Building Information Modeling Implementation Research Articles

BIM Capabilities towards Better Safety Climate in the Malaysian Construction Industry

The Malaysian construction industry are dealing with numerous cases of permanent injuries and death of workers in construction sites. This has caused lack of productivity and also losses of human resources. The urging working condition aiming for on time completion has led to unsafe working behaviour due to the top management pressure. This is where Building Information Modelling (BIM) came into view to increase the safety on site environment and through design phase by using technology to overcome human inconsistency behaviour. However, the lack of BIM implementation in Malaysia also causes even lesser implementation of BIM in safety of construction. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the BIM capabilities towards better safety climate in the Malaysian construction industry. A qualitative approach was used through semi-structured interviews and discussion with selected representatives from both private and government sectors. All the interviewed data were then analysed using content analysis technique which correlated the findings with the literature review to support the findings. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that (1) Visualisation for Safety, and (2) Simulation for Safety are the most potential BIM capabilities to be implemented in the construction industry for improving safety climate by using BIM technology. Significantly, the study provides insights towards outlining potential BIM capabilities on policy or Safety Rules and Procedure implementation by the government authority or organizations’ top management.

A Quantitative Study on the Relationship of Building Information Modelling (BIM) Implementation on Job Performance in The Malaysian Public Projects.

BIM is a collaborative platform that involves several technologies and tools which transform the construction process from traditional methods into a digital representation. However, the implementation of this technology in Malaysia has faced many issues and challenges, including the productivity and overall project implementation performance. The objective of this research is to determine the relationship of BIM implementation factors on job performance. A total population of 242 professionals which consist of architects, engineers, and quantity surveyors that involved in public project, were chosen using a stratified sampling method and were used as the research sample. Data were collected using the questionnaire method and distributed through Google Form. The research findings from the hierarchical multiple regression found that the four factors studied, namely commitment and knowledge, culture orientation, ICT utilization, and collaborative synergy have a significant positive relationship with job performance. Nonetheless, the research findings are unable to confirm the relationship of the other two variables, which are digital skills and management support. This research has implications for the related theories, professionals in the industry, top management, and other researchers.

Adopting Building Information Modelling (BIM) into Industrialised Building System (IBS) in Malaysian Construction Industry

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the development of digital models used during planning, design, construction, and operation stages of a project. Some construction players doubt the practicality in implementing this new technology. Full adoption of Industrialised Building System (IBS) project is not an easy journey. In addition, the implementation of BIM technology into IBS system will put the client's expectation at risk as it is difficult to understand the complex software. Therefore, the aim of this research is to explore the adoption of BIM into IBS application in Malaysian construction industry. Among the objectives of this research are to investigate the implementation of BIM into IBS application, examine challenges in implementing BIM into IBS application and propose ways to improve the incorporation of BIM into IBS application by Malaysian construction industry players. Research data were collected through questionnaire survey and the results were analysed using SPSS software. The results showed vast majority of public and private sectors have some experience in handling IBS and BIM projects and these sectors are aware that BIM can facilitate IBS projects. However, the implementation of BIM into IBS application is still at the low level especially in private sectors. One of the challenges faced is its high cost, thus only large organisations can afford its implementation. To successfully improve the incorporation of BIM into IBS project, government should take some measures by organising awareness programs, restructuring IBS and BIM training programs, providing incentive, as well as promoting sustainability development and green construction. By doing that, the proposed measures are expected to increase the confidence of industry players to actively adopt BIM into more IBS projects in Malaysian construction industry.

