Expert Systems With Applications 168 (2021) 114212

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Expert Systems With Applications

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/eswa

Optimized scheduling method for office building renovation projects

Kyuman Cho , Taehoon Kim *
Department of Architectural Engineering, Chosun University, 309 Pilmun-daero, Dong-gu, Gwangju 61452, Republic of Korea

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Office building renovation works allow for dynamic schedule planning, which breaks traditional logical re­
Scheduling lationships among construction work tasks. Consequently, the duration of renovation projects can be shortened
Office building renovation significantly through dynamic scheduling. However, there are limited studies addressing this aspect. Therefore,
Project uncertainty
in this study, we developed a scheduling method for office building renovation projects enabling the creation of
Genetic algorithm
schedule alternatives and suggesting optimized schedules in terms of project duration and cost efficiency. The
developed method was applied to an actual renovation project, and the following results were obtained: (i) The
method could develop six schedule alternatives reflecting project conditions and improve their cost and duration
performance by 14.83% to 23.17% through optimization. (ii) Specifically, the sixth and fourth alternatives could
yield a 36.18% lower project duration and 63.54% higher cost performance, respectively, compared to the other
alternatives. Using this optimized scheduling method, project owners and managers can successfully plan their
renovation projects while satisfying the requirements in terms of the project duration and cost.

1. Introduction as typical vertical construction work. In vertical construction work, the

1.1. Research background and objectives
Building renovation tasks are maintenance tasks executed to slow the
physical aging and deterioration of a building and improve its energy
performance. In this respect, there is a broad range of task types avail­
able. The types of tasks range from relatively large-scale construction
projects that replace most elements of the building (except its structure)
to small-scale projects with a focus on interior works. With the physical,
economic, and social aging of office buildings, renovation studies have
attracted increased attention in recent years. Given the advantages in
terms of the duration and economics of renovation compared with new
constructions, there are increasing numbers of projects that have
favored renovation works rather than new constructions (Cho & Yoon,
2016; Cho, Kim, & Kim, 2019; Cho, Kim, & Hong, 2020; Kim et al.,
2018).
The schedule plans of renovation projects are executed in a different
manner from the schedule plans of new constructions based on the
following aspects. First, unlike the case of new constructions, the project
duration is short and the involved cost can be reduced because the works
on structural sections can be omitted from the schedule plan. Second,
given that the renovation work is executed while the structure of the
building is maintained, it is not affected by workspace limitations, such
structure of the lower floor serves as the workspace for the upper floor,
and such workspace constraints affect the order of the work types to be
performed. However, in renovation works, most of the existing struc­
tures are used as they are. Thus, they are not affected by these workspace
limitations or to the work type order. This yields a variety of schedule
plans for renovation projects compared to those for new constructions.
Third, because the building space can be used partially during the
construction process, the work zones and occupied zones can coexist.
This can affect the schedule plan and the economic performance of the
project. For example, in an actual renovation project involving aged
office buildings presented in Table 1, three schedule plan alternatives
were developed according to the work conditions at the renovation site
(i.e., order of work tasks and zoning of work spaces). The table lists the
total renovation work duration and the duration for each major work
package in each of the three alternatives. Following the determination of
work types, it was possible to develop three schedule plans with
different work durations.
Unlike new constructions, renovation projects require complex and
comprehensive consideration of the constraints of the existing buildings
(i.e., durability of the structure and ground condition). In addition,
because of uncertainties arising from variations in the work scope during
renovation works, various risk factors may be associated with renova­
tion projects (Cho and Kim, 2018a, 2018b). There have been reports on

* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: cho129@chosun.ac.kr (K. Cho), thoonkim@chosun.ac.kr (T. Kim).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2020.114212
Received 28 August 2020; Received in revised form 22 October 2020; Accepted 1 November 2020
Available online 6 November 2020
0957-4174/© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
K. Cho and T. Kim Expert Systems With Applications 168 (2021) 114212

