Integrating the processes of design, scheduling and cost estimating within an object-oriented environment

This paper describes the conceptual design of several processes for performing the stages of building design, construction scheduling, and cost estimating within an object-oriented environment. There are four major processes to be performed within the environment: (a) Conceptual Design From Project Scope, in which design components are generated from a set of given project parameters; (b) Initial Scheduling, in which an initial construction schedule is generated based on the design components; (c) Refined Scheduling, in which the initial schedule is revised and updated based on task durations; and (d) Cost Distribution, in which costs are distributed and aggregated into activity, building system, and budget hierarchies based on task costs. These processes are part of a prototype system which focuses on mid-rise building construction and is now under development in an object-oriented programming environment on a personal computer.