Integrating BIM and gaming to support building operation: the case of a new hospital

Moving into a new hospital requires healthcare professionals to adapt to a new work environment. Workflows, processes, and competencies become obsolete and need to be tailored for the new hospital. This paper explores a role-play serious game developed for the purpose of familiarizing professionals with their new work environment. A three-dimensional virtual prototype of the new hospital building created from Building Information Modeling technology, served as the graphical environment in which the game was staged. The game, namely the “Ward”, is intended to provide healthcare professionals with a virtual training ground for exercising new work processes. We conducted a series of interviews with the client, healthcare experts, and the software developers involved in developing the games. Our intention of doing so was twofold: attaining an understanding of how Building Information Modeling data has been integrated into the game and exploring how the game’s functionalities had been fitted to best support the healthcare professionals in their learning. By exploring the process of the game’s development we were able to point out shortcomings in current practice and to suggest areas for improvement. These are (1) use of crossover modules, (2) increased collaboration, (3) clear communication of information needs, and (4) better contractual agreements. The gameplay could be further improved by increasing the amount of non-player characters. Moreover, we just begin to understand how pedagogical concepts for games conveying architectural designs can be built. This indicates that developing such concepts is an intriguing avenue for further research. We argue that the findings are useful for practitioners and researchers interested in integrating BIM and gaming technology

Serious games as a virtual training ground for relocation to a new healthcare facility

Author's accepted manuscript

Integrating BIM and gaming to support building operation: the case of a new hospital

Moving into a new hospital requires healthcare professionals to adapt to a new work environment. Workflows, processes, and competencies become obsolete and need to be tailored for the new hospital. This paper explores a role-play serious game developed for the purpose of familiarizing professionals with their new work environment. A three-dimensional virtual prototype of the new hospital building created from Building Information Modeling technology, served as the graphical environment in which the game was staged. The game, namely the “Ward”, is intended to provide healthcare professionals with a virtual training ground for exercising new work processes. We conducted a series of interviews with the client, healthcare experts, and the software developers involved in developing the games. Our intention of doing so was twofold: attaining an understanding of how Building Information Modeling data has been integrated into the game and exploring how the game’s functionalities had been fitted to best support the healthcare professionals in their learning. By exploring the process of the game’s development we were able to point out shortcomings in current practice and to suggest areas for improvement. These are (1) use of crossover modules, (2) increased collaboration, (3) clear communication of information needs, and (4) better contractual agreements. The gameplay could be further improved by increasing the amount of non-player characters. Moreover, we just begin to understand how pedagogical concepts for games conveying architectural designs can be built. This indicates that developing such concepts is an intriguing avenue for further research. We argue that the findings are useful for practitioners and researchers interested in integrating BIM and gaming technology

Enhancing learning outcomes by introducing BIM in civil engineering studies – experiences from a university college in Norway

It is a challenge to introduce building information modeling (BIM), as demanded from the industry, in an already packed curriculum for higher engineering education. There is therefore a need for alternative ways to include BIM in the curriculum, while at the same time strengthening – rather than supplanting – the traditional engineering subjects. The purpose of this study is increased understanding of how BIM can be integrated as part of an engineering curriculum in an efficient way. The study is based on an evaluation of the ‘Introduction to Building Professions’ course given to all civil engineering students in their first semester of the bachelor’s degree programme at Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences in Norway. Autodesk Revit was used as BIM-based software in the designing of a two-family timber dwelling, a compulsory group project in the course. Data for this paper are collected from multiple sources: a net-based questionnaire, course evaluations, interviews with students and teachers, and assessment of students’ project work. Selected factors in Active Learning theories are used as a theoretical lens for analyzing the data in a systematic way. BIM enabled a design and ‘virtual construction’ process where students held professional roles in a design team, and contributed with their expertise toward a holistic solution. The students reported that the hands-on modeling with BIMbased software led to increased understanding of design parameters, load distribution, and construction detailing, as well as information requirements for collaboration within a design team. We conclude that BIM in higher engineering education can support understanding of professional content, which is the primary learning outcome. Software proficiency is seen as a necessary yet subordinate skill in higher education and should not be graded as a separate task. Use of BIM-based software should, however, be integrated to enhance problem understanding and relevant information processing. This integrated approach can lead to a more widespread implementation of BIM to support active learning in higher education

Solution selection in digital construction design a lazy user theory perspective

The construction industry is in the midst of a transition with traditional design systems being gradually replaced by novel vir tual modeling technologies. This transition takes place gradually rather than radically and while new systems (e.g. Building Information Modelling) become increasingly diffused in the industry, many legacy systems and practices are left intact. This leads to situations where designers have several different information systems at their disposal to fulfill their information n eeds. This is amplified by software vendors releasing a myriad of new design systems. How individual designers select an information system from several available options to fulfill their information need is discussed in this article. The findings suggest that construction designers will most often select a design system solution fulfilling their information needs with the least effort on their part. The theoretical approach supporting the analysis in this article is the so-called Lazy User Theory (LUT). LUT expla ins how users select among available solutions when there are numerous products and services possible. Preferred solutions reflect (1) a user’s perceived information need (e.g. function of urgency, type, and depth) and (2) the user-state which is the situation in which the user is at the moment of information need. The findings presented in this article are derived from a case study conducted in a Norwegian construction project. The findings show that users’ choice of design systems reflected local and circumstantial considerations rather than what is best for the project. This article is important for several reasons. First it contributes to an understanding of what are influential considerations for designers when selecting design solutions. Second, i t illustrates how local system selection decisions may affect the digital work at project level