Table 1 practical perspective, this method can be useful for project owners and
Three schedule plan alternatives for the example case. managers to make reasonable decisions regarding their building reno­
Alternatives Total duration of Durations of work packages (months) vation works.
renovation work
(months) 2. Research scope and research methodologies
Core Electrical Typical
installation work interior
work works on unit This study focused on the development of an optimized schedule
floor mainly for large-scale projects that involve the renovation of an entire
Alt. 1 36 12 5 21
building (with the exception of structures) rather than simple renovation
Alt. 2 24 7 5 17 works focusing on the interior parts. Renovation works that only focused
Alt. 3 15 15 15 10 on the interior parts during construction were excluded because the
scope of construction was relatively narrow, the types of works were
limited, and the schedule plan between works was relatively simple.
problems such as delayed schedules of renovation projects due to these
Furthermore, in addition to the renovation works of existing buildings,
project risk factors (Ding et al., 2019; Joblot et al., 2019). According to
there can be cases in which new construction work for vertical or hor­
existing studies, change orders arise in renovation projects that are
izontal extensions of buildings are implemented simultaneously. The
10–20% higher than those associated with new constructions. Based on
schedule plan for the construction of new extensions is similar to that of
these design changes, frequent project delays and increases in the
general new constructions. Thus, in this study, the scope of optimized
project costs have been reported.
schedule development was limited to renovation works of existing
There are limited studies on schedule plans for renovation projects.
buildings, excluding the schedule plan for the extension of vertical or
Cho, Kim, and Hong (2020) analyzed how the risk factors inherent in
horizontal parts.
renovation projects affect the duration of each renovation work pack­
The optimized renovation schedule plan method for office buildings
age. However, they did not focus much on the method or approach used
was developed with the following three steps. First, cases involving
in the schedule planning for renovation work. That is, they did not
renovation of office buildings were identified and the characteristics of
consider the dynamic schedule characteristics of building renovation
the schedule plans unique to these renovation projects were analyzed
works. In the study of Lee (2012) with regard to renovation work for a
(Section “2. SCHEDULING CHARACTERISTICS OF RENOVATION
building that remained in operation, a schedule plan was proposed using
PROJECTS”). Based on this analysis, the work types of typical renova­
an ant colony optimization technique to minimize disturbances in the
tion works in office buildings, precedence relationships among works,
daily lives of the building users during renovation works. Similarly, for
and methods used in renovation works were analyzed. Second, based on
executing a renovation project involving multiple buildings, such as in
the characteristics of the schedule plan identified above, we developed a
the case of a university campus, Shiue et al. (2019) developed a reno­
“theory-based method” for determining the optimal schedule plan for
vation work plan considering the convenience of campus residents and
renovation works in buildings (Section “3. THEORETICAL APPROACH
the renovation performance of each building. In these two studies, the
FOR OPTIMIZED SCHEDULING OF OFFICE BUILDING RENOVATION
researchers focused on determining a proper zoning method for the
PROJECTS”). The theory-based method consists of three modules. There
renovation site to improve the living circumstances of users during the
is a scheduling module that can plan the schedule considering the (i)
renovation works; however, they did not consider the economic aspects
duration of each work task included in renovation works, (ii) precedence
of the renovation plan. In the study of Farahani and Wllbaum (2019), an
relationships, and (iii) space zoning. Furthermore, there is a cost esti­
optimal renovation schedule was proposed for residential buildings that
mating module for estimating the construction cost according to the
accounted for the degree of deterioration and life cycle costs of each
schedule plan and additional cost factors according to the renovation
building element. The researchers suggested a proper schedule planning
types. The final module is designed for optimizing the aforementioned
approach considering the economic aspects of renovation planning with
work duration and project cost. A method based on a genetic algorithm
limited consideration of uncertainties, which are one of the distin­
(GA) was developed for the effective utilization of theory-based optimal
guished characteristics of renovation work.
renovation schedule plans for office buildings. Finally, the developed
The abovementioned studies related to the schedule plans for reno­
optimized scheduling method was applied to an actual renovation
vation projects did not adequately reflect the unique nature of the
project involving an office building; then, the applicability of the pro­
renovation projects in their schedule plans. That is, these prior studies
posed method was evaluated and the results were analyzed (Sections: “4.
did not fully utilize the option of dynamic schedule planning resulting
MODEL APPLICATION” and “5. DISCUSSION”). We present the con­
from freedom in terms of workspace constraints and the order of work
clusions of our study in Section 6.
types. Moreover, these prior studies did not consider the disadvantages
of renovation projects, such as their inherent uncertainties. In addition,
3. Scheduling characteristics of renovation projects
when analyzing the economics of the renovation project, most studies
focused on the cost of building elements required for renovation works.
To develop the optimal schedule plan for the renovation of office
Additionally, research on business feasibility considering the lease
buildings, this study analyzed the schedule plan of nine actual renova­
period of buildings and the associated revenues according to the dy­
tion projects (Table 2).
namic renovation schedule plan is limited.
The renovation work type of office buildings can be divided into the
Therefore, this study proposes a method capable of establishing a
renovation of a building that is vacant (Renovation V) and the renova­
schedule plan, which can consider the following factors: (i) uncertainties
tion of a building that remains in operation (Renovation O). Renovation
associated with renovation construction works, (ii) freedom from
V refers to the relocation of all the occupants in the building during the
workspace constraints owing to the inherent characteristics of renova­
renovation period. After the renovation works, the occupants moved
tion work, and (iii) optimization of the project duration and economic
back, or new occupants moved in to use the renovated building.
performance through renovation schedule planning. Consequently, the
Conversely, Renovation O is slightly more complicated than Renovation
developed method makes the following academic and practical contri­
V in that the renovation works and usage of the building by the occu­
butions: (i) From an academic perspective, the method can become a
pants occur concurrently. In other words, while relocating the occupants
cornerstone for developing optimized scheduling methods for renova­
on the target floor or zone for conducting renovation works, the other
tion projects so that the characteristics of the renovation projects can be
floors or zones of the same building continue to be occupied. Once the
appropriately reflected during schedule development. (ii) From a
renovation works for the target floor are completed, the occupants move

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K. Cho and T. Kim Expert Systems With Applications 168 (2021) 114212

Table 2
Nine typical cases of office building renovation projects.
Cases No. of floors (floors) Gross area of floors (m2) Years (years) of Renovation type Renovation works

Construction Renovation

1 14 16,287 1993 2017 Renovation V.* In., Ex.

2 21 32,488 1970 2015 Renovation V.* St., In., Ex., Eq., El
3 25 95,069 1980 2010 Renovation O.** In., Ex., Eq.
4 32 83,639 1976 2009 Renovation V.* St., In., Ex., Eq.
5 7 11,248 1983 2010 Renovation V.* In., Ex., Eq.
6 23 132,793 1971 2009 Renovation V.* St., In., Ex., Eq.
7 20 113,330 1984 2005 Renovation V.* In., Ex., Eq.
8 22 76,973 1988 2001 Renovation O.** In., Eq., El.
9 27 32,685 1996 2015 Renovation O.** In., Ex., Eq.

* Renovation of a building that is vacant; ** Renovation of a building that remains in operation.

