IMPLEMENTING BIM: A CHANGE IN CULTURE
Skye Rayner1 and Assem Al-Hajj2
1) MSc Candidate, EGIS, Heriot Watt University Dubai Campus, UAE.
2) PhD, Associate Professor, EGIS, Heriot Watt University Dubai Campus, UAE.
Abstract: Changing the culture within organizations, and subsequently the project teams, is essential to achieve extensive implementation of BIM within the construction industry. Introduction of new technologies and ideas are often met with opposition, as it is human nature to resist change. This lack of awareness and experience of BIM within the industry is hindering the extensive utilization of the software and technology. Therefore the education and training of people, while representing a substantial challenge, is essential. There have been numerous studies on the benefits of implementing BIM on Construction projects, however there are reoccurring concerns regarding the difficulty in widespread acceptance and utilization of this concept. When faced with the task of introducing BIM people related issues have been largely overlooked. Issues such as culture, experience, support, education and training need to be addressed. Meanwhile other significant concerns with the adoption of BIM are predominately based in technology and process. It is anticipated by current industry stakeholders that the adoption of BIM may potentially lead to procedural and legal issues; such as adhering to internationally recognized stands, ownership of design and willingness to share information. While there are also concerns with the effectiveness of the current technology and the initial software startup costs, which can be prohibitive and onerous for some organizations and clients. Hence it is imperative that companies be informed on the long term gain and benefits of their investment, so as to convince them it is valuable. The purpose of this review paper is to analyze the available source materials and case studies to establish the benefits of BIM and the key contributing factors that are inhibiting the adoption of BIM. Possible strategies that organizations and project teams can implement to assist in overcoming these hurdles will also be considered.
Keywords: BIM, Adoption, Change, Culture, Benefits
Bibliographical Reference:
Skye Rayner and Assem Al-Hajj. “IMPLEMENTING BIM: A CHANGE IN CULTURE.” In Proceedings of International Conference on Civil and Building Engineering Informatics (ICCBEI 2015), 67. Tokyo, Japan, 2015.