An investigation of barriers to the application of building information modelling in Nigeria

PurposeThe utilisation of building information modelling (BIM) technology is rapidly increasing among construction professionals across the world. Notwithstanding, recent studies revealed a low level of BIM implementation in the context of the Nigerian construction sector. Moreover, previous studies have established that BIM application comes with its share of various barriers. Therefore, this study aims to carry out an on-site survey on barriers to the application of BIM on construction sites in the Nigerian construction industry.Design/methodology/approachAn extensive review of literature on BIM barriers was conducted, from where 33 factors were identified as significant BIM barriers peculiar to the developing countries. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to the targeted respondents, who are practicing professionals in the Nigerian construction industry, based on the identified barriers. The data collected were analysed by using both descriptive and inferential statistics.FindingsThe principal component analysis revealed that 27 barriers were peculiar to the Nigerian construction industry. The “lack of familiarity with BIM capacity, habitual resistance to change from the traditional style of design and build, and poor awareness of BIM benefit” were identified as the three most critical barriers hindering BIM application on construction sites in the Nigerian construction industry.Practical implicationsThis study reveals key information on the peculiar barriers to BIM application in the Nigerian construction industry. The avoidance of these barriers will not only assist various construction stakeholders in the successful implementation of BIM application on a construction project but also promote information management systems and productivity within the construction industry to a great extent. These will further improve post-construction activities.Originality/valueThis study provides a substantial understanding of BIM state of the art in the context of barriers hindering BIM application on construction sites in the Nigerian construction industry.

EFFECTIVE 5D BIM REQUIREMENTS FOR RISK MITIGATION DURING PRE-CONTRACT STAGE

The implementation of building information modelling (BIM) can be challenging without proper processes, procedures and standards. As the development of BIM progresses, there are concerns related to the five-dimensional (5D) BIM procedures in producing deliverables from the cost aspects of the project that adopts BIM technology. While the concerns may expose to amount of risks that can influence the project cost, this paper is determined to investigate the technical risks of 5D BIM practice and explore risk mitigation strategies for the construction project that adopts 5D BIM technology. Three main groups of technical risks were identified and reviewed, namely modelling issues, poor execution procedures and design change issues. The population of this paper consists of quantity surveyors and the respondents come from consultancy firms, contractors and developers. This paper also found twelve critical issues and challenges of 5D BIM implementation that had been analysed with the relative importance index (RII) analysis. Risk mitigation strategies are proposed to make a positive impact on the 5D BIM implementation, which consist of regular checks and balances, improve skills and knowledge through training and acquire suitable 5D BIM applications. The use of a BIM execution plan (BEP) and BIM protocol are also being discussed in this paper.

개방형 BIM 기반 발주-설계 협업 프로세스의 표준 프레임워크 적용방안

With the increasing, complexity, and advanced environmental changes, the paradigm of architectural design is being transformed from a two-dimensional (2D) design to a three-dimensional (3D) design. In particular, according to the active needs of the project owner, institutional guidelines are being developed in the construction field to utilize Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology to efficiently manage construction information. However, contrary to this increasing trend, the case of conducting domestic BIM projects has been pointed out as problems such as the lack of systematic management system, lack of standard work performance processes and standards, and lack of information-compatible systems for participants. In this study, we proposed project Owners-architect design collaboration process between Client and practitioners reflecting the KBIMS (Korea BIM Standard) standard framework developed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Land R&D ‘OpenBIM Research Group’. Furthermore, in the BIM implementation plan and the BIM design work phase, we presented a checklist that should be shared between the owner-design, so that the project can be carried out through communication and collaboration rather than the work flow of unilateral reporting and approval.

Modeling and analyzing dynamic social networks for behavioral pattern discovery in collaborative design

As a newly-developed information exchange and management platform, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is altering the way of collaboration among multi-engineers for civil engineering projects. During the BIM implementation, a large number of event logs are automatically generated and accumulated to record details of the model evolution. For knowledge discovery from huge logs, a novel BIM event log mining approach based on the dynamic social network analysis is presented to examine designers’ performance objectively, which has been verified in BIM event logs about an ongoing year-long design project. Relying on meaningful information extracted from time-stamped logs, networks on the monthly interval are built to graphically represent information and knowledge sharing among designers. Special emphasis is put on measuring designers’ influence by a defined new metric called “impact score”, which combines the k-shell method and 1-step neighbors to achieve comparatively low computational cost and high accurate ranking. Besides, an emerging machine learning algorithm named CatBoost is utilized to predict designers’ influence intelligently by learning features from both network structure and human behavior. It has been found that twelve networks can be easily distinguished into two collaborative patterns, whose characteristics in both network structures and designers’ behaviors are significantly different. The most influential designers are similar within the same group but varied from different groups. Extensive analytical results confirm that the method can potentially serve as month-by-month feedback to monitor the complex modeling process, which further supports managers to realize data-driven decision making for better leadership and work plan towards an optimized collaborative design.

