether the delay
events reside on the critical path of the pro-
_IfcDelayAndCriticalPath IfcPropertySingleValue IfcBoolean
ject; in other words, whether the delay
events will influent the project’s duration.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 11 of 25

Finally, Figure 5 illustrates how to extend the schema of the schedule analysis infor-
mation model. In this figure we can see that all the IfcProperty is related to the corre-
sponding IfcPropertySet. Then, all the IfcPropertySet is associated with IfcTask by IfcRel-
DefinesByProperties.

_IfcDegreeCentrality
(ABS)IfcRoot

_IfcClosenessCentrality

(ABS) Pset_ScheduelNetworkAnalysis
(ABS)
IfcObjectDefinition IfcPropertyDefinition
_IfcBetweennessCentrality
RelatedDefinition
(INV)HasContext
S[1:?]

IfcContext IfcPropertySetDefinition _IfcCriticalPath

Pset_CriticalPath
_IfcCriticalPathDate
IfcProject IfcPropertySet

HasProperties S[1:?] Pset_DelayAnalysis _IfcDelayID

IfcTask IfcProperty
…

RelatingPropertyDefinition
(INV)PropertyDefinitionOf S[0:?]
IfcRelDefinesByProperties _IfcDelayAndCriticalPath

Figure 5. Schedule analysis information’s extension model.

4.2.5. Realizing Information Extension Based on IFC Standard

Based on the above steps, the relevant IFC-based 4D construction management infor-
mation model is extended. This model takes the IfcTask as its mainline and relates to the
relevant components, resource information, cost information, schedule network analysis,
and delay analysis information. The extended IFC-based information model provides es-
sential technical support to realize the interoperation of construction information, data
update, schedule network analysis, delay analysis, and 4D visualization simulation. Fig-
ure 6 illustrates the completed schema of the construction information model based on
the IFC standard. Specifically, in this figure we can find that the relationship entity IfcRe-
lAssignsToProduct associates IfcTask with the components related to the construction
process. The relationship entity IfcRelAssignsToProcess associates IfcTask with the re-
source information and cost information related to the construction process. The relation-
ship entity IfcRelDefinesByProperties associates IfcTask with the schedule network anal-
ysis information and delay analysis information related to the construction process.
Therefore, the extended schema to describe the construction management information of
prefabricated buildings is completed.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 12 of 25

Construction Process Construion Schedule

Information Analysis Information (ABS)IfcRoot

(ABS) (ABS)
Pst_CriticalPath IfcPropertyDefinition IfcObjectDefinition
Name RelatedDefinition
STRING
Z (INV)HasContext
S[1:?]
Pst_DelayAnalysis IfcPropertySetDefinition
GlobalID
STRING IfcContext
Z
Status
STRING IfcPropertySet
RelatingPropertyDefinition IfcProject
(INV)PropertyDefinitionOf S[0:?]
WorkMethode Z HasProperties S[1:?]
STRING RelatingContext
IfcRelDefinesByProperties IfcProperty (INV)Declares S[0:?]
Priority
INTEGER
IfcRelNests IfcRelDeclares
IsMilestone
BOOLEAN RelatedObjects RelatingObjects
(INV)Nests S[1:?] (INV)IsNestsBy S[0:?]
PredefinedType RelatedObjects
(INV)HasAssignment
LOGICAL IfcTask IfcRelAssignsToControl (ABS)IfcControl

RelatingProcess RelatedProcess
IfcTaskTime RelatingObjects
(INV)IsPredecessorTo (INV)IsSuccessorFrom
(INV)IsNestsBy S[0:?]
S[0:?] S[0:?]

IfcRelSequenceEnum IfcRelSequence IfcWorkSchedule IfcWorkPlan

RelatedObjects RelatingProcess
(INV)HasAssignments s[1:?] (INV)OperatesOn s[0:?]

Product Information Resource Information Cost Information

IfcRelAssignsToProduct IfcRelAssignsToProcess

RelatingProduct RelatedObjects RelatedObjects

(INV)ReversencedBy s[1:?] (INV)HasAssignments s[1:?] (INV)HasAssignments s[1:?]

(ABS)IfcPruduct (ABS)IfcResource (ABS)IfcCostItem

RelatedObjects
(INV)HasAssociations S[0:?]
RelatedObjects
(ABS)IfcBuildingElement (INV)HasAssignments s[1:?]
(ABS)IfcConstructionResource IfcRelAssociatesAppliedValue

RelatingAappliedvalue
(INV)ValueReferenced s[1:?]
IfcConstructionEquipmentResource IfcSubContractResource
IfcAppliedValue
ComponentOfTotal
(INV)ValueOfComponents S[0:?]

