Building information modelling project decision support framework

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is an information technology [IT] enabled approach to managing design data in the AEC/FM (Architecture, Engineering and Construction/ Facilities Management) industry. BIM enables improved interdisciplinary collaboration across distributed teams, intelligent documentation and information retrieval, greater consistency in building data, better conflict detection and enhanced facilities management. Despite the apparent benefits the adoption of BIM in practice has been slow. Workshops with industry focus groups were conducted to identify the industry needs, concerns and expectations from participants who had implemented BIM or were BIM “ready”. Factors inhibiting BIM adoption include lack of training, low business incentives, perception of lack of rewards, technological concerns, industry fragmentation related to uneven ICT adoption practices, contractual matters and resistance to changing current work practice. Successful BIM usage depends on collective adoption of BIM across the different disciplines and support by the client. The relationship of current work practices to future BIM scenarios was identified as an important strategy as the participants believed that BIM cannot be efficiently used with traditional practices and methods. The key to successful implementation is to explore the extent to which current work practices must change. Currently there is a perception that all work practices and processes must adopt and change for effective usage of BIM. It is acknowledged that new roles and responsibilities are emerging and that different parties will lead BIM on different projects. A contingency based approach to the problem of implementation was taken which relies upon integration of BIM project champion, procurement strategy, team capability analysis, commercial software availability/applicability and phase decision making and event analysis. Organizations need to understand: (a) their own work processes and requirements; (b) the range of BIM applications available in the market and their capabilities (c) the potential benefits of different BIM applications and their roles in different phases of the project lifecycle, and (d) collective supply chain adoption capabilities. A framework is proposed to support organizations selection of BIM usage strategies that meet their project requirements. Case studies are being conducted to develop the framework. The results of the preliminary design management case study is presented for contractor led BIM specific to the design and construct procurement strategy.

The contribution of Building Information Modelling (BIM) to Green Building Design and Assessment in Abu Dhabi "ESTIDAMA"

Estidama is a mandatory Green Building code in Abu Dhabi by which the compliance of building design is being assessed. This paper examines the current design and assessment approaches for Green Buildings to identify the reasons that lead to delay defects and it investigates a new approach for improvement. The available literature provides a realistic understanding to the problems and shows the road to some potential solutions. The identified problems were mainly attributed to the manual assessment with too much human interference. The piled documents with limited resources left the assessment system too slow to handle the whole projects within the greater Abu Dhabi engendering high risk of the commitment to review mistakes. Therefore, this paper investigates the potentiality of automating several stages via the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) into the assessment process. Different experienced participants from all aspects within the construction industry were interviewed to contribute to the research. Also, a close question questionnaire was distributed to examine the current practice in Abu Dhabi to compare it with the initial findings. The findings point out significant requirements to adopt BIM in the assessment process, such as the availability of proper contracts form to shape the relationship between BIM parties and the readiness of the current system. Hence, the authors suggest a new model that integrates BIM capabilities within the system to accelerate the process and reduce human involvement.

The application of building information modelling in a construction project in China

Previous studies have proved the application of Building InformationModelling (BIM) can lead to greater efficiencies. Slowly adopting newtechnologies and limited technological innovation are criticised for theconstruction industry. In this paper, we present research that examinesthe practices of BIM technologies for the clash detection and coordination among building structure, equipment and pipelines, quantity statistics and construction simulation in a construction project in China. The BIM application significantly promotes the abilities to achieve construction schedule, quality, budget, and scope objectives in the project. The technological capabilities of BIM, the illegal issues of BIM outputs and developing cooperative project management culture are needed in order to promote BIM application in the construction industry.

The language of design resolution in a digital building information model

Information in construction industry is delivered and interpreted in a language specific to the industry in which large complex objects are only partially described and with much information being implicit in the language used. Successful communication therefore relies on participants in the industry leaming how to interpret the language through many years of education, training and experience. With the introduction of computer technology, and in particular the detailed digital building information model (DB 1M), the accepted language currently in use is no longer a valid method of describing the building. At all stages in the paper based design and documentation process it is generally readily apparent which parts of the design require further completion and which are fully resolved. This is able to be achieved through the complex graphical language currently in use. In the DBIM, all information appears at the same level of resolution making difficult the interpretation of implicit information embedded in the model. This compromises the collaborative design environment which is being described as a fundamental characteristic of the future construction industry. This paper focuses on two areas. The first analyses design resolution and the role uncertain information plays in the design process. It then discusses the manner in which designers and the industry in general deal with incomplete or unresolved information. The second describes a theoretical model in which a design resolution (DR) environment incorporates the level of design resolution as an operable element in a collaborative DBIM. The development and implementation of this model will allow designers to better share, understand and interpret design knowledge from the shared information during the various stages of digital design and before full resolution is achieved.

