Requirements for model server enabled collaborating on building information models

The application of Building Information Modelling (BIM) has demonstrated enormous potential to deliver consistency in the construction collaboration process. BIM can define an explicit configuration for digitized information exchange, however the technology to collaborate on models has not yet delivered the industry requirements for BIM collaboration. This research project is intended to provide a fresh review of industry requirements for BIM collaboration and will analyse how these requirements can be supported using a model server as a collaboration platform. This paper presents a review of existing collaboration platforms, with a particular focus to evaluate the research and development efforts on model servers as a collaboration platform. This paper also reports on the findings of three focus group sessions with industry practitioners to identify any problems in the available collaboration systems. The focus group findings identify a number of issues in current collaboration environments which help to understand the main domains of user requirements for BIM collaboration. These requirement domains will be further analysed to identify functional and technical specifications for a model server enabled collaboration platform

Benefits of Building Information Modeling for Construction Managers and BIM Based Scheduling

Building Information Modeling“BIM is becoming a better known established collaboration process in the construction industry. Owners are increasingly requiring BIM services from construction managers, architects and engineering firms. Many construction firms are now investing in“BIM technologies during bidding, preconstruction, construction and post construction. The goal of this project is to understand the uses and benefits of BIM for construction managers and examine BIM based scheduling. There are two objectives to this project. First is to identify the current uses of BIM in the Architectural / Engineering / Construction / Facility Management industry to better understand how the BIM-based“build to design and“design to build concepts can be used by construction managers under the Construction Management at Risk project delivery system. Second, a focus is placed on analyzing 3D and 4D BIM as well as BIM based scheduling. The research was conducted through literature review, case studies, and interviews. First, the research identified the uses of Building Information Modeling for preconstruction, construction and post construction phases. Then, the project examined the uses and benefits of BIM in the construction of a research facility. Subsequently, a prototype 4D Building Information Model was created and studied. Furthermore, the BIM-based schedule was integrated to the 4D model. Finally, the project concluded with an analysis on the use, advantages and setbacks of BIM and its tools

Uptake of BIM and IPD within the UK AEC Industry: the evolving role of the architectural technologist

Building Information Modelling is not only a tool, but also the process of creation, maintenance, distribution and co-ordination of an integrated database that collaboratively stores 2D and 3D information, with embedded physical and functional data within a project-building model. The uptake of BIM within the UK Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry has been slow since the 1980’s, but over recent years, adoptions have increased. The increased collaborative nature of BIM, external data sharing techniques and progressively complex building design, promotes requirements for design teams to coordinate and communicate more effectively to achieve project goals. To manage this collaboration, new or evolved job roles may emerge. This research examined the current use of BIM, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) and collaborative working in the UK AEC industry and job roles that have evolved or been created to cater for them. Using semi-structured interviews the interviewees indicated while several of the key enablers of IPD were being used, IPD itself had not been fully adopted. BIM was being used with some success but improvements could be made. New job roles such as the BIM Engineer and BIM Coordinator had been seen in the industry and evidence that the Architectural Technologist (AT) role is evolving into a more multidisciplinary role; this reflects similar findings of recent research

Introduction of BIM methodology in education: Concept and application

[EN] Teaching Civil Engineering and Architecture requires a permanent updating of knowledge concerning procedures and technologies used in Construction industry. In this sense, the school should seek to adapt its curriculum to include innovative issues to support a better construction. The methodology Building Information Modelling (BIM), involving the concept of information centralized in a unique geometric model and of collaboration of all participants in a project, is strongly supported in advanced technology. An important role of teaching is to organize actions to promote the insertion of new issues in school. The text presents several examples of BIM applications developed by students in the context of MSc researches. Some topics are described in detail: 4D Model for construction planning based on BIM technology; Coordination of construction project based on BIM methodology; Conflict analysis based in an architectural BIM model. The objective is to add competitive skills in the training of future architects and civil engineers.http://ocs.editorial.upv.es/index.php/HEAD/HEAD18Sampaio, AZ. (2018). Introduction of BIM methodology in education: Concept and application. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 19-27. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD18.2018.7443OCS192

Improving cost and time control in construction using Building Information Model (BIM): a review

The control of cost and time in construction projects is one of the most important issues in construction since the emergence of the construction industry. A successful project should meet not only quality output standards, but also time and budget objectives. The management and control of cost and time in construction is fundamental in every project. An effective cost and time management and control technique for construction projects is important in managing risk of cost overrun and delay in completion of projects. Construction projects are becoming more complex as they now involve many stakeholders from different disciplines. The emergence of Building Information Model (BIM), an alternative technology is believed to solve issues related to project cost and time control as it efficiently increases collaboration between stakeholders. The aim of this paper is to review and summarise the causes of delay and cost overrun in construction industries, which are the main causes of disputes and abandonment of projects in the industry. It was found that delays and cost overrun eat deep into the industry and leave the construction industry with a bad image for decades even with rapid advancement in technology. The review of the applications of BIM showed that most of the applications are geared towards minimising construction cost and time spent on projects. This means that the use of BIM in the management of construction projects has great impact on project cost and time

