Alshorafa, R and Ergen, E (2021) Determining the level of development for BIM implementation in large-scale projects: A multi-case study. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 28(1), pp. 397-423. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: Proper definition of level of development (LOD) is one of the significant issues in building information modeling (BIM) applications; however, it is still not adequately addressed during BIM implementations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate and describe the current practice in defining the LOD in large-scale BIM-based projects and identify the challenges and solutions that were provided. Design/methodology/approach: Four case studies were performed at four different types of large-scale projects to depict the current practice in determining the LOD and the required properties of elements that are going to be included in a BIM model. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were performed to collect information from six professionals from four international firms. Findings: The findings of the case studies revealed that defining LOD is an ambiguous process and requires high-cumulated experience. The results provide the challenges, adopted solutions and lessons learned. It was highlighted that the cost of including an element or related information in the model should be compared to the benefit of having that information in the model from the perspective of defined BIM uses. Research limitations/implications: The findings are based on the projects that were performed in three developing countries. However, the main contractors were international companies and the construction management firms were well-known companies in the USA. In the future, additional case studies can be performed in other countries to identify similarities and regional differences. Practical implications: The results of this study can be used to highlight the current needs in determining the LOD and guide the efforts for developing standards and policies in the AEC sector to streamline BIM adoption process in practice. The practitioners can utilize the findings of this study to increase their efficiency in adopting BIM and to decrease the time loss and cost overruns. Originality/value: Most of the previous studies investigated the benefits and challenges when adopting BIM, and few of them considered LOD definition as a core part of this process. This study specifically investigated the current practice in determining the LOD and the required properties of elements that are going to be included in a BIM model. It also described the applied solutions and lessons learned in the case studies.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building information modelling; case study; information and communication technology applications; integration; international practice |
| Index terms: | building information modelling, efficiency, main contractor, case study, cost overrun, implementation, interview, developing country, information and communication technology, face, international firm, integration, methodology, practitioner, international practice, lessons learned, level of development |
| Subjects: | professional development, development economics, research methods, performance management, design practice, information systems, organizational analysis, computing systems, practitioner, data collection methods, strategic management, financial and cost management, contractual arrangements, psychology |
| Topics: | Procurement, Roles and Professions, Information Management, Research Practice, Cost Management, Organizational Design, International Construction, Quality Management, Digital Applications, Design Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here