Building Information Modeling (BIM), also called n-D Modeling or Virtual Prototyping Technology, is a revolutionary development that is quickly reshaping the ArchitectureEngineering-Construction (AEC) industry. BIM is both a technology and a process. The technology component of BIM helps project stakeholders to visualize what is to be built in a simulated environment to identify any potential design, construction or operational issues. The process component enables close collaboration and encourages integration of the roles of all stakeholders on a project. The paper presents an overview of BIM with focus on its core concepts, applications in the project life cycle and benefits for project stakeholders with the help of case studies. The paper also elaborates risks and barriers to BIM implementation and future trends.

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Purpose -With the advent of information and communication technologies (ICT), some organisations have endeavoured to develop and maintain systems commonly known as project histories. This paper aims to provide a framework to the construction organisations in order to improve the learning from projects through the development and use of project histories. Design/methodology/approach -This paper provides an interpretative investigation of the issues concerning project histories for one leading construction company in Australia. A systems approach (soft system methodology (SSM)) is used in this study as a tool to comprehend the underlying processes and to highlight the related issues. Findings -The research has shown that project histories are poorly designed, implemented, managed and applied in the organisation studied. This paper argues that reason for this deficiency is the lack of support from senior management, and proper integration of project histories into a company's overall strategy and vision. As a result of applying SSM participants of the study and analyst have come into an agreement of carrying out six actions that have the ability to improve the process concerning project histories.Research limitations/implications -The study is relevant to the organisation under study. It is because the use of SSM results in developing a relevant system rather than developing a correct general system. However, the study involves one of leading construction organisation in Australia and other organisations may find commonalities in problems and issues raised and solution proposed. Practical implications -The research has the potential to improve the use of project histories and put these into practice. This could inhibit mistakes being repeated, saving on rework and not re-inventing the wheel. Originality/value -Recent interest in organisational learning and knowledge management is having an impact in the construction industry. Major companies are gearing up to incorporate these emerging business philosophies into their overall strategy and vision. With the adoption of knowledge management strategies into construction companies, it will be possible to apply project histories and conduct project learning in an efficient way. This type of the study can be said to be the one of the firsts of its kind in an Australian context and may be regarded as a founding work for future studies.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to develop a synergy between the approaches of knowledge management in a learning organisation and supply chain management so that learning chains can be created in order to unleash innovation and creativity by managing knowledge in supply chains. Design/methodology/approach -Through extensive literature review, commonalities between knowledge management and supply chain management were elicited. Knowledge Advantage framework, which was developed as a part of CRC for Construction Innovation Australia, research project "Delivering improved knowledge management and ICT diffusion in Australian construction industry", has been proposed to extend across the supply chain in order to develop learning chains. Findings -The paper provides a conceptual grounding for future research in the area of knowledge management and supply chain management and suggests that, as unit of competition changes from organisation vs organisation to chain vs chain under supply chain management, learning organisation itself will not be an answer to the complex and dynamic business environment. The learning chains are to be created instead, through managing knowledge in supply chains that will facilitate innovation and creativity essentially required to thrive in the unpredictable business environment of today. Originality/value -The paper explores the role of knowledge management to serve as such a vehicle in the emerging paradigm of supply chain management through which innovation and creativity can be unleashed by a collaborative effort of all the members of the supply chain. This paper explains how the benefit derived from a KM initiative termed as "knowledge advantage framework (K-adv)", originally developed for a certain single organisation, can be extended across the supply chain partners, which helps creating a culture of knowledge sharing through which a knowledge advantage for the whole supply chain can be developed. It can then be used to unleash creativity and innovation in the construction projects.

While the increasing rate of urbanisation is a critical concern for socio-environmental reasons, this also leads to more extraction of natural raw materials and the generation of significant quantities of construction and demolition (C&D) waste. Although the use of recycled C&D waste products is technically feasible and regulated, and positive application examples are evident, it is still unclear how to engage key stakeholders to leverage this opportunity in construction projects. Previous research has shown that there is some level of resistance to the reuse of recycled C&D waste products in construction projects. This highlights a critical need to identify the roles of key stakeholders and the barriers they face when using recycled C&D materials. This paper therefore investigates the type of stakeholders influencing the use of recycled C&D waste products and the main factors affecting stakeholders’ decisions to use recycled C&D waste products through a systematic literature review. The authors present an emergent enablers and barriers for recycled C&D waste products model and provide commentary on how stakeholders’ perceptions, decision and behaviour influence the use of recycled C&D waste products. The authors also contribute to the body of knowledge with insights into the factors that various stakeholders believe influence the market for recycled C&D waste products and provides a reference point for authorities to consider these behavioural insights for policy reform.

Problems in existing methods of production tracking in off-site construction result in schedule delays and increased costs. To eliminate these deficiencies, an autonomous production tracking that analyzes real-time production data is proposed. A specific implementation of the proposed production tracking mechanisms has been developed for a large off-site construction plant in Australia, and is in the process of installation. The paper shows that: (i) The production model in off-site construction is always nonlinear in the outcome due to the presence of variability (ii) in systems with a periodic production target, deviation from the schedule converges to zero at the end of production period and the same downward trend should be followed in designing plan buffers and (iii) long-term production performance in off-site construction can autonomously be monitored and controlled by observing critical variables of production. The paper provides those who manage off-site construction with recommendations on effective production tracking and management. The models and propositions in this research are of practical value and can be used to detect impending production shortfalls against periodic targets in the short-term, and adjust capacity parameters and production targets in long-term planning.

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Many techniques have been implemented to make construction industry more productive. The key focus is on reduction of total duration, reduction in construction cost, improvements in the quality, achieving more sustainable development, and safer construction sites. One of the techniques, which is emerging in the last two decades, is the use of off-site manufacturing (OSM) within the construction industry. Several research projects and industry initiatives have reported the benefits and challenges of implementation of OSM. The focus of this paper is Australian and Chinese residential construction industry and the uptake of the OSM concepts. The paper presents a brief review of the current state of OSM in the last five to seven years with the context of the above-mentioned two countries. The paper concludes that the construction industry, both in Australia and China, needs to start walking the talk with regard to OSM adoption. The paper also highlights some of the research gaps in the OSM area, especially within the housing and residential sector.