Principles and recommendations for client information requirements for BIM enabled construction projects in Qatar

Employer's information requirements (EIR) is one of the key early documents in projects using building information modelling (BIM). EIR, introduced by the UK BIM Task Group, sets out information deliverables and the standards and processes to be adopted by the supply chain. It includes a set of requirements and guidelines in three areas namely technical, management and commercial. EIR, which are applicable to the construction industry in Qatar, are not clearly defined despite BIM is increasingly required on projects. This paper aims to develop a set of principles and recommendations for the three areas of the EIR which are applicable to Qatar's construction sector. Following an investigation of current BIM practices in Qatar, a set of general principles and recommendations were proposed and validated for the areas of the client information requirements (CIR) - an adaption of the term EIR as evidenced in the paper. Copyright 2016 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.Scopu

Hierarchy based information requirements for sustainable operations of buildings in Qatar

Information flows in construction projects are generally focused on the needs of the design and construction phases. This creates disruption of workflows across the project stages and in particular with the information handover to the operation stage. The adherence to the clients' requirements for the operation phase of buildings becomes very challenging. A structured information delivery enabled by BIM protocols, established at the project’s inception phase, can help: 1) prevent information loss during the project development; 2) ensure the coordinated delivery of the clients’ requirements as stated at the pre-design stage, and 3) anticipate the impact of client decisions at early project stages on the operational performance of buildings. This research presents a methodology and a decision support system to help obtaining, categorizing and trading off sustainability and facility management values using subjective driven priorities from top-level management. The decision support system will assist, within digitally enabled projects, in translating these priorities into objective parameters and information categories. These can be subsequently included within the project tender and bidders’ BIM Execution Plans. The tool will also help to monitor the performance of the project design with the national sustainability and the client targets as the project progresses. The proposed tool is presented within the context of Qatar but it could be applied in other countries

Identifying Current BIM Practices in Qatar and Proposing a Framework for Whole Life Cycle BIM Processes

The research is part of a wider project aimed to develop a whole lifecycle information flow approach enabled by BIM protocols and technologies for Qatari construction industry. We consider the lifecycle information flow as enabler of a consistent and continuous use of building information from design, through construction, to the facility management stage. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is increasingly used by the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operation (AECO) professionals around the world. BIM has proven and potential benefits to facilitate Whole Life Cycle (WLC) information flow described above. It is generally accepted fact that AECO industry is fragmented in nature. Using BIM for WLC information flow is seen as one of the potential solutions to contribute towards a more cohesive AECO industry. Within the global construction sector, Qatar's construction market is one of the fastest growing in the world throughout the next decade in alignment with the Qatar National Vision 2030. Currently ongoing and planned construction projects exceed US$220 billion (Kilani, 2014), e.g. Lusail City projects, new Doha Port, new Hamad International Airport, Qatar Rail project, Qatar National Museum project as well as construction of stadiums and related infrastructure projects ahead of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. This paper aims to identify current BIM related practices, existing procedures, technology and standards being used in Qatar using qualitative data collection and analysis technique and then proposes a framework for BIM processes across whole life cycle of the project to facilitate whole life cycle information flow. 28 semi-structured interviews were conducted with different stakeholders (clients, contractors, consultants) involved mainly in design and construction project lifecycle stages in Qatar. Results of the conducted interview analyses are presented in relation to policy, people, process and technology (3P + T) pillars that have been proposed for use in Qatar. The following key findings were reported by majority of the interviewees (values in brackets indicate the agreement percentage): (Vukovic, Hafeez, Chahrour, Kassem, & Dawood, 2015) Usage of FIDIC contract template (67%) and BS 1192:2007 BIM standards (60%) is prevalent on projects in Qatar. However, specific BIM information/standards should be developed at a government level for the Qatari construction industry (86%), including standard project stages with clear process maps (82%). Also in comparison to the situation in other countries, based on the examined literature, Qatari government should do more to drive the construction industry transformation by undertaking BIM related initiatives. BIM competency is usually a criteria for prequalification and selection during the procurement process (71%). Organizations in Qatar mostly use in-house BIM trained staff (75%). BIM roles are specifically defined in the contract (86%), BIM standards are required by contracts (68%), and should be enforced by contracts (75%). There is no need to create more BIM specific roles/positions (64%), but there is a need to upgrade the skills of people on BIM specific positions (89%). There is also a need to educate other project participants how to collaborate using BIM (96%). Such identified needs are similar to the situation in other countries covered by the literature review. LOD 300 is mostly required in design/construction stages of ongoing projects in Qatar (64%), which is the owners' responsibility (71%). The owner usually also initiates design changes (68%). In alignment with the above findings this paper proposes a framework (Fig. 1) consisting of 'Project DNA', BIM Processes and Whole Life Cycle of the projects and their inter relationship. Future work will elaborate on the BIM processes and protocols and validate the proposed framework using case studies.qscienc

