THE IMPACT THAT BIM HAS HAD ON THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

1.     Abstract

This study aimed at determining the current situation in the utilization of BIM in the building and construction industry. The study looked to determine the impact of BIM on various stages of the construction process and the to determine the reasons for the current rate of utilization of BIM in the industry. To achieve their objectives, the researcher embarked on a qualitative study utilizing grounded theory as the study design. The researcher utilized purposeful sampling to select three participants from whom they collected data using semi-structured interviews. The researcher later utilized a computer software to aid them in coding data during data analysis and used tabulation to express the major thematic concerns of the data. The study found that the utilization of BIM has positive impacts on all phases of the construction process. The study also found that the cost of initial BIM installation and the inadequacy of expertise are the major limitations that derail widespread uptake of BIM. The findings of the study imply that BIM is good for the future of the construction industry.

THE IMPACT THAT BIM HAS HAD ON THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

2.     Introduction

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a concept that emerged in the late twentieth century. The emergence of this concept came a few years after the emergence and widespread popularization of another concept –supply chain. Even though supply chain was not strictly a concept for the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, it had numerous applications in this industry (Mahdjoubi et al. 2015 p. 28). As a result, the two concepts developed concurrently albeit at different rates. Even though it is difficult to consider one of these concepts without considering the other in modern AEC, this paper focuses mainly on the impact that the application of BIM has had on the AEC industry. The initial framers of BIM were looking to solve some issues in the construction industry. Although BIM seemed to be a breakthrough in providing a solution to these issues, its applicability still presented numerous issues. Thus, as a result of various challenges in applying the concepts of BIM and many other factors that determine the general landscape of the construction industry, BIM, which is a concept of the 1980s, only started to have a significant impact of the construction industry in recent times. This study thus looks to follow up the results presented in the National BIM report of the UK in 2017; this paper looks to confirm if indeed BIM impacts the construction industry positively. The study, therefore, aims to understand the impacts of BIM on the construction industry by analyzing its impact in shaping the culture of the industry; exploring its socio-technical impact on supply chain; explaining its impact on the construction industry; and explaining its advantages for the operational team. The study has shown that the BIM has markedly enhanced the functioning of the core construction team but is yet to impact greatly on the individuals who are outside the core construction team.

2.1.Background

The construction industry is an industry with huge potential. However, it is largely evident and acknowledgeable that the industry has failed terribly to reach its full potential. In other words, the construction industry has consistently failed and underachieved (Edum-Fotwe and McCaffer 2000 p. 121; Arditi et al. 2001 p.122; Egan 2002 p.11). Egan (2002 p.12) suggests that the overall performance of the construction industry overwhelmingly dissatisfies numerous clients of the industry. Crotty (2016 p.41) also echoes the same as they describe various shortcomings of the construction industry; of these shortcomings, the two that the author sees as most fundamental are the industry’s failure to deliver projects predictably and the inability of most firms in the industry to make an amount of profit that keeps them surviving. The failure of the industry to deliver projects to the required quality, at the required time, and within the stipulated budget herald the industry’s unpredictability. One disturbing fact is that these shortcomings of the industry have remained the same over the last 50 years; the critiques of the industry over this period have been essentially the same.

Numerous reports on the performance of the construction industry relay the current rhetoric that the construction industry is much more dormant and laggard than it should be. Harty et al. (2007 p.480) further suggest that this stagnation of the industry has led to its chronic underperformance. Even though there have been improvements in the industry in recent times, it is still evident that the industry is yet to achieve its full potential (Holti et al. 2000 p.31).

The adversarial and fragmented culture of the industry is at the center of the causation of many of the problems that the industry faces. Egan (2002) adds that the inefficiency of communication and information that forms part of this retrogressive culture of the industry plays a role in causing the industry’s failures. Higgin and Jessop (2013) also allude to the inefficiency of communication in the causation of the stagnation of the construction industry. Thus, for the industry to grow and become as productive as it should be, there is need to address and manage these long-standing problems effectively and aggressively.

BIM emerges as a potential driver in changing the culture of the construction industry. BIM can effectively foster an integrated and collaborative culture which is ideal for the construction industry (Papadonikolaki et al. 2016 p.482). The National Building Specification of August 2016 defines BIM as a process for the creation and management of information on a construction project across its lifecycle. Papadonikolaki et al. (2016 p. 483) define BIM as a set of technologies that enable various AEC actors to generate, manage, and share consistent building information. Among the key outputs of this process is a digital description of every aspect of the built asset. The model utilizes updated information whose collection is dependent on the collaboration of the many players in the construction process. Creation of a digital BIM enables those the persons who interact with the building at various levels to optimize their actions hence resulting in a greater life-value of the asset under construction.  BIM offers fluent visualization, accurate interference detection, fast coding, and coherent shop drawings among other built-in features that have effectively revolutionized the process of designing buildings (Papadonikolaki et al. 2016 p.483). The technology is also able to estimate the costs of various processes of building hence making the work of quantity surveyors and contractors easier. The embrace of ICT systems, include systems other than BIM, has been central to the rapid dev elopement of industries such as automobile and retail. Crotty (2016 p. 37) also alludes to the importance of ICT in industrialization when they refer to the high success of the Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) system.

