Site Utilisation Planning
Quy hoạch mặt bằng thi công
Arrange and optimize tower crane positions, storage, site offices, power, and internal traffic routes per construction phase in 3D space.
Common tools
Navisworks, Synchro, Revit (temporary works)
Value delivered
Reduces crane conflicts and site accidents; optimizes material logistics, reduces idle time
Adoption in Vietnam
Applied in high-rise and large urban development projects in HCMC and Hanoi.
Level of Information Need (LOIN)
G = Geometry · A = Alphanumeric · D = Documentation (ISO 7817-1:2024 method). A blank cell means this use sets no specific requirement for that discipline/stage.
| Discipline | Concept | Schematic | Developed | Technical | As-built / Operation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | — | — | G2·A1·D0 | G3·A1·D1 | — |
| Structure | — | — | G2·A1·D0 | G3·A1·D1 | — |
| Mechanical | — | — | — | — | — |
| Electrical | — | — | — | — | — |
| Plumbing | — | — | — | — | — |
Critical stages: Developed · Technical
Rationale: Construction site layout & logistics (temporary works, cranes, hoarding, access roads). ARCH/STRU only: permanent structure + temporary elements. ST3 general layout ~LOD300 (G2); ST4 construction-phase layout needs ~LOD350 specific components (G3). A1 for temporary-element type attributes; D1 links HSE/site plan requirements at ST4.
What it really is
Site Utilisation Planning is the practice of modelling all temporary construction infrastructure in 3D directly on the project site: the position and working radius of tower or mobile cranes checked against their load chart, internal haul routes for vehicles and materials, laydown areas for components and materials, site offices and worker accommodation, temporary power and water, fencing, emergency egress routes and safety signage. Unlike a single site-layout drawing pinned once in the site office, a BIM-based site layout is a sequence of models by construction phase — the layout during excavation differs from the layout during structural work, which differs again during finishing — and is checked for spatial conflicts between temporary elements and against the permanent works, much as 3D Coordination checks conflicts between design disciplines. The layout is tightly linked to the construction schedule, but sequencing over time belongs to the separate Phase Planning (4D) use — this use focuses only on getting the spatial arrangement of each phase right, without duplicating 4D content. The single most important technical check is crane reach and load capacity against the selected equipment's real load chart: positioning a crane by experience alone, without checking its actual load chart, is a common cause of lifting incidents in Vietnam.
When to use
Worthwhile for high-rise buildings, congested urban sites, projects with many subcontractors working simultaneously, projects using large-capacity tower or mobile cranes, or long multi-phase construction with a layout that keeps changing. For small works with generous space and a single contractor, a traditional 2D layout sketch is usually enough and a dedicated 3D model is not needed.
Prerequisites
- •A current architecture–structure coordinated model, sufficient to know the real shape of the permanent works and neighbouring buildings
- •An overall construction schedule broken into phases, coordinated with the Phase Planning (4D) use
- •Existing-conditions data: site boundary, neighbouring structures, existing above- and below-ground utilities
- •The load-versus-reach chart of the tower or mobile crane intended for use
- •The construction safety code (QCVN 18:2021/BXD) and any permit to use public pavement or roadway where the site adjoins a public street
Inputs
Design task team · .rvt / IFC
Survey task team · .dwg / .rcp
Lead appointed party · .mpp / .xer
Lifting-equipment supplier · .pdf
Lead appointed party · .pdf / .dwg
Appointing party · local authority · .pdf
Outputs
Phase-by-phase site layout model
.rvt / .nwd / IFC → Lead appointed party · Appointing party
Accepted when: No overlap between functional zones (crane, storage, site offices, haul routes) and minimum safe clearances met per code
Overall site layout drawing for each phase
.pdf / .dwg → Site management board
Accepted when: Shows fencing, emergency egress, signage and crane working zones fully per the safety code
Crane reach and load-capacity check report (lift study)
.pdf / .xlsx → Lifting-equipment operating crew
Accepted when: Every heaviest component in the lift plan falls within the permitted zone of the load chart at its lifting radius
Internal traffic plan and connection to the public road network
.pdf / .dwg → Appointing party · local traffic authority
Accepted when: Entry/exit routes do not conflict with local peak hours, with an alternate route defined
General workflow
Model existing site conditions
Model the site boundary, neighbouring structures and existing above/below-ground utilities as the base for the layout. An error here propagates into every downstream safety-clearance check.