Building information modelling execution plans: a global review

A building information modelling (BIM) execution plan is a process-management document that includes the standards, responsibilities and protocols used as a basis for a BIM project. Despite the increased interest in BIM implementation, there are a few studies in the literature specifically tailored to the development of an execution plan. A study was undertaken to review and analyse the literature and synthesise existing knowledge relevant to the topic. A thematic framework of content aspects and trends was developed to define grounds for developing execution plans by examining 36 publications from different organisations worldwide. Based on the framework, this research analysed a total of 29 topics classified into functional, informational, organisational and legal issues and identified their influential relationships where applicable. The study highlighted the current state of BIM management platforms and redefined the connection between BIM contracts, execution plans and model data. The paper has practical implications for defining project-specific execution plans and highlighting the research gaps. It also provides recommendations for future development of execution plans, to be used both as an instrument for advancing the use of BIM and as a regulator of the digitalised and collaborative practices.

Leading UK Construction Companies’ Strategies to Tackle BIM Training and Skills Challenges

ABSTRACT Widespread adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is firmly on policy agenda in several countries. Despite emphasis on governments’ ambitions for industry-wide BIM adoption, there is scant understanding about what construction firms need to do regarding training provision and how to do that to meet policy goals. There is, therefore, little evidence of how construction companies have tackled this challenge internally and on projects in existing studies. Through a qualitative research approach and case studies of two leading UK construction companies, this paper describes the different strategies that construction companies adopt to provide the requisite skills and training for their workforce and their project supplier network partners to successfully support and sustain the implementation of BIM. The findings show that successful main contractors employed an “in-house” training strategy at intra-organizational level and a “growing together” approach for their project supplier network partners. In providing BIM training, these firms tackled problems of heterogeneity in workforce digital literacy and competencies, a lack of attention to soft skills, and a lack of understanding of BIM benefits using tailored and role-specific training. These insights contribute to the growing literature on BIM training, complementing the existing literature that focuses mainly on BIM training through education.

Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Applying Building Information Modeling (BIM) for Infrastructure Design Process

Building information modeling (BIM) has opened up many possibilities for the construction industry. However, most studies focus mainly on its overall uses and management areas. By investigating real projects that could utilize BIM in the design phases for railway construction, the authors examine the possible advantages and disadvantages in BIM implementation. To do so, the authors have selected three projects that utilized BIM implementation during the design process and three other projects with a non-BIM, traditionally designed working environment. Similar-scale projects were carefully chosen, and their differences in costs, man-hours, and labor forces were analyzed quantitatively. In addition, an in-depth interview was conducted with four BIM-designing firms to provide a more comprehensive perspective on the advantages and issues in BIM implementation. The average results showed that BIM-implemented projects spent USD 65,800 less than their counterparts and could increase productivity by about 2.9%. More importantly, the primary difference between BIM and non-BIM projects are in their man-hours. BIM-adopting projects spent 103.5 days less than non-BIM projects on average, and required three fewer professional labor forces during the entire design process.

Use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in planning and managing the life cycle of buildings

Many studies and research point to a growing trend in industrial digitization. New materials, technologies and advanced automation tools are increasingly being promoted in the construction industry. With the increasing degree of digitization, various ways and methods of planning, management and control across different construction processes are also increasing. BIM is a unified information system that enables the sharing of documentation, supports communication, streamlines individual processes, helps eliminate errors and increases quality. Based on this fact, the paper analyses the current state of use of Building Information Modelling in planning and managing the life cycle of buildings in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The current state of knowledge and use of BIM, defining the advantages and possible barriers to its use, examining the scope and potential of BIM implementation within the building life cycle and defining tools and applications used in time and financial planning of construction production were analysed. The paper also briefly examines how the implementation of BIM can affect selected key tasks of the preparation and valuation professions.

