Development of OntEIR framework to support BIM clients in construction

This paper discusses an ongoing research that is conducted to develop a framework that will support employers in making informed and sound decision in defining their requirements. The aim of this research is to develop an ontology-based, BIM enabled framework for EIR (OntEIR), it will examine the ability of this framework in capturing, analysing, and translating these requirements based on an ontology model. This framework will enable the project team to capture requirements and convert them to constructional terms understood by all stakeholders. It is the contention of this research that this process will save time, effort and cost, and will provide an informed basis for delivering a successful project that satisfies both the employer and the supply chain

Development of an Ontology-based Framework and Tool for Employer Information Requirements (OntEIR)

The identification of proper requirements is a key factor for a successful construction project. Many attempts in the form of frameworks, models, and tools have been put forward to assist in identifying those requirements. In projects using Building Information Modelling (BIM), the Employer Information Requirements (EIR) is a fundamental ingredient in achieving a successful BIM project.As of April 2016, Building Information Modelling (BIM) was mandated for all UK government projects, as part of the Government Construction Strategy. This means that all central Government departments must only tender with suppliers that demonstrate their capability on working with the Level-2 BIM.One of the fundamental ingredients of achieving the BIM Level-2 is the provision of full and clear Employer Information Requirements (EIR). As defined by PAS 1192-2, EIR is a “pre- tender document that sets out the information to be delivered and the standards and processes to be adopted by the suppler as part of the project delivery process”. it also notes that “EIR should be incorporated into tender documentation to enable suppliers to produce an initial BIM Execution Plan (BEP)”.Effective definition of EIRs can contribute to better productivity; within the budget and time limit set and improve the quality of the built facility. Also, EIR contribute to the information clients get at the end of the project, which will enable the effective management and operation of the asset at less cost, in an industry, where typically 60% of the cost go towards maintenance and operation.The aim of this research is to develop a better approach, for producing a full and complete set of EIRs, which ensures that the clients information needs for the final model delivered by BIM be clearly defined from the very beginning of the BIM process. It also manages the collaboration between the different stakeholders of the project, which allows them to communicate and deliver to the client’s requirements. In other words, an EIR that manages the whole BIM process and the information delivered throughout its lifecycle, and the standards to be adopted by the suppliers as an essential ingredient for the success of a BIM project. For the research to be able to achieve the aims set and the formulated objectives, firstly a detailed and critical review on related work and issues was conducted. Then the initial design of the OntEIR Framework, which introduced the new categorisation system of the information requirements and the elicitation of requirements from high-level needs using ontology was presented. A research prototype of an online tool was developed as a proof-of- concept to implement and operationalise the research framework.The evaluation of the framework and prototype tool via interviews and questionnaires was conducted with both industry experts and inexperienced stakeholders. The findings indicateivthat the adoption of the framework and tool, in addition to the new categorisation system, could contribute towards effective and efficient development of EIRs that provide a better understanding of the information requirements as requested by BIM, and support the production of a complete BIM Execution Plan (BEP) and a Master Information Delivery Plan (MIDP)

Categorisation of requirements in the ontology-based framework for employer information requirements (OntEIR)

Employer Information Requirements (EIR) are the keystone for developing a successful Building Information Modelling (BIM) project. However, clients’ lack of skill and experience in categorising and defining these requirements often undermines the performance of a construction project and, ultimately, the ability of the finished product to meet their needs. By definition, EIR shortcomings include incomplete and inconsistent requirements and specifications, and whilst some work has been performed to try to address these, this area is still underdeveloped. This paper reports on the development of a transformative approach to the categorisation of requirements in a meaningful way, enabling effective filtering so that stakeholders can access just the information they need for the task at hand. The Ontology-based framework for Employer Information Requirements (OntEIR) seeks to provide a step change in categorisation by identifying ‘static’ and ‘dynamic’ requirements, including related types and sub-types. OntEIR has been rigorously validated by a group of BIM experts, and the results have revealed that this approach to categorisation significantly improved the elicitation and understanding of requirements

Procuring Building Information: Developing a Framework for High Level Information Purposes in Employer Information Requirements

