The Influence of Building Information Modelling Adoption in the Viability of Medium, Small and Micro Scale Construction Firms (MSMSCFs)

Identifying factors influencing the viability of medium, small, and micro scale construction firms (MSMSCFs) is a crucial precursor in positioning such firms to aid economic and infrastructural development, especially in developing countries. This article assesses viability factors that are influenced by building information modeling (BIM) in MSMSCFs amidst construction firms' viability factors. Out of a total of 177 workers surveyed from 59 MSMSCFs that were awarded construction project contracts in sampled institutions in Nigeria, 65 staff members from 31 MSMSCFs were accessed. The factors were ranked and reduced to significant ones through principal component analysis. Ten significant factors influence the viability of MSMSCFs and six of them are enhanced by BIM implementations. All eight component factors and 18 of the 27 variables with high factor loadings can be influenced by BIM implementation. BIM can potentially curb corruption in construction projects and enhance MSMSCFs' quality of service, clients' satisfaction, construction management and technology, professional performance, procurement practices, and prompt payment of work certificates. All stakeholders need to pay prompt attention to factors that can be influenced by BIM to improve the viability of MSMSCFs, thereby hastening BIM adoption and utilization, especially in developing countries.

Building information modelling a key for construction industry recovery post-Covid-19

Several countries have introduced and several kinds of research have discussed the performance of building information modelling (BIM) as an information technology trend. Despite its potential impact on construction performance, this concept has not attracted the attention of many countries such as Morocco. Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) broke out when the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry was suffering from several shortcomings, mainly the poor technology exploitation cited in the literature. Although this has weakened the sector, it is a real opportunity to assimilate and understand the role of technology, particularly BIM. In this context, the main objective is to draw conclusions on the role of BIM during and after Covid-19 through the analysis of the AEC industry in Morocco and the benchmarking of BIM contributions during this health crisis. A qualitative approach was conducted, including the analysis of the pre-Covid-19, Covid-19 and post-epidemic phases and the benchmarking of the contribution of BIM. This study demonstrates the inevitability of adopting critical thinking when it comes to solutions about the evolution of the construction sector and the practical implications for a successful revival of the AEC industry post-Covid-19. It contributes to the body of knowledge on AEC in the face of this universal pandemic. The findings are relevant to all countries where information technology exploitation is absent or weak. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Engineering Sustainability is the property of Thomas Telford Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Simulation modelling in a BIM environment: The case of school re-opening during Covid-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic influenced the way that buildings are used and experienced. In particular, educational facilities were among the most affected by the pandemic in terms of use processes. This paper presents a methodology developed to reorganise spaces in a school building, a real case study, to allow safe reopening. Social distancing and availability of learning spaces were taken into account to simulate the use of the educational facility according to the emergency protocols. Based on a digital survey of the existing building, a building information model was generated and used as a basis for spatial analysis and crowd and agent-based simulations. Additionally, interactive games and training videos were developed as communication tools to inform end users about the new rules to be respected inside the building. The digital approach adopted for the analysis of use processes as well as for communicating the results to the end users allowed them to experience the school fruition processes within a virtual environment before the school reopening. Future works could deal with the application of the same methodology in other schools, as well as in different contexts, going beyond the specificity of the pandemic emergency, and for other types of buildings. © 2023 ICE Publishing: All rights reserved.

An Introductory BIM Course for Engineering Students

Building Information Modelling is being adopted worldwide and universities are thus expected to provide the market with new professionals with BIM knowledge and skills. However, introduction of this theme into the curriculum can be challenging to teaching staff. Having successful implementation examples can help carrying on this task. This paper presents the structure, syllabus, adopted tools and activities of an introductory BIM course offered to first-year engineering students. Implemented with only 2 credits, it covers BIM fundamental concepts and develops collaboration skills and abilities with BIM software tools. It was effectively deployed on big classes and successfully offered both in face-to-face and remote modes, adopting a practice focus. An innovative organization for student group projects was adopted, enabling student participation on several projects, performing a different role in each one. Perceived benefits to students' development are reported. The covid-19 pandemics impact is discussed. Future improvements in the course are suggested. Overall results achieved were considered very good. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

A discussion of digital transition impact on facility management of hospital buildings