Blockchain supported BIM data provenance for construction projects

The management of construction projects requires adequate techniques to support the continual exchange of information across disciplines. Recent advances in Building Information Modelling (BIM) have exposed new ways for process and data integration with open data formats, process mapping, and terminology. In construction projects where multiple disciplines produce and share BIM data, mechanisms for defining information priority, provenance and suitability become necessary in order to have consistent and traceable use of data. This includes objects or collection of attributes for data objects that are associated with a discipline or organisation including clear identification of the transaction that has introduced the information. Blockchain can be used to record metadata of BIM objects such as the issuing discipline, object version and responsibility/ liability associated with the data. Blockchain can offer the capability to apply levels of “trust” to individual BIM objects and a more secured framework of collaboration across stakeholders.This paper proposes a Blockchain-based BIM data provenance model to support information exchange in construction projects. By testing the solution in a real-world bridge construction scenario, it has been shown that the approach can recognise the levels of competence and can improve the process of BIM implementation. The proposed approach gives stakeholders more confidence when sharing their BIM data, reduces costs, and improves risk contingencies in construction projects. The paper provides a cost analysis to evidence the implications of using Blockchain for BIM data provenance through an experimental framework supported by an Ethereum public test network. A front-end web page has also been created to facilitate interaction with smart contracts and to monitor the BIM data provenance process.

Integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) with Stick-Built Construction to Implement Digital Construction: A Canadian General Contractor’s Perspective

Building information modeling (BIM) and virtual design and construction (VDC) are useful management processes and methodologies to enhance project communication and coordination. Over the past few decades, researchers and practitioners have made efforts to promote the adoption of BIM and VDC in the construction industry. However, currently, the promotion and adoption of BIM and VDC are relatively slow in North America. This paper focuses on developing an approach to drive the adoption of the technologies through cooperation among project stakeholders and proposing a method of collaboration through a case study. In this paper, the authors surveyed and interviewed a major Canadian general contractor on its implementation of BIM and VDC in construction projects. The was to benchmark the status of BIM and VDC applications in the Atlantic region of Canada from a general contractor’s perspective. Both surveys and interviews were conducted with various project participants throughout the organization. Based on the results, a “Digital Construction Framework for the Future” is proposed to increase the adoption of BIM and VDC. This research can provide a general understanding of BIM and VDC adoption in this particular general contractor and areas of improvement in transitioning to a more digital working construction environment.

Progress on Building Information Modeling Education and Talent Acquisition

ABSTRACT Building Information Modeling (BIM) has become the norm in most of the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) companies, yet the lack of qualified BIM talent is impeding its adoption. This study revisited two previous research projects conducted in 2013 to provide an update on the changes in BIM educational strategies, and work practices which accompanied the global rise in BIM implementation over the years, and to answer the research questions: 1) how does higher education prepare students for BIM-related workplace competency, and 2) what did companies do differently in recruiting and staffing to respond to clients’ growing demands on BIM services. A survey questionnaire consolidating questions from the two studies was administered to solicit inputs from practitioners and educators. The results indicated the continued growth of BIM integration in college curricula and implementation in AEC companies. Different trends and patterns in BIM education and recruiting practices since 2013 were discussed. This study demonstrated the increased collaboration between academia and industry and improved professional BIM training and college BIM education. This study will help colleges determine the educational objectives to develop BIM talent and encourage companies to rethink their BIM talent acquisition and recruiting strategies.