Despite its perceived benefits, the AEC industry has been paradoxically slow in their adoption of BIM. Historically, the AEC industry has been slow in adopting various Information Communication Technology (ICT) systems. Despite the size and potential of the industry, it has lagged behind industries like finance, manufacturing, and retail in the rate of ICT uptake (Wong and Sloan 2004). Papadonikolaki et al. (2016 p. 480) tend to blame the involvement of numerous actors in BIM for the slow adoption of BIM in the construction industry. Further, the dynamic of the frequency and intensity of interaction between the various actors of the project in the course of the project impedes successful adoption of the technology.

From a critical point of view, however, BIM is not just a technology. BIM is a new way of working; the findings in the national BIM report of 2017 echo these sentiments. According to this report, many individuals in the AEC sector see BIM as future of project information. Even though BIM involves new software, it is much more than just the implementation of this new software. BIM is a different way of thinking that requires a break away from the traditional workflow (Gu 2010 p. 993). With BIM, all the parties of a building project including contractors, surveyors, and architects share and effectively work on a common information pool (Grilo and Jardim-Goncalves 2010 p.524).

The researcher, as a fan of BIM, views this new way of working as a suitable vehicle that can bring the cultural changes that the construction industry needs for it to achieve its great potential. It is in this light that the researcher will look to explore the impact of BIM and its implementation on the construction industry. The researcher will focus this exploration on the impact of BIM on the supply chain in the construction industry. Khalfan et al. (2015 p. 913) assert that BIM can greatly influence the efficiency of the supply chain in the construction industry.

2.2.Rationale

The researcher derives the rationale of this study from a study that was initially conducted by Bui et al. (2016). The study reveals that the construction has rapidly progressed since the stakeholders’ move to rethink the current state and the future of the industry. In the study, Bui et al. (2016 p. 491) also blame the adversarial and fragmented nature of the construction industry for its failure to achieve its full potential. Further, the findings of Eastman (2011 p.51) that even though BIM has been with humanity for close to forty years now, it only started to significantly impact the construction industry recently inform the aims of this study. These recent developments are evident in the national BIM report of 2017 as in the chart below:

Figure 1. Sourced from NBS National BIM Report 2017 | NBS

According to statistics in the report, the utilization and impacts of BIM have rapidly changed over the last four years. The report demonstrates a rapid rise in both the awareness and the utilization of BIM. In 2011, only 13% of AEC stakeholders were aware of BIM and were using it while in 2017, a massive 62% of AEC stakeholders were aware of BIM and were utilizing it. Because the UK government made BIM compulsory for all projects in the private sector, which cost more than £5 million, the researcher anticipates a further increase in both the awareness and the utilization of BIM (Vernikos et al. 2013 p.152).

Apart from the study by Bui et al. (2016), the researcher also found numerous literature that discuss the possible benefits of BIM. However, the researcher was wary of the possibility that the incentive by the UK government to make BIM compulsory could potentially lead to production and publication of papers revealing the benefits of BIM without having true data but rather propagating bias and propaganda. Thus, the researcher intended to examine whether or not the benefits of BIM as Bui et al. (2016) discuss them have aided in shaping the culture of the construction industry in the last eight years or not. The researcher also wanted to explore the usefulness of BIM in fostering change from the adversarial and fragmented culture of the industry in the realization of the numerous benefits of BIM discussed by various authors.

The researcher is also wary of the fact that the most of the potential benefits of BIM discussed by various authors focus on the benefits of the technology to the core team of a construction project (Vernikos et al. 2013 p.157). The researcher, thus, posited that there is a possibility that previous researcher has failed to identify the undesirable effects of BIM. The researcher thus extended their study to consider the impact that BIM potentially has on the entire supply chain. It is only in this way that the study could determine if BIM could potentially adversely affect any individuals within the AEC industry.

Despite the recent improvements in the uptake of BIM, its scale of implementation in the construction industry is still relatively small. For this reason, the researcher was interested in determining the impact of BIM on the culture of the construction industry in the last few years. Also, the researcher set out to determine the current impact of BIM on the supply chain in the construction industry and the most likely position on BIM in the future of the construction industry.

