Search results

Current research efforts exhibit a surge imperative for a building information modelling (BIM) approach that embodies a repository of all relevant data of existing building components while monitoring and consistently recording numerous components’ functions throughout its lifecycle, especially in Egypt. This research paper aims to develop an integrated as-is BIM-facility management (FM) information model for the existing building’s components via a case study, depicting a repository for historical data and knowledge amassed from inspections and conveying maintenance decisions automatically during the FM practices.

The developed approach pursues four successive steps: data acquisition and processing of building components; components recognition from point clouds; modelling scanned point clouds; and quick response code information transfer to BIM components.

The proposed approach incorporates the as-is BIM with the building components’ as-is FM information to portray a repository for historical data and knowledge collected from inspections to proactively benefit facility managers in simplifying, expediting and enhancing maintenance decisions automatically during FM practices.

This paper presents a digital alternative to manual maintenance recordkeeping concerning building components to retrieve their as-is and historical data using a case study in Egypt. This paper proposes a broad scan to as-is information BIM approach for the existing building’s components to condone maintenance interventions using a versatile, affordable, readily available and multi-functional method for scanning the building’s components using a handheld tool.

Facilities management (FM), which is crucial for the operation and sustainability of buildings and infrastructure across the world, covers a wide range of competencies that may vary across regions. Focusing on Sri Lanka and Hong Kong, this study aims to reveal and compare the importance and current competency levels of FM competencies in these regions, based on which appropriate education and training can be formulated to enhance the growth of their FM sectors.

After an extensive literature review, 12 FM competency attributes (CAs) were identified. A questionnaire survey in Sri Lanka and Hong Kong solicited the industry practitioners’ perceived importance and current levels of the CAs. The survey responses, 126 from Sri Lanka and 148 from Hong Kong, were analysed by a modified Importance-Competency Analysis matrix, followed using the Mann−Whitney U test to identify any differences in the responses between the two regions.

Between Sri Lanka and Hong Kong, significant differences were found to exist in the importance and current competency levels of over half of the CAs. Among the CAs requiring priority attention, “operation and maintenance” and “leadership” are the top two in Sri Lanka while the top two in Hong Kong are “technology” and “leadership”.

This study yielded insightful results on the importance of FM competencies and the current competency levels in a developing region and a developed region, which are useful for the development of FM education and research.

This paper evaluates the factors influencing the utilization of the Internet of Things (IoT) for sustainable facilities management (SFM) practices in Saudi Arabia.

A mixed approach, combining a literature review, pilot-testing and questionnaire survey, was adopted to evaluate the factors. Twenty-seven factors were identified and grouped into four groups: technical, business and organizational, operational and security and privacy. The questionnaire was distributed to 30 facilities managers and 30 IoT specialists, totaling 60 practitioners, to determine the effect index of each factor. The practitioners' consensus on the ranking of the factors was then determined.

The study identifies the top-ranking factors as: “Difficulty in ensuring data security and protection,” “Difficulty in ensuring data privacy and confidentiality” and “Limited awareness and understanding of IoT benefits and capabilities.” These factors highlight the challenges to successful IoT implementation in the FM sector. The FM sector could benefit from utilizing IoT while maintaining the security, privacy and effectiveness of building operations by successfully addressing these concerns. A high level of consensus on the ranking of the factors was observed between facilities managers and IoT specialists. This was substantiated by a Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient of 0.79.

This study enriches the literature by combining practical insights from facilities managers with technical expertise from IoT specialists on the factors impacting IoT implementation in the Saudi Arabian FM sector. Beyond academic contributions, it provides practical insights for industry professionals, fostering a culture of knowledge-sharing and guiding future research in this field.

The COVID-19 outbreak reached a critical stage when it became imperative for public health systems to act decisively and design potential behavioral operational strategies aimed at containing the pandemic. Isolation through social distancing played a key role in achieving this objective. This research study examines the factors affecting the intention of individuals toward social distancing in India.

A correlation study was conducted on residents from across Indian states (N = 499). Online questionnaires were floated, consisting of health belief model and theory of planned behavior model, with respect to social distancing behavior initially. Finally, structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.

The results show that perceived susceptibility (PS), facilitating conditions (FC) and subjective norms are the major predictors of attitude toward social distancing, with the effect size of 0.277, 0.132 and 0.551, respectively. The result also confirms that the attitude toward social distancing, perceived usefulness of social distancing and subjective norms significantly predict the Intention of individuals to use social distancing with the effect size of 0.355, 0.197 and 0.385, respectively. The nonsignificant association of PS with social distancing intention (IN) (H1b) is rendering the fact that attitude (AT) mediates the relationship between PS and IN; similarly, the nonsignificant association of FC with IN (H5) renders the fact that AT mediates the relationship between FC and IN.