IfcConstructionMaterialResource IfcLabourResource

IfcCostValue IfcAppliedValueRelationship

IfcConstructionProductResource IfcCrewResource
Components
(INV)IsComponents S[0:?]

Figure 6. The IFC-based 4D construction management information model.

4.3. Instantiating the IFC-Based 4D Construction Management Information Model of

Prefabricated Buildings
This part will use the xBIM [49] Nuget package under the Visual Studio platform to
instantiate the IFC-based 4D construction management information model of prefabri-
cated buildings. According to the schema created in the previous step, the flowchart to
implement the IFC-based 4D construction information is shown in Figure 7. This figure
shows the four steps to modify an original IFC file into the IFC-based 4D construction
management information model. The four steps are process information creation, re-
source information creation, resources information creation, and construction analysis in-
formation creation, which are corresponding to the information extension schema.
Through instantiating entities corresponding to process information, resource infor-
mation, cost information, schedule network analysis information, delay analysis infor-
mation of prefabricated buildings, a complete IFC-based 4D construction management
information model of prefabricated buildings is created. The prefabricated buildings’ con-
struction process is divided into components prefabrication, components transportation,
components hoisting, and components installation in the information model. Therefore,
these four parts correspond to four summary job tasks, namely: TaskFabricateSummary,
TaskTransportSummary, TaskHoistSummary, and TaskInstallSummary; these four sum-
mary job tasks according to the types of components could be further subdivided for spe-
cific purposes. The summary task TaskFabricateSummary is subdivided into prefabricat-
ing slabs, walls, and roofs, respectively named TaskFabricateSlabSummary, TaskFabri-
cateWallSummary, TaskFabricateRoofSummary, and others of the same kind. Then, these
summary tasks at this level are further subdivided into tasks corresponding to specific
components. The rest of the summary tasks and specific tasks can be deduced by analogy.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 13 of 25

Each specific task is associated with process information, resource information, cost infor-
mation, and construction schedule analysis information and forming a complete IFC-
based 4D construction information model of prefabricated buildings.

IFC-based 4D
construction
Original IFC files. Process information creation. Resource information creation. Resource information creation. Construction analysis information creation.
management
information model.

Instantiate project plan entities(IfcWorkPlan). Instantiate resource required. (Such Instantiate cost value entities Instantiate property set entities
as, IfcActor, IfcBuildingElement, and (IfcCostValue). (IfcPropertySer).
IfcQuantityWeight.)
Instantiate the declared entities (IfcRelDeclare).
Instantiate cost value entities Instantiate property entities
Instantiate the construction resource (IfcCostItem). (IfcProperty).
Instantiate schedule entities(IfcWorkSchedule). entities (IfcCostructionResource).
(Including IfcLabourResource,
IfcConstructionEquipmentResource, Instantiate process attribution Instantiate property attribution
Instantiate tasks time entities.(IfcTaskTime). relationship entities relationship entities
IfcConstructionMaterialResource)
(IfcRelAssignsToProcess). (IfcRelDefinesByProperties).
Instantiate tasks entities.(IfcTask). (Including
summary task entities and specific task entities.) Instantiate resource attribution relationship entities
(IfcRelAssignsToResource). Instantiate process attribution
Is there any cost information Yes relationship entities
Instantiate plan attribution relationship that needs to be associated? (IfcRelAssignsToProcess).
entities(IfcRelAssignsToControl). Instantiate process attribution relationship entities
(IfcRelAssignsToProcess).
No
Instantiate product attribution relationship End Is there any construction Yes
entities(IfcRelAssignsToProduct).
analysis information that
Are there any construction Yes needs to be associated?
resources that need to be
Whether there are Yes associated?
construction tasks?
No
No No
End
Instantiate hierarchical relationship End
entities(IfcRelNests).

Instantiate sequence relationship entities

(IfcRelSequence).

Figure 7. Flow chart of instantiating construction management information.

