A sustainable sociocultural combination of building information modeling with integrated project delivery in a social network perspective

Abstract

The combination of building information modeling (BIM) and integrated project delivery (IPD) has been widely supported in the literature as a solution to the problems of limited collaboration in the construction industry. BIM and IPD have been described as cooperative means of achieving sustainable benefit to stakeholders. However, most studies focused on the technological challenges involved, with reference mainly to the sustainable economic and environmental benefits of the combination, while the sustainable sociocultural benefits have not been extensively explored. In this study, these issues are addressed by highlighting the importance of implementing BIM as a social system, using BIM corporate social responsibility (CSR) application model, in a BIM-based IPD project. This CSR model of BIM application (CSR-BIM model) serves as a benchmark for examining the achievement of a sociocultural benefits from the project. Social network analysis (SNA) was employed as an analytical method for examining the inter-organizational communication network during the design stage in relation to the CSR-BIM model. The SNA studies were conducted to compare the optimal model findings and the actual findings, focusing on clusters, ego-network clusters and the centrality of the players. The comparison—which related only to the BIM communication platform, in the context of the professionals—found a distinction between the BIM manager and the project team and its management, presenting separate and partial clusters. The evaluation also identified the low centrality of the BIM manager relative to the optimal option. In response, recommendations are made to implement the CSR-BIM model as a management measure to better support a sustainable sociocultural project.