The results of the study are helpful to policymakers to handle operations management of nudges like social distancing.

The research is one of its kind that explores the behavioral aspects of handling social nudges through FC.

The unstable labor productivity and periodic planning method cause barriers to improving construction logistics management. This paper aims to explore a demand-driven mechanism for efficient construction logistics planning to record the material consumption, report the real-time demand and trigger material replenishment from off-site to on-site, which is aided by Building Information Modeling (BIM) and the Kanban technique.

This paper follows the design science research (DSR) principles to propose a system of designing and applying Kanban batch with 4D BIM for construction logistics planning and monitoring. Prototype development with comparative simulation experiments of a river remediation project is conducted to analyze the conventional and Kanban-triggered supply. Two-staged industrial interviews are conducted to guide and evaluate the system design.

The proposed BIM-enabled Kanban system enables construction managers and suppliers to better set integrated on- and off-site targets, report real-time demands and conduct collaborative planning and monitoring. The simulation results present significant site storage and schedule savings applying the BIM-enabled Kanban system. Feedback and constructive suggestions from practitioners are collected via interviews and analyzed for further development.

This paper brings to the limelight the benefits of implementing BIM-enabled demand-driven replenishment to remove waste from the material flow. This paper combines lean production theory with advanced information technology to solve construction logistics management problems.

Audit trail cost management is crucial for ensuring accountability and enhancing quality assurance in construction management. Despite limited practical studies on audit trail management from a cost perspective; this study developed a lifecycle-based audit trail cost management framework. It used synchronized Building Information Modeling (BIM) cost models and Bills of Quantities (BoQs) to address the existing gap.

This study employed a descriptive case study approach of a real-life hospital project in China. Data triangulation was achieved through interviews, observations, documents, and relevant artifacts.

The study identified three key factors contributing to cost variances between BIM cost models and BoQs: differences in measurement rules, model precision, and professional errors, particularly evident during the preliminary estimate stage. Notably, significant cost savings of approximately RMB 5.811 million were achieved during the detailed estimate stage. During the construction phase, a synchronized approach was deployed to improve precise payment verification and modifications to the BIM model. In the post-construction phase, the synchronized as-built BIM models and BoQs served as primary references to facilitate the resolution of operational discrepancies.

The research contributes to the literature by proposing a synchronized approach of BIM cost models and BoQs. This approach enhances traceability and accountability of project information, catering to the digitalization needs of the construction industry.

This study unveils a pragmatic approach to enhancing transparency and accountability in audit-trail cost management by synchronizing BIM cost models and BoQs at various project stages. The synchronized approach offers a promising direction for future research and implementation of audit trail frameworks to enhance cost management in construction.

Building information modelling (BIM) implementation in the design, construction and operations (DCO) industry is increasingly becoming essential. While BIM has been adopted on a larger scale in many developed economies, its acceptance is still in the embryonic phases for developing nations in the DCO industry. This study aims to identify the inhibitors to BIM implementation through the social network theoretical lens, intending to understand the associations among the barriers in the Indian context. Subsequently, recommend strategies to mitigate the barriers from the academic practitioner’s perspective.

A mixed methods research was adopted, commencing with comprehensive literature reviews to recognise various inhibitors to BIM implementation. These identified barriers were further examined through the questionnaire survey (n = 71). BIM implementation barrier network (BIBN) was created using University of California at Irvine Network (UCINET) is a powerful social network analysis software that functions on the principle of social network theory. The experts’ opinions were captured through the BIBN network through interviews. Network properties such as eigen vector centrality, betweenness centrality, degree centrality, in-degree and out-degree and clustering coefficient were computed, and the metrics were analysed further.

Twenty-six BIM implementation barriers were initially identified. A questionnaire survey was conducted. The chain reaction can be minimised by prioritising and regulating these barriers. The issues were categorised into fourfold clusters (standardisation, policy and process, cultural and human resources, change management and operational) issues were generated from the exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The obstacles and barriers resulting from the other main barriers associated with it can be minimised by reducing the challenges with high eigenvector centrality but low betweenness importance.

This study proves to accelerate sustainable BIM implementation growth in developing nations; this research study assists BIM stakeholders in developing coping mechanisms to monitor and remove BIM implementation barriers.

Analysing the associativity of the BIM implementation barriers through sociograms for developing nations is a novel concept with this research.