A cloud-based collaborative ecosystem for the automation of BIM execution plan (BEP)

PurposeMaster information delivery plan (MIDP) is a key requirement for building information modelling (BIM) execution plan (BEP) that enlists all information deliverables in BIM-based project, containing information about what would be prepared, when, by who, as well as the procedures and protocols to be used. In a well-conceived BEP, the MIDP facilitates collaboration among stakeholders. However, current approaches to generating MIDP are manual, making it tedious, error-prone and inconsistent, thereby limiting some expected benefits of BIM implementation. The purpose of this study is to automate the MIDP and demonstrate a collaborative BIM system that overcomes the problems associated with the traditional approach.Design/methodology/approachA BIM cloud-based system (named Auto-BIMApp) involving naming that automated MIDP generation is presented. A participatory action research methodology involving academia and industry stakeholders is followed to design and validate the Auto-BIMApp.FindingsA mixed-method experiment is conducted to compare the proposed automated generation of MIDP using Auto-BIMApp with the traditional practice of using spreadsheets. The quantitative results show over 500% increased work efficiency, with improved and error-free collaboration among team members through Auto-BIMApp. Moreover, the responses from the participants using Auto-BIMApp during the experiment shows positive feedback in term of ease of use and automated functionalities of the Auto-BIMApp.Originality/valueThe replacement of traditional practices to a complete automated collaborative system for the generation of MIDP, with substantial productivity improvement, brings novelty to the present research. The Auto-BIMApp involve multidimensional information, multiple platforms, multiple types and levels of users, and generates three different representations of MIDP.

Innovation realisation for digitalising Dutch small architecture practices: state of the art review

Advancing digitalisation and sustainability is a worldwide priority for the construction sector. With intertwined agendas, digitalisation enables the achievement of sustainable outcomes. That is the case of EU initiatives exploring building information modelling (BIM) as a facilitator to circular economy (CE). Thus, standardising BIM implementation through the ISO 19650 information requirements represents a stepping stone towards CE and achieving better sustainable outcomes. Concerning standardisation, a unified digitalisation vision is under development for the European public sector as part of the European Green Deal. However, the EU has already identified that the proposed digitalisation approach had limited effect on extensively achieving sustainable outcomes. Among the issues is the high complexity that hinders small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) construction organisations from contributing. This problem is exacerbated by the limited amount of published scientific research evidence explaining how SMEs incorporate resource-hungry digital processes into their resource-limited business models. Therefore, to understand better the digitalisation for sustainability success cases within European SMEs, this paper presents the results of a state-of-the-art literature review of academic articles, followed by a state-of-evidence review of grey literature. The focus of the review is Dutch small architectural practices (SAPs). The results highlight the importance of project information requirements for SMEs and the multifaceted digitalisation challenges experienced by SAPs and building design SMEs. This paper also suggests future research areas focusing on innovation realisation.

Modeling the Critical Success Factors for BIM Implementation in Developing Countries: Sampling the Turkish AEC Industry

One of the latest advancements transforming the global architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is building information modeling (BIM). Although BIM implementation is at high level in developed countries, it is at a lower level in developing countries. BIM is new to the construction industry in Turkey, with only minor construction firms having implemented it. When making projections based on the current state of the Turkish AEC industry, it is foreseen that it will become mandatory in the near future. Considering this projection, it is doubtful that many construction companies will be caught unprepared for this situation and will not know how to implement BIM. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and model the critical success factors for BIM implementation and their impact size in order to gain insight for the fast and efficient implementation of BIM among construction firms in the Turkish AEC industry, which can be generalized for most developing countries. To reach these aims, a questionnaire was designed with 41 identified success criteria (SC) that were derived through a systematic literature review (SLR). The survey was conducted on construction professionals who actively implement BIM technology at their occupied firms in Turkey and they were asked to rank the importance of 41 SC on a five-point Likert scale. The sampling frame consisted of architects and civil engineers, and in total, 243 responses were received. The differentiation between SC and critical success criteria (CSC) was obtained by using a normalized mean cutoff value. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to identify the critical success factors (CSFs), and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the underlying size effects of each CSF on BIM implementation in the Turkish AEC industry. The results of this study reveal 20 CSC for successful BIM implementation, and EFA exhibited three CSFs from 20 CSC. Three critical success factors for BIM implementation in the Turkish construction industry were determined and grouped into two categories. “Awareness of technological benefits” and “organizational readiness and competitive advantages” formed one group and are the most influential critical success factors for BIM implementation. “Motivation of management regarding BIM” formed the second group of critical success factors that have a significant effect.

