Industrialised, Integrated, Intelligent sustainable Construction - I3con

HANDBOOK 2 SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
The Contribution of RFID to Life Cycle Management in Construction
Frank Schultmann – Institute for Industrial Production (IIP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Hertzstrasse 16, 76187 Karlsruhe, Germany (frank.schultmann@kit.edu)
Nicole Gollenbeck - Sunke – Chair of Construction Project Management and Economics, University of Siegen,
Paul-Bonatz-Str. 9-11, 57068 Siegen, Germany (nicole.gollenbeck-sunke@uni-siegen.de)
Abstract
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has attracted
increasing attention of researchers as well as practitioners in recent
years. However it can be observed that main parts of the
construction industry still lack the application of innovative
technologies, such as the application of automated identification
systems. Potential areas of application of RFID in construction are
revealed and a future prospective for the adoption of this technology
in sustainable construction management throughout the whole life
cycle of a building is developed. Thereby, the relevancy of RFID can
be seen especially in industrialised construction, where RFID
technology could be applied for the efficient production of building
components and parts and tracking them from production to
installation. Further potentials of RFID in construction encompass
issues like the automation and optimisation of facility management
processes and monitoring of operating resources during occupation
and operation of buildings as well as environmentally sound
deconstruction planning based on information gathered with RFID.
Keywords: radio frequency identification, construction industry, facility management, site
management, product identification
Introduction
Automated identification of objects enables the simplification and optimisation of processes in a
variety of applications. Examples of identification techniques are Bar Code and the Radio Frequency
Identification Technology (RFID). RFID is an Auto-Identification technology that allows the unique
identification of objects up to a distance of several feet. It has already been established in rather
simple applications like theft-secure in department stores for several decades. In comparison to other
Bar Code systems, the advantages of RFID are, for instance, higher reading ranges, the non-necessity
of line-of-sight between the reading device and the transponder onto which the data information is
stored, and the possibility to store new data onto the transponder independent of on the employed
technique.
However, applications and research mainly focus on the implementation of RFID in off-site
production where it has already been proven to be successful. This comprises, for instance, the
automotive sector and the electrical and electronics industry in various fields, such as anti-theft
systems, tracking of products throughout the supply chain, and auto-identification of goods (RFID
central, 2007; Srivastava, 2004; Wing, 2006).
Generally, production processes in construction are more complex than in ordinary make-to-stock or
manufacture-to-order production environments. Characterised by its design-to-order production, the
final assembly of the building takes place on-site and it remains there till the end of its life time. In
contrast to the complexity, it can be observed that the construction industry still lacks the application
of innovation and high end technologies, such as automated identification systems, although the
amount of materials and components as well as information arising during the life time of a building
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