A lack of suitably qualified Building Information Modelling (BIM) professionals is understood to be a major barrier towards higher uptakes of BIM in the Australian construction industry. In response, Australian universities have tried to integrate the teaching of BIM into construction-related curricula, but with limited success. The acknowledged impediment is the lingering mismatch between what universities offer and what industry actually needs. However, the exact nature of that mismatch has yet to be identified. This study addresses that knowledge gap. It assesses both the current status of BIM competencies among university graduates and explores how BIM education at Australian universities may be improved to deliver BIM work readiness, as required by the industry.

This paper employed a qualitative research approach, utilizing 17 semi-structured interviews with experts in the Australian BIM industry. The Person-Organization (PO) fit theory, which emphasizes the congruence between individual and organizational characteristics, was utilized as a theoretical framework to examine the compatibility between “demand” and “ability” perspectives. The resulting data were analysed using this theoretical framework to gain insights into the PO fit perspectives in relation to BIM industry practices.

Findings reveal that graduates are generally competent regarding the use of BIM software. However, employers require much more than software skills, and expect recruits to have the capability to implement BIM as a process according to information management standards. Specifically, graduates are significantly deficient in matters of BIM protocols, collaboration and coordination, information workflows as well as completion and handover procedures.

This study is the first of its kind that bridges the gap between industry expectations and university education, in the Australian context, moving beyond the common discourse in education literature, which is exclusively focused on assessing students’ perceptions about BIM.

The application of integrated project delivery (IPD) in conjunction with building information modeling (BIM) and Lean Construction (LC) as the efficient method for improving collaboration and delivering construction projects has been acknowledged by construction academics and professionals. Once organizations have fully embraced BIM, IPD and LC integration, a measurement tool such as a maturity model (MM) for benchmarking their progress and setting realistic goals for continuous improvement will be required. In the context of MMs literature, however, no comprehensive analysis of these three construction management methods has been published to reveal the current trends and common themes in which the models have approached each other.

Therefore, this study integrates systematic literature review (SLR) and thematic analysis techniques to review and categorize the related MMs; the key themes in which the interrelationship between BIM, IPD and LC MMs has been discussed and conceptualized in the attributes; the shared characteristics of the existing BIM, IPD and LC MMs, as well as their strengths and limitations. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) method has been used as the primary procedure for article screening and reviewing published papers between 2007 and 2022.

Despite the growth of BIM, IPD and LC integration publications and acknowledgment in the literature, no MM has been established that holistically measures BIM, IPD and LC integration in an organization. This study identifies five interrelated and overlapping themes indicative of the collaboration of BIM, IPD and LC in existing MMs' structure, including customer satisfaction, waste minimization, Lean practices and cultural and legal aspects. Furthermore, the MMs' common characteristics, strengths and limitations are evaluated to provide a foundation for developing future BIM, IPD and LC-related MMs.

This paper examines the current status of research and the knowledge gaps around BIM, IPD and LC MMs. In addition, the highlighted major themes serve as a foundation for academics who intend to develop integrated BIM, IPD, and LC MMs. This will enable researchers to build upon these themes and establish a comprehensive list of maturity attributes fulfilling the BIM, IPD and LC requirements and principles. In addition, the MMs' BIM, IPD and LC compatibility themes, which go beyond themes' intended characteristics in silos, increase industry practitioners' awareness of the underlying factors of BIM, IPD and LC integration.

This review article is the first of a kind to analyze the interaction of IPD, BIM and LC in the context of MMs in current AEC literature. This study concludes that BIM, IPD and LC share several joint cornerstones according to the existing MMs.

The objective of this research is to develop an solution to water management at the scale of buildings, through the technological resources. Automating analysis using 3D models helps increase efficiency in buildings during the operational phase, consequently promotes sustainability.

This study presents a methodology based on Design Science Research to automate water management at building scale integrating BIM-IoT-FM. Data from smart meters (IoT) and the BIM model were integrated to be applied in facilities management (FM) to improve performance of the building. The methodology was implemented in a prototype for the web, called AquaBIM, which captures, manages and analyzes the information.

The application of AquaBIM allowed the theoretical evaluation and practical validation of water management methodology. By BIM–IoT integration, the consumption parameters and ranges for 17 categories of activities were determined to contribute to fulfill the research gap for the commercial buildings. This criterion and other requirements are requirements met in order to obtain the AQUA-HQE environmental sustainability certification.

Traditionally, water management in buildings is based on scarce data. The practical application of digital technologies improves decision-making. Moreover, the creation of consumption indicators for commercial buildings contributes to the discussion in the field of knowledge.

This article emphasizes the investigation of the efficiency of use in commercial buildings using operational data and the use of sustainable consumption indicators to manage water consumption.