An Investigation into the Development Level of Building Information Modeling Applied by Construction Contractors

• Main Authors: Justin Lin, 林承賢
• Other Authors: Hui-Yu Chou
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/26687069508814638884

碩士 === 朝陽科技大學 === 營建工程系 === 104 === In recent years, an increase in construction projects in Taiwan requiring compilation and production of BIM-generated construction drawings prior to construction by contractors has revealed the importance of determining the most suitable “Level of Development” (LOD) necessary for efficiency and effectiveness. While LOD can be deemed as the development or maturity of individual elements within BIM, a model that contains a diverse number of elements incorporating fabrication, manufacturing, or assembly data would undoubtedly be more valuable for contractors to use during construction. However, contractors must also weigh the risks and rewards of developing BIM elements to higher LOD with the available time, costs, manpower, and expertise for each project. This research aimed to investigate the most strategically suitable principles for determining the development level of BIM elements by construction contractors in Taiwan, in order to maximize efficiency and quality during construction without sacrificing valuable resources in the process. Drawing from prior real-world experience in the AEC industry abroad, literature review, the current state of the AEC industry in Taiwan, and extensive construction management knowledge and experience within the research team, conceptual standard principles and associated checklist criteria items were established to aid in the contractors’ decision-making during the modeling process of BIM projects. The findings of the interviews include: 1) Constructability- the factor of constructability is directly relevant to decisions regarding the development level of model elements in BIM. 2) Construction sequencing coordination- at interface connections of building systems or components, performing coordination of construction sequencing by modeling the necessary elements in order to demonstrate proper construction sequencing virtually, can aid in the integration of elements amongst the interfaces. 3) Spatial accuracy assessment- when 2D design drawings are the source for modeling in BIM, the drawings provide design intent rather than possessing information needed for construction, such as actual dimensions and considerations for formwork, materials, and site constraints. Thus, this results in clashes between building elements, or insufficient spaces on site during construction. Therefore, spatial accuracy is an important aspect for determining the development level of individual model elements at risk for such construction issues, and can impact the contractors’ decision to model which elements to certain a LOD. 4) Owner or contractual requirements- certain projects may involve instructions from either the owner or contract that could directly influence the contractor’s decisions to increase the development level of model elements in the project. However, if such requirements are not within reason with respect to the project constraints, the contractor should promptly communicate with the owner to mitigate any further repercussions to the project that may arise from over-modeling. 5) Complex interfaces- similar forms of complex interfaces or areas of spatial coordination often exist as multiple instances within a project. For the purpose of efficiency, identification of only the most complicated examples for in-depth modeling analysis to establish a clear template should be the priority when faced with multiple instances of complex interfaces in a model. Other similar instances of the interface can follow the template to achieve the same validation of constructability and spatial coordination, greatly lowering the staffing and time requirements otherwise needed for modeling all instances. The conceptual standard principles developed in this research offers a guideline for which contractors in Taiwan could feasibly refer to when determining the most efficient development level of elements in a model for BIM projects before and during the construction phase.