5. Twinning the IFC-Based 4D Construction Management Information Model into

Graph Database
The IFC-based 4D construction information model of prefabricated buildings is es-
tablished in Section 4, but the features of the IFC standard require a further operation of
this information model. This section is the second part of the framework and twins the
IFC-based 4D construction management information model into graph database. One fea-
ture of the IFC standard is that the reference relationship between the entities in the IFC-
based information model is complicated, leading to the poor readability of the IFC files.
Furthermore, the IFC files obtained in the previous step are hard to modify, update, and
interoperate timely. Especially in the process of prefabricated building construction, many
participants have the requirements to operate and exchange the data through IFC files.
Thus, an automatic algorithm to parse and twin IFC files is necessary to reveal the IFC
files complicated inner relationships in an intuitive graph and increase data interopera-
bility for further management requests. This part is also the foundation of the following
automated construction schedule analysis whose realization depends on the graph-based
algorithm.
The reasons to use graph database to store and twin the IFC-based information model
are as follows. Firstly, the graph database is more suitable than the relational database to
store the IFC information model. Solihin [50] transformed BIM data into an open relational
database to make the BIM data accessible for wide ranges of query capabilities. Marmo
[51] mapped the IFC schema into a relational database to support performance assessment
and maintenance management. However, IFC schema is often large, such as IFC 4 × 2 with
816 different entity types and has very complex relationships between entities. Therefore,
using a relational database to store IFC requires creating extremely complex data tables
and a lot of time-consuming cross-table joins to perform various complex queries. In ad-
dition, IFC entities have many attributes, which are sparse in the actual storage of rela-
tional databases. Therefore, the relational database is not suitable for the storage of IFC
models. Secondly, the graph database is more ideal than other non-relational databases.
Other research verified the NoSQL database’s advantages in query speed and flexibility.
Beetz [52] developed an open-source BIM server based on NoSQL database BerkeleyDB,
which provides incremental model storage, extraction, and conversion functions. Lin [53]
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 14 of 25

realized IFC’s storing for path planning based on MongoDB. Ma et al. [54] developed a
Web-based BIM collaboration based on MongoDB, which can query and edit objects in
the model online. Except for the advantages of the NoSQL database, the graph database
also supports complex entity-relationship networks and rich semantic inference at scale
[55]. IFC files and graph database have the same graph format. The reference relationship
between entities in the IFC files is analyzed and shown in Figure 8. In this figure, IfcProject
has the highest level of construction tasks, which can be decomposed into different IfcTask
Summary through hierarchical relationship. The IfcTask Summary can be further decom-
posed into specific IfcTask through hierarchical relationships. These entities’ relationship
is similar to the relationship between nodes in a graph database, as illustrated in Figure 9
[56]. This figure shows that a graph database can be seen as a combination of nodes and
relationships. The graph database stores data in nodes with attribute values and uses re-
lationships to organize these nodes, which are all consistent with IFC files’ characteristics.
Therefore, using graph database to store IFC files is more intuitive than other NoSQL da-
tabases. In addition, graph database’s graph algorithm lays the foundation for analyzing
IFC-based information models in the next step.

IfcProject

IfcTask Summary A IfcTask Summary B … IfcTask Summary N

IfcTask Summary a IfcTask Summary b … IfcTask Summary

n

IfcTask 1 IfcTask 2 IfcTask 3 … IfcTask N

Figure 8. Entities reference relationship in an IFC file.

Figure 9. Graph database.

Therefore, it is feasible and reasonable to adopt the graph database to store and twin
the IFC-based information model. All the procedures are realized in Neo4j, which is a
popular Java-based graph database [57]. There is a round-trip mechanism between the
IFC files and the graph database.
Twinning the IFC files to the graph database. This paper will use Java to twin the IFC
information model into the graph database. The process is divided into the following six
steps.
Step1. Using IFC Java Toolbox to parse IFC files. The IFC Java Toolbox consists of
three main parts: obtaining the Java class by parsing the IFC entity type, obtaining the
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 15 of 25

Java type by parsing the IFC data content, and providing the object model IfcModel for
IFC data to access.
Step 2. Based on IFC schema, constructing a dictionary of the IFC entities and its key-
value is corresponding to IFC entities’ attributes;
Step 3. Specify the database path and create an EmbeddedGraphDatabse instance
under the path;
Step 4. Generate the Node instance corresponding to the IFC entity through the de-
signed createNode() method, and the information in the IFC entity is stored in the node’s
properties through the key-value set by the dictionary;
Step 5. Create the relationship between nodes, which is the relationship between IFC
entities, through the designed createRelationship() method.
Step 6. Accessing the graph database using Cypher command.
Therefore, an automatic algorithm to twin the IFC-based 4D construction information
model to the Neo4j graph database is realized and the database can be used as a platform
for participants to interoperate the construction information. Specifically, users can twin
the IFC-based 4D construction information model to Neo4j, and the graph database-based
information model can be uploaded to the cloud for all project participants to use. Project
participants can fetch, modify, and update all the construction information they need
through simple operation
Re-exporting the IFC files from the graph database. This part is used to re-export the
IFC files from the graph database to complete the round-trip between the IFC files and the
graph database. Although the construction information has good interoperability when it
is twinned and stored in the Neo4j-based graph database, users sometimes need the IFC
files with updated information to further utilize information in various BIM software.
Therefore, an algorithm is developed in this paper, which can re-export the IFC infor-
mation in the graph database into a complete IFC file. This algorithm’s core is to traverse
the entire graph database’s information and output it into an IFC file. The output IFC files
can be used in different BIM software which supports the IFC format.