In. = Interior; Ex. = Exterior; Eq. = Equipment; St. = Strengthening; El. = Electricity.

back to the renovated floor. At the same time, the renovation works of
other zones begin.
These different renovation types lead to differences in the major
activities indicated in the schedule. That is, analyzing the schedule of the
collected cases indicated that there are seven typical work packages
(WPs) in the office building renovation projects depending on the scope
of the renovation work: movement (Mo), dismantling (Dm), strength­
ening works (St), interior works (In), exterior works (Ex), equipment
(Eq), and electrical works (El). Each WP consists of detailed work tasks.
For example, WP In consists of work tasks, such as window installation,
ceiling installation, painting, and interior partitioning. All these seven
WPs could be applied together or selectively, depending on the con­
struction method or scope of the renovation project.
3.1. Precedence relationships among WPs in office building renovation
projects
Based on the analysis of the schedule of the selected renovation
cases, a typical fundamental relationship was established among the
renovation WPs of the office building, as shown in Fig. 1.
In other words, unlike normal construction works, such as new
constructions, renovation works begin with the Mo of existing occu­
pants. That is, the renovation type (i.e., Renovation V vs. Renovation O)
influences the movement plan of existing occupants. The movement in
Renovation V is relatively simple compared to that in Renovation O. In
the case of Renovation O, during the actual construction work, the
existing workspace occupants in each floor move in and out dynami­
cally. Conversely, in the case of Renovation V, all the occupants relocate
before the work starts, and when the renovation work is completed, they
move back. When this relocation is completed, Dm can proceed, and St of
the structure may then start immediately after the dismantling work
(Dm) is completed. In addition, after the St tasks are completed, the
execution of proper interior WPs could be initiated. Therefore, as
described above, Dm, St, and In have a finish-to-start (FS) relationship
that can be perceived as a fundamental relationship regardless of the
types of office buildings (Path 2 in Fig. 1). Meanwhile, St and Eq began at
a similar time, and El works were also conducted at a time and place
similar to that for starting the equipment works (Path 3 in Fig. 1). Ex can
be performed independently without sharing the workspace with other
WPs (Path 1 in Fig. 1). That is, if St tasks are performed from the top
floor, WP Ex may be independently performed on the first floor if
necessary. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 1, there are three paths available
after the completion of demolition work (Dm), and the length of each
path can vary according to the work quantity in each work.
Based on the above fundamental relationship, the workspace can be
zoned to shorten the work durations for each floor and to efficiently use
input resources. In other words, if one floor is divided into three
workspaces, each work can be repeated more dynamically in one floor,
thus reducing the work duration, as shown in Fig. 2. Even in this
example case having the longest path for interior work, the FS rela­
tionship (i.e., the black bold solid line in Fig. 2) attributed to the physical
characteristics of the WPs is still maintained. However, this typical FS
relationship can be changed owing to the application of horizontal space
zoning. As shown in Fig. 2, as WP In has the longest working duration,
the works in the second and third work areas of WPs Dm and St, which
were included in the original critical path before space zoning applica­
tion, have been eliminated from the critical path. That is, when hori­
zontal space zoning is applied, the start time of the WP with the longest
working duration can be moved forward until the finish time of the
previous WP in the first work space; consequently, the work durations of
the previous WPs in the longest WP from the second work place are
eliminated even though they originally constituted the critical path.
As shown in Fig. 2, for the renovation project in this study, the seven
WPs for the ith workspace of the t floor were defined as follows: WP Moit,

Fig. 1. Fundamental relationship among WPs in building renovation projects.