Collaborative BIM in the cloud and the communication tools to support it

Process in the AEC industry is characterised by the distributed and temporary nature of project teams; discipline specific teams engage in a highly collaborative process with not yet fully standardised requirements for information exchange which often results in chaotic communication patterns. This collaborative process makes communication and coordination challenging and intensifies the need for sophisticated software tools. Efforts to address some of the UK construction industry’s problems have seen rapid acceleration of BIM adoption in recent years. The exchange of interoperable building information models across teams provides the opportunity for an improved communication paradigm, where the “structured model” rather than the “document” acts as the focal unit of communication. Since collaborators are geographically distributed, this communication type finds its natural environment in online collaboration platforms hosting building information models. Effective collaboration requires coordinated communication and communicated coordination. BIM can be expressed as the “language of construction” and requires structure and standardization even on the human communication level. The life-cycle approach will pose additional collaboration requirements. Integrated, intuitive communication tools for BIM should replace e-mail. A preliminary analysis of data from the usage of online collaboration software, including network graph representations, provides some insight into usage patterns and serves as a basis for similar analyses as more of project data becomes available. Improved results would come from a better designed analysis of more projects

Enhancing the graduates’ employability and career development through building information modelling intensive training

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is an emerging technological process which highly promotes a better collaborative working environment in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. It is essential that the Higher Education (HE) sector innovates its education system to integrate between different disciplines in the AEC industry to encourage the adoption of BIM. In conjunction with this, BIM Intensive Training was conducted for a selected number of final year undergraduate students at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. They were assigned a real time construction project, utilizing BIM software applications for model authoring, model review, 4D modelling and project coordination. It was observed that the participants were able to overcome various challenges through information sharing and team collaboration. A BIM coordination workflow was produced during the training to assist them in organizing their work. Although their existing knowledge of BIM and their skills using the software applications were quite limited, they were capable in learning expeditiously as the assignment provided them with real-world problems. A year after the training, more than half of the participants agreed that the training had helped them to secure their employment and excel in their current involvements in BIM-based projects. However, due to the current scenario many firms are yet to embrace BIM, there are participants who could not utilize the training. Hence, the establishment of a dynamic and continuous collaboration between professionals and HE sector is the way forward in transforming the traditional structure of AEC industry into a more collaborative and technological approach

Interactive IoT Cloud Deep Learning Model for Research Development in Universities for the Educational Think Tank

The construction of university education think tanks using the interactive service platform enables the sharing of research resources, encourages cross-disciplinary research collaboration, and fosters innovation in education. It also helps to build a stronger relationship between academia and industry by enabling practitioners to participate in research activities. The Internet of Things (IoT) can be used to collect and analyze data from various sources, including sensors and other connected devices, to provide insights into education-related issues. The integration of these technologies in university education thinks tanks can help to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of research, decision-making, and collaboration processes. Hence, this paper constructed an Interactive IoT Cloud Computing Platform (IIoTCC). With IIoTCC model the innovative idea about research and other ideas are collected and stored in a Cloud environment. Within the environment, information collected is stored in the stacked architecture model with the voting-based model. Through the stacked model, information is processed and evaluated for academic activities. The IoT environment is implemented through IIoTCC for the information process in a deep learning environment for academic-related issues. Simulation analysis expressed that IIoTCC model achieves a higher accuracy rate of 99.34% which is significantly higher than conventional classifiers

Virtual reality-integrated workflow in BIM-enabled projects collaboration and design review: a case study

A successful project delivery based on building information modeling (BIM) methods is interdependent on an efficient collaboration. This relies mainly on the visualization of a BIM model, which can appear on different mediums. Visualization on mediums such as computer screens, lack some degrees of immersion which may prevent the full utilization of the model. Another problem with conventional collaboration methods such as BIM-Big room, is the need of physical presence of participants in a room. Virtual Reality as the most immersive medium for visualizing a model, has the promise to become a regular part of construction industry. The virtual presence of collaborators in a VR environment, eliminates the need of their physical presence. Simulation of on-site task can address a number of issues during construction, such as feasibility of operations. As consumer VR tools have recently been available in the market, little research has been done on their actual employment in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) practices. This paper investigates the application of a VR based workflow in a real project. The authors collaborated with a software company to evaluate some of their advanced VR software features, such as simulation of an on-site task. A case study of VR integrated collaboration workflow serves as an example of how firms can overcome the challenge of benefiting this new technology. A group of AEC professionals involved in a project were invited to take part in the experiment, utilizing their actual project BIM models. The results of the feedbacks from the experiment confirmed the supposed benefits of a VR collaboration method. Although the participants of the study were from a wide range of disciplines, they could find benefits of the technology in their practice. It also resulted that an experimental method of clash detection via simulation, could actually be practical. The simulation of on-site tasks and perception of architectural spaces in a 1:1 scale are assets unique to VR application in AEC practices. Nevertheless, the study shows the investment in new hardware and software, and resistant against adoption of new technologies are main obstacles of its wide adoption. Further works in computer industry is required to make these technologies more affordable.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

How Much Can VR Improve Spatial Experience? - A Case Study with a Commercial Building Project

With the development of Industry 4.0 and the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the global construction industry has undergone a rapid digital transformation, pushing the development of building information modeling (BIM), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) technologies towards greater maturity. However, from the perspective of building developers and end users, does VR technology have any benefit for complex building projects? What are users' acceptance and evaluation on VR emerging technology? After constructing a VR simulation navigation system for an actual commercial building project, this study investigated and compared the differences between using the VR system and the traditional navigation system in the four dimensions of the technology acceptance model. The results showed that the subjects generally believed that the VR system has significant benefits in terms of usefulness, users’ attitude, and users’ intention, however, there is still room for improvement in the perceived ease of use. Moreover, feedback from developers supported the benefits of the VR technology validated the system effectiveness. Hence, VR and BIM technologies are recommended to be effectively integrated, in order to enhance the integrity of industrial applications and establish a new design communication and collaboration model for the architecture, engineering, construction, and facility management industry