Construction is traditionally a trade that produces unique, one-off products designed specifically according to the project requirements. However, recently developed flexible product and process platforms in industrialized house building based on the theory of mass customisation offer products that can be customized to a large extent with affordable costs. In this paper we present a framework for how a product and process platform can be developed and used in a traditional engineer-to-order design and construction of transport infrastructure products. The framework is exemplified in a case study, where a typical concrete bridge type is modularised and customized using a product configurator.  A database driven simulation model using process patterns and values stored in the platform, is then constructed to test the buildability of the bridge configuration. The results presented provide evidence that product and process platforms can support the design, and planning process of transport infrastructure projects, by integrating product and process information. The results specifically demonstrate how product configuration and database-driven simulation can be used to evaluate the effects of design alternatives and construction methods on performance measures such as productivity and environmental impact.

Construction is traditionally a trade that produces unique, one-off products designed specifically according to the project requirements. However, recently developed flexible product and process platforms in industrialized house building based on the theory of mass customisation offer products that can be customized to a large extent with affordable costs. In this paper we present a framework for how a product and process platform can be developed and used in a traditional engineer-to-order design and construction of transport infrastructure products. The framework is exemplified in a case study, where a typical concrete bridge type is modularised and customized using a product configurator.  A database driven simulation model using process patterns and values stored in the platform, is then constructed to test the buildability of the bridge configuration. The results presented provide evidence that product and process platforms can support the design, and planning process of transport infrastructure projects, by integrating product and process information. The results specifically demonstrate how product configuration and database-driven simulation can be used to evaluate the effects of design alternatives and construction methods on performance measures such as productivity and environmental impact.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from construction processes are a serious concern globally. Of the several approaches taken to assess emissions, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) based methods do not just take into account the construction phase, but consider all phases of the life cycle of the construction. However, many current LCA approaches make general assumptions regarding location and effects, which do not do justice to the inherent dynamics of normal construction projects. This study presents a model to assess the embodied energy and associated GHG emissions, which is specifically adapted to address the dynamics of infrastructure construction projects. The use of the model is demonstrated on the superstructure of a prefabricated bridge. The findings indicate that Building Information Models/Modeling (BIM) and Discrete Event Simulation (DES) can be used to efficiently generate project-specific data, which is needed for estimating the embodied energy and associated GHG emissions in construction settings. This study has implications for the advancement of LCA-based methods (as well as project management) as a way of assessing embodied energy and associated GHG emissions related to construction.