Symbolic Unified Project Representation (SUPR) Model: an Environment for Automated Construction

Abstract

The Symbolic Unified Project Representation (SUPR) Model was developed to achieve integration of construction information. It provides modular units, and the environment necessary to model project information in a unified manner, thus enabling diverse systems to collaborate and share information. Construction robots are becoming increasingly important construction resources, and their integration into an overall project representation is highly desirable. The task-orientation of the SUPR Model renders it well suited to accommodate and integrate robotics, while the effectiveness and sophistication of construction automation can be enhanced by having access to compatible project data and knowledge-bases. The automation of construction is too large an undertaking for any one research group or firm. By using a modular, yet integrated representation model, independent projects can provide solutions which will also be useful as building blocks in the overall automation process.