Purpose: This paper aims to contribute to the discussion of the following questions: How can the digital transition improve the management of the operation and maintenance of infrastructure in health-care facilities? What is the legacy for facility management (FM) teams in this post-COVID-19 management of hospital buildings? Design/methodology/approach: Based on a literature review, this paper analyses and categorises existing research on the digital challenges for FM from 2011 until 2021 by conducting a qualitative and quantitative method of bibliometric analysis and discussing the status of digital transition impact on FM of the hospital buildings. Findings: The trends and challenges of building information modelling, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things identified and discussed in this paper aim to be as comprehensive as possible to grasp the situation of digital transition in the FM industry in the hospital buildings context. Regarding digital maturity, the limited number of publications highlights that control and management systems cannot fully manage the entire operational phase of hospital buildings. Giving intelligence to buildings will undoubtedly be the future. So making buildings reactive, interactive and immersive is an inevitable transformation for intelligent hospital building systems. Thus, the added value of digitalisation will help facility managers to overcome the issues pointed out in this paper to deal with the growing health demands and enable them to mitigate the impacts of a new and future pandemic. Originality/value: The novelty of this paper is classifying and unifying facility managers' tendencies regarding high-level information management issues, which are lacking in the literature, with a focus on the approaches with potential and higher impact on FM in the hospital building context and the related steps that should be considered regarding data collection and data structures. These tendencies provide a set of new intelligent approaches and tools, which will increase the efficiency of processes, significantly impacting the potential of optimisation. Also, these trends can improve planning and management of scope, costs, environment and safety in the value chain of projects and assets, thus creating a more resilient and sustainable industry for facility managers in this post-COVID-19 management for hospital buildings. ©, Emerald Publishing Limited.

A Digital Twin-Based System for Smart Management of Office Spaces

The attention of the architecture, engineering, construction and operation (AECO) industry has been shifting from a great interest in the design and construction phases to the facility management (FM) and operational phase over the last decade. Disruptive technologies, such as information and communication technology (ICT), Internet of things (IoT) and building information modelling (BIM) have shown promising application to achieve a connected and effective management of buildings. Due to issues, such as COVID-19 and energy waste, governments have started promoting smart working to both private and public organisations. The expected benefits are twofold, namely social distancing in offices and better management of costs and spaces. This paper aims to define a digital twin-based system for smart management of office spaces. The system will help organisations to better manage their real estate and provide a basis for the development of a management platform. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Prerequisites for Building an Innovative Online Platform Supporting Bim Implementation in Higher Education

The aim of the paper is to present outcomes of the first phase of the ongoing EU-funded Project BIMaHEAD focused on building digital readiness in higher education institutions as well as supporting students in AEC related degrees to adjust to the new online education environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic through integrating digital technologies with teaching and learning practices. An in-depth comparative analysis of 132 case studies focused on Building Information Modelling education in a Higher Education sector in Europe was completed and conclusions were drawn. A great amount of data was collected, studied, and analysed. The benchmarking analyses were fundamental for understanding the state of the art in the area, defining gaps and deficiencies, and rethinking teaching and learning methodologies. The findings also revealed evident differences in curricula as well as in the roles and responsibilities of main actors in the AEC sector in European countries. Therefore, they allowed to specify prerequisites and outline a vision of an open-access online platform to be developed within the second and third stages of the BIMaHEAD Project.

Digital twin-enabled built environment sensing and monitoring through semantic enrichment of BIM with SensorML

Effective environmental condition monitoring provides constant surveillance of the built environment and reveals deteriorations that could impact the daily operation of facilities, especially amid COVID situations. However, the current Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) data schema for Building Information Modelling (BIM) provided limited support to represent full semantics related to environmental sensing and monitoring. How to semantically enrich the IFC schema with enhanced data description capability for informed decision-making in smart facilities management (FM) amid COVID situations remains an open question. This paper develops a semi-automatic extension and integration of IFC data schema with Sensor Model Language (SensorML) specification in order to support automated built environment sensing and monitoring. Referring to SensorML, an extended IFC model view definition for a comprehensive description of required sensor metadata and sensing entities is presented. An Internet of Things (IoT) sensor network is then established to realise continuous data collection from a variety of wireless sensing devices. The spatial-temporal data captured by the IoT sensor network are extracted by a regular expression-based data distillation algorithm and integrated with the digital twin, in which spatial interpolation algorithms further analyse, compute, and visualise the state of the environment. The proposed method is demonstrated via an experimental study which supports real-time environmental monitoring and delivers more actionable insights to facility managers to sustain the daily operation of buildings. This study contributes new methods and models to semantically enrich the digital twin from the data perspective for environmental condition monitoring during the pandemic time which fosters the development of holistic building facility management.

