BIM for Production: Benefits and Challenges for Its Application in a Design-Bid-Build Project

Abstract

The poor management of the information flow in the AEC industry is a significant problem that might be overcome by the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Lean Construction philosophy. Although the increasing use of BIM models by construction companies, the management of BIM models for production purposes still lacks a systematic investigation by scholars.Thus, the paper presents a design-bid-build (D-B-B) project to investigate the necessary efforts of design and construction stakeholders in order to generate the BIM models for production. Moreover, the authors analysed the information flow, stakeholders' responsibilities and interactions in the BIM process.The study finds that the effective use of BIM for production is impacted by the D-B-B route due to the lack of information for construction contained within the BIM models generated by designers. Likewise, the effort of modelling for production requires a new skilled professional with design and construction knowledge.The study is limited to one case study outcomes; however, the constraints for the adoption of BIM for production are general to the AEC industry.

BIM Application in Multi-Criteria Assessment of Suspended Brickwork Façade Production Methods for a Reconstructed Building

“…This provides an opportunity for all stakeholders in the process [21] not only to design 3D products but also to manage them according to PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) methodology during the production stage. It is established that BIM and LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) provide better quantity calculations for further steps of a project [22,23], but production modeling requires skilled stakeholders with design and construction competencies [24] as construction managers are more experienced in project management than in offsite production management, although the latest research shows the benefits of offsite production [10]. To summarize, BIM can be used to produce, manage, and share data of building structures, while GIS (Geographic Information System) can be used for the logistical aspect of a building project, including to collect, manage, and analyze data [19,25].…”

“…With the development of BIM technologies for brickwork masonry façades, and due to the complexity of such projects, information needs to be quickly available and shared between the design and production stages. However, using BIM technologies in construction projects requires data during all implementation stages of such projects, such as planning [2,26], design [7,11], production [9,24], construction [16,27], maintenance [19], and reconstruction [28,29], to make the right decisions.…”

“…Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 21 construction competencies [24] as construction managers are more experienced in project management than in offsite production management, although the latest research shows the benefits of offsite production [10]. To summarize, BIM can be used to produce, manage, and share data of building structures, while GIS (Geographic Information System) can be used for the logistical aspect of a building project, including to collect, manage, and analyze data [19,25].…”