2.3.Aims, Objectives, and Research Questions

2.4.Overview of Work Done and Methodology

The researcher started the study by identifying a problematic area in the AEC industry which stakeholders needed to address. This area was the fact that the AEC industry had an adversarial and fragmented culture which tended to impede its performance and achievement. The researcher hypothesized that BIM, as a new way of working, impacted on the culture of the industry and set out to test their hypothesis. The literature review that the researcher conducted revealed a gap as the reviewed literature revealed little about the impact of BIM on the supply chain in the AEC industry.

In choosing a suitable methodology, the researcher identified their assumptions to prevent the assumptions from forming a basis for bias. The researcher adopted a qualitative research approach utilizing grounded theory as the research design and an inductive approach. They also utilized purposeful sampling to achieve a representational sample that could enable the researcher to generalize their finding to the construction industry.

The researcher chose one-to-one interviews as their suitable data collection tool. The interview questions were semi-structured. The questions were designed specifically to enable the researcher to discover pertinent issues about the implementation of BIM and its impacts on organizational culture and supply chain.

Like in any other research involving an inductive approach, the interviews were analyzed thematically. Thematic analysis of the interviews included categorization and coding of the interview responses into themes. The researcher then analyzed and discussed these themes deeply. It is from this deep analysis and discussion that the researcher was able to draw conclusions and theoretical constructs. These constructs then formed the basis for the implications of the study and its recommendations for further research.

2.5.Overview of Main Conclusions

The researcher determined that BIM has positively impacted on the culture change and productivity of the AEC industry. However, the researcher also determined that the impacts of BIM are still limited to the core actors of projects. Thus, the researcher asserted that they believe BIM can have an even greater impact on the industry than its current impact. BIM has positively impacted on the interaction between chief actors in the construction industry. However, it will be important for future studies to assess the impacts of BIM on organizational culture.

2.6.Guide to the Report

Chapter 1: Introduction

            This chapter introduces the research topic and states the aim and rationale of the research. The chapter also includes the research questions and objectives. The chapter also gives an overview of the work already done, the methodology used, and the conclusions of the study.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

            This chapter includes a detailed review of past literature that is relevant to the study topic (Naoum 2013 p. 18). The literature review first focuses on the past failures of the construction industry and the need for cultural change in the industry. The review then focuses on BIM and the potential of BIM as a vehicle for cultural change in the AEC industry.

Chapter 3: Methodology

            This chapter describes the research process. The chapter restates the rationale for the study and how this relates to the paradigms and approaches utilized in the study (Naoum 2013 p. 25). The chapter also justifies the use of inductive approaches and grounded theory as the study design. The chapter also discusses the researcher’s attempts to mitigate bias including their assumptions and how these relate to the reliability and validity of the findings. The chapter also justifies the data collection, sampling, and data analysis methods utilized in the study.

Chapter 4: Results, Analysis, and Evaluation

            This chapter is an in-depth analysis of the interview responses and the presentation of the results as supported by evidence.

Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations

            This chapter summarizes the research findings and relates them to the research questions to answer them. The chapter then uses the researcher findings to state recommendations for both the construction industry and for future research (Naoum 2013 p. 27).

3.     Literature Review

            A literature review is a detailed and comprehensive study that looks to interpret previous literature relating to a certain topic (Randolph 2009 p. 3). In a literature review, a researcher appreciates what other authors and researchers had done and written about their area of interest (Naoum 2013 p. 17). The literature review is also an evaluation and a synthesis of literary works that previous researchers completed and recorded (Ridley, 2012).

3.1.Purpose of the Literature Review

A literature review is a critical step in the completion of a dissertation. It is the literature review that justifies the researcher’s choice of the topic and the need for them to conduct the study. The literature review is not a compilation of abstracts of previous studies; rather, it is a deep analysis of the thematic concerns, the strengths, and the weaknesses of past studies in a particular area (Bruce 1994 p.223). Apart from enabling the researcher to determine information gaps that either their study or other future studies should fill, the literature review is an opportunity for the researcher to demonstrate their understanding of the subject that they chose to study (Boote and Baile 2005 p. 9).

3.2.Definition of BIM

BIM, Building Information Modelling, also referred to as Building Information Management, is defined as the use of virtual building information models for the purposes of developing design documentation, design solutions and to analyze the various existing construction processes (Construction Skills Queensland, 2014). BIM focuses on the subject of knowledge management which is essential in the modern construction industry. According to Construction Skills Queensland (2014), the use of BIM in the construction industry has enabled better asset management and sustainability of construction projects, which depicts the positive nature of BIM’s impact on the construction industry in the UK.

According to Ajibode (2016), the definition of BIM depends on the goals or what the individual wants to achieve in a construction project. This is in regard to the traditional challenges construction projects have faced in the past. As such, one of the most prolific challenges of traditional construction management has always been early engagement and collaboration amongst project participants. In view of this, Ajibode (2016) defines BIM as a technology that enables various information processes which are built on the positive development of early engagement and collaboration amongst construction project participants.

