Cassandro, J; Mirarchi, C and Pavan, A (2025) A comprehensive literature review of 5D building information modelling using latent dirichlet allocation analysis. Construction Innovation, 25(7), pp. 331-357. ISSN 1471-4175
Abstract
This research evaluates the current state of 5D building information modelling (BIM) in cost estimation and management within the architecture, engineering and construction/FM industry. It identifies key areas of interest, synthesizes industry needs and highlights research gaps by analysing a large corpus of academic articles. A quantitative approach using latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) analysed articles from Scopus and Web of Science. The methodology involved querying these databases for relevant articles on 5D BIM and cost estimation, applying LDA to identify and analyse emerging themes and synthesizing the findings for a comprehensive overview of the research landscape. The LDA analysis reveals themes in 5D BIM for cost estimation and management, including integration with cost tools, implementation challenges and practical case studies. It also highlights technological advancements, software innovations and educational needs for effective BIM adoption. Research gaps are noted in standardization, interoperability and the long-term impacts of 5D BIM on project lifecycle costs. This study's reliance on abstracts may miss key terms in full texts, though full-text analysis could introduce noise. Despite this, the findings offer valuable insights into trends and opportunities in 5D BIM research, guiding future studies and highlighting underexplored areas. This study provides novel insights by using LDA to analyse a large volume of 5D BIM research articles systematically. Unlike traditional reviews, LDA enables the objective identification of latent themes across over a thousand abstracts, reducing bias and ensuring scalability. By integrating natural language processing with domain-specific expertise, the study reveals critical issues in the construction industry by identifying research gaps.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | 5D BIM; cost estimation; cost management; latent dirichlet allocation |
| Index terms: | interoperability, future study, construction industry, implementation, standardization, cost management, database, project lifecycle, case study, critical issue, building information modelling, methodology, bias, integration, text analysis, science, literature review, cost estimating |
| Subjects: | specialized education, project completion, analytical methods, contractual arrangements, accounting and finance, research methods, research design and methodology, risk assessment, data collection methods, financial and cost management, data analysis and analytics, probability and distributions, performance measurement, systems and processes, information systems, industry analysis, data management, organizational analysis |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Organizational Design, Cost Management, Research Practice, Quality Management, Education, Project Management, Risk Management, Procurement |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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