Coupling innovative technology, space management and BIM processes with smart city management: Congested construction sites in urban centres in Cape Town South Africa

This paper examines the issue of limited space on congested building construction sites in the Cape Town urban centre. The author argues that the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and innovative technology will mitigate the problem of space during construction. The slow uptake by construction firms in using this technology is due to a lack of demand for digital information by clients. Building information generated during and after construction coupled with smart city development will provide the incentive for construction firms to invest in these technologies. Smart city management and big data-infrastructure is becoming increasingly important in world cities like Cape Town. The increase in demand for digital information will require building construction firms to focus more on models that encompass an entire city rather than just building-focused models. The researcher uses the quantitative survey methods to obtain information from building project managers, registered contractors as well as consultants within the central business district of Cape Town metropolis. In this study a lack of space was identified as the most significant challenge during building construction projects in the urban centre of Cape Town. The limited storage space for materials and restricted access for delivery of materials were found to be the most challenging aspects. The suggested ways of dealing with these issues are 'just-in-time' delivery of materials and the use of innovative technology. Innovative technology includes location awareness equipment, bar coding and aerial drone imagery. The process of using BIM for generating and managing digital information was highly recommended for all stages of the building project. Despite the enthusiasm shown by construction personnel construction firms remain reluctant to invest in these technologies. The reason given for this is a lack of demand by clients resulting in the risk of over capitalising and perceived unnecessary development of personnel skills.