Towards the development of a project decision support framework for adoption of an integrated building information model using a model server

This chapter discusses an action research study towards the development of a decision framework to support a fully integrated multi disciplinary Building Information Model (BIM) using a Model Server. The framework was proposed to facilitate multi disciplinary collaborative BIM adoption through, informed selection of a project specific BIM approach and tools contingent upon project collaborators’ readiness, tool capabilities and workflow dependencies. The aim of the research was to explore the technical concerns in relation to Model Servers to support multi disciplinary model integration and collaboration; however it became clear that there were both technical and non technical issues that needed consideration. The evidence also suggests that there are varying levels of adoption which impacts upon further diffusion of the technologies. Therefore the need for a decision framework was identified based on the findings from an exploratory study conducted to investigate industry expectations. The study revealed that even the market leaders who are early technology adopters in the Australian industry in many cases have varying degrees of practical experiential knowledge of BIM and hence at times low levels of confidence of the future diffusion of BIM technology throughout the industry. The study did not focus on the benefits of BIM implementation as this was not the intention, as the industry partners involved are market leaders and early adopters of the technology and did not need convincing of the benefits. Coupled with this there are various other past studies that have contributed to the ‘benefits’ debate. There were numerous factors affecting BIM adoption which were grouped in to two main areas; technical tool functional requirements and needs, and non technical strategic issues. The need for guidance on where to start, what tools were available and how to work through the legal, procurement and cultural challenges was evidenced in the exploratory study. Therefore a BIM decision framework was initiated, based upon these industry concerns. Eight case studies informed the development of the framework and a summary of the key findings is presented. Primary and secondary case studies from firms that have adopted a structured approach to technology adoption are presented. The Framework consists of four interrelated key elements including a strategic purpose and scoping matrix, work process mapping, technical requirements for BIM tools and Model Servers, and framework implementation guide. The BIM framework was presented in draft format again to key industry stakeholders and considered in comparison with current best practice BIM adoption to further validate the framework. There was no request to change any part of the Framework. However, it is an ongoing process and it will be presented again to industry through the various project partners. The Framework may be refined within the boundaries of the action research process as an ongoing activity as more experiential knowledge can be incorporated.

Technical features of BIM servers for collaboration on building and construction projects

This paper reviews the technical features and requirements of Building Information Modelling (BIM)-servers as collaboration platforms for multi-disciplinary building and construction projects. Multi-disciplinary collaboration is the norm in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries, especially in complex projects. The widespread adoption of object-oriented Computer-aided Design (CAD) tools that support BIM capabilities has generated greater interest in model based exchange of information across disciplines and consultants who have traditionally collaborated through the frequent exchange of 2D drawings and documents. BIM-servers are collaboration platforms that are expected to provide the technical capability to support this inter-disciplinary exchange of 3D models in addition to intelligent management of the related drawings, documents and other forms of data. Since BIM-servers are a recent technical development a review of their technical features can help further development. This paper serves this objective by providing a review of the technical features and requirements for using BIM-servers as multi-disciplinary collaboration platforms on building and construction projects. The methodologies include focus group interviews (FIGs) with representatives from the diverse AEC disciplines, a case study on a state-of-the-art BIM-server, and a critical review and analysis of current collaboration platforms that are available to the AEC industries. This paper concludes that greater emphasis should be placed on supporting technical requirements to facilitate technology management and implementation across disciplines. Their implications for user-centric technology development in design and construction industry are also discussed.

Enhancing collaboration in building modeling: team working principles

Enhancing collaboration in building information modelling (BIM) teams has attracted considerable attention. Current research studies have almost entirely focused on the technical aspects of BIM overlooking the significant effects of team configurations and working procedures on collaboration in BIM teams. Against this backdrop, the present study is driven by the objective of enhancing awareness of the challenges that face teams in developing BIM models and propose a number of effective measures modifying team configurations and adjusting working processes to enhance collaboration. To this end, the study draws upon a case-study and ethnographic theory building research approach through which the development of the BIM model was explored and its major challenges with corresponding applied solutions in a high profile infrastructure project backdrop. The study set out to contribute to the field by providing evidence and opening a window for conceptualisation of the problems and modifications for enhancing collaboration in BIM through the lens of team working principles. The discussion presented outlines practical implications and provides insight into how issues of collaboration in BIM could be dealt with armed with a heightened awareness of principles of team working.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Iran: an exploratory study

