Lakhasly

The UK Government is pushing for BIM adoption and has mandated BIM for all centrally procured government contracts from April 2016. The UK construction industry must, therefore, meet this challenge. This can only be done through implementation of BIM to enable the delivery of more sustainable buildings, in a shorter time and to a more efficient standard. Moreover, BIM is critical to the successful implementation of a wider offsite manufacturing strategy (HM Government 2013). Further, to gain or maintain a competitive advantage in the construction market, many practitioners and contractors started adoption of BIM level 2 as prescribed by government, while others had started its adoption even before then the mandate for the benefits can be gained.
The other drivers for the construction industry adopting BIM are the capabilities its technology possesses. These, it is expected, will contribute to addressing long-standing challenges in the construction industry (Sackey et al. 2014). For instance, BIM can lead not only to improvement in the technology itself, but also to a possible revolution in the design and construction process (Yan & Damian 2008). This is supported by a study conducted by Aranda-Mena et al. (2009) which found that in three out of five case studies reviewed, use of BIM could enhance design development, confidence and buildability. For his part, Eastman (2011) argued that using BIM in design detailing processes would improve the likes of quicker 3D visualisation, with accurate design at every stage of the design and construction process. It is also asserted that BIM technology has the potential fundamentally to change construction documentation and promote information sharing among all parties involved in the delivery of a project (Singh et al. 2011).
Eastman et al. (2011) pointed out that construction plan sequence and synchronisation of lean construction techniques, where materials would be organised in an efficient manner for each segment of the work, might result in cost reduction (material resources for each segment). As stated in the National Building Specification (2015) BIM report, 63% of respondents surveyed think there would be reduction in costs. In another survey conducted by Eadie et al. (2013), cost of implementation was ranked last in response to a question about the impact of BIM adoption. Bryde et al. (2013) found that in 60% of the case studies they reviewed, cost reduction or control was seen as the most positive effect of BIM.
Architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) Industries have great potential to transform their information, communication and technology (ICT) resources into compatible and interoperable software (Grilo & Jardim-Goncalves 2010). While BIM might combat this interoperability issue through collaborative working environments, traditional techniques such as 2D drawings (commonly referred to as blueprints) and 2D and 3D CAD have a limited amount of communication that could be conveyed, and the message received might be different to what was intended.
Aranda-Mena et al. (2009), who examined two case studies, found that BIM could improve collaboration between consultants and stakeholders. However, the level of BIM maturity that a company aimed to achieve should be assessed before presumptions of potential BIM benefits would be understood. One of the findings by Khosrowshahi and Arayici (2012), from interviews with industry practitioners, was that seamless collaboration between project participants was achieved. Humphreys et al. (2001) suggested that inter-organisational information systems (IOIS) could be seen as key to allowing the flow and sharing of accurate and well-timed information (e.g. project documents), thus facilitating competitive advantages in ways such as eliminating duplication. Bryde et al. (2013) observed that adoption of BIM could be the key approach to ensuring that integration and a shift from a document paradigm to an integrated database paradigm happens. Additionally, Eastman (2011) concluded that stakeholder collaboration would minimise mistakes in that field. BIM is impacting not only the design, construction and management of buildings, but also the cultural process for the design and construction sector. One way to address this impact is to use the AT approach