3.3.The Construction Industry

The construction industry has been faced with the issue of a culture that does not allow collaboration and effective communication amongst participants. This has been one of the existing challenges of the construction industry. However, there is a huge potential for the success of the construction industry in the adoption of BIM. The fragmented nature of the traditional construction industry was faced by conflict situation which is largely addressed by the collaborative efforts that are enhanced through the implementation of BIM (Terreno et al., 2015).

3.4.How BIM Works

BIM is an information-based approach that seeks to make use of technology to solve different challenges that often face the design process of a construction project. The use of BIM in a construction project enabled the professionals to manage all aspects of the construction throughout the building’s lifecycle (Doumbouya, Gao and Guan, 2016). The use of BIM, therefore, enabled enhanced communication and collaboration of activities of all participants during the initial phase of the project. As such, BIM facilitates the sharing of information that is crucial in enabling the analysis and evaluation of the design to minimize future flaws and risks that may occur (Azhar, Khalfan and Maqsood, 2015). The use of BIM transforms the culture of the construction industry and involved supply chain from a non-collaborative and highly adversarial to a collaborative and one of effective communication and integration amongst participants (Demirkesen and Ozorhon, 2017). This is achieved through technological means with fundamental significance placed on information sharing.

3.5.Culture Change of the Construction Industry

In the traditional outlook of the culture of the construction industry, information and communication were lacking. As such, Terreno et al. (2015) argue that the biggest flaw of the traditional linear building process was defined as lack of initial communication amongst all the involved parties in the industry. The construction industry was experiencing more conflicts and challenges in the design process. Apart from the construction industry, the related supply chain was experiencing even more significant challenges due to the lack of effective communication. Therefore, more time was being wasted before all participants cooperated meaning the costs of the construction project were increasing rapidly. House (2015) illustrates that the use of BIM technology enabled the adoption of an integrated approach. This new approach enabled better coordination at the initial phases of the project, the design process. Therefore, by increasing communication in the initial phase of the construction project, participants were able to reach higher levels of coordination, which translated into more perceived benefits of the use of BIM.

3.6.Increased Communication and Collaboration

Communication is a vital part of any project management practice in the world. Even so, project management in the construction industry is critical to the success of the project. Mesaros and Mandicak (2017) elaborate that the element of communication in the modern construction industry has been made efficient through the continuous use of BIM. BIM has enabled the use of progressive communication and information technologies which support management of the construction project and cost management in the construction industry as well as the involved supply chain. This has resulted in significant benefits through efficient communication within the given processes of construction project management (Mesaros and Mandicak 2017).

According to Allen and Shakantu (2016), the impact of the use of BIM in the construction industry in the UK is bound to provide a higher degree of standardization as well as increasing communication of information between project participants. Allenand and Shakantu (2016) argue that for long the construction industry has been faced with challenges regarding the existence of ineffective communication which limits cooperation within a given construction project. However, the mandatory use of IBM in UK’s construction industry is bound to increase the issue of communication to enable a strong foundation for interactions within the sector. Interactions that are structured deal with the communication of information and delivery of results on different construction projects.

3.7.Socio-Technical Impact of BIM

According to McGraw Hill Construction’s (2012) Smart Market, a report titled the Business Value of BIM in North America, the users of BIM in the construction sector have witnessed a lot of benefits. Often, the most common benefit is increased profits with every single construction project that is carried out. As such, BIM has been witnessed to impact the construction industry as the driver of sustainable benefits. Furthermore, other benefits including high returns on investment with the focus of companies which have a higher skills expertise, implementation and experience levels. Therefore, companies engaging in the use of BIM have reported increased maintenance of repeat business with past clients due to the use of BIM in the completion of the construction projects.

According to Joblot et al. (2017), the use of BIM has immensely benefited the construction industry. One of the benefits the author focuses on is that including the renovation of completed buildings. Once the features of an existing building are reconstructed to provide a digital model, BIM may provide opportunities for energy and time management as resources are allocated appropriately through proper planning. Therefore, companies using BIM in the construction industry are able to offer more competitive renovation services making them have a sustainable competitive advantage over others.

Other significant benefits of BIM are considered to be the reduction of time in preparing the construction project schedule. Barlish & Sullivan (2012) state that one can reduce the time used for preparing the construction project plan through the use of BIM technology. The research conducted by the two authors depicts the nature of exploitation and benefits gained through the use of BIM technology. The authors present findings of their research, which include the benefits of BIM. These benefits as listed by Barlish & Sullivan (2012) include changes to processes, business performance improvements, IT investments to supported improvements, and improved ROI (Returns on Investments) and profits.