6. Analyzing the Graph Database-Based and IFC-Based Construction Management

Information Model
This section is the third part of the framework. In this section, graph database-based
strategies to update data, automatically analyze construction schedules and visualize the
4D construction management information model are described.

6.1. Data Update

The ability to update the construction information in real-time is the most significant
advantage of twinning the IFC information model into the graph database. The process of
data updating is simple. Users can query the corresponding tasks in the graph database
of the construction information they are interested in through a simple search. Benefitting
from the graph database’s intuitive relationship, users can also get other information di-
rectly related to the construction information. For example, a user searches for a construc-
tion task and returns an IfcTask node, as well as the IfcResouce, IfcCostItem, and IfcProd-
uct nodes that are directly associated with the IfcTask. After the user obtains the node, the
node’s attributes can be updated according to the actual construction data to complete the
update of the graph database-based and IFC-based information model.

6.2. Schedule Network Analysis

The schedule network of prefabricated buildings’ construction process can be auto-
matically obtained after twinning the IFC-based 4D construction management model into
the graph database without any manual work. Furthermore, this paper develops a graph-
based algorithm to analyze the schedule network. The necessity to analyze the schedule
network is reflected in two aspects. Firstly, the analysis of schedule networks can identify
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 16 of 25

the tasks’ centrality in the schedule network, which can help managers adjust the re-
sources’ allocation. Secondly, the parameters of schedule networks are significant in the
Graph Neural Network (GNN), which will benefit further work in machine learning or
deep learning [58]. The results of the schedule network analysis will be stored in the
Pset_ScheduleNetworkAnalysis. The algorithm calculates three parameters in the sched-
ule network.
Degree Centrality (DC): The DC is the total number of edges directed to a node and
edges directed to others. The degree centrality of the node reflects the centrality of the
construction task to other tasks. The greater degree centrality means that the delay of this
node is more likely to cause the delay of other tasks in the construction network plan,
which means the higher the risk caused by the delay of this task.
Closeness Centrality (CC): The CC of a node is the average length of the shortest path
between the node and all other nodes in the graph, which quantifies how close the node
is to others. Closeness centrality reflects the difficulty of intercommunication between
nodes [59]. The larger the closeness centrality, the stronger the interaction between the
construction tasks in the schedule network.
Betweenness Centrality (BC): BC is the number of shortest paths that pass through
the node and quantifies the number of times the node acts as a bridge along the shortest
path between two other nodes. Betweenness centrality reflects the pivotal role of nodes in
the network [60]. The larger the betweenness centrality, the greater the construction task’s
control effect on the schedule network’s other tasks.
The calculation methods of degree centrality 𝐷𝐶(𝑥), closeness centrality 𝐶𝐶(𝑥), and
betweenness centrality 𝐵𝐶(𝑥)are represented as follows:
DC(x) = [Count(Ek|StartNode(Ek) = x) + Count(Ek|EndNode(Ek) = x)]/(N − 1), (1)

CC(x) = 1/∑y d(y,x), (2)

BC(x) = ∑y≠x≠z d(y,x), (3)

where 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧 are different nodes, d(y, x) is the distance between nodes 𝑥 and 𝑦, σyz is the
total number of shortest paths from node 𝑦 to node 𝑧, σyz (x) is the number of those paths
that pass through node 𝑥, and N is the total number of nodes in this network.