Investigating the potential of delivering Employer Information Requirements in BIM enabled Construction Projects in Qatar

Part 4: Building Information Modeling (BIM)International audienceEmployer’s Information Requirements (EIR) is a key document for the successful delivery of construction projects using Building Information Modeling (BIM). EIR sets out the information to be delivered and the standards and processes to be adopted by the suppliers as part of their project delivery approach. The concept of EIR has been developed by the UK BIM Task Group as a holistic framework for the UK construction industry to deliver the UK construction client requirements in projects using BIM. It includes a set of requirements and guidelines in three macro areas namely, technical, management and commercial. EIR, which are specific to the construction industry in Qatar, do not exist yet despite BIM is increasingly adopted across the Qatari construction industry. However, construction projects using BIM in Qatar adopts various aspects in technical, management and commercial areas. In this paper, we analyze the current BIM practice in Qatar and compare the findings against the items of the three EIR’s areas. The overarching aim is to assess the potential of delivering EIR in BIM based construction projects in Qatar. To accomplish this aim, major construction industry players (clients, consultants, contractors), representing a significant part of Qatar construction industry, were interviewed about the three EIR’s areas and their items. The results showed discrepancies in addressing EIR and varied levels of readiness in delivering the different EIR’s areas and items. The paper has proposed general guidelines for delivering EIR in Qatar which are informed by the survey and current international EIR standards

Drivers for energy analysis towards a BIM-enabled information flow

Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) extracted from the developed Energy Analysis (EA) process maps and interviews with expert stakeholders. These KPIs stem from the literature review and link to the benefits of EA through industry expert review. The study includes; i) Development and validation of EA process maps adjusted to requirements from different stakeholders. ii) KPIs aligned with the EA process map. iii) Identification of the drivers that can facilitate lifecycle information exchange. iv) Opportunities and obstacles for EA within Building Information Modelling (BIM) enabled projects. Purpose: EA within a BIM enables consistent data integration in central repositories and eases information exchange, reducing rework. However, data loss during information exchange from different BIM uses or disciplines is frequent. Therefore, a holistic approach for different BIM uses enables a coherent lifecycle information flow. The lifecycle information flow drives the reduction of data loss and model rework and enhances the seamless re-use of information. The latter requires a specification of the EA KPIs and integrating those in the process. Findings: This paper depicts a viable alternative for EA process maps and KPIs in a BIM-enabled AEC design industry. The findings of this paper showcase the need for an EA within BIM with these KPIs integrated for a more effective process conforming to the current OpenBIM Alliance guidance and contributing towards sustainable lifecycle information flow. Research limitations/implications: The limitation of the research is the challenge of generalising the developed EA process maps; however, it can be adjusted to fit defined organisational use. The findings deduced from the developed EA process map only show KPIs to have the ability to facilitate adequate information flow during EA. Practical implications: The AEC industry will benefit from the findings of this primary research as they will be able to contrast their process maps and KPIs to those developed in the paper. Social implications: This paper benefits the societal values in energy analysis for the built environment in the design stages. The subsequent lifecycle information flow will help achieve a consistent information set and decarbonised built environment. Originality/value: The paper offers a practical overview of process maps and KPIs to embed EA into BIM, reducing the information loss and rework needed in the practice of this integration. The applicability of the solution is contrasted by consultation with experts and literature