Bryde, Broquetas and Volm (2013) present findings from collecting secondary data that proved various significant benefits of BIM in the construction industry. Some of the most significant benefits throughout the project cycle as noted in their research findings included time savings, cost reduction and management. The authors present viable information which suggests that the increased use of BIM in the modern global construction industry is bound to positively affect the nature of construction projects. However, the implementation of BIM in the construction industry still faced significant challenges which are addressable through awareness raising, cost/benefit analysis and training and education.

The implementation of BIM technology has largely been noted to impact positively on the construction industry. These benefits cannot be perceived only in the area of materialistic benefits but also process benefits. Onugwa et al. (2017) argue that the use of BIM has potential positive impacts on the enhancement of construction management. One of the notable benefits of BIM that encompasses the whole lifecycle of the project is illustrated as the development of a model that is utilized for the initial design, construction up to the occupancy of the building. These process changes witnessed through the use of BIM have created better instances of construction management by enabling effective supervision of construction projects. Furthermore, BIM has enabled solutions to challenges facing different processes within construction projects by enhanced programming and resolution of conflicting during construction.

Tomek and Matejka (2014) focused on another perspective on the benefits of BIM. While most authors focused on the process and materialistic benefits of BIM, Tomek & Matejka perceived risk management as one of the most significant benefits of the use of BIM in the construction industry. BIM is involved with the analyses and evaluation of information concerning the construction project. As such, the use of BIM facilitates the perception of the existing risks and different ways to mitigate them. The significance of BIM application is risk identification and mitigation which is the basic factor for the other perceived benefits of BIM. As such, by identifying and mitigating risks in a timely fashion, construction project managers achieve positive results which translate to better time management, increased profits and ROI and a higher degree of maintenance of return businesses of past construction projects.

3.8.Changes in the Construction Industry and the Supply Chain

The use of BIM in the construction industry has resulted in the better development of expertise. Since the age of information and technology took over the global business environment, key changes have been witnessed in various sectors of the global economy. These changes have resulted in the adaptation of information and technology in the most intricate aspects of the construction industry through the use of BIM technology. As such, both contractors, employers and professional construction teams have been faced with the issue of education and training to keep up with the skill level required to implement BIM technology. Therefore, the use of BIM has resulted in an instance of increased skill sets among different professionals in the construction industry and across the supply chain (Getuli et al., 2016).

3.9.Government Policies on Use of BIM

Another significant aspect of change that has occurred in the construction industry since the initial use of BIM technology in increased standardization and coordination of construction projects. As mentioned earlier, traditional construction projects were faced with the significant challenge of lack of communication and coordination. However, with governments such as the UK making the use of BIM technology mandatory to all key players the construction industry, the level of standardization and coordination has significantly increased (Ajibode, 2016). The use of technology that facilitates effective communication of information has enabled most projects to follow set standards and adhere to given policies and regulations set forth in the construction industry and across the supply chain.

3.10.                 Potential Implications of BIM

One of the most observed impacts of BIM on the supply chain in the construction industry has been the implementation of the legal framework and how it is used in different construction projects. The use of BIM has facilitated increased collaboration within the project, especially on the important aspect of project design. As such any legal issues such as liability of the project design are passed down the existing supply chain (Cabral and Grilo, 2018). The impact might be that the suppliers might not possess the required specification s to be carrying out the design in the first place. BIM enables the identification of any design clashes thereby reducing the overall risk to the construction project.

All the perceived benefits due to the use of BIM in the construction industry are depictive of the improvement of services provided therein. These benefits portray the better situation of the construction industry with emphasis on the advancement of project delivery and coordination of construction projects. Alwan, Jones and Holgate (2017) argue that the use of BIM has resulted in better service delivery, cost and schedule optimization, high level of customization and flexibility, fast drafting without loss of quality, conflict detection and risk mitigation, better coordination and collaboration and easy maintenance of the building life cycle. All these perceived benefits work towards creating a brighter future for the construction industry.

4.     Research Methodology

This chapter of the dissertation describes the study process. The chapter describes the methods of starting with the study design. The study then discusses the process of sampling, modes of data collection, and the process of data analysis (Naoum 2013 p. 18). This chapter also discusses the limitations of the study methods that the researcher utilized. Owing to the nature of the study, the researcher opted for qualitative study methods. The study aimed to understand the impacts of BIM on the construction industry by analyzing its impact in shaping the culture of the industry; exploring its socio-technical impact on supply chain; explaining its impact on the construction industry; and explaining its advantages for the operational team. Since the researcher is not interested in numerical data but rather in the opinions of the key stakeholders in the industry with a view of explaining certain aspects in the interaction between BIM and the building industry, a qualitative method was most suitable.

