A system dynamics model for construction method selection with sustainability considerations
Abstract Construction projects have project conditions that change over time, like the availability of resources. These changes have the potential to influence the selection of construction methods, which in turn significantly affects the chance of successfully accomplishing project objectives, such as the time of completion, cost, and sustainability. In addition, project conditions are dynamic, and their impact on construction methods and project objectives are difficult to predict intuitively. Therefore, there is a need for an analytic procedure to understand the impact of different project conditions on the decision making process of construction professionals. This analytical procedure will better inform construction professionals during the selection of construction methods. The authors applied systems dynamics to simulate and analyze the changing project conditions and their influence on the selection of construction methods when decision makers are constrained by time, cost and environmental impact objectives. Two highway case studies were considered to demonstrate the effectiveness of the system dynamics model. The results of the case studies suggest that the proposed systems dynamics model has the potential to effectively simulate decision making processes in construction under changing project conditions while outputting the most feasible construction methods. Furthermore, the study shows that project conditions have an impact on the flow of construction processes.