Benefits of Building Information Modelling in the Project Lifecycle: Construction Projects in Asia

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a process involving the creation and management of objective data with property, unique identity and relationship. In the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, BIM is adopted a lot in the lifecycle of buildings because of the high integration of information that it enables. Four-dimensional (4D) computer-aided design (CAD) has been adopted for many years to improve the construction planning process. BIM is adopted throughout buildings’ lifecycles, in design, construction and operation. This paper presents five large-scale public and financial projects that adopt BIM in the design, construction and operational phases. Different uses of BIM are compared and contrasted in the context of the separate backgrounds. It is concluded that productivity is improved where BIM is used to enable easy sharing and integration of information and convenient collaboration

An overview of benefits and challenges of building information modelling (BIM) adoption in UK residential projects

Purpose This paper aims to present a state-of-the-art review of building information modelling (BIM) in the UK construction practice. In particular, the aim is to examine the scope, value and practical implications of BIM implementation in residential projects by evaluating practitioners’ perspectives working in the Greater London Area (GLA). Design/methodology/approach The paper outlines the general status quo of BIM adoption and maturity in the UK. It then discusses the feasibility of BIM use in residential projects drawing on an online survey and complementary semi-structured interviews with building professionals. The cross-comparison between the evidence base and literature review uncovers the specific benefits, challenges and risks to BIM implementation in the house building sector. Findings BIM is an evaluation methodology that helps the management of digital information throughout the project lifecycle. At a conceptual level, a BIM-enabled project offers quality assurance and on-time delivery, collaboration and communication improvement, visual representation and clash detection and whole lifecycle value. The findings, however, suggest that the most frequently reported benefits are related to collaboration and the blend of product (software) and process innovation, whilst lifecycle thinking and waste reduction are often overlooked. At present, there is widespread awareness on BIM but with a financial barrier to invest in developing digital capabilities, particularly for small- and medium-sized enterprises. Practical implications The paper concludes with a critical commentary on the lack of strategic leadership in both the supply and demand side. The role of policy to streamline commercial drivers for whole lifecycle costing in procurement is endorsed to drive the change management required to address the short-term mind-set of senior management and wider fragmentation of the construction industry, also serving as a research question for further research and development in the field. Originality/value There are relatively few studies evaluating BIM perspectives in UK residential projects. This paper explores the feasibility and “real-life” value of BIM in housing practice, drawing on views and experiences of building professionals in GLA. In particular, the research findings provide an evidence base evaluating the extent to which the house building industry has the expertise and capability to operate in a BIM environment and to comply with the Level 2 mandate and explore which of the generic barriers and drivers of BIM-readiness are more relevant to the design and construction of housing projects

Drivers and Barriers to the Use of Building Information Modelling in India

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a remarkable development that has recently engulfed the construction sector globally. It has provided a catalytic means for “rethinking” the design, construction, and operation of our built environment. Fundamentally a technology driven concept, BIM when entwined with issues pertaining to people, processes and organizations has the potential to significantly impact the industry. Considering global adoption of BIM, a clear divide between developed economies and emerging economies can be seen. Significantly low adoption of BIM in the developing world has been reported. Paradoxically the need for BIM in the developing world is far more than the developed world. With this backdrop, this paper reports on the adoption of BIM in India. Finding the adoption rate in India low, this research aimed at finding out the drivers and barriers to the use of BIM. The research has been divided into two phases. The first phase involved interaction with industry professionals by conducting semi structured interviews so as to gather deeper and actual understanding of the subject under study. In the second phase, on the basis of this interaction and the literature review, a questionnaire was prepared and an online survey was conducted. As per the analysis of the collected data, it surfaced that the use of BIM is still in its nascent stage in India, although its adoption has seen an upward trend in the past three to four years. BIM adoption has still not reached a stage where the users can comment on the savings in cost due to BIM implementation as the majority of the respondents have not seen full cycle of successful implementation. Stakeholders remain sceptical about BIM adoption and its perceived benefits. However a majority of the users are intuitively convinced that there is savings in time and significant improvement in final quality. Moving forward a meaningful impact can be made on the state of education, research and practice pertaining to BIM in India via a meaningful collaboration between industry, government, and academia. Findings of this study can be compared and collated across other emerging economies to develop implementation strategies

Integration of Building Information Modelling and Geographic Information System at Data Level Using Semantics and Geometry Conversion Approach Towards Smart Infrastructure Management

This study integrates Building Information Modelling (BIM)and Geographic Information System (GIS) at data level using an open source approach for geometry transformation and an automatic attribute searching algorithm for semantics transfer for the purpose of facilitating data transformation from BIM to GIS. Based on that, an infrastructure management system has been developed using Web GIS technology in conjunction with the models created by BIM and transformed into GIS using the proposed approach

The Application of BIM-Enabled Facility Management System in Complex Building

Facility Management (FM) is well known for its interdisciplinary knowledge and along with the growingnumber of green buildings and low-carbon buildings, the FM system become increasingly complex. Many practitioners consider Building Information Modeling (BIM) as the most important technology to bring about improvements. The purpose of this paper is to develop a BIM-enabled FM system which integrates FM, BIM and building management system to improve information sharing and monitoring, FM system control, and equipment management. A case study is implemented to validate the feasibility of the BIM-enabled FM system. Four functionalities are demonstrated in detail: Equipment Information Monitoring (EIM), Dynamic Data Display and Warning (D3W), Energy-Saving Analysis (ESA), and Intelligent Fire Escape Route (IFER). The results show that BIM-enabled FM system facilitates the FM more accurate, timely, safe and efficient

The Application of BIM-Enabled Facility Management System in Complex Building

Facility Management (FM) is well known for its interdisciplinary knowledge and along with the growing number of green buildings and low-carbon buildings, the FM system become increasingly complex. Many practitioners consider Building Information Modeling (BIM) as the most important technology to bring about improvements. The purpose of this paper is to develop a BIM-enabled FM system which integrates FM, BIM and building management system to improve information sharing and monitoring, FM system control, and equipment management. A case study is implemented to validate the feasibility of the BIM-enabled FM system. Four functionalities are demonstrated in detail: Equipment Information Monitoring (EIM), Dynamic Data Display and Warning (D3W), Energy-Saving Analysis (ESA), and Intelligent Fire Escape Route (IFER). The results show that BIM-enabled FM system facilitates the FM more accurate, timely, safe and efficient.</p