6.3. Delay Analysis

In addition to the automatic analysis of the schedule network, automatic delay anal-
ysis plays a critical role in the graph database-based information model. The analysis of
delays includes two parts. The first part is to calculate the project schedule network’s crit-
ical path and store the critical path’s information in the extended IFC schema, which can
be automatically complete by the graph-based algorithm. The graph-based algorithm pro-
posed in this paper calculates the critical path by finding the path that has the longest
duration. The IfcTask entity identified in the critical path will be associated with the ex-
tended property set Pset_CriticalPath to store the critical path’s information. Furthermore,
project managers are interested in the following properties of each construction task: Ear-
liest Finish Time (EF), Earliest Start Time (ES), Latest Start Time (LS), Latest Finish Time
(LF), Slack Time. These insightful properties will also be easily calculated through the
graph and then added to the graph, which is infinitely better than manually typing func-
tions into several Excel cells.
The second part is to collect the construction information and analyze the delay.
When the construction task is identified as its start time later than the last start time, its
finish time later than the last finish time, or its delay time longer than the slack time, the
IfcTask is associated with the extended property set Pset_DelayAnalysis. The result of the
delay analysis is then be stored in the extended IFC schema, facilitating the managers to
master the project progress. Furthermore, the programming developed by this paper will
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 17 of 25

also analyze the impact on the overall construction duration due to the delayed task based
on whether the delayed task occurs on the critical path or whether the duration of the
delay exceeds the slack time of the task, thus assisting managers in their decision making.

6.4.4. D Visualization
The 4D visualization has two purposes. In the process of making a schedule, the vis-
ualization of the schedules allows the project team to check the schedule for completeness
and ensure that sequencing and constructability requirements are satisfied [23]. During
the actual construction, visualization of the construction process will present the delay
tasks by extracting delay information and marking different colors, which will facilitate
the project team’s control of the delay risks. In this section, Microsoft Project 2013 and
Navisworks 2021 are used to visualize the information model with time information. Pro-
ject and Navisworks are the most commonly used management software in construction
management, but the IFC format is not well supported. Therefore, it makes the use of
construction management information very inefficient and inconvenient. This framework
proposes a method to display a process model extracting from the IFC-based information
model in the 4D effect. The specific implementation process is as follows.
Initially, all the IfcTask entities in the created IFC information model are fetched au-
tomatically from the graph database’s retrieval algorithm. Next, the same method is used
to extract the information of IfcCostItem entities, Pset_ScheduleNetworkAnalysis,
Pset_Critical Path, and PSet_DelayAnalysis corresponding to each IfcTask entity. After-
ward, all this retrieval information is written into Microsoft Project 2013. Finally, import-
ing the Revit building model and Project files into Navisworks achieves the 4D display of
construction information management.

7. Case Study
The IFC-based and graph database-based framework is validated through an engi-
neering case of prefabricated buildings. In this case study, the comprehensive process of
realizing, twinning, and analyzing the IFC-based 4D construction management infor-
mation model of prefabricated buildings is executed. The result illustrates that this frame-
work can enhance the managers’ control of processes by effective data interoperability
and automatically analyzing construction schedules to prevent possible delays in ad-
vance.

7.1. Realizing the IFC-Based 4D Construction Management Information Model of Engineering

Case’s Prefabricated Building
The engineering case selected is an academic building in Shanghai, China, with a
total construction area of 135,858 square meters. The south tower of this building has 13
floors, and the north tower has 21 floors.
According to the framework proposed in this paper, an IFC-based 4D construction
management information model of this case study’s prefabricated building is established.
The central part of this created IFC-based 4D construction management information
model is shown in Table 7. A lot of components’ information is omitted from this listing,
therefore, the span between the number of IFC file instances is large. In this IFC model,
the project (#1) has a general construction task named TaskGroundLevel (#1036), which is
composed of floors 1–13 construction tasks (#1039–#1063). Every floor’s construction task
includes four summary tasks: fabrication summary task (#1065), transportation summary
task (#1091), hoisting summary task (#1171), and installation summary task (#1143). Fur-
thermore, taking fabrication summary task as an example, fabrication summary tasks
nested by slab fabrication summary task (#1067), slab fabrication summary task (#1072),
and roof fabrication summary task (#1085). The slab fabrication summary task is com-
posed of tasks corresponding to specific components (#1067).
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 18 of 25