Survey task team · BIM Coordinator · Civil 3D · Revit → Existing-conditions site model
Phase the layout by construction stage
Split the layout into phases that follow the overall schedule — foundation, structure, finishing — so each stage gets its own arrangement instead of one layout reused for the whole project.
BIM Manager · Site construction manager · Revit (phasing) · Navisworks TimeLiner → Site-layout phases
Position cranes — check reach and load capacity
Place tower or mobile cranes as parametric objects, checking the working radius and the load at each radius against the selected equipment's load chart for the heaviest component in the lift plan.
Equipment engineer · BIM Coordinator · Revit · Navisworks (sweep-zone check) → Crane positions verified against load capacity
Lay out storage areas, site offices and internal haul routes
Arrange material laydown, worker accommodation, temporary power/water and vehicle/pedestrian routes to match the real workflow of the phase under review, not wherever is convenient to draw.
Site construction manager · Revit · Civil 3D → Site logistics layout
Run spatial conflict checks on the layout
Run conflict checks between crane sweep zones, between cranes and neighbouring structures, and between haul routes and active work areas — across the full slew range, not just a static position.
BIM Coordinator · Navisworks Clash Detective → Site-layout conflict report
Add site-safety elements
Add fencing, emergency egress routes, signage and safety clearances per the national construction-safety technical code into each phase's layout model.
Site safety officer · BIM Coordinator · Revit (annotation & safety families) → Layout with safety elements added
Approve and publish the layout to the CDE
Submit to the appointing party or safety board for approval, then publish that phase's layout to the CDE before the corresponding construction stage begins.
Appointing party · BIM Manager · Forma Data Management (CDE) → Published site layout
Diagram
↺ Repeat the whole cycle for every construction phase — drawing the layout once for the entire project and leaving it fixed is this use's most common mistake
Common pitfalls
The site layout is drawn once at project start and never changes across foundation, structural and finishing stages
Cause: The layout is treated as a static drawing rather than a phased model sequence, disconnected from the overall schedule
Fix: Attach the layout to each model phase, refresh it before every major stage transition, and coordinate closely with the Phase Planning (4D) use
The tower crane cannot lift the heaviest component at its farthest position — discovered only after the crane is already erected
Cause: The crane was positioned by experience or copied from a previous project's layout, without checking the actual load-versus-reach chart of the selected crane model
Fix: Check reach and load with a parametric crane object against the manufacturer's actual load chart before fixing the position, not only before signing the crane rental contract
Concrete and material delivery trucks queue at the site gate during peak hours, disrupting local traffic and the concrete-pour schedule
Cause: Logistics is optimised only inside the site fence, ignoring the surrounding road network and its peak-hour windows
Fix: Simulate the haul route from outside into the site and coordinate entry/exit time windows with the local traffic authority
Two tower cranes collide booms while operating in an overlapping zone
Cause: The interference zone between cranes was never checked across their full slew range when the layout was set, only at a static position
Fix: Run conflict checks across the crane boom's full sweep at every slew angle and set an operating-priority protocol between cranes
Measuring effectiveness
Count conflicts (crane–crane, crane–neighbouring structure, haul route–active work area) from the Navisworks Clash Detective report on each phase's layout model
Benchmark: no independent benchmark — set an internal target
Phases with a layout published before that stage's start date, divided by the total number of phases in the overall schedule
Benchmark: no independent benchmark — set an internal target
Heavy-component lifts checked against the crane's load chart before execution, divided by the total planned heavy-component lifts
Benchmark: no independent benchmark — set an internal target
Legal basis
There is NO specific requirement for site utilisation planning in Decree 217/2026/NĐ-CP — site_utilisation falls under Article 8 generally. Art. 8(1)(a) makes BIM mandatory for new-build works Grade II and above, from the feasibility study or economic–technical report stage; Art. 8(2) assigns the scope, content and information requirements of the site layout to the contract and the BEP between the parties. The concrete requirements for fencing, emergency egress and safe crane clearances sit in a separate construction-safety technical code (QCVN 18:2021/BXD), not in Decree 217's BIM obligations. The practical consequence: building the site layout in BIM is a technical and contractual choice to better fulfil an existing safety obligation, not a separate statutory duty for this use.
Sources
Only official sources (legislation, standards) and peer-reviewed academic work are cited. No vendor marketing figures or press sources. Reference only — does not replace legal advice.