Building information modelling and its effect on off-site construction in UK civil engineering

Abstract

In 2011, the UK government mandated that, by March 2016, all public-sector construction projects would be undertaken within a three-dimensional building information model (BIM) environment. This has caused both construction procurers and providers to embark on a journey towards universal BIM adoption, including the integration of BIM within a revised construction process. In addition, off-site construction has seen significant development in the building sector in the past decade; however, in infrastructure, off-site constructionoff-site construction exploitation has been more limited. This paper presents findings from UK-focused research into how innovation initiatives such as BIM and off-site construction can and need to be considered together, thus allowing leaner design, a greater integration of lifetime project data and more novel technical solutions. Key themes that emerged from the thematic analysis of the interviews show the importance of configuration and interface management; information data flow; project management and delivery; procurement and contracts. The analysis outlines the benefits of utilising off-site construction within a BIM environment, the challenges currently facing the supply chain, and recommendations are made as to how best to implement the emergent benefits.