Table 7. IFC file of IFC-based 4D construction management information model. (The single quotes in this table are
necessary to observe the IFC standard’s regulation.)
No. IFC-Based 4D Construction Management Information Model’s Selected Content
1 #1=IFCPROJECT(‘12bxz3uTDC4wb_jB5gE948′,‘OwnerHistory’,$,$,$,’I:\\Revit\\House1.ifc’,$,$,$);
2 #1036=IFCTASK(‘1zkqn2e7LFhg2St02HQTwu’,#1027,‘TaskGroundLevel’,$,$,$,$,$,$,.F.,$,#1035,$);
3 #1039=IFCTASK(‘0NP1O_S$r8$eViUO4glyKt’,#1027,’TaskGroundLevel1′,$,$,$,$,$,$,.F.,$,#1038,$);
4 #1065=IFCTASK(‘011WcvxnbD8AZVZ2Q7dd8W’,#1027,‘TaskFabricateSummary’,$,$,$,$,$,$,.F.,$,#1064,$);
5 #1067=IFCTASK(‘3MOUWoiRz2NuBJwJ2nJfbV’,#1027,‘TaskFabricateSlabSummary’,$,$,$,$,$,$,.F.,$,#1066,$);
6 #1069=IFCTASK(‘0nOmrtxyj2VBWkHO5P4SnH’,#1027,‘TaskFabricateSlab1′,$,$,$,$,$,$,.F.,$,#1068,$);
7 #1091=IFCTASK(‘0huWK9JJr4rfdG4_i4MQap’,#1027,‘TaskTransportSummary’,$,$,$,$,$,$,.F.,$,#1090,$);
8 #1117=IFCTASK(‘1Ys2i9e8nBYvzKk8O1wo7s’,#1027,‘TaskHoistSummary’,$,$,$,$,$,$,.F.,$,#1116,$);
9 #1143=IFCTASK(‘3RNsuY0gH56g4d3ZNj65hy’,#1027,‘TaskInstallSummary’,$,$,$,$,$,$,.F.,$,#1142,$);
10 #1168=IFCRELNESTS(‘2FNkC4Z8bEmPoiDAwKYBkT’,#1027,$,$,#1036,(#1039));
11 #1240=IFCRELSEQUENCE(‘3uhXQNRNb9sAZ8jEi5vq58′,#1027,$,$,#1161,#1166,$,.START_START.,$);
#1247=IFCLABORRESOURCE(‘2ZPqsrMRD0uehic7XAYwTb’,#1027,’LaborRe-
12
sourceHoistSlab1′,$,$,$,$,$,$,$,.CONCRETE.);
#1248=IFCCONSTRUCTIONMATERIALRESOURCE(‘1N5hKWta53cuWxoopADUpr’,#1027,‘MaterialRe-
13
sourceHoistSlab1′,$,$,$,$,$,$,#1243,.CONCRETE.);
#1249=IFCCONSTRUCTIONEQUIPMENTRESOURCE(‘0fUvYJc5jCKPeiVBfqPWIV’,#1027,’EquipmentRe-
14
sourceHoistSlab1′,$,$,$,$,$,$,$,.TRANSPORTING.)
15 #1253=IFCCOSTITEM(‘1CZAhyPqD3hAzaDo_GSMhV’,#1027,‘LaborCostItemHoistSLab1′,$,$,$,$,(#1250),$);
#1256=IFCRELASSIGNSTOPROCESS(‘0pSmSJ3qD3vOKmPBOg-
16
vRTN’,#1027,$,$,(#1247,#1248,#1249,#1253,#1254,#1255),$,#1121,$)

Meanwhile, for each task of a specific component, the process information, resource
information, and costs information related to the task are established in the information
model. Taking the fabricate task of the 1st-floor slab as an example (#1067), the process
information, labor resource information (#1247), material resource information (#1248),
equipment resource information (#1249), cost information (#1253, #1254, #1255), schedule
network analysis (#1257), and delay analysis (#1261, #1265) corresponding to the task are
associated to it.

7.2. Twinning the IFC-Based 4D Construction Management Information Model of Engineering

Case’s Prefabricated Building to Graph Database
Based on the algorithm proposed in Section 5, the IFC-based 4D construction man-
agement information model of the engineering case is twinned into the graph database to
help the participants operate the IFC information model’s data. The interoperation plat-
form based on the graph database is shown in Figure 10. Different colored nodes represent
different entities in this figure, and the edge between two nodes represents the relation-
ship between two entities. Further, the entities’ attributes are saved as the corresponding
nodes’ properties. In this case, the twinned IFC-based information model is uploaded to
the cloud. Therefore, the participants in different construction parts can access the data-
base and interoperate the construction information. During the actual construction man-
agement, the modification of construction task information is often accompanied by the
modification of related resources, cost, and other information, which is troublesome to
operate. One of the enormous benefits of adopting the approach presented in this paper
is that the participants can easily retrieve and operate the information they need, and all
the related information associated with it via the graph’s edge. Another benefit to twin
the IFC-based 4D construction management information model into a task-centered net-
work is that the graph database-based algorithm can complete networks’ analysis that IFC
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 19 of 25

files and Relational Database cannot complete. In conclusion, this step realizes the visual-
ization and interoperation of the IFC information model which is difficult to understand
and operate. This step lays a good foundation for the following analysis.