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is becoming increasingly popular across the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations (AECO) industries to manage and deliver built and digital information assets. A key component of BIM is the effective elicitation and translation of client needs into information requirements that can be readily used by AECO professionals. In the UK, the Employer Information Requirement (EIR) is a key document for procurement in BIM-enabled construction projects which specifies such information requirements. However, the literature indicates significant opportunities for the production of more effective, client focused EIR documents that explicitly link high-level organisational requirements with data systems. This paper is part of an ongoing study that investigates information procurement by clients in the Higher Education and social housing sectors in the UK, using a critical realist approach. A preliminary grounded thematic analysis of eight EIR documents reveals a lack of high-level, performative information purpose. To support a greater level of information purpose in future EIRs, the documents are then analysed deductively based on Beynon-Davies' (2010) information theory, leading to the development of a much-needed conceptual framework. Our framework comprises four main dimensions: information purpose, information relationships, information structure, and informative acts. Together, the conceptual categories both enable and encourage systematic and systemic consideration of information purposes. We conclude with recommendations for more purposeful EIRs that reflect client needs from the outset of BIM adoption in construction projects

Three-Dimensional Information Retrieval (3DIR): exploiting 3D geometry and model topology in information retrieval from BIM environments

In building modelling environments, more and more information is being crammed into 2D/3D building and product models. This is particularly true given the rise of Building Information Modelling (BIM, Eastman et al., 2011). The Three-Dimensional Information Retrieval (3DIR) project investigates information retrieval from these environments, where information or documents are linked to a 3D building model. In these situations, the 3D visualization or 3D geometry of the building can be exploited when formulating information retrieval queries, computing the relevance of information items to the query, or visualizing search results. Managing such building information repositories in this way would take advantage of human strengths in vision, spatial cognition and visual memory (Lansdale and Edmonds, 1992; Robertson et al., 1998). Information retrieval is associated with documents, and a critic might argue that documents are relics from the pre-BIM age that are no longer relevant in the era of BIM. However, the challenge of information retrieval is pertinent whether we are dealing with documents which are coarse grains of information or building object parameters/attributes as finer grains of information. Demian and Fruchter (2005) demonstrated that traditional retrieval computations can be applied with good results to 3D building models where textual or symbolic data are treated as very short documents. In this sense, it is almost a question of semantics whether the information being retrieved comes from object properties embedded in the BIM, or from external documents linked to the BIM. The challenge remains of retrieving non-geometric or textual information. This paper describes the findings of the 3DIR project whose aim was to improve information retrieval when retrieving information or documents linked to a 3D artefact, or non-geometric information embedded in the model of the artefact. The central objective was to develop an information retrieval toolset for documents/information linked to 3D building models which exploits 3D geometry and model visualisation. Such a toolset is essentially a search engine for retrieving information with a BIM platform. As a further objective, the toolset should leverage topological relationships in the 3D model to enhance information retrieval

Developing a collaborative HBIM to integrate tangible and intangible cultural heritage

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Emerald in International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation on 21/03/2020, available online at: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-04-2019-0036 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on the development of a collaborative Heritage BIM (HBIM) of a 19th Century multi-building industrial site in the UK. The buildings were Grade II listed by Historic England for architectural and structural features. The buildings were also a key element of the industrial heritage and folklore of the surrounding area. As the site was due to undergo major renovation work, this project was initiated to develop a HBIM of the site that encapsulated both tangible and intangible heritage data. Design/methodology/approach: The design of the research in this study combined multiple research methods. Building on an analysis of secondary data surrounding HBIM, a Community of Practice (CoP) was established to shape the development of a Heritage BIM Execution Plan (HBEP) and underpin the collaborative BIM development. The tangible HBIM geometry was predominantly developed using a scan to BIM methodology, whereas intangible heritage data was undertaken using unstructured interviews and a focus group used to inform the presentation approach of the HBIM data. Findings: The project produced a collaboratively generated multi-building Heritage BIM. The study identified the need for a dedicated HBEP which varies from prevailing BEPs on construction projects. Tangible geometry of the buildings were modelled to LOD3 of the Historic England guidelines. Notably, the work identified the fluid nature of intangible data and the need to include this in a HBIM to fully support design, construction and operation of the building after renovation. A methodology was implemented to categorise intangible heritage data within a BIM context and an approach to interrogate this data from within existing BIM software tools. Originality/Value: The work has presented an approach to the development of HBIM for large sites containing multiple buildings/assets. The framework implemented for a HBEP can be reproduced by future researchers and practitioners wishing to undertake similar projects. The method for identifying and categorising intangible heritage information through the developed Level of Intangible Cultural Heritage (LOICH), was presented as new knowledge. The development of HBIM to bring together tangible and intangible data has the potential to provide a model for future work in the field and augment existing BIM data sets used during the asset lifecycle