4.1. Study Design

Of the qualitative study designs, the researcher preferred grounded theory for their study.  Grounded theory is the best qualitative method in this case since the researcher is interested in explaining various phenomenon on the various impacts of BIM on the building industry; in other words, the researcher is looking to examine the effectiveness and the advantage that BIM offers to the building industry (Lewis 2015 p. 474). Even though the researcher looks to explore the culture of the building industry, the research is not anthropological hence the unsuitability of an ethnographic study. Considering the size of the construction industry and the need to incorporate the views of a large number of individuals, a narrative qualitative study was inappropriate (Lewis 2015 p. 474). Also, the scope of the study was too wide for either a phenomenological study or a case study to be appropriate.

4.2. Sampling

The researcher utilized purposive sampling as their sampling strategy. In this strategy, the sampling frame included all the stake-holders in the building and construction industry. Purposeful sampling offered the advantage of allowing the researcher to select participants from various levels in the industry considering the fact that the construction industry is wide and has many levels (Palinkas et al. 2015 p. 538). The researcher classified the industry into three levels – the lowest level consisting of workers in construction sites; top level management including contractors, engineers, and architects; and the highest level which includes government policy makers. With their experienced in the field, the researcher carefully selected only one participant at each of the three levels. However, the main limitation for this sampling strategy was the fact that it was subject to heavy impact of the researcher’s bias and prejudice (Palinkas et al. 2015 p. 538). Also, the fact that the researcher selected only 3 participants for a grounded theory; such studies often require slightly larger sample sizes (Lewis 2015 p. 474).

4.3. Data Collection

Like any other grounded theory, interviewing was a key method of getting primary data; the researcher also analyzed documents to get secondary data (Lewis 2015 p. 474). The researcher utilized semi-structured one-on-one interviews. The interviews had leading questions; however, depending on the interviewee’s responses, the interviewer had the allowance to trigger an in-depth discussion of emerging issues (Jamshed 2014 p. 87).  The main advantage of this method of data analysis is that it allowed the researcher to exploit emerging issues extensively. The researcher utilized secondary data to compare and explain trends rather than use it separately to realize trends.

4.4. Data Analysis and Presentation

Being a qualitative study, data analysis mainly concentrated on the identification of various thematic concerns in the data available. To determine these thematic concerns, coding was used (Miles at al. 2014 p. 33). Considering the small nature of the data collected, manual coding was possible. However, the researcher preferred to use, Nvivo9, a computer software to aid them in determining the key thematic concerns in their data (Zamawe 2015 p. 14). The researcher then utilized secondary sources to make sense of the thematic concerns. The researcher utilized tabulation as their main method of data presentation.

5.     Study Results, Analysis, and Evaluation

This chapter provides a breakdown of the results of the interviews the researcher conducted. The chapter then interprets these results in the context of the study. This chapter then provides an in-depth discussion of the findings in light of other previous studies and uses this discussion as a basis for evaluating the impact of BIM on the construction industry.

5.1. Study Findings

The researcher aimed to understand the impacts of BIM on the construction industry by analyzing its impact in shaping the culture of the industry; exploring its socio-technical impact on supply chain; explaining its impact on the construction industry; and explaining its advantages for the operational team. To achieve their target, the researcher utilized a semi-structured interview with three key questions. In the questions, the researcher looked to determine the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing BIM is the building and construction industry; to determine the impact that increased utilization of BIM has had on the relationship between supply chain and contractors; to understand the adaptations that construction companies have had to undergo to be more BIM-friendly; and to explore the exact ways in which BIM has eased the construction process.

Advantages of using BIM in the building and construction industry

According to the three participants of the study, these are the key advantages of BIM in the construction industry:

Table 1: A table showing the main advantages of BIM in the construction industry and the number of respondents who identified the various advantages

Disadvantages of BIM in the construction industry

Table 2: A table showing the key disadvantages of BIM and the number of participants who identified them

Other key findings

The participants of the study all seemed to agree that BIM has had massive positive impact of the building and construction industry. They also noted that increased utilization of BIM has largely enhanced the relationship between the supply chain and contractors; with BIM, there is far better communication and collaboration between the parties. By enhancing communication, reducing turn-over time, and decreasing the rate of errors, the three participants were certain that BIM has significantly eased the process of construction. The participants also identified various ways in which their companies have had to adopt in order to allow for increased utilization of BIM, especially in light with the new legislation that makes the uptake of BIM in the construction industry compulsory.

5.2. Discussion and Evaluation

BIM has greatly impacted on the building and construction industry. The utilization of BIM tends to impact greatly on all levels and stages of an AEC project. In fact, the utilization of BIM allows all the participants of a project to see and understand all steps of the project (Masood et al. 2014 p. 231). This discussion analyses the positive and negative impacts of BIM on the various stages of the construction process and the adaptations that various construction companies have had to undergo to enhance their compatibility with BIM.