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K. Cho and T. Kim
Fig. 2. Logical relationships among WPs along with space zoning application.
WP Dmit, WP Stit, WP Init, WP Exit, WP Eqit, and WP Elit.
3.2. Precedence relationship extension according to renovation methods
Based on the fundamental relationship described in Figs. 1 and 2, the
extension of the precedence relationship occurs according to the reno­
vation work types (i.e., Renovations V and O). As mentioned briefly
above, in the general renovation project, WPs Mo and Dm of the entire
building are conducted simultaneously, whereas the other WPs incor­
porating physical characteristics and space zoning concepts are repeat­
edly executed. Conversely, owing to the nature of Renovation V,
“structure” is assigned as a workspace when WPs Mo and Dm are
completed. Unlike new construction projects, a Renovation V project
can theoretically initiate the remaining five WPs as early as possible in
the given workspace. Unless there are limitations in terms of the avail­
able resources and when lifting loads, assuming that the interferences
among WPs are excluded, all WPs can be initiated at their earliest start
time wherein they keep the precedence relationships among them.
However, considering the aforementioned constraints (i.e., resource
availability, lifting loads, and money), the work cycle described in Fig. 2
was found to repeat in each floor in most renovation projects. Addi­
tionally, in most projects, each WP began from the top floor and grad­
ually progressed to the lower floor. This was related to the load capacity
of the lift (Lee & Kim, 2010).
Fig. 3 shows the logical relationships among WPs based on Reno­
vation O. As shown in the figure, unlike a typical renovation project,
Renovation O has a “pre-lease period” during which occupants occupy
each floor before the start of the renovation works and a “post-lease
period” during which occupants occupy each floor after completion of
the renovation works (Fig. 3ⓐ). Renovation O requires efforts to mini­
mize the generation of noise, dust, and vibrations during renovation
works that affect the work environment of the occupants, resulting in a
relatively complex schedule plan compared to Renovation V. During
demolition and slab works, noise, vibration, and fugitive dust are
Fig. 3. Logical relationships among WPs according to Renovation O.
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Expert Systems With Applications 168 (2021) 114212
generated. Thus, it is common to install a “buffer floor” between the
floor where construction is in progress and the floor that is taken up by
the occupants (Fig. 3ⓑ). In the figure, the t-1th floor serves as the buffer
floor that protects the work environment of the occupants on the t-2th
floor from the disturbances caused by the renovation works on the tth
floor. For similar reasons, Dm works are often conducted at night. Given
that the inward and outward movements of the occupants and works are
repeated during Renovation O, detailed schedules for these are also
required. In other words, Renovation O involves applying a greater load
on the lifting equipment, such as a tower crane, compared to Renovation
V because it shares the equipment for moving in and out and during Dm
(Lee & Kim, 2010). Therefore, the timing for moving in and moving out
considering the above conditions is required. Additionally, as shown in
Fig. 3ⓒ, in renovation works, there may be a buffer time according to
the horizontal and vertical movements of the workspace regardless of
the renovation types. According to the concept explained in Fig. 2, it is
possible to eliminate WPs from the original critical path, wherein space
zoning is applied to the renovation work of a multiple-floor building. For
example, as shown in Fig. 3ⓓ, WPs Dm and St for floor t-1 are omitted
from the critical path even though their works on floor t are included in
the critical path.
3.3. Precedence relationship extension according to vertical space zoning
According to the zoning (i.e., horizontal zoning) of the workspaces
on each floor, the logical precedence relationship between renovation
WPs can be explained based on Figs. 2 and 3. Additionally, the provision
of workspace (a structure of an existing building)—the most distinct
characteristic of renovation work—enables vertical workspace zoning.
That is, it is possible to perform the same work cycle simultaneously on
different floors rather than executing the work in a floor-by-floor
sequence utilizing one work crew. Fig. 4 shows an example of the
changes in the schedule plan according to vertical workspace zoning.
As shown in the figure, assuming that a 12-story office building is
K. Cho and T. Kim
Fig. 4. Line of balance (LOB) chart examples according to vertical space zoning.
undergoing renovation with the seven WPs applied, as shown in Fig. 4
(a), it is possible to work according to a typical method in which WPs
sequentially repeat for each floor. When a short work duration is
required, as shown in Fig. 4(b), it is possible to execute WPs simulta­
neously in the four designed zones.
4. Theoretical approach for optimized scheduling of office
building renovation projects
Based on the case studies for the renovation of office buildings and
the major issues identified from the literature analysis, an optimized
scheduling method for office building renovation projects
(OpSM_OBRP) was developed. Fig. 5 shows the process used to imple­
ment OpSM_OBRP. As shown in the figure, the optimized renovation
schedule can be developed in four stages.
Stage 1 is the most basic step, and it starts by determining the WPs of
the renovation work to be displayed in the schedule and estimating the
Fig. 5. Process used to develop the optimized schedule for the office building renovation project.
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Expert Systems With Applications 168 (2021) 114212
work duration of each WP. If the type of WP is determined according to
the scope of the renovation work, the work duration of each WP can be
estimated by referring to prior similar cases. Furthermore, the funda­
mental schedule logic is developed by determining the precedence
relationship among the WPs considering the physical logic. Based on this
fundamental schedule logic, in stage 2, various schedule alternatives, as
described in Section 2, can be created according to three prominent
factors (i.e., renovation method (V1), horizontal workspace zoning (V2),
and vertical workspace zoning (V3)), that affect the schedule and work
efficiency. Thus, if (i) two options are considered according to the
renovation method (Renovation O and Renovation V) and there are (ii) y
workspaces per floor according to horizontal workspace zoning and (iii)
v vertical simultaneous workspaces according to vertical workspace
zoning, a total of “2 × y × v” schedule alternatives can be created. As
shown in Fig. 5, each schedule alternative can be defined from a1 to az,
and their set can be expressed as A.
Stages 3 and 4 are the steps used to perform optimization on each of
K. Cho and T. Kim
the generated alternatives. In stage 3, uncertainties that may be present
in the renovation project are evaluated. Using the study results of Cho,
Kim, and Hong (2020), we evaluated the uncertainties according to the
properties of the renovation project and proved that it is possible to
estimate the changeable range of the work duration for each WP
depending on the uncertainties (Cho, Kim, & Hong, 2020). As shown in
Eq. (1), if the three values of the work duration (i.e., optimistic duration,
most likely duration, and pessimistic duration) for k WPs are estimated,
and one of three values is randomly selected, a total of 3 k combination
solutions can be developed. For the calculation method used for the
three types of durations, readers can refer to Cho, Kim, and Hong (2020).
( ) { } parameter (i.e., chromosome for GA), as indicated in the shaded part.
f Dikn = o.Dikn , m.Dikn , p.Dikn
where Dikn = duration of WP k on the nth floor of workspace i, o.Dikn =
optimistic duration, m.Dikn = most likely duration, and p.Dikn = pessi­
mistic duration.
Furthermore, by evaluating the optimization function (i.e., objective
function (OF) in Fig. 5) using a project duration (PD) that reflects the
uncertainty and equivalent project cost (PC), an optimal schedule can be
created for each schedule in an alternative manner. That is, the OF that
was designed to identify the optimal schedule among alternatives could
be represented as the minimum value of the “unit PC” (i.e., the PC can be
divided by the PD)” (refer to Eq. (2)).
Objective Function = min(PC1 /PD1 , PC2 /PD2 , ⋯, PCz /PDz ), (2)
where z = the number of schedule alternatives, PCz = project cost for
alternative z, and PDz = project duration for alternative z. Meanwhile,
the scheduling module and cost estimating module for evaluating PD
and PC in each alternative that reflects uncertainty will be described in
the following sections.
Stage 4 identifies a globally optimized schedule using GA for the
screened and locally optimized schedule for each alternative based on
stage 3. GA is a known explorative heuristic approach used for the
identification of optimal solutions when multiple objectives are
considered. GA is suitable for considering the given conditions and
identifying the optimal solution to comply with the conditions. Owing to
these characteristics, many researchers use GA for solving optimization
problems in their areas of research (Abualigah & Hanandeh, 2015; Altan
et al., 2019; Abualigah & Diabat, 2020; Karasu et al., 2020). In addition,
GA has become one of the extensively used methodologies in optimi­
zation research and has been used successfully for solving construction
management problems (i.e., the topic covered in this paper) (Cho &
Hastak, 2013). In particular, the schedule solutions for renovation
projects have several WPs, and each WP has its own data fields for its
work duration (i.e., chromosome). The duration data for each WP have
three properties, as described in Eq. (1), and the property of each WP can
Fig. 6. Representation of chromosome for GA application.
Expert Systems With Applications 168 (2021) 114212
be selected independently. Consequently, the schedule alternative can
be optimized through the combination of chromosomes from the view­
point of multiple objectives (i.e., PD and economic performance).
Moreover, the chromosome combinations can be affected by various
conditions, such as physical precedence relationships among works,
horizontal and vertical space zoning, and induced uncertainty according
to project properties. Owing to these advantages, GA was chosen as the
optimization methodology in this research.
Fig. 6 shows the chromosomal structure for the implementation of
GA in this study. As shown in the figure, if a renovation project is
assumed to involve n floors and i workspaces, each WP has a duration
(1)
Moreover, the value of each gene can be selected as one of the three
values defined in Eq. (1), and these can be defined by three-digit codes
(i.e., 1, 2, and 3) for implementing the GA program, as shown in the
figure. As shown in stage 4 of Fig. 5, once GA is executed, the crossover
and mutation of each gene value occurs. Through this process, the child
generation is produced. The final part of the process estimates the OF
value defined by Eq. (2) for solutions that belong to these child gener­
ations and selects the optimal solution.
4.1. Scheduling module for calculating PD
As described in Section 2, the work duration of the renovation
project is determined in terms of the duration of each path. In general
renovation works, In WP usually requires the longest work duration
owing to its types of work tasks, so Path 2 in Fig. 1 can be a critical path.
However, owing to project characteristics, some renovation projects
have more work quantity in Ex and Eq or El WPs, thus making path 2 or
path 3 the critical path.
Furthermore, as described in Fig. 2, in a situation in which horizontal
space zoning is applied, (i) the Dm WP of the second workspace and the
St WP of the first workspace can proceed simultaneously after comple­
tion of the Dm at the first workspace. In addition, (ii) the St WP at the
second workspace and the In WP at the first workspace are conducted
simultaneously. As described earlier, given that WPs involving In have a
relatively long work duration compared to other WPs, Dm, St, and In
WPs in the first workspace constitute the critical path. As described in
Fig. 3, if the renovation works proceed in multiple floors, the In WP from
the second work floor comprises the CP alone owing to its long duration.
Therefore, if k of the WPs consists of a renovation project and a of the
WPs on entire WPs comprises a critical path for the project, the basic PD
can be expressed as the sum of durations for a of the WPs.
WPs of critical path = {WP1 , WP2 , ⋯, WPl , ⋯, WPa } (3)
In renovation projects involving a building with multiple floors, the
PD can be determined based on the WP having the longest work
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K. Cho and T. Kim Expert Systems With Applications 168 (2021) 114212

