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BIM-enabled construction innovation through collaboration: a mixed-methods systematic review

Hui Liu (Department of Engineering Management, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China)
Miroslaw J. Skibniewski (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA) (Institute of Theoretical and Applied Informatics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Gliwice, Poland) (Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan) (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture, University of Science and Technology, Bydgoszcz, Poland)
Qianqian Ju (Department of Engineering Management, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China)
Junjie Li (Department of Engineering Management, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China)
Hongbing Jiang (Department of Engineering Management, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China)

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management

ISSN: 0969-9988

Article publication date: 7 September 2020

Issue publication date: 25 June 2021

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the innovative capabilities of building information modeling (BIM) in construction projects. The objectives are to construct an inclusive conceptual framework of BIM-enabled construction innovation, identify the status and trends of innovation-related research in BIM publications, synthesize research pertaining to BIM-enabled construction innovation and discover core research requirements in the related body of knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

This study proposes a comprehensive theoretical framework, named innovation pyramid, comprising context, actor, artifact, process, structure and innovative task for exploring and analyzing the innovative capability of BIM in construction projects. Accordingly, mixed methods were used to perform a systematic review of research on the topic of BIM-enabled construction innovation.

Findings

The findings reveal that BIM innovation-related articles have predominantly considered BIM as an innovation from a technological standpoint, while the innovative capabilities of BIM have remained under-researched with a fragmented research focus. Fertile grounds for research have emerged and call for research pertaining to entities of “structure” and “innovative task” as well as interaction, interrelations and mutually adjusting effect among the entities.

Practical implications

The framework proposed may be useful for subsequent research design and for assisting project management practitioners in the use of BIM to achieve innovation more efficiently.

Originality/value

This research provides an insight into the innovative capabilities of BIM based on the BIM–collaboration–construction innovation logic chain. It contributes to the body of knowledge by devising an inclusive conceptual framework of BIM-enabled construction innovation, synthesizing the state of the art and exposing the research needs in this area.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This study is funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project number: 71801195). The authors would like to thank Dr. Shu-Chien (Mark) Hsu from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University for his comments on this study. The authors also wish to thank the anonymous reviewers and editors for their constructive comments to develop this paper.

Citation

Liu, H., Skibniewski, M.J., Ju, Q., Li, J. and Jiang, H. (2021), "BIM-enabled construction innovation through collaboration: a mixed-methods systematic review", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 28 No. 6, pp. 1541-1560. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-03-2020-0181

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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