Bim adoption framework to enhance efficiency of contractual issues in the jordanian construction sector

Construction contracts are becoming more challenging these days with the rise of complexity in design, competitive profit margins, diverse requirements and the emergence of many disruptive technologies. Additionally, the construction contracts require extensive information and documentation to be successfully managed. Ineffective strategy and management often lead to disputes between the stakeholders. In Jordan, many contractual problems affect the contract administration. Thus, it weakened the construction industry's contribution to Growth Domestic Product (GDP) in recent years. The contractual problems are costly and time-consuming to resolve. Many researchers have documented Building Information Modelling (BIM) as a considerably efficient approach to reduce the contractual problems in the projects. It lies on the capability of BIM to integrate information, centralize communication, improve understandings of designs through virtual 3D and resolve conflict virtually before the physical activities take place. Despite many benefits, the implementation of BIM, however, requires an appropriate regulatory framework to succeed. Therefore, this study fills the research gap by developing a conceptual framework for adopting BIM to improve the efficiency of the contractual issues in the construction sector in Jordan. A mixed-method of data collection was adopted to achieve the research’s objectives. It included interviews with 27 experts, 410 completed questionnaires surveys and 25 experts participated in the focus group validation workshop. The data collected from the interviews & workshop were analyzed by using the content analysis technique. Questionnaire responses were analyzed descriptively and statistically using SPSS software. The results from the interviews show that the major contractual issues contributed from problems related to the tender documents (contracts, drawings), contractual parties, arbitration and disputes resolution, problems related to technology use, financial problems and administrative problems. On the other hand, the results from the questionnaire confirmed that the significant barriers to BIM adoption include the lack of BIM awareness with an RII score of 0.736, lack of BIM training centres with an RII score of 0.724 and lack of support from the government with an RII score of 0.700. Furthermore, the findings of questionnaires assured that the main benefits of BIM adoption are as-built drawings with an RII score of 0.828, data sharing among parties with an RII score of 0.766, clash detection with an RII score of 0.760. In addition, improving the design with an RII score of 0.756 and save cost and time with an RII score of 0.756. This research highlighted the critical contractual problems during the project life cycle. Moreover, the study offers a conceptual framework for BIM adoption as a viable solution to overcome the contractual issues, and the barriers of BIM adoption, which will ultimately boost the performance of the Jordanian construction sector

Building Information Modelling (BIM) maturity-benefits assessment relationship framework for UK construction clients

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is defined as an approach to building design, construction, and operation through modelling technology, associated sets of processes and people to produce, communicate and analyse building information models. The implementation of BIM is projected to improve the efficiency of the design, construction, and operation of an asset through 3D visualisation, integrated and automated drawing production, intelligent documentation and information retrieval, consistent data and information, automated conflict detection and automated material take off.Despite the considerable value that BIM can add to any project, it has been noted that BIM prevented to be widely implemented due to the lack of clients’ demand. The lack of BIM understanding and the initial cost of BIM implementation represent the main barriers which clients always hesitate to use BIM. To overcome these difficulties, clients have to understand their roles in the BIM implementation process and also provide the requirements that will enable them to use BIM effectively and realise the desired benefits of BIM. These requirements have been identified as competencies. The lack of using these competencies inside the UK has raised questions about why together with the suitability of using them within the UK. In addition, the lack of presenting these competencies with relation to the benefits increase clients concerns about the feasibility of having these competencies.The aim of this research was therefore set out to support client organisations in the UK to implement BIM effectively by establishing BIM maturity competencies–BIM uses benefits assessment relationship for the UK construction client. The research engaged a multiple-case-studies approach to validate the proposed BIM maturity competencies list and online questionnaire to validate the relationship between BIM maturity competencies and BIM uses benefits. Data from each case was analysed by using a content analysis technique before being cross-analysed to determine the patterns of the interviews’ manuscripts. In addition, the online questionnaire was analysed using correlation techniques. The findings were then discussed and theoretically validated to produce a conceptual framework. The research reveals 19 competencies that can support clients in their BIM implementation. Furthermore, this research identified two key relationships. Firstly, the relationship between clients’ roles and BIM maturity competencies and secondly, the relationship between BIM maturity competencies and BIM uses benefits. Finally, this research has resulted in the development a conceptual framework to assess the relationship between BIM maturity and BIM benefits