Implementation of VDC : A study conducted at Veidekke Entreprenad AB

A lot of companies are investing in new working methods and technical innovations that is developed to improve productivity in the construction industry and to make it more efficient. One of these innovations is a working method called VDC, Virtual Design and Construction. A project called Sörredsmotet is a design-build project with Veidekke Entreprenad AB as a design-build contractor. The client of the project is Trafikverket. One of the ambitions with the project is to use VDC in the design phase of the project. The purpose with this study is to in cooperation with Veidekke examine how the working method is implemented on the project, what conditions are needed to implement VDC and also how VDC affects designers. The research questions are: I. How has the working method VDC been implemented on the project Sörredsmotet? II. What conditions are needed to implement VDC? III. How does the working method affect designers? To answer the research questions three studies have been carried out; a literature study based on earlier research, observations of design meeting and VDC-network meetings and an interview study with 18 respondents. One demarcation for the study is to examine the VDC in design phase only. Conclusion for the first research question is that the project works partially with VDC, but the working method cannot be considered as implemented on the project. One ambition was to carry out the design phase with ICE-sessions, but organization and working method for external organization made it difficult to gather the right people and to make decisions on meetings. The layout was changed to have design meetings inspired by ICE methodology instead of ICEsessions. Part of the design is made in a cloud based 3D-model while other parts of the design is made in 2D. Veidekke has developed a visualization model for the project. It requires both organizational conditions and conditions for individuals to start using the working method. Due to the construction industry’s project -based structure many so-called innovators and early appliers are requ ired. It is necessary to look at the project’s prerequisites and to make plans about the project’s goals, how to achieve the goals, what is needed to achieve them and to make the reason for the change clear. To get as good prerequisites as possible, both for internal and possible external organization, this should be done at an early stage of the projects. Motivation is also important for implementation of the working method. New skills that may be required are mainly concerning models. For designers the working method means that the workflow changes when work is done with BIM, Building Information Model, which is a tool in VDC. More planning and communication is required when working with BIM. To work model-oriented instead of working with 2Ddrawings requires different ways to think. There are a lot of challenges working with BIM, but also many advantages, mainly in projects that requires a lot of coordination