Figure 10. Graph database-based information model.

7.3. Analyzing the Graph Database-Based and IFC-Based 4D Construction Management

Information Model of Engineering Case’s Prefabricated Building
1. Data Update. The user’s operation of complex IFC files has been transformed into
an easy-to-operate graph database. Since data update runs through the entire construction
management and is described in detail in Section 6, it will not be repeated here.
2. Schedule Network Analysis. This paper analyzes the complex schedule network of
this engineering case. The degree centrality, closeness centrality, and betweenness cen-
trality of this schedule network are calculated by formulas (1)–(3). The top 10 construction
tasks in numerical value are shown in Table 8.

Table 8. Top 10 tasks based on different centrality measures.

Task
Task Name Degree Centrality Task Name Closeness Centrality Betweenness Centrality
Name
Task 74 0.40000000 Task 74 0.479233227 Task 74 2712.615384615384
Task 81 0.38888889 Task 77 0.478214670 Task 84 2702.000000000001
Task 67 0.33333333 Task 71 0.477200424 Task 81 2668.384615384646
Task 64 0.30000000 Task 81 0.475687104 Task 64 2624.153846153846
Task 71 0.30000000 Task 64 0.473684211 Task 91 2624.153846153846
Task 84 0.30000000 Task 87 0.469728601 Task 87 2613.538461538462
Task 67 0.27777778 Task 67 0.465838509 Task 71 2613.538461538461
Task 61 0.24444444 Task 84 0.463917526 Task 77 2592.307692307692
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 20 of 25

Task 77 0.24444444 Task 61 0.458248473 Task 67 2561.435478256821

Task 72 0.20000000 Task 72 0.443240123 Task 64 2487.346782493274

From the calculated results, we can see that Task 74 ranks first in all three parameters,
indicating that it has a very important impact on the whole schedule construction net-
work. In other words, if Task 74 is delayed, it will cause a large number of tasks in the
schedule network to be delayed. It brings great risk for the whole construction schedule
delay. With this information, managers should pay more attention to Task 74 and manage
it better to avoid this task’s delay. This crucial information will be stored in the extended
property set Pset_ScheduleNetworkAnalysis and associated with the corresponding Ifc-
Task entities. The presentation of information from Task 74 and its associated datasets in
the graph data is shown in Figure 11. The blue node representing Task 74 is associated
with the pink node representing IfcPropertySet, including Pset_CriticalPath, Pset_Sched-
uelNetworkAnalysis, and Pset_DelayAnalysis.
3. Delay Analysis. According to the schedule information and schedule network au-
tomatically created in the graph database, this paper uses the graph’s algorithm to calcu-
late the critical path. The critical path and its property are shown in Figure 12. In this
figure, blue nodes represent IfcTask entities, green nodes represent IfcTaskTime, orange
nodes represent IfcRelSequence, pink nodes represent IfcPropertySet named Pset_Criti-
calPath, and purple nodes represent IfcProperty. The IfcTask-IfcRelSequence-IfcTask line
is the calculated critical path. Moreover, this paper also calculates every task’s significant
properties by using the graph’s character and updating this information in the graph.
These significant properties include Earliest Finish Time (EF), Earliest Start Time (ES),
Latest Start Time (LS), Latest Finish Time (LF), and Slack Time. Once the tasks’ data col-
lected in the actual construction illustrated delay is compared to the scheduled time, the
program analyzes the delay. In this engineering case, Task 74 was completed three days
later than it was expected to be completed. Based on the calculation of the graph, it will
be immediately analyzed that the total construction period will be delayed by three days,
thus facilitating the decision-maker’s control of the construction period. In addition, Task
74 will be associated with the extended property set Pset_DelayAnalysis, as shown in Fig-
ure 11.

Figure 11. Task74 with corresponding information.

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 21 of 25

Figure 12. The critical path identified from the graph database-based information model.

4. 4D visualization. Based on the above applications, the construction management

information model with the time domain can finally be created. The graph database-based
approach clarifies the association relationship between construction task entities and re-
lated information in the IFC information model. As mentioned before, the construction
information is extracted from the graph database-based 4D construction management in-
formation model obtained in the previous steps to Microsoft Project. The construction in-
formation includes tasks’ time information and corresponding cost information, schedule
network analysis information, critical path information, and delay information. Figure 13
demonstrates this step’s effect. In this Microsoft Project’s screenshot, the first column in-
dicates the names of the IfcTask extracted from the graph database, and the subsequent
columns indicate the process information, resource information, cost information, sched-
ule network analysis information, delay analysis information, and critical path infor-
mation corresponding to the IfcTask, respectively.

