13 Chapter 13: Introduction to Site Utilization Planning and Project Scheduling

Site Utilization Planning

A site utilization plan documents the designed status of a project at a point in time.  Site Utilization Plans are critical to defining the layout of a project site as it progresses through the construction process.  The site is continuously changing.  Therefore, there is no one representation that represents the progression of the site throughout the construction process.  But, instead, it is critical to have at least several site utilization plans to define the progress of the site, for example, a site utilization plan for the excavation phase, superstructure phase, enclosure phase, and finishes phase.

The checklist included in Figure 12-1 provides typical items that should be included in a Site Utilization Plan.  Figure 12-2 shows a quality example of a site plan for a school project.

4D Modeling:

A site utilization plan can be incorporated with a Critical Path Method (CPM) schedule to develop a visualization model of the construction sequence for a project, known as a 4D model (3D geometry + time as the 4th dimension).  These models can be fairly simple or very elaborate depending upon the level of detail of both the 3D model and the detail contained within the 3D model.  Some simply show the final building elements, while other contain temporary equipment, site elements, formwork, etc.  An example of a 4D model of the U.S. Bank Stadium construction can be found at  this link.