duration, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. If WPl in Eq. (3) has the longest work
duration among the WPs, the duration for conducting WPl repetitively
from floors t to 1 and the duration of other WPs on the critical path
comprise the PD, as shown in Eq. (4). In the equation, DtWP1 denotes the
duration for WP1 to be conducted on floor t.
∑
1
(4)
PD = DtWP1 + DtWP2 + ⋯ + DnWPl + ⋯ + D1WPa− 1 + D1WPa
n=t
In addition, if j horizontal spaces are applied, the PD can be calcu­
lated by considering the duration for conducting WPl repetitively in each
workspace from floors t to 1 and the duration for other WPs on the
critical path (refer to Eq. (5)). As explained in Fig. 2, when horizontal
space zoning is applied, the start time of WPl with the longest work
duration can be moved forward, and the work duration for the previous
WPs from the second workspace is eliminated from the original critical
path. In the equation, Dt,1
WP1 denotes the duration of WP1 to be conducted
in workspace 1 on floor t.
j
1 ∑
∑ this must be included in the total PC.
PD = Dt,1 t,1
WP1 + DWP2 + ⋯ + Dn,m 1,j 1,j
WPl + ⋯ + DWPa− 1 + DWPa (5)
n=t m=1
Conversely, as mentioned in Fig. 4, if vertical space zoning is applied,
the same work cycle starts simultaneously in multiple vertical work­
spaces. Accordingly, the PD defined in Eq. (4) exists for each vertical
zone, and the largest PD value among these multiple PD values becomes
the final project duration of the renovation project.
4.2. Cost estimating module for calculating PC
The PC of the renovation project can be calculated by considering (i)
the construction cost and (ii) the additional cost factors incurred ac­
cording to the renovation method (i.e., Renovation O vs. Renovation V).
Regardless of the renovation method, the construction cost required to
perform renovation works can be calculated by referring to the quantity
takeoff method or a similar case. In other words, in the early stages of the
project, such as the feasibility phase, the cost required for renovation
works can be estimated by referring to a renovation case similar to the
target project using the CBR technique. In the case where the detailed
design is completed, direct costs can be estimated more accurately by
performing quantity takeoff based on the design documents. Through
this process, if the direct construction cost calculated for k WPs in the ith
workspace on the nth floor of the renovation project is DCikn , this direct
construction cost will be affected by the uncertainty of the renovation
project. That is, as defined in Eq. (1), given that there is a possibility that
the work duration may change according to the uncertainty of the
renovation project, the direct construction cost may be changed in turn,
as shown in Eq. (6). In Eq. (6), f(DCikn ) represents the direct construction
( )
cost according to the work duration (i.e.,f Dikn ), thus reflecting the
uncertainty; DCikn represents the direct construction cost according to
DCikn
work duration Dikn , and Dik
indicates the cost per day.
n
( ) { ( ) } DCi
f DCikn = DCikn + f Dikn − Dikn × i kn (6)
Dkn
Based on this, the direct construction cost required to perform the kth
WP of a renovation project with n floors and e horizontal workspaces can
be defined by Eq. (7), and the total direct construction cost of the
renovation project with g WPs can be defined by Eq. (8).
1 ∑
∑ i
DCk = f (DCekn ) (7)
n=t e=1
Conversely, given that the indirect construction cost is defined as the
ratio of the direct construction cost, the total indirect cost can be
calculated using Eq. (8) and the indirect ratio r. Therefore, the overall
construction cost of the renovation project can be expressed by Eq. (9).
g
∑ ∑g
C= DCk + ( DCk × r) (9)
k=1 k=1
Additional cost factors are determined according to the renovation
method. When the work is performed by adopting the Renovation O
method, three cost factors should be taken into account. These are
movement costs, surcharges, and rental income. When work is per­
formed with Renovation O, inward and outward movements frequently
occur compared to those in Renovation V, and the movement cost
reflecting this aspect must be included in the total cost of the project. In
addition, when work is conducted with the Renovation O method, spe­
cial equipment for controlling dust and noise is needed, and night
dismantling work and lifting of heavy loads frequently occur on the floor
where the work is ongoing. Therefore, the associated surcharge cost for
Contrary to these expenditure factors, if Renovation O is performed,
rental revenue can be generated during the renovation period. As
illustrated in Fig. 3, these rental incomes are divided into revenue before
work and revenue after work. Analysis of Renovation O reveals that the
rental income before work is generally calculated from “the start date of
the renovation work to the start date of the dismantling work on the
upper floor,” and the rental income after the work is calculated “from
the end date of the interior works on the lower floor to the completion of
the total renovation work.” Multiplying the monthly rent by the period
during which the rental income is generated, gives the revenue for the
period when renovation O is performed can be calculated.
PC = C + Cm + Cex − Ilease (10)
5. Model application
To evaluate the adequacy of the optimal scheduling method, the
developed method was applied to actual renovation projects and the
results were analyzed. The developed method was applied to the k-
building renovation project executed in Seoul, South Korea. This office
building was constructed in 1980, and the vacancy rate continued to
increase owing to the deterioration of the interior and environmental
facilities. The renovation work was initiated in 2008.
The construction cost of this renovation project was approximately
95 million dollars, and Renovation O was conducted. Depending on the
scope of the project, the seven WPs described in Fig. 1 were developed.
Based on further considerations of the moving out (Mo) part to initiate
renovation work on each floor based on Renovation O and moving in
(Mi) after renovation, renovation works associated with eight WPs were
repeated for each floor. The number of horizontal workspace zones for
each floor in this renovation work was two, and the workload for each
workspace in each of the eight WPs was similar. Conversely, there were
no vertical workspace zones.
Using the above basic information, the fundamental schedule was
developed considering the following three issues. The first issue is to
calculate the work duration of each WP. Thus, for the estimation for
each WP, the applied case was analyzed. As described above, this project
divided one floor into two workspaces. There were 25 typical floors in
total. Thus, eight WPs were executed 50 times. As a result, work time
data for each workspace were collected, and the average value of these
data was calculated to determine each “unit work time per WP.” The
calculation results showed that the interior WPs required an average of
23 working days, and the equipment WPs took an average of 16 working
days. The WPs of movement, strengthening, exterior work, and elec­