BIM has received considerable attention from academics and innovative construction companies in recent years within the Iranian context. However, there is a conspicuous lack of studies, which give a picture of the current state of BIM in Iran. To address this gap in the body of the knowledge, this study intends to present an account on the current state of BIM with a focus on barriers and drivers associated with its adoption in Iran based on the perceptions of Iranian construction practitioners. Drawing upon a questionnaire survey completed by 44 construction practitioners and through deploying data visualization alongside statistical analyses, it came to light that industry practitioners in Iran are inexperienced as to BIM’s use and the level of BIM implementation in the country is at the lowest level of BIM maturity. That is, 29.5% of construction companies are involved in some level of BIM adoption whereas 56.8% have had no exposure to BIM and 36.4% do not even have any plans to adopt BIM in the near future. The findings also showed that the highest ranked barriers to adoption of BIM in Iran are almost entirely associated with the structure of the Iranian market, the nature of the construction industry and the predominant business environment in the country as well as lack of attention by policy makers and the government. On the other hand, major drivers were found to be associated with monetary gains and enhancing competitiveness in the market. The clear message is that widespread adoption of BIM in Iran will not occur in the absence of a supportive regulatory environment and financial assistance by policy makers. The paper contributes to the field by sharing the preliminary findings of the first study conducted on BIM adoption in Iran, which provides a sound basis for further inquiries on the topic.

BIM adoption : expectations across disciplines

This chapter presents a comprehensive analysis of the current state of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Facility Management (AEC/FM) industry and a  re-assessment of its role and potential contribution in the near future, given the apparent slow rate of adoption by the industry. The chapter analyses the readiness of the industry with respect to the (1) tools, (2) processes and (3) people to position BIM adoption in terms of current status and expectations
across disciplines. The findings are drawn from an ongoing research project funded by the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation (CRC-CI) that aims at developing a technological, operational and strategic analysis of adopting BIM in the AEC/FM industry as a
collaboration platform.

Integrated construction supply chain design and delivery solutions

This study describes the development of a decision framework to support multi-disciplinary information and knowledge management model which focuses on integrated design and delivery solutions for all construction supply chain actors. The framework was developed within the context of two national information technology research projects in Australia. The first study used diffusion theory to explain the barriers and enablers to future adoption of advanced information technology solutions such as building information modelling (BIM). A grounded theory methodology was deployed and a pathways model for innovative information technology diffusion accommodating diverse patterns of adoption and different levels of expertize was developed. The second study built on the findings of the first study but specifically focussed on innovators, early and late adopters of BIM and the development of a decision framework towards advanced collaborative platform solutions. This study summarizes the empirical results of the previous studies. The core of the decision framework is the creation, use and ownership of building information sub-models and integrated models. The decision framework relies on holistic collaborative design management. Design expertise is diffused and can be found in various locations along the construction supply chain within project teams. A wide definition of design is considered from conceptual to developed to detailed design. The recent development to the decision model offers much potential as the early upstream decisions are often made in a creative, collaborative and uncertain environment. However, decision making needs to balance both a reductionist and exploratory creative empowerment approach. Shared team expertise and competency and team mental models are explored as a fundamental requirement to collaborative BIM. New skills in interdisciplinarity are discussed as an implication of future construction industry collaborative platforms.

Towards a BIM-based energy rating system

Governments in Australia are faced with policy implementation that mandates higher energy efficient housing (Foran, Lenzen & Dey 2005). To this effect, the National Construction Code (NCC) 2013 stipulates the minimum energy performance for residential buildings as 114MJ/m2 per annum or 6 stars on an energy rating scale. Compliance with this minimum is mandatory but there are several methods through which residential buildings can be rated to comply with the deemed to satisfy provisions outlined in the NCC. FirstRate5 is by far the most commonly used simulation software used in Victoria, Australia. Meanwhile, Building Information Modelling (BIM), using software such as ArchiCAD has gained a foothold in the industry. The energy simulation software within ArchiCAD, EcoDesigner, enables the reporting on the energy performance based on BIM elements that contain thermal information. This research is founded on a comparative study between FirstRate5 and EcoDesigner. Three building types were analysed and compared. The comparison finds significant differences between simulations, being, measured areas, thermal loads and potentially serious shortcomings within FirstRate5, that are discussed along with the future potential of a fully BIM-integrated model for energy rating certification in Victoria. © 2014, The Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA), Hong Kong.