Monitoring and Assessment of Indoor Environmental Conditions in Educational Building Using Building Information Modelling Methodology.

Managing indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is a challenge in educational buildings in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adequate indoor air quality is essential to ensure that indoor spaces are safe for students and teachers. In fact, poor IEQ can affect academic performance and student comfort. This study proposes a framework for integrating occupants' feedback into the building information modelling (BIM) methodology to assess indoor environmental conditions (thermal, acoustic and lighting) and the individual airborne virus transmission risk during teaching activities. The information contained in the parametric 3D BIM model and the algorithmic environment of Dynamo were used to develop the framework. The IEQ evaluation is based on sensor monitoring and a daily schedule, so the results show real problems of occupants' dissatisfaction. The output of the framework shows in which range the indoor environmental variables were (optimal, acceptable and unacceptable) and the probability of infection during each lecture class (whether or not 1% is exceeded). A case study was proposed to illustrate its application and validate it. The outcomes provide key information to support the decision-making process for managing IEQ and controlling individual airborne virus transmission risks. Long-term application could provide data that support the management of ventilation strategies and protocol redesign.

Digital Information Mobility Schema: A Data-Flow Model Featuring Risk-Resilient Approach Towards Effective Construction Worksite Synergy Utilizing Fuzzy-Analytic Hierarchy Process

The increasingly effective managing of risks in construction projects requires the stakeholders to collaborate, resulting in the need to integrate the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) to mitigate the risks in project collaboration. Our understanding of strategic planning of BIM adoption amidst a pandemic is still limited, and it is widely accepted that COVID-19 is a long-term pandemic that require a constant and innovative range of mitigation approaches to protect public health. The significant construction advances emphasize remote work and digital tools that assist in the project's on-time completion. A fully digitalized approach is necessary for service continuity and rapid processing, particularly during a pandemic. Therefore, this study develops an adaptive digital collaboration framework based on Cloud-Based BIM technology to reduce risks while increasing workplace productivity and mobility. It resulted in a new way of managing the project information, enhancing the design team collaboration, and transforming 2D plans into 3D models. It integrates information to take a building through a virtual construction process long before it is completed, and each team member has access to the most up-to-date and current project information. © 2022 The authors and IOS Press.

An infrastructure 3D-lab based on virtual visits at Call of Duty Warzone to Develop Student's Competencies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The didactic methods in the teaching of Engineering, Architecture, and Construction (EAC) are changing. The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Reality (VR), and if we add to this a video game such as Call of Duty: Warzone (CoD: WZ) for educational purposes, the benefits of this could be explored. Until now, the advantages of BIM, VR, and video games have been studied separately, however, there is no evidence of an approach that implements all three technologies. The research in this study consists of the development of a methodology for the implementation of a user-friendly application of the Infra-3D-Lab software with specific pedagogical objectives for EAC education. This study based on the development of high-tech educational tools aims to: 1) make more effective use of learning hours through playful interaction with BIM, VR, and CoD: WZ models;2) improve skills and concepts that are difficult to explain theoretically and 3) evaluate the functionality of the learning environment. The implementation of this technological tool is developed in the context of EAC's national higher education programs at a university in Mexico. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of using a remote collaborative tool Infra-3D-Lab as a teaching method for EAC. Additionally, this study shows that the learning experience can be enhanced using other technology tools such as Unreal Engine and Revit. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022.