g
∑ tricity work took approximately six to seven working days. The second
T∙DC = DCk (8) issue is to establish a logical relationship between WPs based on the
k=1
work duration of each WP. This project mostly followed a logical

7
K. Cho and T. Kim Expert Systems With Applications 168 (2021) 114212

relationship between the WPs of the renovation project described in

Figs. 1 and 2. In other words, the Mo, Dm, St, In, and Mi WPs follow the

% of deviation from the average values

48.12

48.89

47.80

44.85
1.00

1.17
FS relationship, and the remaining WPs that include Ex, Eq, and El were

(e‘)

−
set with the SS or FF relationships. The third issue is related to the
several assumptions required to develop a fundamental schedule. In fact,

51.85

− 14.97

− 39.18
52.65

− 14.17
− 36.18
these assumptions were considered very often during the development

(c‘)
of a typical schedule. In particular, the schedule was developed
considering the working days, but the buffer time that existed during

58.76

− 20.21

− 48.48
63.54

− 15.83
− 37.77
on each item (%)
actual work was not considered. WPs in In and Eq with the longest

(b‘)
working time among WPs started at the earliest start time and the
remaining WPs (i.e., Mo, Dm, and St) were works not included in the CP

4.03

1.03
2.39

2.73
0.29
5.11
(a‘)
and therefore had a float. These were completed on the starting day of

−
the In WP for each floor. Given that the lift work primarily occurred

OF value {(a‘-b‘)/c‘}
during the execution of the In and Eq WPs, it was assumed that the
resettlement of the renovated floor would be completed just before the
start of the lease term. Based on the above analysis, a fundamental

107,471.6

209,239.3

308,453.6
108,150.2

209,601.4
300,087.7
schedule that corresponded to the output of stage 1 in Fig. 5 was
developed.

(e‘)
Using the developed fundamental schedule, as mentioned in stage 2
of Fig. 5, three variables (i.e., V1 (renovation method), V2 (horizontal

Project Duration (days)

workspace zoning), and V3 (vertical workspace zoning)) were taken into

16,839

17,346
Lease*

8,463

5,464

8,927
6,600
account to develop alternative schedules. As mentioned above, we used

(d‘)
the Renovation O method for this case. Hence, V1 was fixed and six
schedule alternatives were prepared through the combination of the

Constr.
remaining variables, which were V2 (i.e., 1 or 2) and V3 (i.e., 1 to 3)

759

425

304
763

429
319
(refer to Table 3). For example, alternative 4 is the same as the actual

(c‘)
Optimized schedule (by Steps 3 and 4)
renovation method, but the Renovation O method was applied in which

Revenue (b‘)
the typical work floor was zoned into two workspaces with no vertical

9,091,656.7

4,569,314.7

2,950,104.6
9,365,394.5

4,819,836.1
3,563,450.0
workspace zoning. Based on the information determined in the afore­

Project Cost (unit: US $)

mentioned stages 1 and 2, the schedule for each alternative was devel­
oped and the equivalent cost of the project and duration were estimated
(refer to Table 3).

