Transferring best practices enabled by Building information modeling (BIM) in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) to shipbuilding industry: An explorative study

Abstract

This thesis was carried out as a part of Triad 2014 - the joint master’s thesis project of Cruise and Ferry Experience program, Aalto University. Meridiem funded and actively supported Triad 2014. This research explored the best practices enabled by Building information modeling in Finnish AEC industry and the current state of 3D CAD tools in Finnish shipbuilding industry. Furthermore, discussions were carried out on whether these best BIM-enabled practices can be transferred to the shipbuilding industry.

Data were collected by in-depth interviews with seven BIM experts and seven shipbuilding professionals in Finland. The top four BEPs mentioned by BIM experts were clash detection, visualization, quantity takeoff and scheduling. Through interviews with shipbuilding professionals it was found that the same CAD tool is used by different design disciplines in a shipbuilding project, i.e., the “one CAD” solution. In spite of benefits such as better design coordination and comprehensive collision detection, two major limitations of the solution, i.e., the lack of an open standard and the interior design is carried out with 2D CAD tools were identified.

Compared with BIM, 3D CAD in shipbuilding industry can carry out more comprehensive collision detection. Besides, shipbuilding industry also has a longer history of utilizing object-oriented 3D modeling. Both 3D CAD and BIM can generate high-quality quantity takeoffs. Scheduling in shipbuilding is conducted by specialized project management software other than 3D CAD. For future research aiming at increasing the productivity of shipbuilding industry, the identified limitations of current 3D CAD tools can be good starting points.