Impact of BIM at the designing stage

The first step in the construction process is the decision on a suitable design for the building that a customer looks to construct. The design process is an intensive stage of the construction process that involves multiple key participants. The most important participants at this stage are the architect and the engineer. The consumer is also a key determiner of the goals and the outcomes of the design process. BIM has strongly impacted the design stage of building. With BIM, it is much easier for engineers and architects to graphically represent a plan in as many dimensions; this offers a key advantage the traditional pencil and paper presentation which was limited to a 2-dimesnional view of the building (Wong and Fan 2013 p. 143). In fact, using a BI platform to present a proposed design of a building gives the consumer a better understanding of the building before they can make a decision. Also, apart from graphic representation, modern-day architects and engineers can directly use BIM and other computer software to design buildings (Gerrish et al. 2017 p.192). Gerrish et al. (2017 p. 196) go ahead to explain that designing buildings using BIM platforms enhances the accuracy of the design. In other words, buildings designed via BIM platforms are likely to be much stronger and resilient than those designed in other ways. Using BIM to design a building, one automates the calculation of the building’s energy performance hence making it easier for them to identify flaws and weaknesses in their design and correct them promptly. Further, BIM platforms limit mistakes in the designing process.

One of the key ways in which BIM both prevents and resolves conflicts that could arise among various parties in the building process is by enhancing the perfectness of a study design and allowing the input of as many stakeholders in the design as possible. For instance, the piping and electrical installation teams have a chance to look at the building and determine the pathways for their pipes and cables and share this with the architecture and engineering teams to avoid later conflict (Gerrish et al. 2017 p. 200). As one of the study participants correctly noted, the utilization of BIM has significantly reduced the emergence of conflicts between the piping team and the engineering team. An automated system makes it much easier to identify and correct clashes.

Furthermore, utilization of BIM from the first step of a building project effectively enhances communication between the parties involved. BIM gives a truly global view of the entire project. BIM, thus, improves collaboration and communication among all the teams involved in the building process by putting all the key documents on a building in one place that is easily accessible (Azhar 2011 p. 246). Effectively, BIM does away with project fragmentation. In the past, project fragmentation was a major cause of time wastage in the construction process. The ability to put an entire project together and view it as one has thus reduced the amount of time that builders utilize. BIM has, therefore, effectively reduced turnover times as one of the study participants correctly identified. Another way in which utilization of BIM for design can enhance time management is the fact that BIM allows one to sequence the steps of the entire project at the start; it is, therefore, much easier for the team to transition from one stage of the construction process to the next (Bryde et al. 2013 p. 974). Further, visualization of the entire project as one enables all stakeholders to collaborate effectively from an early stage. Moreover, the BIM model means that there is one communication centre with is accessible to as many stakeholders as possible hence effectively enhancing the communication process (Bryde et al. 2013 p. 974). Additionally, by having the project information on a software that they can access from multiple electronic devices, BIM makes it much easier for the stakeholders as they can access their project from anywhere. Also key at this design and planning phase is that by ensuring perfect and proper planning and decreased wastage of time, the utilization of BIM effectively enhances the economization and conservation of energy which doubles as one of the ways in which BIM eventually lowers the cost of construction (Azhar 2011 p.247).

Impact of BIM on supply chain

The procurement process is an important aspect of the construction industry. Immediately after designing the building and completion of the planning phase, the procurement of materials required for the building process begins. The procurement of building materials perseverates throughout the entire building process as materials are needed for every stage in the process. In most modern constructions, the supply chain team are responsible for the procurement and supply of materials. As the participants of the study identified, BIM has positively impacted on the supply chain (Papadonikilaki 2016 p. 481). First as Papadonikolaki at al. (2015 p.265) had earlier proposed, BIM allows members of the supply chain to interact more closely with the project managers. Also, BIM allows members of the supply chain to communicate effectively with other members of the team since they all have a similar portal of communication. Additionally, the process of procuring building materials is arguably one of the most significantly areas in the construction process that plenty of time is lost (Papadonikolaki et al. 2015 p. 262). With the invention of BIM, it is possible for members of the supply chain to monitor the building process and know which materials and what amount of the materials are required for the next construction phase. Using this information, the supply chain can supply materials at a time when they are needed. Often in the building process, contractors only request for materials after the existing materials are finished hence leading to wastage of time as they await for more materials. However, BIM can enable a feed-forward response from the supply chain that can see the building process proceed much faster (Papanikolaki et al. 2015 p. 271).

However, there are some suppliers and partners who are incompatible with BIM systems. This aspect makes the utilization of BIM in the construction process difficult whilst awarding tenders to only those bidders who are compatible with BIM is unfair and in many cases unlawful. This issue is one of the few limitations of BIM; two participants identified it as a major limitation. It also partially explains the low rates of uptake of BIM, regardless of its perceived benefits, in the construction industry (Memon et al. 2014 p. 613).

BIM at the construction site

Despite is crucial utility in the earlier phases of the construction process, BIM has limited utilities at the construction site. Among this utilities are the facts that BIM greatly enhances productivity and lowers the cost of production in the long term. The increased productivity of the construction industry utilizing BIM are probably because of the decreased time of turn-over and the economization of energy. Further, because of a requirement of less time and greater efficiency in the supply chain, the utilization of BIM has proven to be cost-effective in the long term (Gerrish et al. 2017 p. 203).

However, as two of the participants of the study of the study observed, the utilization of BIM is majorly limited to the management level of the construction process; in fact, one of them argued that utilization of BIM on the construction site is more disastrous than it is supposed to be useful. First, most of the individuals on the construction site have little or no knowledge of BIM; some of them even find to difficult to use computers. There is also a widespread lack of experts who can translate the principles of BIM to the construction site and utilize them to enhance the effectiveness of the construction process (Memon et al. 2014 p. 613). It is the lack of experts that makes the concept of BIM too complex to be applicable on the construction site. Furthermore, as one participant rightly identified, there are a number of unresolved legal issues that tend to interfere with the free uptake of BIM is the UK at the moment hence the perceived hesitancy of companies to fully delve into BIM systems (Memon et al. 2014 p. 613). Other limitations that have derailed the active uptake of BIM at construction sites are the high cost of software and other infrastructure that one requires for the initial launch of a BIM system.

From the responses of the interviewees, it emerged that many companies are struggling with the incorporation of BIM in their operations. Many companies are having great difficulties in making BIM part of their day-to-day activities. However, a few companies are taking up training programs for their workers to make them BIM-competent. Other companies have resorted to computerization of all their operations. This is one area where which needs future improvement; companies need to determine ways of making better use of BIM without having to face much difficulties.

6.     Conclusion

In this study, the researcher aimed to understand the impacts of BIM on the construction industry by analyzing its impact in shaping the culture of the industry; exploring its socio-technical impact on supply chain; explaining its impact on the construction industry; and explaining its advantages for the operational team. To achieve their goals, the researcher collected primary data via semi-structured interviews whose lead questions looked to determine the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing BIM is the building and construction industry; to determine the impact that increased utilization of BIM has had on the relationship between supply chain and contractors; to understand the adaptations that construction companies have had to undergo to be more BIM-friendly; and to explore the exact ways in which BIM has eased the construction process. The study found that the utilization of BIM in the construction industry offered many advantages including a decrease in the cost of construction in the long-term, a decrease in the turn-over time, an increase in collaboration between the various operational teams, improved communication, better utilization of resources, and a decrease in the rates of errors and reworks. However, the utilization of BIM poses a few challenges; these challenges include an initial high cost of installation of the required software, lack of adequate expertise, certain unresolved legal issues, and incompatibility with some partners. The study also found that the utilization of BIM greatly enhanced and improved the interaction between contractors and supply chain to the good of the entire process. The study, however, determined that many companies have had difficulties in adapting to the requirements of a BIM market. In their struggle, a number of companies have looked to use more computer-based operations and to train their workers on matters BIM.

Considering the research findings and the discussion that followed, the researcher drew several conclusions. First, BIM is a good thing for the construction industry. BIM holds the future of the construction industry, not because of the UK’s legislations, but because it can massively improve the outcomes and widen the profit margins of construction companies. Despite its perceived limitations, especially in the beginning, BIM is ultimately advantageous to the industry. Also, construction companies can and should do more to make the use of BIM easier for them; currently, the low uptake of BIM is partially because of many companies’ maladaptation to this change. Based on this conclusions, the researcher recommends for a review of the industrial law regarding BIM; this step would help to identify and deal with any controversial clauses within the current law. On the same issue, it is important to have legislation that will set standards for the utilization of BIM in companies of various sizes now that BIM is becoming compulsory in the UK. The researcher also recommends that building and construction companies should play and active role in the development of BIM by preparing for the increased utilization of this model; the best way would be to ensure extensive training of their staff on matters BIM. Companies should also look to be more innovative and look for strategies of increasing the utilization of BIM on the construction site. On the part of policymakers, there is need to lobby for the incorporation of BIM in the curricula of various vocational studies that are related to the building and construction industries; these vocational studies include architecture and civil engineering.

Future stakeholders in the building and construction industry can refer to the findings of these paper as they are strong and valid. The major strength of this paper is just it is based on data which the researcher collected in the field and interpreted it in light with the findings of previous studies. However, the use of a purposeful sampling strategy and utilization of a small sample size are important limitations of this study. Future researchers in this field can enhance the validity and the usefulness of the findings by utilizing probability sampling strategies and using larger sample sizes for utmost representation. One key area in this field that requires future exploration is the utilization of BIM on the construction site. Also, future researchers might need to delve into finding more reasons why companies have been slow in taking up and BIM and the challenges that they face in adopting to the changes that BIM fosters.

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