[Let's Run Again, Construction Korea] Ssangyong Construction Leads Smart Construction... Catches Two Rabbits: 'Construction Capability & Worker Safety'

<11> Ssangyong Construction, Researching 3D Stereoscopic Design Technology Since 2007
Received Construction Sector Grand Prize at Related Awards
Recently Upgraded to 5D Method

First Construction Company to Equip Drones with GPS
Protecting Worker Safety by Attaching Action Cameras to Helmets

Ssangyong Construction employees are using action cams and drones at the construction site. (Provided by Ssangyong Construction)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Ssangyong Engineering & Construction is applying smart technologies throughout construction sites to enhance construction capabilities and protect workers' safety. As the Fourth Industrial Revolution is gaining momentum and unexpected variables such as COVID-19 arise, adapting to new paradigms has become an essential condition for survival even for construction companies.

◆ 3D Modeling and Drones: Smart Technologies Enhancing Construction Capabilities = Ssangyong Engineering & Construction began technical research on the 3D modeling system BIM (Building Information Modeling) in 2007. This technology identifies problems in planar design in advance, preventing rework between construction phases and improving work efficiency by visualizing buildings. The first application of this technology was at the Namsan Ssangyong Platinum site in 2008. Since then, BIM has been applied in the design and construction processes of about 40 domestic and international architectural and civil engineering projects.

The most notable achievement was at the State Tower Namsan office site in Hoehyeon-dong, Seoul, in 2010. Ssangyong Engineering & Construction operated Korea’s first BIM center at that time and was recognized by winning the Grand Prize in the construction category at the ‘BIM Awards’ hosted by the Building Smart Association the same year. The following year, it also obtained the US LEED Gold certification, one of the world’s top three eco-friendly certifications. The Sarang Church site in Seocho-dong, constructed by Ssangyong, also won an Excellence Award at the ‘BIM Awards’.

Building on these achievements, Ssangyong Engineering & Construction is expanding BIM-based design overseas. At the WHC hospital construction site, an advanced future-type hospital project won in Singapore in 2018, a dedicated BIM team of about 50 people is operating. They aim to minimize design changes through 3D design reflecting finishes of each hospital room and virtual construction using virtual reality (VR).

Recently, an upgraded technology using Korea’s first 5-dimensional (5D) BIM method has been introduced. Ssangyong Engineering & Construction applied this method to the construction of the Honam High-Speed Railway, conducting civil engineering simulations while simultaneously verifying material quantities, the routes and numbers of various input equipment, and even virtual runs of the high-speed railway after completion.

Drones are also one of the actively used devices on construction sites. They are used not only to check surrounding working conditions through drone filming but also to apply the collected information to BIM. Ssangyong Engineering & Construction utilized this technology to complete the Dongbusan Ananti Cove in July 2017. Additionally, the company developed technology to accurately calculate data values such as coordinates, area, and length of the site by equipping drones with satellite navigation devices (GPS) for the first time in the construction industry.

◆ Action Cameras and QR Codes: Smart Technologies Protecting Workers’ Safety = Action cameras attached to workers’ helmets are used to protect worker safety. The advantage is that core processes, high-difficulty construction, and hazardous work can be managed from offices far from the construction site. Ssangyong Engineering & Construction first applied this at the Milyang-Ulsan highway site. A company official said, "Since introducing the site management system using action cameras, workers’ awareness of safety has increased significantly, greatly helping accident prevention."

QR codes installed throughout construction sites help workers check construction status in real time at a glance. Workers can scan QR codes attached to building walls with an application (app) to check or update progress by construction phase. Ssangyong Engineering & Construction first applied this at the Dubai Royal Atlantis Resort & Residence site. This was the first case of expanding QR codes, which were previously used only for material management, to overall process management. This also significantly reduced the cost and time required to understand site conditions. A Ssangyong Engineering & Construction official said, "Smooth connection between preceding and succeeding processes prevents schedule delays and enables safe construction."

◆ Upgraded Civil Engineering Methods: Eco-Friendly and Cost-Reducing = Advanced eco-friendly civil engineering methods have made cost reduction possible. A representative example is the method used recently at the construction site of Section 1 of the 14th Expressway from Hamyang to Changnyeong. This method uses synthetic fibers instead of steel fibers in shotcrete (rock spray material mixed with sand and cement) reinforcement. It is an eco-friendly new technology that reduces carbon emissions while maintaining the same performance and also has cost-saving effects. Ssangyong Engineering & Construction received the highest evaluation among 16 nationwide projects ordered by the Korea Expressway Corporation using this method and won the Grand Prize at the ‘2021 VE (Value Engineering) Competition’.

A Ssangyong Engineering & Construction official said, "We will continue to devote ourselves to cultivating differentiated advanced technologies such as smart construction and also plan to strengthen safety management systems in accordance with the Serious Accident Punishment Act, which will be enforced from this year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.