The Creation of Construction Schedules in 4D BIM: A Comparison of Conventional and Automated Approaches

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is now a globally recognised phenomenon, though its adoption remains inconsistent and variable between and within the construction sectors of different countries. BIM technology has enabled a wide range of functional applications, one of which, ‘4D BIM’, involves linking the tasks in a project’s construction schedule to its object-orientated 3D model to improve the logistical decision making and delivery of the project. Ideally, this can be automatically generated but in reality, this is not currently possible, and the process requires considerable manual effort. The level of maturity and expertise in the use of BIM amongst the project participants still varies considerably; adding further obstacles to the ability to derive full benefits from BIM. Reflecting these challenges, two case studies are presented in this paper. The first describes a predominantly manual approach that was used to ameliorate the implementation of 4D BIM on a project in Paris. In fact, there is scope for automating the process: a combination of BIM and Artificial Intelligence (AI) could exploit newly-available data that are increasingly obtainable from smart devices or IoT sensors. A prerequisite for doing so is the development of dedicated ontologies that enable the formalisation of the domain knowledge that is relevant to a particular project typology. Perhaps the most challenging example of this is the case of renovation projects. In the second case study, part of a large European research project, the authors propose such an ontology and demonstrate its application by developing a digital tool for application within the context of deep renovation projects.

Implementation of Building Information Modelling for Road Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Project: Liquefaction Disaster of Palu Area

Purpose: Utilization of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is believed to improve planning accuracy, mitigate construction risks, and better plan the entire life cycle of infrastructure asset projects. The application of BIM technology in post-disaster management can combine GIS technology (Geographic Information System) with BIM technology itself, or commonly referred to as geospatial BIM. The purpose of this paper is to apply BIM technology, explain the stages of road planning and modeling with BIM, and identify the advantages of using BIM compared to conventional methods. The road planning location is the location of the Jono Oge liquefaction disaster, Palu, Indonesia.
 Design/methodology/approach: Data collection, data processing with Agisoft Metashape, DEM data input, and orthophoto image data processed by Agisoft Metashape to Autodesk® InfraWorks®, road planning with Autodesk® InfraWorks®, road planning model output and field data presentation. 3D models, IMX format files, FGDB format files, and animation videos.
 Findings: The application of BIM technology in planning and modeling road projects at liquefaction locations can be made using Agisoft Metashape software to process aerial photo data taken using drones and using Autodesk® InfraWorks® software for planning and modeling of the road.
 Research limitations/implications: Modeling Road design in the application of BIM and the use of Autodesk® InfraWorks® applications on the project. We are not modeling the pavement, just visualizing the geometry of the road.
 Practical implications: BIM implementation can drive time, effort, and realistic 3D visualization.
 Originality/value: Original paper
 Paper type: A case study

An Empirical Analysis of Barriers to Building Information Modelling (BIM) Implementation in Wood Construction Projects: Evidence from the Swedish Context

Building information modelling is gradually being recognised by the architecture, engineering, construction, and operation industry as a valuable opportunity to increase the efficiency of the built environment. Focusing on the wood construction industry, BIM is becoming a necessity; this is due to its high level of prefabrication and complex digital procedures using wood sawing machines and sophisticated cuttings. However, the full implementation of BIM is still far from reality. The main objective of this paper is to explore the barriers affecting BIM implementation in the Swedish construction industry. An extensive literature review was conducted to extract barriers hindering the implementation of BIM in the construction industry. Secondly, barriers to the implementation of BIM in the wood construction industry in Sweden were extracted using the grounded theory methodology to analyse expert input on the phenomenon of low BIM implementation in the wood construction industry in Sweden. Thirty-four barriers were identified. The analysis of this study also led to the development of a conceptual model that recommended solutions to overcome the barriers identified to help maximise BIM implementation within the wood construction industry. Identifying the main barriers affecting BIM implementation is essential to guide organisational decisions and drive policy, particularly for governments that are considering articulating regulations to expand BIM implementation.