BIM as a Viable Collaborative Working Tool: a Case Study

For the majority of design practices in the construction industry the use of CAD systems have been used to merely automate hand drafting (Cohen 2003). This is the traditional way of working that has changed very little since the introduction of commercial CAD systems. These practices as means of communication are being replaced by a virtual building model environment which encapsulates all of the information for an entire construction project and thereby enables computer-supported co-operative working practices. (Newton 2003) This study aims to determine whether Building Information Modelling (BIM) can, and whether it will, replace traditional communication media as the standard in the industry for computersupported co-operative working practices in the Architecture Engineering and construction (AEC) sector. The bulk of the research comprises an extensive literature review looking at the principal reasons behind the development of BIM, the potential advantages and drawbacks of the technology, and the barriers and obstacles which inhibit its adoption as a means of computer-supported co-operative working. The findings of the study have been validated and analysed against current practice in the field through a live case study analysis of the on-going Heathrow airport Terminal 5 Project in London (UK). The Terminal 5 case study demonstrates that present software tools, although usable, still present significant implicit technical constraints to wider implementation among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The case study has also shown that in practice, the success of BIM depends just as much on the working practices and ethos of participants in the project chain as it does on the capabilities of the software itself, in particular the willingness of practitioners to change traditional working practices. The case study has shown that the present investment, in terms of time, cost, and effort required to implementing the technology means that BIM is unlikely to be adopted on small simple projects where conventional CAD is still adequate. It also highlighted that BIM tools currently available are not yet adequately developed to satisfy the requirements of the many procurement and especially contractual arrangements which presently exist and many firms will be frightened off by the unresolved legal issues which may arise from implementing BIM in their practices