An Introductory BIM Course for Engineering Students

Building Information Modelling is being adopted worldwide and universities are thus expected to provide the market with new professionals with BIM knowledge and skills. However, introduction of this theme into the curriculum can be challenging to teaching staff. Having successful implementation examples can help carrying on this task. This paper presents the structure, syllabus, adopted tools and activities of an introductory BIM course offered to first-year engineering students. Implemented with only 2 credits, it covers BIM fundamental concepts and develops collaboration skills and abilities with BIM software tools. It was effectively deployed on big classes and successfully offered both in face-to-face and remote modes, adopting a practice focus. An innovative organization for student group projects was adopted, enabling student participation on several projects, performing a different role in each one. Perceived benefits to students’ development are reported. The covid-19 pandemics impact is discussed. Future improvements in the course are suggested. Overall results achieved were considered very good. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Inspection Data Exchange and Visualization for Building Maintenance using AR-enabled BIM

After the COVID-19 outbreak, a new concept of building maintenance (BM) systems is needed because current approaches highly rely on physical contact between workers, engineers, and managers. It imposes health and safety risks as increasing concerns about infections and spreads. This adds burdens to take unavoidable close contact and health risks to building owners, occupants, workforce, and society at large. In this respect, a new BM system was developed that enables reliable virtual communication and reduces BM response times by filling gaps between users and building managers. The proposed system is based on a concept of a cyber-physical system (CPS) using augmented reality (AR) and building information modeling (BIM) to promote non-contact building management. In this system, AR plays an important role in inspecting and visualizing defects in the real world, and the detected defect information is stored and managed by cloud-based BIM in cyberspace. This paper focuses on data visualization and management in the CPS-based non-contact building management system. A cloud-based database and mobile application are developed for data management purposes. In addition, this paper presents BIM data exchange and visualization in AR applications. Target image-based localization and tracking in BIM are also tested. The test results showed that the model alignment and localization accuracy are reliable for building maintenance works. Using the new BM mechanism, we expect that the related workers, building owners, and occupants will experience a reliable building maintenance process based on CPS-based information exchange from both users and facility managers while maintaining social distance. © 2022 International Association on Automation and Robotics in Construction.

5G set to be a construction industry game changer

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT : The Covid-19 pandemic has fast-tracked the construction industry's digital transformation, and more and more companies are leveraging cutting-edge technology to improve their on-site operations. But as digital technology becomes increasingly integral to the construction process, so too does high-speed, reliable internet connectivity, says Databuild CEO Morag Evans. "In fact, in today's digital landscape, it's critical. A construction site is a hive of activity at any given time, with numerous teams working together to deliver the required project timeously and within budget

Using Mixed Reality in Online Learning Environments

Among the technological advancements of Industry 4.0, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) have been used in many industries to visualize and interact with digital twins in real-time. These technologies have also been used with building information modeling (BIM) and geographic information systems (GIS) throughout the life cycle of construction projects. Moreover, the integration of BIM and GIS has been proven to improve collaboration among stakeholders by allowing them to visualize information seamlessly between buildings and their surroundings. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many undergraduate and graduate courses were moved online, which posed many challenges on instructors to deliver lectures in accessible and informative ways. Furthermore, many courses and curricula have been originally online and have not yet benefited from the full potential of MR in virtual classrooms. Therefore, the aim of this research is to evaluate how MR applications of integrated BIM-GIS can improve the online learning experience of construction management students. An experimental study was conducted with students to evaluate the effect of using AR on handheld devices and MR on head-mounted devices on their spatio-temporal reasoning and understanding skills. © 2021 Computing in Civil Engineering 2021 - Selected Papers from the ASCE International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering 2021. All rights reserved.

BIM-based task and motion planning prototype for robotic assembly of COVID-19 hospitalisation light weight structures.

Fast transmission of COVID-19 led to mass cancelling of events to contain the virus outbreak. Amid lockdown restrictions, a vast number of construction projects came to a halt. Robotic platforms can perform construction projects in an unmanned manner, thus ensuring the essential construction tasks are not suspended during the pandemic. This research developed a BIM-based prototype, including a task planning algorithm and a motion planning algorithm, to assist in the robotic assembly of COVID-19 hospitalisation light weight structures with prefabricated components. The task planning algorithm can determine the assembly sequence and coordinates for various types of prefabricated components. The motion planning algorithm can generate robots' kinematic parameters for performing the assembly of the prefabricated components. Testing of the prototype finds that it has satisfactory performance in terms of 1) the reasonableness of assembly sequence determined, 2) reachability for the assembly coordinates of prefabricated components, and 3) capability to avoid obstacles.