90,662,571.4

93,496,000.0

96,720,000.0
91,884,000.0

94,738,857.1
99,291,428.6
Considering the uncertainty of the renovation project, the possible

* lease duration = total lease days on each floor during renovation works due to pre- and post-lease durations.
range of change in the work duration of each WP was estimated in stage Expenditure
3 (i.e., Eq. (1)). Fig. 7 shows the range of change in the work durations of (a‘)
all WPs according to the reference work duration and uncertainty for
each WP. In Fig. 7, the reference work duration for each WP indicated in
OF value {(a-b)/c}

red is the average value of the data collected from the existing cases as
Fundamental and optimized schedules attributed to steps 1 to 4 executed for each alternative.

mentioned above and represents the work duration for each WP in a

126,188.6

247,487.6

362,754.8
129,900.1

262,040.7
390,571.6
single zone. Furthermore, the methodology developed in the study by
Cho, Kim, and Hong (2020) was adopted, and the changeable range of
(e)

the work duration for each WP was calculated, as shown in Fig. 7.

In stage 4, multiple alternatives were generated through random
Project Duration (days)

selections of the work duration of each WP based on the variation in

13,890

13,890
Lease*

6,735

4,333

6,711
4,680

work duration for each WP as described in Fig. 7, and an optimal

(d)

schedule for these alternatives was proposed. During the execution of

this random selection, the core concept of GA was applied. As a result,
Fundamental schedule (after Steps 1 and 2)

numerous random solutions could be generated for six alternatives.

Constr.

630

343

246
612

324
228

Given that the computation of the PD and cost for each solution cannot
(c)

be performed manually, the Evolver program (Palisade) was used to

execute the GA.
Revenue (b)

7,499,442.5

3,636,338.7

2,339,458.9
7,499,442.5

3,623,380.7
2,526,810.0

As shown in Table 3, an optimized schedule can be decided for each

Project cost (unit: US $)

of the six alternatives using the method presented in this study. For
example, alternative 1 is a schedule plan with the renovation conditions
of Renovation O (V1), namely one workspace per floor (V2) and one
86,998,285.7

88,524,571.4

91,577,142.9
86,998,285.7

88,524,571.4
91,577,142.9

vertical workspace zone (V3). Herein, the project cost of the funda­
Expenditure

mental schedule without optimization was US $86,998,285.7 in terms of

expenditure and US $7,499,442.5 in terms of revenue. The PD
(a)

comprised 630 days as the construction period and 13,890 days as the
lease duration. Owing to the uncertainty in the fundamental schedule
and optimization through GA, the PC of the optimized schedule was
Alt.
ID