Figure 13. Importing construction management information into project.

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 22 of 25

The next step is to import the Revit building model and MS Project file into Navis-
works to create the dynamic presentation. The screenshot of the animation in Navisworks
is illustrated in Figure 14. Through the construction simulation, the construction progress,
cost, schedule network analysis information, delay analysis information, and critical path
information can be known in real-time in the animation’s upper left corner. Additionally,
the delay tasks also are identified with different colors. In this figure, the completed tasks
are indicated by the color of the building facade, the unfinished tasks are indicated in
green, and the red part indicates the delayed tasks.

Figure 14. Screenshot of animation in Navisworks.

Through this case study, the proposed framework is studied and verified step by
step. Firstly, an IFC-based 4D construction management information model is created and
expresses the extended construction management information. The graph database Neo4j
can also be used to enable this IFC-based information model to be interoperated among
different participants. In addition, it verified that the proposed framework could solve the
problem that the IFC information model is hard to be modified and updated. Secondly,
the graph database-based and IFC-based 4D construction information model is applied to
update the data, analyze the schedule network, analyze delays, and dynamically present
the 4D construction information model. The final results also prove that the graph data-
base-based automated analysis approaches are practical, which is different from the tra-
ditional CPM. In short, the significance of this paper is to innovatively propose an IFC-
based and graph data-based information model to solve the difficulties of ineffective data
interoperation and unautomated schedule analysis in prefabricated buildings’ construc-
tion management.

8. Conclusions
In this research, a framework to realize, twin, and analyze the IFC-based 4D construc-
tion management information model of prefabricated buildings is proposed and validated
with a construction project. The IFC-based framework is proposed to fill the gap that the
IFC standard has difficulties in construction management information’s interoperability
and automated analysis. This framework achieves four objectives: (1) A unified IFC-based
construction management information model is established to integrate the construction
management information needed in the construction process. It provides a feasible solu-
tion for managing the whole process of prefabricated building construction using a uni-
fied information model. (2) The algorithm to twinning the IFC-based 4D construction
management information model into the graph database-based information model is de-
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7270 23 of 25

signed. In this approach, IFC-based construction management information can be interop-

erated among different stakeholders, construction stages, and different BIM software. Fur-
thermore, it lays the foundation of automated analysis of the graph-based information
model. (3) The strategies to automatically analyze the schedule networks and analyze the
delay are proposed. On the one hand, the analysis of the IFC-based and graph database-
based construction management information model can identify the tasks’ centrality in
the schedule network and then determine the tasks’ delay, which can help the managers
control the construction process. On the other hand, the analysis of the construction sched-
ule provides the necessary knowledge preparation for in-depth analysis and management
of the construction process based on IFC and graphical databases. (4) The means to visu-
alize the IFC-based 4D information model is given. Thus, the IFC-based information
model can have a dynamic 4D presentation and visualize the results of construction
schedules’ analysis.
In general, the contributions of this framework to the development of prefabricated
buildings’ construction management are twofold. Firstly, this framework can promote the
IFC-based construction management of prefabricated buildings by achieving the con-
struction information’s interoperability, which is difficult to achieve in the current con-
struction information management of prefabricated buildings. Secondly, this framework
can enhance the managers’ control of processes by automatically analyzing construction
schedules and visualizing the construction management information model based on
graph database. This has greatly improved the efficiency of the CPM method, which used
to have a time lag and be calculated manually.
Based on the results of this paper, related work can be further carried out. This re-
search’s further works include: (1) Limited by BIM software functions, the resource infor-
mation in the IFC-based 4D construction management information model cannot be well
displayed. Further work can be the secondary development of relevant BIM software to
realize the display of resource information. (2) In this extended information model, only
prefabricated components are considered. More efforts are needed to include the cast-in-
situ sections that have a more complicated construction process. (3) The graph and its
parameters obtained based on the IFC twins can be further applied in the graph neural
networks (GNN) to help the research on the efficiency improvement of the building con-
struction process. (4) The framework developed in this paper can be extended to the scope
of project life-cycle management and be the digital foundation of the energy consumption
management during building operations and maintenance.

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, B.Y.; methodology, M.D., C.W. and B.L.; software, M.D.;
writing—original draft preparation, M.D; writing—review and editing, Z.W. and B.Z.; supervision,
B.Y. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding: This study is supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No.
2018YFD1100900).
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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