Coordination with Temporary structures during the construction phase.

There are many temporary structures that are being erected during the construction phase which are later removed after the work is finished. Some of them are as follows.

• Temporary Electrical Panel for lighting and Equipment powering.
• Water and Drainage facilities for workforce.
• Temporary Garbage Chute.
• Concrete Pipes.
• Scaffoldings.
• Tower crane structures.
• Temporary loading platform deck & Temporary Passengers Hoist. Etc...

I have come across many 4D simulated models where the above items were not considered.

This is due to the fact that many of us think that when it comes to coordination, it includes only MEP elements, Structure and other elements which are going to be a part of the project when it is completed. Being from the site background myself, below are the two coordination elements which consume a lot of time and effort.

 MEP coordination with Technical stakeholders & Coordination with Planning and Execution teams.

There are a lot of articles available for Technical coordination. But very few were written on coordination with the planning team. Below are some of the images where these temporary structures hindering the MEP and other installations.

The above tower crane structure will stop the slab works. This will impact the concealed MEP elements. MEP coordination should be planned in accordance with these installations.

Concrete pumping pipes need coordination with structure slab opening and MEP elements in its vicinity. During operation, these pipes create impactful vibrations which have to be taken into account.

Temporary passenger hoist will stop the installations of Facade and other installations such as block wall, floor finish in the passageway to the corridor. This is to enable the loading and unloading of the materials from the hoist.

Temporary Garbage chute installed in the perimeter of the buildings needs coordination with Facade and Floor Finishes. The garbage from the different unit of a level is taken to the chute with the help of trolleys.

Ceiling Coordination and RCP clearance have to be done in accordance with temporary lights installation and removal timelines. Scaffolding erection has to be planned in such a way that all the installations are done at once. This will save a lot of time and effort in site execution.

Following are some of the installation that cannot be done because of the Temporary loading deck. The location of these decks is subjected to change as the project progress. 

• The Facade installation.
• Precast Block wall and Dry partition wall in these areas.
• MEP Fixtures associated in the above walls mentioned. (Conduit, Wiring and Plumbing lines)
• Above ceiling works such as cabling and containment installations and Floor Finishes and Skirting cannot be done.

Similarly, all the temporary structures mentioned above needs proper planning and coordination with the execution team.

To conclude, 4D simulations, MEP coordination and site execution should be planned in such a way that it benefits all the contractors involved in the construction. This will ensure that there is no slippage in the planned dates and smooth coordination between all the stakeholders involved.

Thanks & Regards,

Venkatesh Muthu.

Reach me in [email protected]