Process improvement and BIM in infrastructure design projects – findings from 4 case studies in Finland

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Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Perustieteiden korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
Date
2014-12-03
Department
Major/Subject
Service Management and Engineering
Mcode
IL3007
Degree programme
Master’s Degree Programme in Service Management and Engineering (SME)
Language
en
Pages
8 + 105 + 4
Series
Abstract
Building information modelling is increasingly adopted in today’s infrastructure sector. However, the implementation of BIM in the design stage of construction projects and the benefits of BIM for design stage are not sufficiently studied. The adoption of BIM may call for changes in traditional design process. This research explores the current state of BIM implementation and design practice, and the possibilities for process improvement in the design phase of transport infrastructure lifecycle, by studying four case design projects in Finland. The data has been obtained in eight workshops with the members of the case project teams; in addition, preliminary interviews and a questionnaire survey have been conducted. The major revealed benefits of BIM are clash detection, cost estimation and machine control. However, the potential process benefits of BIM for design are not achieved. The study reveals a gap between BIM process and design process in the projects, and a knowledge gap between BIM experts and common designers. The major identified barriers towards achieving the higher level of BIM implementation are the inefficient information exchange, the lack of BIM skills and learning policies, and the lack of modelling guidelines and procedures. In addition, the work discusses the difficulties that have been encountered when attempting to carry out quantitative measurements in design projects, and proposes recommendations for those who plan to conduct such studies in future.
Description
Supervisor
Singh, Vishal
Thesis advisor
Suvanto, Maila
Halttula, Heikki
Keywords
BIM, information modelling, infrastructure, design, collaboration
Other note
Citation