Exploration of the BIM Development and Application : Identifying Key Areas for the Industrialized House-Building Sector

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is claimed to transform the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, whereas current research has argued that diffusion of BIM use proceeds at a slower rate than the optimistic predictions. Much of the research on BIM has focused on the traditional part of the industry and larger companies, whereas less attention has been paid to the industrialized house-builders. The underlying idea of industrialized house-building is to increase efficiency, both internally (do things right) and externally (do the right things), with repetitiveness in production facilities. Previous research indicates that there is a lack of demand for BIM, both internally and externally, and that BIM use is rather determined by an individual’s subjective positive or negative evaluation of BIM, which may be hazardous for industrialized house-builders. However, using BIM in repetitive processes is claimed to have potential to improve the output of industrialized housing building. Hence, based on this background the aim of the paper is twofold: Firstly, to explore the current state of practice, and perceived constraints and driving forces of BIM-use with respect to industrialized house-building. Secondly; based on the results identify key areas for the continuous development of BIM within this sector of the construction trade. A mixed method approach was employed. To begin with, participant observations were carried out in connection to a regional development project, where managers from a selection of industrialized house-building companies assembled in order to identify key areas for development. Thereafter, interviews with managers in industrialized house-building companies were conducted to describe a state of practice within the industrialized house-building sector. Finally, a survey (n=52) was administered to employees at industrialized house-building companies on the Swedish market. Deducted from the observations at the meetings, the vast number of different software that are used in a large variety of different processes and the need for integration between BIM and other systems was highlighted. Discussions mostly concerned technical issues that can be explained by the fact that meetings participants were technical and development managers. The interviews gave at hand that better connection between BIM and the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a topic that should be prioritized. The results from the survey showed that 63 per cent of the respondents have experience from working with BIM. The immediate results show similarities with previous studies of BIM use among mid-sized firms in the traditional building and construction industry regarding use frequency, perceived benefits and constraints, as well as perceived challenges. However, it is concluded that the industrialized house building sector need to adapt BIM aligned to their unique conditions in order to reap benefits, without looking too much at what is going on in the traditional construction industry