a1

a2

a3
a4

a5
a6

found to be US $90,662,571.4 in terms of expenditure and US

$9,091,656.7 in terms of revenue; the PD comprised 759 days as the
Alternative

V3
identifier

construction period and 16,839 days as the lease duration. During this
1

3
1

2
3
Table 3

optimization process, the OF value decreased from 126,188.6 (US

V2

$/day) to 107,471.6 (US $/day). In conclusion, the OF values of the

1

1
2

2
2

8
K. Cho and T. Kim
Fig. 7. Range of each work package based on the uncertainty of each case.
fundamental schedules for each alternative were improved through GA-
based optimization. For example, the OF value of alternative 1 was
improved by 14.83% (i.e., = (126,188.6–107,471.6)/126,188.6 × 100),
which means a decrease in construction costs per renovation duration.
Similarly, alternatives 2 to 6 were improved by 15.45%, 14.96%,
16.74%, 20.01%, and 23.17% respectively, after optimization from the
perspective of construction costs per day.
As specified in Table 3, each alternative was generated according to
six conditions, and an optimized schedule for each alternative was
possible based on the application of the methodology presented in this
study. To determine the best schedule among the six optimized schedule
plans, this study took into account expenditure (a‘), revenue (b‘), con­
struction duration (c‘), and the OF value (e‘) with assigned priorities
based on the optimal schedule plan for each alternative. That is, the
average values of the four elements for the six alternatives were calcu­
lated, and the ratio away from the average was calculated. As shown in
the right column of Table 3, alternative 4 has an expenditure that in­
cludes the construction cost for renovation, which is 2.73% lower than
the average of the six alternatives, and the rental income owing to the
optimization is 63.54% higher than the average of the six alternatives.
The work duration is longer by 52.65% than the average.
Applying the same calculation method for alternative 6, we found
that the expenditure cost was 5.11% higher than the average of the six
Fig. 8. Optimized schedule for Alternative 1 created by the developed method (Partially captured from the starting day to the 180th day).
9
Expert Systems With Applications 168 (2021) 114212
alternatives; the rental income was 37.77% lower, but the work duration
could be reduced by 36.18% from the average. Therefore, depending on
the characteristics of the project, alternative 4 is advantageous for
renovation projects in which the cost aspect is emphasized, whereas
alternative 6 is advantageous in the case in which the construction
duration aspect is emphasized. Fig. 8 shows the optimized schedule
according to the renovation using alternative 1 (i.e., Renovation O, no
horizontal and vertical workspace zoning). In the figure, one cell rep­
resents three working days, and WPs 1, 2, 3, and 4 (i.e., WPs on Mo, Dm,
St, and In) that constitute the CP are marked with boxes. Even if WPs 5,
6, and 7 do not affect the overall PD and have an SS or FF relationship
with other works, they overlap with the diagonal lines. As mentioned
above, Mo (WP 1), Dm (WP 2), and St (WP 3) on the 24th floor may begin
immediately after completion of the WPs on the 25th floor. However, it
was realized that given that the In WP (WP4) had the longest duration,
and consequently determined the CP, the start time of WP 4 affected the
settings of the end times of WPs 1, 2, 3. Additionally, a post-renovation
lease exists for the 25th floor, whereas a pre-renovation lease period
exists for the 23rd floor.
Further, Fig. 9 shows the optimization process for alternative 4 ac­
cording to the population number. That is, as shown in the figure, the
solutions generated using the GA will be according to the number of
solutions in the child generation shown in Fig. 5 (i.e., population
K. Cho and T. Kim
Fig. 9. Optimized model application results according to population number.
numbers). The crossover and mutation processes for the alternative in
which the OF value is improved are then conducted. Ultimately, the
optimal solution can be suggested. As shown in Fig. 9 and Table 3, before
the optimization, the OF value was 129,900.1 (US $/day), but following
the optimization process, the optimal schedule solution with the OF
value of 108,150.2 (US $/day) was proposed. In this process, the results
desirably converged to a single value regardless of the population size (i.
e., 10, 30, 50, 70, and 90). The optimized schedule for each alternative
described in Table 3 was derived based on the above process.
6. Discussion
A method was developed for establishing an optimal schedule for
office building renovation work. To evaluate its applicability, the
developed method was applied to an actual renovation project, as
described in Section 4.
Through applying OpSM_OBRP, six schedule alternatives were
developed that considered the three factors (renovation method, hori­
zontal workspace zoning, and vertical workspace zoning) that had the
largest impact on the overall outline of the schedule plan for the reno­
vation project. Considering the uncertainty of the renovation project and
using GA, we were able to develop an optimized schedule in terms of the
PD and economic efficiency for each of the six alternatives. Conse­
quently, the research results were obtained by incorporating the hori­
zontal and vertical space zoning, and project uncertainty. Considering
these conditions made it possible to create schedule plans with variety in
terms of concurrent renovation work at two or three work places at the
same time, as depicted in Figs. 3 and 4. This variety yielded the esti­
mation of total construction duration from 630 days to 228 days.
Therefore, this variety in the schedule plans shows that this method can
support dynamic scheduling.
The research outputs obtained in this study were not verified. When
the methodology developed in this study was applied, optimization of
the schedule for the given renovation project was achieved. However,
the schedule of the actual renovation case was not optimized by the
suggested method. Therefore, there is a limitation in terms of the
10
Expert Systems With Applications 168 (2021) 114212
verification of this method. Hence, comparing the two schedule plans
(outcome of this study and actual schedule plan) did not show any sig­
nificant findings. Nevertheless, with the application of the developed
methodology to the actual cases, the significance of the obtained results
was evaluated from various perspectives.
The methodology developed in this study is reliable for the following
reasons. First, quantification of the uncertainty according to the char­
acteristics of the renovation project applied in this study was verified
previously by Cho, Kim, and Hong (2020). Therefore, the possibility of
changes in the work duration per WP of renovation work that consti­
tuted the core of the optimization process of this study is considered
reliable. Furthermore, the methodology used for optimization in
accordance with the lease period, work duration, and construction cost
and revenue factors influenced by the variation of work duration can be
evaluated further as it has sufficient applicability.
7. Conclusions
Renovation has been actively employed as a method to improve the
performance of deteriorated office buildings. Owing to the unique
characteristics of renovation, the schedule plan for a renovation project
of an office building can have broader flexibility in terms of the work
order and workplace compared to the set schedule plan for new con­
structions. Despite these advantages, only a few studies have been
published on schedule plans for renovation projects. Thus, this study
developed an optimized scheduling method for office building renova­
tion. This study collected the schedule data regarding the renovation
project of an actual office building and derived the characteristics of the
schedule plan for the office building renovation project. Furthermore,
using these characteristics and a GA, we developed a theory-based
optimization method to schedule renovation projects and devised an
application sheet using the Evolver program for effective application of
the developed method. By applying the developed method to an actual
case, we examined the utility of the developed methodology. We ob­
tained the following results on applying the developed method to an
actual renovation project: (i) The method could successfully suggest six
K. Cho and T. Kim
optimized schedule alternatives according to the renovation conditions.
(ii) All the alternatives could be improved in terms of their cost and
duration performance by completing the optimization (i.e., OF values
improved by 14.83% to 23.17% after optimization). (iii) The sixth and
fourth alternatives suggested a 36.18% lower PD and 63.54% higher
cost, respectively, compared to other alternatives. Based on these as­
pects, the optimized schedule proposed in this study can be used by
owners and project managers for the renovation of aged office buildings.
The developed method makes the following academic and practical
contributions: (i) From an academic perspective, the method can
become a cornerstone for developing optimized scheduling methods for
renovation projects so that the characteristics of the renovation projects
can be appropriately reflected during schedule development. (ii) From a
practical perspective, this method can be useful for project owners and
managers to make reasonable decisions regarding their building reno­
vation works.
As the scheduling of building renovation projects has been actively
studied only in recent years, there are few actual renovation projects
wherein optimal scheduling methods are applied. Therefore, this study
has a limitation in that there is no method to validate the optimized
schedule developed for renovation projects through comparison with
optimization in actual projects. Therefore, if actual projects to which the
optimized schedule determined in this research is applied are executed
in future, the results of this study can be verified and further improve­
ments can be made.
8. Role of the funding source
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of
Korea (NRF) Grant (NRF-2019R1A4A1028116, 2020R1A2C2009799,
and 2017R1DIA3B03029277) funded by the Ministry of Education,
Science, and Technology.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Kyuman Cho: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Formal
analysis, Writing - review & editing, Visualization, Funding acquisition.
Taehoon Kim: Validation, Investigation, Data curation, Supervision,
Writing - review & editing, Project administration, Funding acquisition.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
11
Expert Systems With Applications 168 (2021) 114212
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
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