Title Identifying Key Factors Affecting Apartment Housing Project Schedules With an Integrated AutoML-Cat Boost ?SHAP-PLS Framework
Authors 허영기(Huh, Young-Ki) ; 전정호(Jeon, JungHo)
DOI https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2025.41.10.359
Page pp.359-365
ISSN 2733-6247
Keywords Apartment Housing; Construction Duration; AutoML; SHAP; PLS
Abstract Repeated schedule overruns in Korean apartment projects highlight the need for prediction models that are both accurate and interpretable. This study introduces an AutoML-based CatBoost?SHAP?PLS framework for estimating story-normalized construction duration and identifying its main drivers. A dataset of 103 apartment projects completed between 2016 and 2019 with 17 independent variables was analyzed. Among 15 candidate algorithms tested using 5x3 repeated cross-validation, CatBoost delivered the best performance, with a root-mean-square error of 5.84 days per story and an R² of 0.38. SHAP analysis revealed that scale-related factors, such as maximum floor and number of households, reduced duration through repetition efficiency, while subsurface conditions, including basement depth, below-water-table work, and pile count, increased delays. An exploratory two-component PLS regression explained 46 percent of the variance, showing a negative standardized effect for height (β??0.51) and a positive effect for basement depth (β?+0.44). The proposed framework integrates nonlinear prediction with coefficient-level interpretation, enabling contractors and owners to better quantify schedule buffers and prioritize risk controls.