A Case Study of the Impact of Modular Manufacturing on a Hospital Expansion Project

Today, Off-site Manufacturing (OSM) is considered to have the potential to be the main driver for improving productivity in the construction industry. In addition to reducing the dependence of operations on adverse weather conditions, OSM offers a solution to the shortage of skilled labour. This approach to construction is being reinvented through the use of new technologies, such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Reality (VR) and Mobile Communication Technologies (MCT). For these reasons, it is beneficial for the construction industry to evaluate its practices and consider an effective adoption of OSM. In this context, the main objective of our research project is to study the effect of the OSM approach on the project realization mode. Moreover, to evaluate the effects of early stakeholder involvement and the impact of using collaborative platforms for sharing information and digital models on the successful adoption of OSM. Also, we would like to identify the challenges and find the main barriers faced by mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) contractors. The project is based on a case study that consists of building a 36-room hospital annex using the modular construction approach in the context of a COVID19 health emergency. The research reveals that the adoption of OSM with the use of BIM in a well managed mode would offer the construction industry a new collaborative paradigm that encourages the sharing of information and profits while ensuring an optimal outcome of the delivered product. © 2023, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering.

Classroom Space Layout for Responding to Occupants’ Health Concerns and Flexible Space Utilization

During COVID-19, the importance of reconfiguring indoor space layout has received attention. In particular, space layout in school buildings should keep a safe distance among people to protect occupants’ health while satisfying requirements for space utilization purposes to ensure learning experience. However, space constraints and conditions such as room size, boundary, and door locations, etc. make it difficult to adapt space layout required for diverse learning experiences. In this respect, this research aims to apply a space planning framework using Building Information Modeling (BIM) that can streamline the process of reconfiguring space layout. The research outcomes contribute to decision-making of space layouts for providing suitable indoor environments under emergency situations beyond the current pandemic. Although the space planning method has helped with optimizing different space types within a building, it has not expanded its usability within a single space due to lack of understanding inter-relationships of multiple constituent elements within a space. In this respect, this research addresses the constraints of elements within a space to respond to an emerging issue of flexible space reconfiguration for protecting occupants’ health and learning experience. This research broadens applications of the space planning method to responsive and resilient space management by integrating it with BIM in the architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. © 2023, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering.

A hydraulic 3D-lab based on virtual Gora dam visits at Call of Duty Warzone to Develop Student's Competencies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The experience of going through a pandemic like Covid-19 forced many sectors of the economy to evolve, including education, specifically higher education. Teaching methods in Engineering, Architecture, and Construction (IAC) adopted tools, which had been developed primarily for industry, to adapt them to teach. These tools have been added to the already existing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and in this study, they are used as didactic teaching techniques. These tools are Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Reality (VR), and the video game (VG) Call of Duty: Warzone (CoD: Wz). Some investigations have studied the scope that the use of BIM, VR, and video games can have in teaching separately. However, no research so far has been found that unites the three tools in a single methodology. This study aims to show the methodology and its results when implementing the Hydraulic 3D Lab (Hydr3D-Lab) tool for teaching in IAC. As will be explained later, in the procedure of implementing the methodology, the use of BIM, VR, and CoD: Wz software was promoted during teaching hours to improve skills and help students understand concepts that are difficult to comprehend and teach theoretically. The implementation of this technological tool was developed in the context of IAC's national higher education programs at a university in Mexico. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of using the collaborative tool Hydr-3D-Lab as a teaching method for IAC. Additionally, this study proves that the learning experience can be enhanced using other technology tools such as Unreal Engine and Revit. © 2022 IEEE.

Effect between Trust in Communication Technology and Interorganizational Trust in BIM-Enabled Projects

Building information modeling (BIM) and its associated digital tools have been widely adopted in designing, constructing, and operating infrastructures, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the influence of these communication technologies on the interorganizational trust among project team members is unclear. In this study, BIM and its communication tools were conceptualized based on the perception of trust in communication technology, to examine their influence on interorganizational trust. The effect of trust in communication technology on interorganizational trust was investigated through the mediation of obligatory cooperation and voluntary cooperation. In addition, partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to explore and predict the causal relationships of the model. The results show that trust in communication technology has no direct effect on interorganizational trust, but it positively affects the relationships via the mediation of obligatory cooperation. In comparison, trust in communication technology significantly impacts voluntary cooperation, which does not considerably influence interorganizational trust. Lastly, the findings of this study contribute new knowledge to trust theories for construction teams that use communication technologies to collaborate in BIM-enabled projects, and provide an explanation for the development of trust by communication technologies through improvement of the interorganizational trust in BIM-enabled projects. © 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.