Supply chain integration with BIM: a graph-based model
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology to integrate the construction Supply Chain (SC) through the application of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Supply Chain Management (SCM). It features a renovation case as a proof-of-concept.
Design/methodology/approach
After analyzing the relevant gaps in the literature, the research followed a modeling approach. The proposed model merged product-, process- and organizational models in a graph-based model to represent and analyze a BIM-based SCM project.
Findings
Presently, the information flows of the construction SC are vague. BIM is an aspiring integrator of information flows for construction. The proposed model for SC integration with BIM, offers an approach to identify the project complexities in relation to organizational structures, roles and interactions and integrate the industry.
Practical implications
Currently BIM-enabled SCM is not very widely applied in the industry. However, the authors report the increasing interest of most construction stakeholders to engage in the application of the two, after acknowledging the benefits from the individual approaches. Since this combination is quite rare, the research uses a retrospective real-world case study of a SC project with an imaginary application of BIM.
Originality/value
Thus far, there is no formal model to represent the interactions of the SC actors along with BIM. The unique combination of a product and a process model, i.e. BIM, with an organizational model aims at integrating the information flows of the SC. The proposed model aims at analyzing and supporting the BIM-enabled SCM in Architecture Engineering and Construction.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the anonymous case participants.
Citation
Papadonikolaki, E., Vrijhoef, R. and Wamelink, H. (2015), "Supply chain integration with BIM: a graph-based model", Structural Survey, Vol. 33 No. 3, pp. 257-277. https://doi.org/10.1108/SS-01-2015-0001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited