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Building information modeling: guidelines for project execution plan (PxP) for India
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Content
BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING: GUIDELINES FOR PROJECT
EXECUTION PLAN (PxP) FOR INDIA
By
Aniizhai Porur Thirumeni
––
Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In partial fulfillment of the
Requirements of degree
MASTER OF BUILDING SCIENCE
MAY 2019
2
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Prof. Douglas E. Noble, FAIA, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
USC School of Architecture
dnoble@usc.edu
Prof. Karen Kensek, LEED AP BD+C
Professor of the Practice of Architecture
USC School of Architecture
kensek@usc.edu
Prof. Joon-Ho Choi, Ph.D., LEED AP
Assistant Professor
USC School of Architecture
joonhoch@usc.edu
3
DEDICATION
To my family, thank you for encouraging me in all of my pursuits and inspiring me to follow my dreams.
I could not have done this without you.
4
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my thesis advisor Professor Douglas Noble for his support and
motivation with my research. Professor Doug through his undivided attention and guidance always helped me resolve
issues with my study, research and writing.
I would like to acknowledge my committee members Professor Karen Kensek and Professor Joon Ho Choi. They were
an immense support and helped me take important decisions in this thesis. I am grateful to Professor Karen for her
very valuable comments on this thesis. She consistently allowed this research to be my own work, but steered me in
the right the direction whenever she thought I needed it. Her commitment and perfection inspired me to work hard to
produce a quality work. My thesis experience under her guidance will always benefit me throughout my life.
Prof Choi’s enthusiasm helped me to expand the scope of the thesis and enabled me to think about different approaches
in tackling problems.
I would also like to thank the experts from India who supported me with the research material and guidance: Mr.
Amarnath CB from the Indian BIM Association, Mr. Arun Kumar Shambu from Turner Construction Company and
Ms. Kritika Prasad from Bentley India. Without their passionate participation and input, the validation could not have
been successfully conducted. I am really grateful to Mr. Gautam Shenoy from Steinberg Hart, for his constant support
and encouragement in different stages of my research. His enthusiasm, motivation, patience, and immense knowledge
was essential for this thesis.
Finally, I must express my gratitude to my parents and sister for providing me with unconditional support throughout
my thesis. I would like to thank the MBS family who made this thesis experience enjoyable. To my best friends and
roommates Nikitha and Sushmitha, thank you for listening, offering me advice, and supporting me through this entire
process.
5
ABSTRACT
The building industry is in the late stages of a transformation from 2D drawing as a standard to 3D models with data
and building information models (BIM) are becoming used increasingly from design to analysis to construction to
facilities management. The translation from 2D drawings to 3D digital models that contain indispensable data about
the building is being globally addressed by the AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industry through the
increasing use of BIM in all stages of the project. This transformation has influenced government and private
organizations to develop standards and codes to propagate the practice of using BIM for professionals to reduce cost
and risk involved during the process by facilitating high level of collaboration, communication, and coordination
among all disciplines complimenting in the successful completion of the project. Although beneficial to the industry,
many developing countries like India are facing numerous complexities in applying the technology and adopting BIM
in practice. The scale of development and urbanization that is happening and expected to continue in India emphasizes
the importance to implement BIM technology and processes, which will help industry professionals collaborate for
satisfying project goals. Although many countries have developed national BIM standards, India has not yet completed
its first version although efforts are underway.
To explore the complexities that are involved during adoption, the current level of utilization and the prospective of
encompassing the practice of BIM in the Indian AECO industry has been analyzed by conducting case studies of three
larger scale infrastructure projects, which have significantly implemented BIM. It was found that the limitations for
adoption were influenced by technical and non-technical issues from all disciplines in the industry. A framework that
ties these issues together was developed to position BIM adoption with regards to the current status and expectations
of the industry. BIM guidelines from United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Finland, and Singapore were reviewed
and analyzed for valuable contents that supported as reference for developing guidelines for Project Execution Plan
for India. The BIM framework has four main focus areas: the review of existing standards for applicability to India; a
detailed outline of the key components and chapters of a national BIM standard for India; review of BIM Project
Execution Plan (PxP) from two design firms in the US for understanding the structure for a design execution plan;
and the development of a Project Execution Plan for architects in India based on the analysis for encouraging BIM
adoption in the country.
Keywords: Building Information Modelling (BIM), BIM Execution Plan, Software Interoperability, BIM Standards,
India – BIM Standards
6
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 ..................................................................................................................................... 13
1.1 Introduction: Need for standards development in India ............................................................................... 13
1.2 Building Information Modeling ..................................................................................................................... 13
1.3 BIM frameworks ............................................................................................................................................ 14
1.3.1 Guidelines ............................................................................................................................................. 14
1.3.2 Protocols ............................................................................................................................................... 15
1.3.3 Standards .............................................................................................................................................. 15
1.3.4 BIM Execution Plan ............................................................................................................................... 15
1.4 BIM Implementation and Adoption ............................................................................................................... 15
1.4.1 BIM Adoption by Country ..................................................................................................................... 17
United States ................................................................................................................................................. 17
United Kingdom ............................................................................................................................................. 18
Denmark ........................................................................................................................................................ 18
Finland ........................................................................................................................................................... 18
Singapore....................................................................................................................................................... 19
Australia ........................................................................................................................................................ 19
India ............................................................................................................................................................... 19
1.5 Summary ....................................................................................................................................................... 19
CHAPTER 2 ..................................................................................................................................... 20
2.1 Introduction to BIM standards ...................................................................................................................... 20
2.2 BIM standard: An interpretation of its constituents ..................................................................................... 20
2.3 BIM Execution Plan........................................................................................................................................ 27
2.4 Interoperability .............................................................................................................................................. 29
2.5 Collaboration process .................................................................................................................................... 30
2.6 Summary ....................................................................................................................................................... 30
CHAPTER 3 ..................................................................................................................................... 31
3.1 Introduction: Background on BIM adoption .................................................................................................. 31
3.2 Review of global BIM adoption ..................................................................................................................... 31
3.2.1 Analysis: Topic of content .................................................................................................................... 32
Interoperability.............................................................................................................................................. 33
Role of responsibility ..................................................................................................................................... 33
Qualification of BIM professionals ................................................................................................................ 35
BIM project requirements ............................................................................................................................. 35
Level of Development ................................................................................................................................... 36
Operation and Maintenance ......................................................................................................................... 37
7
BIM Execution Plan ........................................................................................................................................ 37
Simulations .................................................................................................................................................... 37
3.2.2 Drivers: Efforts of public and private sectors for BIM adoption ........................................................... 37
United States ................................................................................................................................................. 38
United Kingdom ............................................................................................................................................. 38
Finland ........................................................................................................................................................... 38
Singapore....................................................................................................................................................... 38
Australia ........................................................................................................................................................ 39
India ............................................................................................................................................................... 39
3.2.3 Limitations: Diagnosed barriers for BIM implementation in India ....................................................... 42
User barriers .................................................................................................................................................. 42
Policy barriers ................................................................................................................................................ 42
Technological barriers ................................................................................................................................... 43
Practice barriers ............................................................................................................................................ 43
3.3 BIM Execution Plan........................................................................................................................................ 43
3.3.1 Overview: Defining a BIM Execution Plan ............................................................................................ 44
National Institute of Building Science (NIBS)................................................................................................. 44
General Services Administration (GSA) ......................................................................................................... 44
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ............................................................................................................ 44
Penn State University, College Station, PA .................................................................................................... 45
Architecture Engineering and Construction industry UK (AEC UK) ............................................................... 45
National Specifications (NATSPEC) Australia ................................................................................................. 45
Common BIM (COBIM) .................................................................................................................................. 46
Building Construction Authority .................................................................................................................... 46
3.3.2 Reviewing a BIM Execution Plan .......................................................................................................... 46
Estimating a critical success factor for an execution plan ............................................................................. 47
Contents of a BIM Execution Plan ................................................................................................................. 47
BIM Execution Plan overview ........................................................................................................................ 47
Project information ....................................................................................................................................... 47
Roles and responsibilities .............................................................................................................................. 48
Collaboration procedures .............................................................................................................................. 48
Information exchange ................................................................................................................................... 48
Infrastructure needs ...................................................................................................................................... 48
Model management ...................................................................................................................................... 48
Project Deliverables ...................................................................................................................................... 48
Planning template ......................................................................................................................................... 49
Nature of the plan ......................................................................................................................................... 49
Update procedure ......................................................................................................................................... 49
3.3.3 BIM Execution Plan Process Map ......................................................................................................... 49
Penn State ..................................................................................................................................................... 49
LACCD ............................................................................................................................................................ 49
COBIM ........................................................................................................................................................... 50
NATSPEC ........................................................................................................................................................ 50
3.4 Interoperability .............................................................................................................................................. 50
3.4.1 BuildingSMART ..................................................................................................................................... 51
OpenBIM ....................................................................................................................................................... 51
Industry Foundation Classes.......................................................................................................................... 52
Model View Definitions ................................................................................................................................. 54
Information Delivery Manual ........................................................................................................................ 54
International Framework for Dictionaries ..................................................................................................... 55
BuildingSMART: Data Model ......................................................................................................................... 56
8
Construction Operation Building information exchange .............................................................................. 56
3.4.2 Interoperability: An ideology ...................................................................................................................... 58
3.4.2.1 Standards for software interoperability ............................................................................................ 58
NIBS ............................................................................................................................................................... 58
Penn State ..................................................................................................................................................... 59
AEC UK ........................................................................................................................................................... 59
IFC .................................................................................................................................................................. 59
COBIE and gbXML .......................................................................................................................................... 61
3.5 Collaboration procedures .............................................................................................................................. 62
3.5.1 Types of collaborations ........................................................................................................................ 62
Team collaboration ....................................................................................................................................... 63
Organizational collaboration ......................................................................................................................... 63
Process collaboration .................................................................................................................................... 63
3.5.2 Model management ............................................................................................................................. 64
Model requirements ..................................................................................................................................... 64
Modeling responsibility ................................................................................................................................. 64
Modeling process .......................................................................................................................................... 65
Model contents ............................................................................................................................................. 65
Data management plan ................................................................................................................................. 65
3.6 Summary ....................................................................................................................................................... 66
CHAPTER 4 ..................................................................................................................................... 67
4.1 Research methodology: Overview of Workflow ............................................................................................ 67
4.1.1 Identifying case studies ........................................................................................................................ 68
4.1.2 Analysis of assessment ......................................................................................................................... 68
4.1.4 Comparing BIM Execution Plans ........................................................................................................... 68
4.1.6 Proposal: the final deliverables ............................................................................................................ 69
4.2 Case study: documentation / description of BIM implemented projects in India ......................................... 69
4.2.1 Case study 1: Aviation project .............................................................................................................. 70
4.2.2 Case study 2: Express highway project ................................................................................................. 70
4.2.3 Case study 3: Metro rail project ........................................................................................................... 71
4.3 Analysis of case study: results and conclusion .............................................................................................. 71
4.3.1 Result of analysis: Similarities identified during analysis .................................................................... 73
4.3.2 Result of analysis: Differences identified during analysis .................................................................... 74
4.3.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................ 77
4.4 Summary ....................................................................................................................................................... 78
CHAPTER 5 ..................................................................................................................................... 79
5.1 Introduction: Review of BIM Execution Planning guides ............................................................................... 79
5.2 Overview of the identified BIM standards ..................................................................................................... 79
5.2.1 University ............................................................................................................................................. 80
United States: Penn State University (PSU) ................................................................................................... 80
University of Southern California (USC) ........................................................................................................ 80
9
Georgia Tech (GT) .......................................................................................................................................... 81
Indiana University (IU) ................................................................................................................................... 81
Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) ......................................................................................... 81
5.2.2 Government ......................................................................................................................................... 82
General Services Administration (GSA) ......................................................................................................... 82
State of Ohio BIM Protocol............................................................................................................................ 82
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ..................................................................................................... 82
5.2.3 National ................................................................................................................................................ 82
National BIM Standards – United States (NBIMS-US) ................................................................................... 83
Common BIM (COBIM) .................................................................................................................................. 83
Building Construction Association (BCA) ....................................................................................................... 83
Australia: NATSPEC National BIM Guide (NATSPEC) ..................................................................................... 83
United Kingdom: AEC UK BIM Protocol ......................................................................................................... 84
5.3 Comparison of identified standards .............................................................................................................. 84
5.3.1 Content analysis ................................................................................................................................... 87
5.3.2 Organization analysis ............................................................................................................................ 89
5.3.3 Development analysis .......................................................................................................................... 90
5.4 Summary ....................................................................................................................................................... 90
CHAPTER 6 ..................................................................................................................................... 91
6.1 Overview of BIM Project Execution Plan (PxP) for India ................................................................................ 91
6.2 Table of Contents: Structuring a BIM Project Execution Plan (PxP) in India .................................................. 94
6.2.1 Sample BIM execution plans ................................................................................................................ 95
6.2.2 Structuring a BIM Project Execution Plan ........................................................................................... 101
6.3 BIM Project Execution Planning (PxP) Template ......................................................................................... 103
6.3.1 BIM Template document table of contents ....................................................................................... 103
6.4Adoption in India .......................................................................................................................................... 104
6.5 Summary ..................................................................................................................................................... 104
CHAPTER 7 ................................................................................................................................... 105
7.1 Five focus areas ........................................................................................................................................... 105
7.1.1 Importance of BIM adoption .............................................................................................................. 105
7.1.2 Review global BIM standards ............................................................................................................. 106
7.1.3 Methodology developed for identifying limitations in BIM adoption in India ................................... 106
7.1.4 Comparison of thirteen BIM Execution Plans ..................................................................................... 107
7.1.5 Proposal: Development of Project Execution Plan for India .............................................................. 108
7.2 Improving BIM Project Execution Plan ........................................................................................................ 108
7.2.1 Survey of AECO professionals ............................................................................................................. 108
7.2.2 Create case studies of more projects in India .................................................................................... 108
7.2.3 Develop a legally binding document .................................................................................................. 109
7.3 Future work ................................................................................................................................................. 109
7.3.1 Validate the developed BIM Project Execution Plan .......................................................................... 109
10
7.3.2 Create contract documents ................................................................................................................ 109
7.3.3 Create a BIM Execution Plan for the operations and maintenance industry ..................................... 109
7.3.4 Enhance BIM software interoperability ............................................................................................. 110
7.3.5 Hold BIM conferences ........................................................................................................................ 110
7.3.6 Create collaborations ......................................................................................................................... 110
7.3.7 Consider other benefits of BIM .......................................................................................................... 110
7.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 110
APPENDIX I – BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) .................................................................... 111
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................ 132
11
List of Figures
Fig 1-1: Timeline of BIM adoption globally ............................................................................................................... 16
Fig 1-2: Map showing the percentage BIM adoption globally .................................................................................... 17
Fig 2-1: Examples of discipline-based BIM requirement ............................................................................................ 21
Fig 2-2: Contents of a typical BIM standards guide .................................................................................................... 22
Fig 2-3: Table of contents from the National BIM guide for owner, United States (NBIMS-US 2017) ..................... 23
Fig 2-4: Table of contents from the National BIM guide for Owner, United States (NBIMS-US 2017) .................... 24
Fig 2-5: Set of documents offered by COBIM (Finland) for the different disciplines (COBIM 2012) ....................... 25
Fig 2-6: Set of documents offered for different disciplines by the Singapore BIM guide ........................................... 26
Fig 2-7: BIM standards common among different disciplines..................................................................................... 27
Fig 8-2: Stages of BIM Execution Plan ....................................................................................................................... 28
Fig 9-2: Developing a BIM Execution Plan ................................................................................................................ 29
Fig 3-1: BIM responsibility matrix from the Singapore BIM Guide, .......................................................................... 34
(Building Construction Authority 2013 ) ..................................................................................................................... 34
Fig 3-2: Level of Development for BIM modeling requirements ................................................................................ 36
(American Institute of Architects 2013) ...................................................................................................................... 36
Fig 3-3: BuildingSMART International topic of contents for software interoperability ............................................. 51
Fig 3-4: IFC data transfer between BIM software tools .............................................................................................. 52
Fig 3-5: Example of a 3D model and its associated IFC description (Kensek 2014) .................................................. 53
Fig 3-6: MVD data transfer between BIM software tools ........................................................................................... 54
Fig 3-7: MVD data transfer between BIM software tool ............................................................................................. 55
Fig 3-8: COBie information exchange worksheet (National BIM Standards UK 2018) ............................................. 56
Fig 3-9: COBie information for facility managers ...................................................................................................... 57
Fig 3-10:IFC data exchange for specific view ............................................................................................................. 60
Fig 3-11: Model exchange from construction stage to project handover stage for COBie requirements .................... 61
Fig 3-12: Difference between a non-BIM process and a BIM based process .............................................................. 62
Fig 4-1: Research methodology for BIM Execution Plan development ...................................................................... 67
Fig 4-2: Case study methodology ................................................................................................................................ 69
Fig 4-3: Analysis for interpreting BIM implementation in large infrastructure projects ............................................. 71
Fig 4-4: Data from case studies ................................................................................................................................... 72
Fig 4-5: Communication between the owner and the contractor ................................................................................. 72
Fig 4-6: Requirements of contractor based on owner’s expectations .......................................................................... 73
Fig 4-7: Case study analysis components .................................................................................................................... 73
Fig 4-8: Case Study 1 (aviation project) project owner’s requirement and project team deliverables ........................ 74
Fig. 4-9: Importance of establishing project requirements .......................................................................................... 74
Fig 4-10: Case Study 1 (aviation project) diagram highlighting the program for the project ...................................... 75
(Penn State University 2013) ....................................................................................................................................... 75
Fig 4-11: Case Study 1 (aviation project) diagram highlighting the program for the project ...................................... 76
(Penn State University 2013) ....................................................................................................................................... 76
Fig 4-12: Inference from case studies for standards development ............................................................................... 77
Fig 5-1: Identified BIM guides for studying BIM Execution Plan .............................................................................. 80
Fig 6-1: BIM uses for different project stage in India (RICS & KPMG 2014) ........................................................... 92
Fig 6-2: Main functional uses of BIM in India (RICS & KPMG 2014) ...................................................................... 93
Fig 6-3: Advantages of BIM regrading by respondents (RICS & KPMG 2014) ......................................................... 94
Fig 6-4: BIM Execution Plan (BxP) by Gonzalez Goodale Architects (GGA) ........................................................... 96
Fig 6-5: BIM Execution Plan (BxP) by Steinberg Hart ............................................................................................... 97
Fig 7-1: Methodology followed for research ............................................................................................................. 105
Fig 7-2: BIM Project Execution Plan Development process ..................................................................................... 107
12
List of Tables
TABLE 1: BIM Standards topic of contents for analysis ............................................................................................ 32
TABLE 2: Table comparing 13 BIM standards based on topic of content from table 1 ............................................. 41
TABLE 3: BIM Execution Plan comparison from different standards ........................................................................ 85
TABLE 4: Legend for TABLE 3 ................................................................................................................................ 86
TABLE 5: Table comparing the frequencies of topic of contents ............................................................................... 88
TABLE 6: Type of organization in India using BIM (RICS & KPMG 2014) ............................................................. 92
TABLE 7: Organizational BIM usage in India (RICS & KPMG 2014) ...................................................................... 93
TABLE 8: Intended BIM implementation by organizations in India (RICS & KPMG 2014) .................................... 93
TABLE 9: Ordering table of contents for Plan A and B .............................................................................................. 98
TABLE 10: Classification of common the topic of contents identified in Plan A and B ............................................ 99
TABLE 11: Commonly occurring components in a BIM Execution Plan ................................................................ 101
TABLE 12: Essential components identified from different BIM Execution Plans .................................................. 102
TABLE 13: Table of Content outlining the components included in the BIM Project Execution Plan .................... 103
13
CHAPTER 1
This chapter summarizes the need for standards development in India, defines BIM and BIM frameworks. Describes
the efforts of global nations and their contributions towards the implementation and adoption of BIM in the AECO
(architecture, engineering, construction and operation) industry highlighting the major drivers in each country for
establishing a standardized process for India.
1.1 Introduction: Need for standards development in India
In India, the construction industry is the second largest contributor to economic growth following the agriculture
industry and the highest employment generating sector in the country (RICS & KPMG 2014). Global reports on
construction predict that by 2030 Indian AECO industry will take over developed countries like China, Japan, and
Qatar to become the fastest growing contributor to the construction industry (RICS & KPMG 2014). The nation at
present is undergoing extensive infrastructure development that requires shifting from traditional design and
construction practices and techniques like 2D CAD drawings and unstandardized process to highly integrated process
involving collaboration and communication among various disciplines. Acknowledging the potential for growth, BIM
adoption is necessary for a developing nation like India. As much as there is high potential for BIM adoption, there
are equal or more barriers that are preventing the industry being benefitted by this advantageous technology. BIM is
more than simply a software tool or an alternative to the method of practice, it requires an overall reformation of the
function of an organization.
BIM adoption will bring significant and consistent change to the relationship among participants that will blend the
roles and responsibilities together for a highly integrated process. Despite the advantageous benefits of using BIM for
having a highly collaborative and coordinated process, the present overview of the status of India’s BIM adoption
portrays challenges encountered by the industry such as the absences of legal framework, lack of collaborative
environment, and undefined roles and responsibilities (RICS & KPMG 2014). BIM is a radical technology, to keep in
pace with this process crucial alterations in traditional practices must be made. Efforts for framework development,
interoperability and collaboration issues should be resolved and to incorporate early adoption.
1.2 Building Information Modeling
Building Information Modeling involves the process of creating and maintaining a digital model of a building
throughout its life cycle with information from every stage of the project (NBIMS-US 2017). BIM is a 3d model-
based tool providing tools for planning, designing, constructing, and managing buildings, which contains both
graphical and non-graphical data that integrates the information to a dataset. When a change is made during the
process in the model, the change is automatically reflected in the entire model improving the flow of information,
better design visualization, improved cost estimation, energy analysis, and the building history for facility
management. Therefore, the adoption of BIM from the early stages, forces extensive collaboration and coordination
among participants from various industries to communicate with each other to reduce the risk and time involved during
the process (NBIMS-US 2017). The primary thought behind BIM is the interdependence of all the disciplines within
the AECO industry which is an outcome of an unobstructed collaboration among all the participants. BIM is not just
about the technology it is also about the users, it is the liability of the user to fully utilize the opportunity available and
decide on how to engage BIM for attaining maximum benefits (Jung and Joo 2010) (Wu, Mayo, et al. 2018).
14
1.3 BIM frameworks
Over the years the AECO industry has continuously strived to add value and effectiveness to projects throughout its
lifecycle by stressing on the importance of information systems (IS) (Jung and Joo 2010). However, in the AECO
industry IS are subjective to a specific discipline which makes it difficult to gather, manage, and integrate the available
data. Developing a framework for managing and deploying information at the required stage will facilitate effective
use of the IS. A framework is defined as a conceptual structure of ideas, a systematic set of relationship or a system
(Merriam-Webster Inc, 1986). The objective for designing a framework is to tie the IS to the process in an attempt to
improve communication of shared knowledge of issues, assist in research efforts, and to implement strategic planning.
Developing a framework also helps in understanding that the effective use of an IS provides perspective to resource
management and avoiding mismanaging which results in delay and loss of expenses.
BIM has been a revolution in the AECO industry for decades now; it is seen as the bridge connecting the gaps that
exist within the disciplines in the industry (Jung and Joo 2010). Regardless, there has been insufficient attempts to
develop a framework guiding the professionals in educating and implementing these concepts in order to evaluate
promising areas and to identify factors for practical application in the real world. The swift expansion of BIM usage
in leading economies including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia has resulted in increasing the
need for assistants in sustaining the momentum for growth and development in the global AECO industry. With the
thriving demand for BIM deliverables, large number of companies are urged to adopted the BIM practice and recruit
employees with knowledge, skills, and ability in this trending field. The deficiency in understanding and implementing
the technology, process, and policy underlines the obligation to form a framework to address specific intellectual task
required for a project (Wu, Mayo, et al. 2018)
Project teams are responsible for identifying the goals and uses achieved by employing BIM and the process for
satisfying these goals which will be included in the contract documents. In order to effectively develop BIM strategy
documents, BIM adoption reports, data exchange standards, model-based collaboration protocols, and the BIM
knowledge contained in these documents have to be precisely analyzed to contemplate the true benefit and intended
use of these developments. The BIM Knowledge Content (BKC) taxonomy from BIM frame works includes three
knowledge content clusters: guides, protocols, standards and BIM Execution Plan (Kassem , Succar and Dawood
2013). The three knowledge contents vary from one another in their purpose and goals, level of standardization, scope,
maturity level, and technology requirements. The adoption and implementation of the contents are decided according
to the context, goals, scope of different organizations or for a specific project. Guidelines, protocols, standards, and
the BIM execution plan are important.
1.3.1 Guidelines
Guidelines are described as explanatory and discretional document which an organization can use to explain
goals, uses, and process specific to a project or as a baseline for a collective number of projects. Guidelines
are an outline for process development and not a procedure that will result in satisfying goals or completing
a task (Kassem , Succar and Dawood 2013). For example, guidelines on modeling can be about the model
syncing procedures which guides the team members to properly sync single user model to the central model
which can be accessed by the rest of the team members. The time for each sync can be decided by the project
teams at their convenience. Experts believe that BIM is a field of enormous opportunities and there is always
more than one way to complete a single task using BIM. Therefore, describing guidelines on how to use a
software to identify a faster and efficient method is useful for more wider adoption of the technology.
15
1.3.2 Protocols
Protocols are described as dictatorial and discretional document which an organization can use to provide
detailed instruction or direction to achieve goals or deliver a measurable outcome. However, protocols are
not mandatory unless stated by the organization as a standard (Kassem , Succar and Dawood 2013). Protocols
are similar to guidelines; the difference is that protocols are framed and used by organizations on a mutually
agreed term. For example, the file format for submission (e.g. Revit 2018 file) can be decided before
exchange. The responsibilities of the receiving team to convert the model from its native format to the
required format can be mutually decided at the initiation of the project.
1.3.3 Standards
Standards are mandatory documents or processes that are described as discretional and dictated by an
authority. They establish rules to how the task or goal has to be achieved by the teams, in some cases the
standards explain what, how, when and who has to complete the task to deliver the project (Kassem , Succar
and Dawood 2013). Standards are formal policies that are addressed to a wider audience and serve as a
backbone for existing guidelines or protocols. A typical example of a BIM standard will be the specification
for using a certain software for performing the required task for instance the use of Revit 2018 must be used
for design development and documentation.
1.3.4 BIM Execution Plan
It is critical to understand the necessity to identify the aspects of a BIM Execution Plan (BxP) for
implementing principles and practice for clearly communicating the project goals with all the team members.
BxP is an overview map developed in steps with a set of fundamental rules for BIM coordination, modeling
procedures, data exchange, contract structure, deliverable requirements, information technology
infrastructure, and criteria for team selection (The Computer Intergrated Construction Research Group 2010).
They allow designers, engineers, contractors, manufactures and other contributors to communicate and
collaborate efficiently, by doing so the team identifies potential setbacks and errors in the BIM process early
in the process and facilitates problem solving. For example, an execution plan is regarded as a document
which outlines the important information of the project such as BIM goals, project information, strategies,
and modeling requirements. A case study of a project in Taiwan has shown that the use of an execution plan
during the facilities management stage effectively helped with the management of the project (Ramirez-
Saenz, et al. 2018). The process of building design and construction involves numerous steps and tasks, for
a project of any scale having a BxP will substantially decrease the risk of executing a process with a lot of
uncertainty. Usually a BxP is prepared before the initiation of a project, therefore it requires the project team
to get involved with one another which will stimulate communication of ideas, resolution of issues and
foreseeing possible problems. Hence, a project with a BxP will certainly be greatly benefitted than one
without it.
1.4 BIM Implementation and Adoption
BIM is a field of extensive opportunity as well as limitations, as the industry is evolving rapidly the professionals must
prepare to deliver more practical services. The level of maturity for implementation and adoption of BIM is
considerably low acknowledging the amount of time the technology has been relevant to the industry (Smith 2014).
However, globally a number of countries have established legal protocols and standards for BIM implementation and
encouraging adoption. It is important to note that support from the government bodies and industry leaders have been
the key drivers for implementation and adoption of BIM technology (fig 1-1). The percentage of BIM adoption
indicates the different stages of BIM advancement in different countries (fig 1-2).
16
Fig 1-1: Timeline of BIM adoption globally
17
Fig 1-2: Map showing the percentage BIM adoption globally
1.4.1 BIM Adoption by Country
United States
The United States has been regarded the highest and most valuable contributor to the national and the global
BIM industry (Kassem , Succar and Dawood 2013). BIM advancement in the country started in the early is
majorly contributed by government agencies, industry bodies, and local authorities that have been
continuously identifying areas in the industry that need development in the form of guidelines and mandates
(fig 1-1). The US BIM implementation and adoption strategies primary focus are on contractors and project
managers. It explains in detail the project deliverables, requirements and process (Kassem , Succar and
Dawood 2013). The National Institute for Building Sciences (NIBS) BIM publications tends to have a more
comprehensive approach for BIM integration, therefore it serves as a precedent for many organizations.
NIBS include strategies for issues concerning implementation, collaboration and BIM maturity levels for
execution evaluation. In the US, the General Services Administration (GSA), which is responsible for the
construction and operation of all federal buildings, has initiated the establishment of BIM implementation in
public projects and BIM for spatial program validation is a mandate for all public projects since 2007 (Smith
2014). The US BIM publications are observed for the appropriate distribution among standards, protocols
and guidelines which outlines the workflow strategies, project lifecycle assessment, contractual, and
procurement requirements.
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom’s efforts for conceiving an advantageous construction industry has driven the nation to
constantly deliver strategies and discharge BIM policies for effective growth and development (HM
Government 2012) (fig 1-1). As an action of underlining the urgency to adopt the BIM practice in the AECO
industry, the UK government has published the Government Construction Strategy (GSC) which stresses
upon the demand for guidelines for involving supply chain members to function through the BIM process.
The aim to revolutionize the UK construction industry to become a global leader in the BIM world in a
relatively short period of time is thought as the most ambitious and advanced implementation strategy in the
world (Smith 2014). BIM Task Groups for industry, government, institutional and academic was formed to
integrate effective strategies (Kassem , Succar and Dawood 2013). The UK BIM publication is formed on
the basis of three major milestones Level 1 2d/3d collaboration, Level 2 BIM based collaboration, and Level
3 integrated web service environment. The British Standards Institute (BST) generated a procedure to collect,
manage, distribute and quality check the data required for the construction industry. The process for legal
procurements and integrating BIM protocols in contract documents are addressed in the British BIM
guidelines. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is recognized for its significant contribution
towards diagnosing requirements during different stages of a project in their “Outline Plan of Work.” In spite
of a large number of publications present in the nation the deliverables are similar and duplicated among
various organizations (Smith 2014).
Denmark
The Danish building industry is among the first few nations to progressively engage in BIM development
and implementation, they released their first version of BIM guidelines was published in 2007 (Kassem ,
Succar and Dawood 2013) (fig 1-1). A lot of investments have been made to information technology, this
was to constantly tie data to the process and to prioritize collaboration strategies (Mohammad , Succar and
Dawood 2015). Mandates are a requirement for large scale buildings in the public sectors to domesticate
latest approaches. The habitual focus on analysis for developing mandates and protocols signifies the steady
advancement in the field. Most of the BIM development is driven by the Danish government, which shows
the importance of the government bodies in BIM leadership development as one successful model. Hence,
the outcome of this is that the public sector projects use electronic submission systems, web based project
data exchange, and comply with IFC standards for promoting OpenBIM (see section 3.3.1). BIM
development is evenly spread across standards, protocols, and guidelines; however, they are still missing a
number of parts like the workflow procedures, and procurement details (Kassem , Succar and Dawood 2013).
Finland
The Finnish AECO industry, has seen considerable commitment in BIM adoption with the public and private
sectors (Kassem , Succar and Dawood 2013) . Both the public and private sectors work together to bring up
BIM pilot projects for BIM implementation (fig 1-1). The Finnish government have been highly supportive
of IFC and have made it a requirement for federal projects to start using Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)
a platform for AECO industry professionals to engage in a collaborative environment. The Finnish BIM
standards documents records multi-volume discipline specific BIM guidelines known as common BIM or
COBIM with fundamentals about digital modeling. Regardless of the multi-volume Finnish publications it is
identified to have a number of gaps in data exchange, contractual documentation, assessment tools, workflow
procedures (Kassem , Succar and Dawood 2013).
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Singapore
In Singapore, the public and the private sectors collaborate with each other through entities like Building and
Construction Authority (BCA) and Construction and Real Estate Network (CORENET) to strategically lead
the industry to BIM adopting and implementation (Kassem , Succar and Dawood 2013). Both the entities
have provided considerable efforts to assist in BIM development in the nation since 2011 (fig 1-1). The BCA,
an agency under the Ministry of National Development, creates awareness among users through workshops,
training programs. Considering the scale, the BCA sets mandates requirements for projects. The CORENET,
has established a BIM specific e-Submission System (eSS) for seamless data exchange that encourages the
use of IFC. The Singapore BIM publications has precedents from the Penn State Guide for BIM Execution
Plan. However, there is still an absence of BIM assessment tools, capability measurement, and workflow
procedures (Kassem , Succar and Dawood 2013).
Australia
The Australian BIM industry has presented impressive developments in the BIM field even while the rate of
diffusion of mandates and protocols have been considerably low (Kassem , Succar and Dawood 2013). The
focus of BIM publications in many reports has been on examining the advantages, risk, and limitations
regarding the BIM employment in the industry. While there are insufficient detailed protocols, the collective
argument among the industry experts recognizes the absence of BIM workflow and overview map of the
process. To effectively engage BIM with the industry, a number of organizations were formed such as
development of national BIM guide by the National Specification (NATSPEC), National Guidelines for
Digital Modeling by the Corporate Research Center for Construction Innovation (CRC-CI), the Australian
and New Zealand Revit Standards (ANZRS) and the BIM-MEPAUS guidelines and models (Smith 2014).
The BuildingSMART (See section 3.3.1) organization has greatly influenced the Australian BIM industry by
steadily monitoring and implementing strategies, which lead to the formation of Open BIM Alliance of
Australia inviting software vendors for promoting the concept of OpenBIM.
India
BIM implementation in India is still under development, and is in its experimental stage compared to the
developed countries specific to establishments and maturity levels (Smith 2014). The nations construction
industry is considered as the second largest growing economy, with enormous potential for BIM adoption.
Larger construction companies are operating for international clients and engage in BIM for private projects
in parts and not in wider scale. The public sector is yet to be seriously influenced by BIM, some of the barriers
for restricted practice are lack of awareness, required skill sets, and expensive initial investments. However,
efforts are underway for building an Indian BIM Association (IBIMA).
1.5 Summary
BIM is regarded as the revolutionary tool for a digital transformation for the AECO industry. Acknowledging the
rapid transformation and urge to move towards a digital process presents the need for a standardized practice. Many
countries have understood the significant demand for practicing BIM through the use of guidelines, protocols or
standards for establishing an informed process. The global BIM adoption is in different stages of standards
development for different countries and are highly influenced by government and non-profit organizations through
fixed mandates to ensure the practice of a guided process. Realizing the immense growth, the Indian AECO industry
is experiencing and the barriers identified for BIM implementation by the Indian BIM Association (IBIMA) portrays
the requirement for a BIM standard specific to the needs of the Indian industry.
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CHAPTER 2
This chapter summarizes the introduction to BIM standards, constituents of a BIM standard such as the BIM Execution
Plan, interoperability and collaboration process.
2.1 Introduction to BIM standards
BIM has extended massive contributions to help computerize the process of design, construction, and operation of a
facility. Acknowledging the progress achieved through this transformation, many government and private sectors
around the globe are encouraging the practice of a standardized process (Keenliside 2015). This process of
standardization ties policy, technology, and the people involved in the practice together for establishing a cognitive
and a collaborative environment. The aim for digitalizing the process is to employ BIM for constructing an accurate
digital model of the facility with real time data inputs.
The digital representation of a facility is the product of a computer-based model that is used for virtually viewing,
testing, and modifying for better project outcomes. To achieve maximum benefit from a digitalized process, a steady
and definite framework for the process is recommended. The recommended framework supports to operate as the base
for executing an informed process. A BIM standard is a type of framework that includes determined set of instructions,
directions, or orders that are required to be adhered while integrating BIM in the process. As mentioned in the previous
chapter, many countries have published standards specific to their practice and industry requirements. In general, a
complete standard is a document outlining the purpose for creating the standard along with a process model for
implementing the determined set of instructions, directions, or orders for a BIM based project. BIM standards exists
in various formats depending on the BIM uses and discipline wise requirements. Standards are often created by
governmental and non-profit organizations; the industry practitioners use these standards as precedents for developing
a tailored document that will be suitable for a specific project or the firm’s practice as a whole.
BIM has the potential to be employed in various stages of the project and by various disciplines, therefore, the plan
for execution differs within disciplines and among disciplines such as architecture, construction, and facilities
management. Hence, every individual discipline involved in the process develops a unique plan for performing the
task. However, the whole process from design through construction involves a multidisciplinary approach; therefore,
the final document should describe an integrated workflow of all the processes included. The development and
application of a common BIM standard is an effort to mend the fragmented approach existing in the industry.
2.2 BIM standard: An interpretation of its constituents
BIM standards are formulated by experts in the field from national and international organizations with an intention
to guide and put forward an informed and tested approach for a BIM based practice. BIM tools have been relevant
and used by the professionals in the industry for various tasks; however, the methods of implementation for the same
tools differs greatly within the industry. To avoid unintended and ignorant practice of the technology, standards are
published with methods to engage in the proper use of the tools. BIM is a collaborative field involving different
disciplines such as architects, engineers, contractors, manufactures, facility managers, and project owners. Even
though the process is collaborative in the larger picture with the continuous merging of disciplines, each discipline is
entitled with specific expectations. For instance, the construction manager is expected to produce the exact quantities
of materials used for the construction. Therefore, guidelines on scheduling and estimation using BIM have to be
particularly followed by the construction managers. Likewise, there are modeling guidelines (e.g. level of development
of a model) for the architects which they have the follow while creating 2D drawings and 3D models of the building.
As a result, there are different guidelines for the different disciplines for using the same BIM technology.
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2.2.1 Focus group: users of the BIM standards
BIM is a multidisciplinary field collectively offering solutions to issues that are existing in individual
disciplines and the industry as a whole (Fig 2-1). Likewise, BIM standards are developed and published by
various organizations concentrating on a specific discipline or a common execution plan summarizing all the
tasks to be execute based on the specific project’s requirements. However, in both the cases, the specific
discipline is clearly mentioned along with the responsibilities entitled to the role; this is to make it evident
for the application of the appropriate standards based on the user group.
Fig 2-1: Examples of discipline-based BIM requirement
2.2.2 Table of Contents: Structuring of a BIM standard
The contents of a BIM standard are organized under sections highlighting each stage of the process (Fig 2-
2). Depending on the discipline addressed, the contents of the standards vary in description and detail.
22
Fig 2-2: Contents of a typical BIM standards guide
In a BIM standard, the contents are arranged in a methodological order to guide the user in using the document
with a systematic approach. The contents discussed in the standards document are presented with an example
or a sample model for clear understanding of the suggested method. BIM standards differ based on the
requirements for different disciplines. The table of contents of the National BIM Standards for owners
(NBIMS) is taken as an example to demonstrate the structuring of contents for a specific discipline (Fig 2-3
& 2-4). The entire document is divided into sections for guiding the user of the document, who can owner of
the project, about the various stages that they have to be familiar with. To mention a few, the guide discusses
the responsibilities of a project owner in establishing BIM goals for the project, electing representatives for
the owner, how the design teams have to collaborate, and the infrastructure needs like the software and
hardware to be used by the project teams (NBIMS-US 2017).
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Fig 2-3: Table of contents from the National BIM guide for owner, United States (NBIMS-US 2017)
24
Fig 2-4: Table of contents from the National BIM guide for Owner, United States (NBIMS-US 2017)
25
However, BIM standards like the COBIM of Finland (Fig 2-5) and Singapore BIM Guide by BCA (Fig 2-6)
are an entire set of standards with separate documents covering all the disciplines in the AECO industry. In
general, the guides being with an executive summary that offers an abstract of the standards. BIM standards
developed by any organization includes a description outlining the purpose and scope for publishing the
standard; this provides the user of the standard an understanding of the application of the document. The
standard describes the process of defining BIM requirements, team roles and responsibilities, BIM project
execution planning, and managing a projects requirement and deliverables. Infrastructure and standards are
discussed to identify technology requirements such as software and hardware needs for completing the BIM
related tasks.
Fig 2-5: Set of documents offered by COBIM (Finland) for the different disciplines (COBIM 2012)
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Fig 2-6: Set of documents offered for different disciplines by the Singapore BIM guide
Usually, as standards include terms that may not be familiar to the user, a glossary section including all the
new terminologies and definitions are included. The main purpose of a standard is to aid in establishing a
systematic procedure for achieving maximum benefits. Hence, reference documents for use containing the
suggested methods are provided for practitioners for easy implementation of the standards. Additionally, to
providing a suggested process flow, the BIM standards document is arranged in a specific order. This
underlines the sequence by simplifying he processes with a methodological compilation of contents. The
users of the guide perceive the idea of an integrated process by interpreting the contents of a well compiled
document. Often there are overlapping and common contents irrespective of the discipline (Fig 2-7). Some
of the essential contents that are prevalent among all disciplines are the BIM Execution Plans (BxP) (Section
2.2), Interoperability (Section 2.3) and Collaboration procedures (Section 2.4)
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Fig 2-7: BIM standards common among different disciplines
2.3 BIM Execution Plan
It is essential that every project has a transparent process with all the participants being aware of their roles,
responsibilities, and the plan for executing the responsibilities. For performing a cognizant process, a BIM Execution
Plan (BxP) is prepared as a document by all the disciplines involved in the project. The BIM Execution Plan (BxP) is
also referred by different terms, namely Project Execution Plan (PEP) and BIM Execution Plan (BEP). A BxP is a
document which is valuable and necessary for any new or renovation project for confirming that the participants are
on track and working towards the same goals. A BxP can be considered to be a rule book for team members and can
be referred at any stage of the project. The contents of a BxP differs depending on the disciplines scope of work. By
way of example, an architects BxP will exclusively include modeling requirements in various design stages (project
planning, schematic design, detailed design, contract documents) outlining the followed layering and grouping
properties of model elements (object wise and level wise), project file naming structures and software requirements
along with coordinate followed for measurements.
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Ideally, a BxP is prepared at the beginning of the project along with the information from various disciplines like the
level of detail, software and exchange requirements. this also acts as a pre-contract document. To accommodate
changes and alterations to the process a new BxP is prepared each time a change is made to the previously decided
plan for execution (Fig 8-2).
Fig 8-2: Stages of BIM Execution Plan
Therefore, while creating a BxP the various stages a project team is required to complete is listed along with the
specific task, people responsible for completing the task and other particular requirements like software guidelines are
mentioned in the document. For instance, a BIM MEP team would need a section of the BxP to discuss the number of
times the BIM model from an architect or a structural engineer has to be checked for clash of building elements with
MEP elements along with the people responsible for detecting and resolving the clashes. Since the process of building
design is subjected to change due to various reasons like change in design of the building, software issues or people
removed or added to the team, these changes must be reflected in the BxP. Therefore, the BxP has to be updated and
shared among all the project participants whenever a change is made to the existing BxP. At the start of a new project
it is vital to have a process map indicating the important mile-stones that have to be completed to satisfy project
requirements specific to particular stages. Each project team like the design, engineers and construction team will have
its own execution plan, the owners plan will be the summarized version of the BxP from different teams highlighting
important tasks regarding the overall process of the project (Fig 9-2).
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Fig 9-2: Developing a BIM Execution Plan
2.4 Interoperability
Construction can be difficult to manage partly if the methods for interaction among various disciplines are not well
planned, lack details in the scope of work, and are not clear in the choice of software tools to be used and data exchange
procedures. Coordination and collaboration difficulties depend on many factors which includes the competencies of
people who are collaborating, software tools being used which will affect the data exchange process. As the project
progresses towards completion, the level of these difficulties will also increase. BIM is conceived to be the tool which
helps in analyzing the requirement of information in a structured manner. BIM is the process and the tools used to
perform the process are enormous; hence, the method and practice of employing the tools differs from team to team.
Therefore, there are issues while working with different BIM software as the operating system or the programming is
not the same for all the software. The utilization of different BIM tools rises the issue of software interoperability,
which is critical for a BIM based project while aiming for maximum accuracy. Interoperability is a term that defines
the level of communication between software tools. BIM interoperability is described as the efficiency of a BIM
software to import and export data that another software programs can use. Achieving interoperability is the
responsibility of both the software developer and the user of the software tool. In BIM, software interoperability has
been one of the most restraining factors for the wide spread of the process of adoption next to the lack of required skill
set for carrying out a BIM practice. Some of the reasons for restrained use of BIM due to software interoperability are
data loss during transfer, difference in object geometry during translation, and files with different file formats in which
they are encoded.
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2.5 Collaboration process
The traditional method of building design and construction involves a fragmented collaboration procedure, were the
communication is mostly single way. Collaboration procedures should be decided before project initiation including
team meetings, meetings with different teams, meeting location, updates from previous meetings, and future plans
have to be discussed for establishing an informed process. A BIM based collaboration involves models and
information that are being fed to the model. BIM collaboration also provides insights about project growth, for
example, when an architect exchanges the 3D model to the construction manager for 4D BIM, which is used for
simulating construction sequencing for determining the timeline for construction. The collaborative process allows
teams to work on a centralized model that connects the teams through a cloud-based server by assigning tasks for
individual members. This is helpful for preventing loss of work as it is connected to the web and synced at regular
intervals. By working on a synchronized model, members of different teams are aware of the task executed by the
other teams. For example, the interior design team can co-work on the architect’s model by clearly delineating the
approved phases of design of the building through what is referred as Model Collaboration System (MCS). MCS is
the process of integrating the different models created by different teams for a specific task in the project. Along with
an integrated process that includes interaction among the participants, the process ties the data inbuilt in each model
to other corresponding models. To ensure no data loss a systematic approach to collaboration has to be followed. BIM
based collaboration happens in three stages: team based, organization based, and process based (See section 3). Every
stage is critical as data flows throughout the process. Data interruption or data loss will upset the decisions and plans
initially agreed. Hence, collaboration is the procedure which enables making early decisions and allows the project to
keep up time by avoiding unintended surprises.
2.6 Summary
The practice of BIM requires changes in existing methods and adapting to new technologies. In order to make changes
to the existing methods for accommodating BIM, a clear understanding of BIM standards is important. A BIM standard
is a framework consisting of required guidelines for executing a task using a software, ensuring a guided
transformation for the practitioners. Even though BIM is a collaborative practice that brings together the members of
the AECO industry, the guide or standards for practice is different for each discipline based on the kind of work being
executed. Each discipline has a BIM standard specific to its work published by different organizations around the
world. However, there are topics like the BxP, software interoperability and collaboration processes that have common
importance among the disciplines.
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CHAPTER 3
This chapter discusses the background on BIM adoption and the review of global BIM adoption in the US, the UK,
Finland, Singapore, Australia and India. The importance of a BIM Execution Plan, software interoperability and
collaborative practices are discussed for highlighting the importance of an integrated process.
3.1 Introduction: Background on BIM adoption
BIM adoption has been relevant since the early 2000’s. researchers and professionals educated in BIM technology
regard this field as a solution for mitigating issues concerning the process of design, construction, and operation of a
building (Jung and Lee 2015) . Considering BIM as a critical tool for evaluation and problem solving, practitioners
and researchers have acknowledged the importance to determine the level of BIM adoption in the industry. The level
of BIM adoption is being constantly monitored and evaluated in different countries. SmartMarket (Jung and Lee 2015).
Report has published a series of reports since 2007 on rate of adoption, followed by NBS (National BIM Standards
UK) reports, BIM surveys, and other global reports have published national and international status of BIM adoption.
These reports have been identified to have similar content for conducting survey analysis, the commonly used indexes
are knowledge on BIM, level of implementation, frequently employed software tools, and recognizing the value of
BIM in the future.
Theories on evaluation of adoption level have been employed to understand the maturity and potential of a technology,
the most extensively used theory for this purpose is the Hype Cycle model originated in 1995 (Jung and Lee 2015) .
The model describes that during the initial stage of adoption the industry creates the needed attention, leading to
presumed unrealistic expectations from the technology. This may result in reducing the demand and potential of the
technology. However, the final stage describes that due to the presences of tolerant users the limitations are controlled
achieving maximum potential and benefit. In order to know the users of the technology, the technology diffusion
model will be applicable. As this model sorts the users into five categories: innovators, early adopters, early majority,
late majority, and laggards. The final index is to test the potential of technology, which is done through assessing the
BIM services, further classified into primary and secondary BIM services. This stage explains the BIM uses such as
modeling, cost estimation, phase planning, programming, 3D control, system analysis, etc.
3.2 Review of global BIM adoption
Construction companies, private organizations, public authorities, and government departments around the globe
necessitate the need for BIM adoption into the industry as they exhibit realization to comprehend the benefits BIM
offers for owners, designers, contractors, and facility users (Edirisinghe and London 2015). Although, the adoption
of BIM by professionals in the industry does not assure guaranteed value to the project unless collaboration efforts
are established. To abet and assist project members for compiling a comprehensive guide or manual, many countries
have published BIM guides for encouraging complete adoption for valuable project outcomes see section 3.1).
Mandating the process of adoption through contracts has been the effort of many countries. Government departments
promote BIM through a regulatory framework which are commonly descriptive in nature such as the guideline and
some are prescriptive like the protocols. To incorporate BIM technology as a process the project owners produce BIM
protocols customized to each project or organization, instructing how the services are carried out using BIM. Finally,
during the contractual stage these protocols are produced in documents as mandates on mutual understanding among
the involved parties.
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3.2.1 Analysis: Topic of content
BIM standards discuss an extensive range of issues that are relevant to the process of implementing BIM
technology (Eastman, et al. 2008). Every country, organization, or project is distinguished with a unique set
of requirements and preferred practice methodologies. While the requirements for using BIM can be specific
to a particular organization or project, the standards for executing the intended task can be similar. For
example, a project that focuses on the operation and maintenance of the building after construction using
BIM has to follow BIM standards addressing responsibilities of a facilities manager, whereas for a project
which focuses on the construction management will follow standards for project management strategies along
with responsibilities of a contractor and his team. However different the requirement can be for a project
depending on its use of BIM, there are similar standards which are common to the general BIM practice
irrespective of the discipline or the organization that developed the standard. But, the method of resolution,
and utilization of terminologies are labeled to be diverse. Standards addressing similar issue with different
titles were identified to divulge the suggested process in different countries and to verify the analogous intent
across various published standards. For instance, some of the topics with its corresponding subcomponents
that have been identified that occur in BIM standards (Sacks, Gurevich and Shrestha 2016) (TABLE 1). The
numbers correspond to the specific topic and indicates its occurrence and the color indicates the level of
detail of each identified topic (TABLE 2).
TABLE 1: BIM Standards topic of contents for analysis
BIM Topic of contents BIM Standards subcomponents
Interoperability IFC 1
Interoperability practice 2
Software specified 3
Roles & responsibilities Responsibility matrix 1
BIM team members 2
BIM manager 3
Collaboration procedures Information exchange People collaboration
Process map 1 Key project contact A
Information exchange worksheet 2 Team meetings B
Model delivery format 3 Collaboration &
communication strategy
C
Qualification of BIM team BIM proficiency matrix 1
BIM requirements BIM uses 1
BIM implementation in Project Life Cycle (PLC) 2
Modeling standards Level of Development (LOD) 1
Model management 2
Operation & Maintenance COBie worksheet 1
Facility management data 2
BIM Execution Plan Process 1
Simulations Energy analysis 1
Clash detections 2
4D simulations 3
Cost analysis 4
Others 5
Legend Detailed
Some detail
Few detail
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Interoperability
BIM is a conventional approach for an integrated process involving professionals from various disciplines.
To ensure complete data transfer from one stage to another, standards specify the requirements as to how the
task is to be completed so that there is an interrupted flow and to avoid data loss during the process. To
initiate good practice model development strategies, file exchange procedures, software, and hardware
compatibility are important requirements that should be discussed between disciplines for avoiding
unexpected fallouts in the project. Since BIM is a process of integrating project participants from different
disciplines of the AECO industry, software interoperability which allows the exchange of models with other
members of the project without much data loss is also noted as OpenBIM by BuildingSMART International
(see section 3.3.1) (buildingSMART 2018), data security and saving by the Singapore BIM Guide (Building
Construction Authority 2013 ), or exchange requirements among different standards. For example, the
contractor might want to use the model that the architect has developed but is using different software. In
that case both the parties have to decide the software that will be used during design development and the
file exchange formats.
Role of responsibility
Incorporating BIM in the process can be meticulous even though the technology can be familiar amongst the
participants in the project. It is judicious to assign responsibilities on particular tasks for project members to
be aware of their role in completing a task. Guidelines suggest appointing BIM manager to oversee the
process and members with designated roles of responsibilities under each task. Confirming roles for
completing task improves work flow and determines the point of contact regarding each assignment.
Designating roles and responsibility to members has been addressed using titles such as BIM objectives and
responsibility matrix by the Singapore BIM Guide and BIM implementation team guidelines by BIM
planning guide for facility owners by Penn State University (Penn State University 2013). The BIM
responsibility matrix in the Singapore BIM Guide from the conceptual to the facilities management (FM)
stage includes the respective BIM project objective to be completed at a particular and the project members
from the respective disciplines (Building Construction Authority 2013 ) (Fig 3-1).
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Fig 3-1: BIM responsibility matrix from the Singapore BIM Guide,
(Building Construction Authority 2013 )
35
Collaboration procedures
The practice of BIM as a technology will be efficient only when the efforts and requirements of one discipline
is effectively conveyed to another throughout the process (see section 3.4). Collaboration is one of the
primary goals for success through BIM application. Data transfer and interaction between project participants
are mentioned in standards for highlighting the value of a collaborative venture and the consequences when
collaboration is futile. In general, collaboration is emphasized as to how the project participants interact with
each other within an organization and outside of the organization. Standards procedure for meetings, and
communication are established for coordination efforts. Collaboration in a BIM practice takes place in three
stages team level: organizational level and process level (see section 3.4). Collaboration process is also
referred as collaboration standards by National BIM Guide (NATSPEC) and collaborative BIM working
(AEC UK 2012 )
Qualification of BIM professionals
Since BIM is a highly innovative and rapidly growing field it is necessary to identify the competencies of
professionals working in an organization or a project. The identification or classification of competencies is
particularly important as this helps in attaining maximum benefits by employing trained professionals for
completing a task. However, to measure the competencies of a BIM professional is not a straightforward
process. One of the ways to identify competency is through the years of experience with a specific software
tool. For this reason, two guides (Indiana University and NBIMS-US) have developed a comprehensive
worksheet to test or identify the competencies of BIM professionals in an organization. The worksheet
consists of topics such as modeling accuracy, construction and as-built data integration and organizational
skills like team collaborations (NBIMS-US 2017). Another classification of BIM professional is currently
under development by the Academic Interoperability Coalition (AiC) defining identifying the foundational
knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) to meet the requirements of workplace BIM job, practice, and to
performance the state-of-the-art innovations (Wu, ASCE, et al. 2018). The primary coordinator’s designation
title is referred using different names, such as Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) manager, BIM
champion, BIM director, BIM manager and/or BIM specialist (Wu, ASCE, et al. 2018).
BIM project requirements
The BIM project requirements part of the document is one of the most important components of a BIM
standard as this supports in breaking down the exact BIM requirements of a project (Penn State University
2013). The requirements of BIM are broadly classified into two ways where the document either cover the
projects BIM requirements over its life-cycle outlining all the tasks involved over the projects life-cycle. On
the other hand, some guides only discuss the particular BIM use preformed differently in each stage like the
modeling guidelines for the architects and the structural designers (Penn State University 2013). However,
in both the cases the natural progression of the projects starts from pre-design, schematic design, detailed
design, construction documentation, post-completion documentation and ends in facility management (Penn
State University 2013). In addition to the basic BIM requirements for the projects some guides like NBIMS-
US, COBIM and NATSPEC suggest building simulation analysis like energy, clash detections, construction
sequencing, and life cycle simulations for a high-performance building.
36
Level of Development
To achieve the satisfactory outcome of a task performed using BIM technology, there must be an established
level of detail. The data that is being fed to the model or process is crucial as this will be necessary for
proceeding tasks in sequential or concurrent stages. When BIM is used as the medium for completing a task,
then there will continuous production of data. Each stage (design to construction) in the modeling process
has its own level of detail which will be useful or required for the project, therefore the project teams are
decisive about the Level of Detail (LoD) the model has to comply for a particular stage of the project. As
the project progresses the LoD is increased for the model, therefore when a model is transferred from one
discipline to another the quality and accuracy of the data can be verified based on the usefulness of the model
for the consecutive stages and the respective users. LoD ranges from 100-500 that signifies the development
required for the model at a specific stage (fig 3-2). Guidelines for the level of development and the detailing
requirements for modeling are outlined to assure steady progress and efficiency in satisfying project goals.
Level of development is also identified as model data information needs by BIM planning guide for facility
owners by Penn State University (Penn State University 2013), modelling guidelines and requirements by
the Singapore BIM Guide (Building Construction Authority 2013 ) and level of model definition in different
standards. Each object has a LoD associated with it, not the entire model.
Fig 3-2: Level of Development for BIM modeling requirements
(American Institute of Architects 2013)
37
Operation and Maintenance
In many cases BIM technology is assumed to be only from conceptual to construction stage. However, there
are guidelines on BIM for operation and maintenance which discusses about contents and formats of the
facilities data that has to be transferred to facility management and standards for facility managers to follow
during operation of the facility. Commonly they are referred as operation and maintenance standards or
COBie requirements by BuildingSMART International (see section 3.4).
BIM Execution Plan
A BIM Execution Plan is a road map prior to the start of a project, essential for any construction project using
BIM. It defines how project participants collaborate with each other while information exchange, roles and
responsibilities of team members, infrastructure development including software and hardware requirement,
level of development for models at different stages of the process. BIM Execution Plan (BxP) is habitual and
is referred in different titles across different standards. A BIM Execution Plan is referred as many different
terms, the common citations for instance are BIM Project Execution plan by the University of South Florida,
BIM management plan by NATSPEC and BIM data acquisition guidelines by University of Southern
California. BIM standards and guides recommends to set up a specific BxP for the organization and explicitly
modified BxP for individual projects within that organization.
Simulations
As much as BIM is regarded for process mapping, development, collaboration, and management, it is also
regarded for performance analysis. This is a highly valuable asset, as the project owner can see how the
facility will be functioning once it is constructed. Energy, structure, and cost are commonly tested for
performance which saves money over a long run by inputting accurate data and following modeling standards.
Simulations are also used for assessing life cycle performance of a facility, and checking code compliance.
Guidelines for additional BIM uses are described as BIM deliverables (Penn State University 2013) and the
COBIM guidelines by Finland has identified the common uses of BIM as ‘Design of Alternative’ including
possible uses of BIM (COBIM 2012).
3.2.2 Drivers: Efforts of public and private sectors for BIM adoption
Globally, the efforts to stimulate the adaptions to work with BIM technology has been considered crucial in
many countries. National efforts for BIM up take and international affiliations for improving efforts and
developing knowledge-based understandings is undergoing rapid progress (Sacks, Gurevich and Shrestha
2016). BIM is portrayed as the solution for many issues concerning the construction process, these issues are
found to be similar across disciplines, organizations, projects, or even countries (Edirisinghe and London
2015) . Though the underlying cause might be similar to the task of overcoming them, sometimes they are
moderately different in different disciplines, organizations, projects, or countries. To highlight the growth of
adoption in BIM standards from different countries such as the US, UK, Finland, Singapore, Australis are
discussed below. The primary reasons for choosing to highlight the mentioned countries is the level and
stages of adoption, issues addressed, and similarity in the contents present in the standards (TABLE 2). Lastly,
the status of BIM adoption in India is discussed.
38
United States
The efforts executed by the United States is enormous with different levels of public and private contribution
towards the BIM adoption. The major drivers for efforts in the US are nation-wide, state-wide, and university-
wide contribution. BIM standards have been created by different government organizations that function
independently with separate guidelines, for example the General Services Administration (GSA) has released
series of 8 BIM guidelines covers a wide range of topics which includes an overview, spatial program
validation, 3D imaging, 4D phasing, energy performance, circulation and security, building elements and
facility management that has to be followed by all the federal buildings in the US (U.S. General Services
Administration 2014). Similarly, there are state wide guidelines like the New York Department of Design
and Construction (NYDDC) published a city-wide BIM Guide (NYC DDC 2012). Universities in the US
own BIM standards for design, construction, operation and maintenance of campus facilities University of
Southern California has a facility management guideline released for operation and maintenance of campus
structures (University of Southern California 2012). The Penn State University has published an BIM
Execution Planning guideline which serves as precedent for several later published standards (Penn State
University 2013). Apart from national, state-wide, and university guidelines several firms in the US have
released their own BIM standards or guidelines specific to their practice methodology.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is among the few European countries to have promising BIM implementation goals,
yet experts consider some it to be unrealistic to be achieved in a very short period (Smith 2014). The UK
government had mandated that, by 2016 all central governmental buildings need to implement level 2 BIM
technology into practice, which is a collaborative practice of creating models by different disciplines using a
common data environment. The UK, like the US, has both governmental and non-profit organizations
working on BIM implementation in the UK. The (CIC) (UK Construction Industry Council 2013) and BIM
Task Group have jointly produced BIM guidelines in response to the 2016 BIM mandate by the government.
The non-profit organizations such as the British Standards Institute (BSI) (UK British Standards Institute
2013) and the AEC-UK (AEC UK 2012 ) have committed to release and constantly work on BIM
implementation in the UK.
Finland
The Senate Properties, Finland’s state properties services agency is one of the largest government owned
organization operating under the Finnish Ministry of Finance (Smith 2014). Since 2007 the Senate Properties
has made it a requirement to comply with IFC standards (Smith 2014). In 2012, several companies of all
sizes, decided to build a series of guidelines included from architecture to facility management and compiled
the Finnish National BIM Guidelines (COBIM) generating Common BIM Requirements 2012 v 1.0 (COBIM
2012). The series has 13 parts, each of which is written by a company with relevant knowledge on the
addressed topic. This makes the guide to be practical and easy to understand.
Singapore
Singapore began to conduct the Construction Real Estate NETwork (CORENET) in the early 90’s; this was
to effectively integrated IT and BIM in various levels in the AEC industry (Smith 2014). Many years later,
several companies and firms had agreed to use the e-submission guidelines which included the compliance
with IFC and BIM. Government organizations such as the Building and Construction Agency (BCA) had
created BIM standards for the AEC industry (Building Construction Authority 2013 ). The BCA in 2011, had
hosted many pilot programs to prepare the industry for BIM adoption. The Singapore government set a goal
to improve the productivity of the AEC industry up to 25% by using BIM as tool for collaboration. The
guidelines developed by the BCA took precedents from the Penn State BIM Execution Planning Guide (Smith
2014).
39
Australia
Australia has shown significant interest in developing BIM adoption over the last few years. The country has
set targets for adopting BIM with the help of BuildingSMART Australia and Built Environment Industry
Innovation Council (BEIIC), which acts as the advisory board for the Australian government (Smith 2014).
The reports indicate that BEIIC established three main focus areas for BIM for Australia: full 3D
collaboration in BIM, encouraging the use of OpenBIM, and implementation of National BIM Initiative Plan.
The Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for construction innovation published the National Guidelines for
Digital Modeling in 2009 to elevate the adoption of BIM technologies in the building and construction
industry (Australia CRC 2009). Even though, Australia has contribution from both government and non-
profit organizations for BIM implementation, the non-profit organizations delivery key support for the
implementation of the goals. NATSPEC is a government funded non-profit organization, published the
Project BIM Management template in 2012 adapting techniques from the VA BIM Guide as a support
document for the National BIM Guide (NATSPEC Construction Information 2016).
India
BIM adoption in India is in need of a strong and nationally encouraging movement that could contribute to
the adoption of BIM technology (Smith 2014) . According to the RICS research conducted in 2014, more
that 70 percent of the asset requirement for setting up this technology is yet to be built in India (RICS &
KPMG 2014) . Noticing the high volume of construction going on in the country accentuates the need for a
collaborative environment. In 2016, the Indian BIM Association was inaugurated in an effort to propel the
movement for BIM adoption (IBIMA 2017). Indian AECO industry uses 22 percent BIM for its overall
process. Yet, there is lack of BIM standards for professional to comply during the process.
40
PENN STATE
USC
GT
IU
LACCD
GSA
Ohio
VA
NBIMS-US
COBIM
BCA
NATSPEC
AEC-UK
Year
2011
2012
2011
2015
2015
2009
2013
2017
2017
2012
2013
2011
2012
Organization
type
University Government National
Purpose
explained
User group
(Architects/
Engineers/
Owners/
Contractors)
A
E
O O A O O A AE&
O
O O O C A
Interoperabi
lity
1,
2
2,
3
2,
3
2 1,
2, 3
1, 2 1 1, 2,
3
1, 2 1, 2 2 1, 2,
3
1, 2
Roles &
responsibiliti
es
2,
3
2,
3
2 3 1,
2, 3
2 2, 3 3 2, 3 2, 3 1, 2, 3 2, 3 2, 3
Collaboratio
n procedure
1,
2,
3,
A,
B,
C
1,
3,
B,
C
1,
2,
3
2,
3,
B
1,
2,
3,
A,
B, C
3, B A,
2, 3
3 B, C 2, 3,
B, C
1, 2,
3, A,
B, C
2, 3,
A, B
2, 3,
A, B,
C
1 - - 1 - - - - 1 - - - -
41
TABLE 2: Table comparing 13 BIM standards based on topic of content from table 1
Qualification
of BIM team
- - - - - - - - - -
BIM
requirement
s
1,
2
1,
2
1,
2
1,
2
1, 2 1, 2 1, 2 1, 2 1,2 1, 2 1, 2 1, 2 1, 2
Modeling
standards
1,
2
1,
2
2 2 2 1, 2 1, 2 1, 2 1, 2 1, 2 1, 2 1, 2 1, 2
Operation &
Maintenanc
e
1,
2
1,
2
1,
2
1 1, 2 1, 2 2 1, 2 1, 2 2 2 1, 2 -
-
BIM
Execution
Plan
Simulation 1,
2,
3,
4,
5
2,
4,
5
1,
2,
4
1,
3,
4,
5
1,
2,
3,
4, 5
1, 2, 3 1, 2 1, 2,
3, 4,
5
1,
2,
3,
4, 5
1, 2,
3, 4,
5
1, 2,
3, 4, 5
1, 2,
3, 4,
5
-
-
42
3.2.3 Limitations: Diagnosed barriers for BIM implementation in India
Owing to the value delivered by this technology, there are still notable and consequential barriers that limit
the full adoption of BIM in India. While the goal is to implement BIM to its fullest potential, analysis of the
limitations reveal that the process has risk related to every stage from design to construction during adoption
based on barriers related to users, standards, software and method for execution. The benefits attained by the
process is in accordance to how the uncertainty is subdued. The potential of BIM has usage and capability in
every discipline in the industry, as a reason the challenges and barriers are specific to every stage.
Yet, there are remarkably serious barriers that are impending to the expansion of the process itself. In India
the construction industry is the second largest contributor to the nation’s economy after the agriculture
industry. Large construction clients such as the hospitality and the aviation industry are increasingly
implementing BIM to achieve unique benefits. However, there is some hesitancy to adopt to BIM
immediately (Chougule and Konnur 2015). To understand the rate of acceptance and knowledge on BIM
surveys were conducted by the Indian built environment sector, RICS School of Built Environment and
KPMG. The surveys reveal that 22% of the respondents use BIM currently in their projects, 27% of the
respondents identified BIM as a benefitting tool and were positively considering to implement BIM in the
practice and 43% responded that they were aware about BIM but are not sure about implementation. Whereas,
an additional 8% responded that they are totally not aware about BIM technology and practice (RICS &
KPMG 2014). These surveys motivated to the BIM experts in India to understand the causes for lower or no
adoption of BIM practices. Based on the results from surveys and interviews conducted by the Indian BIM
Association (IBIMA 2017), the barriers or challenges can be grouped into four categories as user, policy,
technological and practice barriers (RICS & KPMG 2014).
User barriers
Even though BIM has been newsworthy and applicable for years, it has been sometimes difficult to convince
all of the people in a project of the value of participation. BIM adoption is a process where the users are the
main players driving the change to benefitting and efficient outcomes. This process entails minor or complete
transformation to practice and techniques. Hence, when an alteration to a traditional practice is being
proposed there can be opposition to accept the change and reluctance to encompass the change are habitual
attitude issues of the users. Generally, this type of barrier arises when the user as an individual or as an
organization are inflexible to explore the possibilities through experience and with an unobstructed mentality
for change (RICS & KPMG 2014).For example, Indian industry employers, clients and team members fear
that BIM implementation will completely change the process and practice which might be expensive and
might lead to failure if not rightly implemented (RICS & KPMG 2014).
Policy barriers
BIM guidelines and standards are policies developed by government or private departments, that can be
adopted by organizations for implementing BIM technology for project execution (RICS & KPMG 2014).
Observing the scenarios prevailing in countries that have guidelines and standards to aid an uncomplicated
process of structuring the BIM technology, which allows participants to modify the available standards in
accordance to their requirements. Unlike other countries, the lack of policy development in the form of BIM
guides or standards are affecting the rate of BIM up take in India (IBIMA 2017). Nonexistence of policies
cause disorganization and disparity in expectations of project participants. Establishing a national standard,
and allowing modifications to it, serves to be a sound and active strategy for organizations expecting to follow
BIM process.
43
Technological barriers
A major roadblock in the adoption process are the technical barriers. The cause for this can be a number of
issues relating to hardware, software, skill set, and cost (IBIMA 2017). BIM is a swiftly changing field
rendering constant growth, therefore the unavailability of skill and practical knowledge restricts the use of
this technology. The inefficiency to train project members to work with new software tools forces them to
create low quality models with inaccurate data finally delivering inappropriate results (IBIMA 2017) . When
the employers are not educated about the potential of a technology it leads to entirely terminating the use and
adaption of the technique. The implementation of a new technology brings with it a high initial cost, this is a
problem when the users are not prepared to invest time for realizing the benefits the technology has to offer.
For example, a major roadblock in BIM adoption is the initial expenditure and the lack of realization of clear
value of BIM implementation over the years.
Practice barriers
BIM is utilized and implicated in several ways in different organizations, an outstanding issue that is
commonly encountered while involving different BIM uses and users is clash detection and interoperability
issues. Although, this can be reasoned out to be beneficial as this reduces surprises during construction phase,
the user regards the process to be an endless cycle. If proper methods are not followed, when modifications
are made to the model the entire process has to be reworked costing loss of time, labor and expenses.
Unplanned practice procedure causes risk in increased cost and unwanted delay or even loss of data (IBIMA
2017). For example, the main reason for the hesitancy of the users to use BIM is due to the lack of technical
expertise, which is, even though BIM is familiar the process for implementation is regarded to be uncertain
among majority of Indian users (RICS & KPMG 2014)
3.3 BIM Execution Plan
BIM is the process for creating and managing information on a construction project throughout the lifecycle of the
building, where the output of this process is a digital description of the built asset from every stage of the building’s
lifecycle (National BIM Standards UK 2018). BIM is considered as the way of creating, using, and sharing building
life cycle data (Eastman, et al. 2008). Emerging as a trend among the professionals in the AECO industry, BIM is
expected to reduce the risk and inefficiency concerning the techniques and delivery of a project. The process of
adoption presents a progressive and complete approach for executing projects, through a synthetic methodology by
unifying policy and technology. A BIM Execution Plan (BxP) is the central component while using BIM which defines
the modes of collaborations, roles and responsibilities of project participants, software and hardware needs and the
level of development of the model at different stages of the project (Sacks, Gurevich and Shrestha 2016). This
synthesizing methodology equips to materialize the facility information management through a digital format. Coping
with the uprising demand due to globalization, the AECO industry has to inevitably include BIM in the process of
design and construction. Adapting to BIM customs and workflows, it is noticed as an enrichment for competence
amongst professionals in the industry. However, adapting to BIM is a complicated task involving untrained members
with the lack of proficiency in the process. Standards existing on BIM process implementation serves as a guideline
for project owners and participants for establishing protocols on practice procedures (Sacks, Gurevich and Shrestha
2016).
44
3.3.1 Overview: Defining a BIM Execution Plan
Acknowledging the necessity for an execution plan, a diverse collection of BIM implementation
methodologies has been published by government and private departments. The fundamental ideology is to
propose an execution plan that will serve as a framework for setting methodologies to steer strategic
procedure throughout the entire process and lifecycle of the building (Sacks, Gurevich and Shrestha 2016).
BxP are formed through meticulously identifying the accurate standards and procedures through expert
reviews on process mapping and establishing benchmarks for attaining quantifiable outcomes. Over the years
various organizations have compiled together with maximum potential to develop an execution plan for
constituting project mapping process. The Association of General Contractors states that an execution plan
is unique to each project and the process of implementation must be tailored according to the requirements
of the project (AGC 2010). Therefore, for successfully implementing BIM the process has to be altered to
suit the practice and working environment of the firms carrying out these tasks. Although, the process and
intent for planning remains to focus on developing an execution plan, the process is cited to be referred in
different names in different standards. Some of the notable guides that have published an execution plan for
BIM practice for different disciplines are found in the NIBS, GSA, VA, Penn State, AEC UK, NATSPEC,
COBIM and BCA BIM guides (see Chapter 5, TABLE 5).
National Institute of Building Science (NIBS)
The NIBS published the National BIM Guide for Owners (NBGO, 2017), with an intention to draft a
description for the building owners to develop and implement requirements for BIM use along with internal
policies, process, procedures, and contracts to support planning, designing, constructing, and operating a
building. The guide defines the execution process as “a master plan for how the information modeling will
be done and managed, at the inception of a project”. NIBS cite the process as the Project Execution Plan
(PxP), the guide also describes the process to be a mutual agreement between the project owner and the
project BIM team on how, by whom, when, why, to what level, and for what purposes the information model
will be used (NIBS 2017 ).
General Services Administration (GSA)
GSA has issued a project template in an effort to provide a master information and data management plan
including the allocation of role and responsibilities for modeling and data integration at the start of the project.
The process suggested by GSA is referred as BIM Execution Plan (BEP) binds the project acquisition
strategies and requirements with the GSA technical standards, skillsets of team participants, maturity and
ability of the construction industry and the chosen technology. It is through this process the GSA team
members have jointly agreed on how, when, why, and to what level for the project outcomes BIM will be
employed. The issued GSA BEP template describes the use of BIM in a project detailing the design authoring,
spatial data management, and design coordination information along with the process for executing BIM
throughout the project lifecycle (U.S. General Services Administration 2014).
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
The Veterans Affairs recognizes BIM as not just a specific software platform but an innovative process that
uses different software for realizing promised delivery methods. It refers to the process as BIM Execution
Plan (BxP), which is a process management document executed between the architect and engineer and the
consultants, and between general contractors and sus-contractors that details how the utilize BIM to satisfy
VA standards. The guide mentions that the BxP must include standards, responsibilities, and protocols for
modeling and file transfers. This guide is developed to render services for tracking progress towards
achieving project goals and satisfying VA BIM standards. The VA BxP includes project data security plan
for facilitating information exchange during design and construction stages, it also includes a COBie (see
section 3.4.2) Execution Plan for facility data management. (Department of Veterans Affairs 2017).
45
Penn State University, College Station, PA
The “BIM Planning Guide for Facility Owners” was published by the Penn State University in alliance with
BuildingSMART to support project teams by directing them with the planning process for BIM
implementation. The guide was proposed to diffuse the principle to “begin with the end in mind,” addressing
to this principle the project owner and the participants are obligated to understand and communicate the goals
for adopting BIM entirely throughout the project lifecycle. The Penn State BIM guide considered the method
of practice followed by project owners during the design and construction stage as well as during the
operation and maintenance stage. Therefore, the guide serves to describe strategies, implementation, and
procurement plans for BIM implementations in their organizations. While the guide focuses on addressing
the owners about the value of BIM, the outlook was intended to concentrate on planning and implementation
within one prime project. This offers assistance for project owners to centralize the goal to attain value
through tools and processes or during operation and data management after completion. (Penn State
University 2013).
Architecture Engineering and Construction industry UK (AEC UK)
According to AEC UK, the mission to create the Project BIM Execution Plan is to encourage better
collaboration with a practical, inclusive, easy to understand and easy to adopt common language for project
process adoption by clearly stating the job title, descriptions, and responsibilities of every team member. The
document intends to provide a platform for independent protocols for designers. The document aims to be
the “hub” of a software-based solution to increase the production efficiency through best practices and
standardization. The project BIM Execution Plan outlines how the information model of the project and the
process for data formatting has to be carried out. The document precisely mentions that the ‘Employers
Information Requirements’ must be addressed in the plan, which may form the foundation for the Supply
Chain Information Execution Plan (SCIEP). Depending on the project type and scale, supplementary
information could be made available to the model and accordingly the process strategy shall be broadened
(AEC UK 2012 ).
National Specifications (NATSPEC) Australia
The NATSPEC National BIM Guide claims that the guide and associated documents is planned for use by
professionals who are competent to evaluate the significance and limitations of its content while being able
to take up responsibilities for applying the topics of contents the guide bears. NATSPEC describes the BIM
Management Plan (BMP) as a formal document that defines “how the project will be executed, monitored
and controlled with regards to BIM.’’ The document is makes it necessary for the BMP to furnish a master
information management plan and designating task for model creation and integrating information at the
beginning of the project. It is required that the BMP regulates the document to align with project procurement
needs, client technical standards, team member skills, construction industry capabilities and technology
maturity. By understanding the purpose of the document, the project members will be jointly able to know
how, when, why, to what level, and the typical BIM uses employed in the project. The BMP is a living
document constantly undergoing updates and modification as the project grows. (NATSPEC Construction
Information 2016).
46
Common BIM (COBIM)
The COBIM requirements published the General BIM Requirements to describe the basic requirements and
concept of BIM in architectural projects. As a part of the series the General BIM Requirements addresses the
target for new construction and renovation along with the use of BIM in facility management. The guide
establishes minimum requirements for the users to abide by, and this includes the contents for modeling, data
management, safety of digital data, and contracts during biding in a series of binding and consistent manner.
The BIM specifications renders a description of the contents of the model explaining the intension for which
the model is being made available and the level of accuracy which must be achieved by the modeler. The
document must provide information about software used, and versions created from the initial model. Any
deviation from the standards must be noted and mentioned in the documents. The document must be updated
parallelly in accordance to the modifications made (COBIM 2012).
Building Construction Authority
BIM Execution Plan mentioned in the BIM Guide is intended to productively introduce BIM into the project
delivery process. The guide encourages the early adoption of the BIM Execution Plan while describing the
vision and implementation details for the process. The guide facilitates easy modification of the process by
including additional information in every stage of the project. It also states that any updates to the BIM
Execution Plan shall be made with the approval of the employer or the elected BIM manager. The BIM
Essential Guide for BIM Execution Plan is a template available for project owners to use during the process
of design and construction. The goal of the BIM Guide is to prepare a scheme for outlining the main stages
like the deliverables, processes, and professionals involved when BIM is being utilized. The document
prepared by the team will act as an outcome of a mutually agreed process (Building Construction Authority
2013 )
3.3.2 Reviewing a BIM Execution Plan
Recognizing the extensive information available regarding execution plan it is necessary to identify the
relationship amongst the published guides (Sacks, Gurevich and Shrestha 2016). Irrespective of the industry
or the country that published the document, the focus of the guide has continued to remain to deliver a
consistent and a well though process for the project members. Dismissing the prevalent differences in practice
methods, code compliances, project characteristics, social and cultural barriers reveals the uniqueness that
exists amongst the various BIM execution planning guides. However, the plans and definitions are cited
relatively using common names and similar explanations with few exceptions. A typical process begins
before the initiation of the project and serves to continue even after the project is handed over to the client
extending to the operation and maintenance stage. Each BIM Execution Plan is altered to cater specific
projects at different levels, a study of existing BxP contents exhibit significant uniformity that take precedents
from the primary research conducted by the Penn State University (McArthur and X 2015). In order to verify
the benefits and appropriate use of an execution plan the success factor and the contents of a BIM execution
plan include the following: BIM Execution Plan overview, project information, roles and responsibilities,
collaboration procedures, Information exchange, infrastructure needs, model management, project
deliverables, planning template, nature of the plan and update procedure.
47
Estimating a critical success factor for an execution plan
Noteworthy research on critical success factor for a BIM execution plan has demonstrated the need for
establishing an execution plan for achieving successful delivery results. A research methodology was
identified to differentiate the success factor of the execution plan based on three sub-categories as project
success, product success, and efficient management success. Consequently three stages of a project were
identified as initial and planning during which the goals are aligned with the project requirements,
procurement when the process is consolidated in a document for aiding for legal procedures and the last stage
being the partnership stage where the disciplines come together to include precise information on design,
construction, operation and data management including ownership (Olugboyega 2017). Summarizing the
success factors indicates the prospective empowered by BIM uses comprises efficient cost, time, and
management of processes (J. Lui , E.D. Love and Smith 2014). In general, the BIM process occurs in stages
with the life cycle analysis being the most crucial for any project (McArthur and X 2015).
Contents of a BIM Execution Plan
A BIM Execution Plan is a document to achieve the possibilities which can be realized by using BIM. Since
this document addresses the exploration and optimization possible through BIM it has to cover multi-
dimensional services such as modeling, quality, cost and schedule for building simulation analysis through a
standardized process. As a BIM execution plan creates an overall framework for an entire project along with
detailed responsibilities to be followed by the project participants. Typically, a plan is made at the beginning
of the project but when changes occur to the process the plan is updated to include the modifications. By
developing or modifying a BIM execution plan based on project requirements give the project value through
informed process by reducing the unknowns while implementation consequently reducing the risk involved
(Eastman, et al. 2008). For example, a project which executes a planned process through a BIM execution
plan supports as an effective project management document with clearly laid out process in sequential order
for the project teams and reduces cost or time loss. Whereas a project which does not have a plan always
works in uncertainty which affects the growth of the project. To have a comprehensive understanding of a
BxP a set of commonly occurring topics from various execution guides have been discussed which includes
overview, project information, roles and responsibilities, collaboration procedures, information exchange,
infrastructure needs and requirements, modeling requirements and management and project deliverables.
Two more additional components which are significantly important while developing a BxP is to check if a
template is available and whether the document is descriptive or prescriptive in nature (Sacks, Gurevich and
Shrestha 2016).
BIM Execution Plan overview
An overview providing a summarized brief outlining the vision of the document stating clearly the rationale
understandings for an execution plan (Ramirez-Saenz, et al. 2018). Having an overview for the document is
to assist the users in contributing to render informed decisions and deliverables. The overview is also an
abstract of the document highlighting all the issues addressed to a specific user group.
Project information
The project information section in an execution plan specifies the important details about the project
including BIM project goals, BIM uses, organizational requirements and strategies for BIM execution. It is
crucial to have project information clearly determined as this specifies the needs and requirements of a project
to appropriately list the uses of the BIM model (Ramirez-Saenz, et al. 2018). For instance, it is essential to
have project BIM goals and uses mentioned in the plan to inform project members who were added to the
team later or this information can serve as a reference for tracking changes in project plan.
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Roles and responsibilities
Along with the project details, the specific task of each team member is listed as there is a definite relationship
between the task and the role for an identified BIM use (Ramirez-Saenz, et al. 2018). This is intended because
each member of the team is entitled to a specific task during the project’s life cycle which is important to be
determined for clear understanding of “who is responsible for what.” For example, determining the roles and
responsibilities of each team member will support in creating a responsibility matrix for identifying
relationship between tasks and how they complement each other.
Collaboration procedures
Operating in a multidisciplinary environment leads to many threats regarding deviation from project goals,
data loss, and misconception of information (Ramirez-Saenz, et al. 2018). To tactically avoid these threats
the team should create a collaborative procedure for model management, file sharing and accessing files.
This can be initiated through analyzing the execution plan for each team and finding out the exact use of BIM
in each stage and establishing collaboration strategies through scheduled meetings between teams.
Information exchange
In order to permit data transfer through a highly efficient way, the method for distributing data should be
planned ahead of the process. The plan should distinctly demonstrate the level of detail and model elements
necessary for facilitating exchange requirements (Ramirez-Saenz, et al. 2018). This component is included
to check if the plan follows protocols or standards or mentions the project requirements for data exchange.
Using protocols for data exchange ensure accurate transfer of data without loss and is always in a readable
format when exported to all the involved teams.
Infrastructure needs
To carry out the defined task the team will need infrastructure support like hardware complying with the
software used (Ramirez-Saenz, et al. 2018). This section also includes the version and update requirements
of a specific software which will be used by all the team members for running simulations and for other
additional value-added tasks. These requirements can be identified when the teams identify project goals.
Model management
While creating a BIM model which is the digital representation of a physical building, it has to be ensured
that the project participants attain defined requirements established by the owner by following a standardized
process for model creation and maintenance (Ramirez-Saenz, et al. 2018). This section of the plan includes
how the model will be saved, stored, named, handled by different team members and how it will be updated.
This assures the members in achieving satisfiable outcomes.
Project Deliverables
Every project is unique and therefore the deliverables are specific to the project, it is the duty of the project
owner along with the members to frame the deliverables aimed to be provided (Ramirez-Saenz, et al. 2018).
This section includes the delivery and the delivery form that each team submits at each defined milestone of
the project. Usually the deliverables component will have the required presentation format for submission,
how the teams are involved during deliverables, estimated time and method of deliveries are listed in the plan.
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Planning template
The main purpose of having an execution plan is to help have an informed process, as a result it is important
to have a template which can be used by the teams while executing the plan (Ramirez-Saenz, et al. 2018).
This component is crucially important as the user uses this to fill in the information which are listed in the
execution plan making it easier for the final user to implement in the project.
Nature of the plan
The execution guide can be descriptive or prescriptive in nature (Ramirez-Saenz, et al. 2018). This means
that when it is descriptive it recommends guidelines and steps to develop an execution plan. Whereas, when
it is prescriptive it the guide or the document orders the mandatory use of the recommended implementation
formed during the development of the execution plan.
Update procedure
Building design and construction is an evolving process which might face regular changes and updates to the
process (Ramirez-Saenz, et al. 2018). Therefore, the execution plan developed for carrying out the task must
also allow modifications and updates based on the growth of the project or the organization. By allowing
changes, it should be understood that the changes should be clear, concise and mutually agreed between the
teams
3.3.3 BIM Execution Plan Process Map
Following the development of a specific BIM execution plan for the project, it is required by the project
members to understand the systematic and sequential application of the execution plan during the entire
process (Penn State University 2013). Therefore, it is necessary to design the execution plan in a way to allow
the project participants to be aware of the process in identifying information exchange, responsibilities of
members, and important milestones. Process mapping of the execution plan allows to complete tasks in an
orderly fashion without overlooking definite requirements and keeping the members well informed about the
progress of the project. The process maps are constantly monitored and supervised for any management
related risks, the creation of a process map also allows to keep track of the modifications made during the
execution of the plan (COBIM 2012).
Penn State
The Penn State BIM Guide for owners specifies that, mapping of a BIM process demands the creation of an
overview map highlighting the different BIM uses which will be performed in the process. This stage shows
the relationship between the BIM uses and the process which will be employed with high level of information
exchanges that will be occurring during the process. In the second level, a detailed version of the overview
map will be published clearly mentioning the order of different processes that will be completed. The teams
responsible for completing the task will be identified and included to the process map (Penn State University
2013).
LACCD
As technology progresses, the project teams will adapt to a specific BIM workflow pattern, highlighting the
important steps in the process. The LACCD Information Modeling Standards divides the mapping into three
phases: design phase, bidding phase, and construction phase. Each phase is designated to a particular
discipline and emphasizes the task to be accomplished by them. The mapping process will outline the required
tasks, and any additional tasks adding quality to the model shall be included in the services agreements,
general conditions, or supplementary conditions, at the approval of the project manager (LACCD 2015).
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COBIM
According to Common BIM Requirements, the BIM based project management is usually split into three
stages: design, execution, and supervision. The process stresses on the importance of agreements that bind
the disciplines together through contract documents. These contract documents include the effect of project
management on the organization and coordination process through the contractual agreements. A formulated
plan is developed to execute and organize the required workflow to monitor and constantly supervise by
establishing checkpoints. BIM based project management will not deliver optimum results, if the members
do not have information required for carrying out the required task (COBIM 2012).
NATSPEC
The design of BIM Management Plan (BMP) will be constantly updated and developed as the project attains
maturity. Before the start of the schematic design the person in charge of the design team prepares the BMP
and gathers approval from the client and others involved in the project. Including the BIM uses the project
BIM brief, the Design BMP, and the Construction BMP shall be including the scope of the project, modeling,
and information exchange consideration. Software compatibility and data flow testing must also be addressed
in the BMP (NATSPEC Construction Information 2016).
3.4 Interoperability
The NIBS define software interoperability as “software interoperability is seamless data exchange at the software
level among diverse applications, each of which may have its own internal data structure. Interoperability is achieved
by mapping parts of each participating application’s internal data structure to a universal model and vice versa”
(NBIMS-US 2017). The UK National BIM Standard (NBS) describes the process of construction as a team sport,
with a multitude of different disciplines coming together at various stages on working to deliver a project and believes
that the prevalent adoption of the BIM practice is largely influenced by software interoperability (National BIM
Standards UK 2018, Eastman, et al. 2008). An interdisciplinary field were professionals are working together using
different BIM software for realizing common goals such as transforming to a digitalized process or using BIM for
building analysis, which means, there is not one single software that delivers solution to all the required tasks. The
data therefore produced from one software has to be transferred to another without compromising on the method used
for the creation of the data or the data itself. Hence, for the industry to be collectively benefitted by BIM without
compromising the choice of software selection or the method for creating the model, it is necessary to ensure the
transformation of data from one software to another. During the kickoff meeting during project initiation the
responsible parties must decide on software and versions to ensure compatibility. For example, if the team decides to
work with Revit the versions have to be decided as the software does not allow backward compatible; this means that
files from newer versions of the software will not be opened in older versions.
For a successful project consignment, the order in which the information is transferred is crucially important. For
instance, the architectural model of the facility is required to be completed before the model is shared with the MEP
consultants. In some cases, the disciplines carry out synchronized work to co-benefit the decision and the data
produced before transferring to the next phase, like the structural team working along with the design team this will
also reduce the time involved in modifying the design. Hence, to effectively use the information produced both the
sender and receiver must be aware of the accuracy of the mutually shared data. To ensure the quality and accuracy of
the model, conventional modeling standards like grouping common objects such as mechanical fixtures together, using
layering formats for separating objects, following established unit systems for measurements and deciding software
tools should be determined before project initiation.
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3.4.1 BuildingSMART
BuildingSMART formerly known as the International Alliance for Interoperability, is an international
organization that facilitates accessing and ensuring data transfer for an enabling environment with a new
digital language that allows competent whole life cycle data management of a building (buildingSMART
2018). BuildingSMART works on the central concept of establishing a unified global standard for BIM
practice through different concepts such as OpenBIM, Data model, Information Delivery Manual, Industry
Foundation Classes, BIM Collaboration Formats, International Framework for Dictionaries Model View
Definition and Construction Operation Building information exchange (Fig 3-3)
Fig 3-3: BuildingSMART International topic of contents for software interoperability
OpenBIM
OpenBIM is a universal approach for creating a shared environment to support the use of different software
tools initiated by BuildingSMART International (BuildingSMART 2018). To propagate the need for
interoperability, standards must be established for developing codes by vendors while developing a BIM
software which will be used by different disciplines in the AECO industry. This means that an object created
using a particular software tool can be read or exported to a different software as the same object along with
its specified properties without losing any information or data during exportation. Creating such an enabling
environment by reducing the risk of data loss for the users of different software tools will support in the
successful and easy adoption of BIM. The fundamental focus of BuildingSMART is to allow an accurate
data exchange through software interoperability. OpenBIM is a collaborative approach define the rules of
interoperability for software vendors while developing a software tool. The basic rules of interoperability are
to have a transparent and open workflow that allows project members to collaborate irrespective of the
software being used, which is possible through the practice of standards while developing a software.
OpenBIM also focuses on bringing together small and large software vendors to work towards resolving and
creating more opportunities for the BIM field.
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Industry Foundation Classes
Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) is a BuildingSMART data standard. They are encoded as XML files
(markup language generally used for describing the structure and other details of a document file). They are
standards that determine how data will be exchanged between different software tools. IFC’s accentuate
software interoperability by establishing uninterrupted communication between software applications (Fig
3-4). This can be achieved when two or more software vendors agree to build a software that will let the
exchange of data from one to the other without loss or manipulation of the data which already exists. A
general scheme that will use the same operating system while developing a software has been devised by
building smart to avoid data lose and ensure data management throughout the life cycle of the building
(BuildingSMART 2018).
Fig 3-4: IFC data transfer between BIM software tools
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Fig 3-5: Example of a 3D model and its associated IFC description (Kensek 2014)
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Model View Definitions
Model View Definitions (MVD) is a subset of IFC data model. They are encoded as MVDXML format and
is considered as the translation process. MVD defines the specific data transfer of a BIM model along with
the IFC software requirements (BuildingSMART 2018). For example, a basic wall can be indicated as a 2D
straight or a curved line, as a 3D geometry for visualization or for construction detailing such as estimation
and scheduling of cost and materials. Therefore, in BIM there are different users requiring different data an
MVD indicates a way to transfer the specific data from a collection of exchange requirement (ER) (Fig 3-6).
When BIM is used for a project the owners require the model to be built to specifications as per building
codes, hence it might be necessary for an object to establish specific MVD which can define allowable values
at specific attributes to specific data types (buildingSMART 2018). As an example, an MVD may require
that a wall define the material information for structural analysis of the building. This is an example of a
single attribute defining a single data type, MVD can be used for more complex cases that may include graphs
of elements and their corresponding data types.
Fig 3-6: MVD data transfer between BIM software tools
Information Delivery Manual
Information Delivery Manual (IDM) is a BuildingSMART process standard. It guides specific processes by
mapping them to know when and what information has to be exchanged from a collection of exchange
requirements. IDM’s are a set of adaptive representation of function or a task that is yet to occur or
information that can be reused in the future for support of development (BuildingSMART 2018). An IDM
document is a process map of a series of tasks required to be completed over the life cycle of the building
along with the information needed to complete these tasks. The document also includes the required
interaction between participants of different disciplines to ensure the reliability of the produced data (fig 3-
7).
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Fig 3-7: MVD data transfer between BIM software tool
International Framework for Dictionaries
International Framework for Dictionaries (IFD) forms the basis for BuildingSMART Data Dictionary
(BSDD). IFD is regarded as the essence of BuildingSMART as this is expected to handle software
interoperability (BuildingSMART 2018). The BSDD is a library that allows the user to find objects of the
build environment and its associated properties by linking the objects of like-terms according to its meaning
in construction. By way of example, when the user searches an object as ‘door’ or a ‘door set’ the tool
identifies these two works as connected to each other and displays options for a building door frame as well
as a vehicular door frame. BSDD also has the ability to differentiate based on terms, when the word ‘beam’
is specified the options displayed will include both structural beam as well as beam of light.
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BuildingSMART: Data Model
The process of design, construction, and operation of a building is complex and disintegrated into several
stages which starts with concept development, construction documentation and continues through operation
and maintenance. At every stage of the Building Life-Cycle (BLC), the data needs are different and it is
required to complete a specific task. During the initial stage concepts are being developed and data is limited
to the project owner and the design team; they can meet to discuss the overall idea. Likewise, when the project
progresses to be constructed the design along with other building utilities such as the MEP services must be
determined to get an estimation of cost and schedule of the project before construction. When is building is
ready for handover the as-built model needs to be updated for facility management of the building. In life
cycle assessment, the data from one stage must be transferable to the next stage, this means forward and
reverse transfer of data. In most cases data is lost or either misinterpreted. The fundamental reason for data
loses or misinterpretation is the lack of communication and software interoperability. In order to use the set
of information available it has to be converted to performance metrics. The transformation has to be in a
sequential order to have the goals and metrics enclosed within a set of standards or requirements
(BuildingSMART 2018).
Construction Operation Building information exchange
Construction Operation Building information exchange (COBie) is a format that is associated with BIM,
developed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 2005. COBie is a data model subset
of MVD which is regarded as the smart filter for capturing life cycle information needed by facility managers
(FM) for building operation and maintenance (NBIMS-US 2017). COBie specifications outlines how data
are collected during the different stages (concept development to construction) to recreate the original
information created by project disciplines (Fig 3-9). Majority of the data handed over to the facility manager
in the form of paper such as the construction submittals is not used. COBie specifications identifies the
content of information which must be captured and exchanged by reducing the wastage of storage space, like
a customized door for a specific building has to be identified and details about the door such as serial number,
dimensions, manufacturer contacts, and design specifications have to be made available to the FM. COBie
worksheets is typically a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet which includes data contained in drawings, bill of
quantities and project specifications (Fig 3-8).
Fig 3-8: COBie information exchange worksheet (National BIM Standards UK 2018)
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Fig 3-9: COBie information for facility managers
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3.4.2 Interoperability: An ideology
BIM is a technology that unifies various disciplines in the building industry together for realizing effective outcomes.
The demand to use this technology for its expanded uses in different disciplines however does not solve the
technological issues such as software interoperability. Hence, there must be a common method for data sharing
between the different BIM software. The main concept about software interoperability is that no matter how different
the software functions there must be a common way through which they have to communicate with each other.
Therefore, while trying to create a model to function in another software can result in standardization (Tommasi and
Achille 2017). Which means following common software development rules and having similar operating systems for
software.
3.4.2.1 Standards for software interoperability
The transformation in the Information Technology (IT) sector of the building industry has reformed many
aspects including the practice and function of this industry. Even though the prospective of reformation has
much to offer to the industry in terms of execution and effectiveness, the reformation has been radically less
significant in the industry. The topic of standardization and information exchange appears to be evident due
to the increased use of software tools. However, the technique for exchanging or sharing information is still
under research for achieving full potential for interoperability, with collaboration and ability to operate on
building model using different BIM platforms. BuildingSMART International is an international standards
organization on software interoperability. The BuildingSMART International has a vision to realize full
economic benefits through the use of open standards which are sharable information within the construction
industry globally. It is believed by BuildingSMART International this open sharable information will support
the supply chain to release more efficient and collaborative techniques to operate throughout the entire life
cycle of the building. Working towards the mission, BuildingSMART International is actively connecting
with primary leaders in the industry declaring the importance of open data standards for seamlessly
integrating and improving the process achievements and value. Some of the values of BuildingSMART
International are openness with neutral and international focus, relevant to current issues faced by the industry,
and serving as a non-profit organization (buildingSMART 2018). Similar to international standards many
countries have published national standards on BIM software interoperability to support practice
methodology and securing data transfer from stage to stage. Some of the discussed standards are NIBS, Penn
State BIM Guide, AEC UK, IFC and COBie.
NIBS
The NIBS BIM guide highlights the purpose for including infrastructure and standards with the process of
adoption to interpret BIM as the digital representation of both the physical and functional attributes of the
built environment. The guide outlines the key components for a supported infrastructure operation which
include technology requirements and guidelines for following a standardized method of practice for a
multidisciplinary organization. Technological infrastructure describes the necessary and appropriate tools
needed for the project progress, includes but not restricting to computers, servers, network devices, backup
systems, and file-sharing systems like local network or web/cloud-based sharing. Computing platforms
commonly understood as the medium for conducting operations should be included in the owner’s
requirements. The existing platform must be compatible for current and future operations. For reduced
conflicts during the process, standards have been outlined describing the methodology for operation which
includes model construction, file transfer, exchange formats, and compliance with open standards (NIBS
2017 ).
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Penn State
The Penn State BIM guide implies that the purpose for emphasizing BIM infrastructure requirements in the
execution plan is to consider all the assets and resources needed to execute the proposed tasks. The
organization should follow standards to allow predetermined solutions for accommodating practice
procedures for specific BIM uses performed by various disciplines. The guide addresses the responsibilities
of the owner and the team, based on incorporating infrastructure needs to craft strategies for collaboration
and delivery activities. The needs are categorized as software, computers / hardware, modeling content and
reference information. It is essential for the organization to decide early in the process on the version and
license of software that will be used, file storing and backup systems. The teams must be assured that the
efficiency of the hardware used to complete the task does not outweigh the capacity of the downstream
hardware. Teams should be consistent in creating and sharing elements for model creation, the database for
the model must be updated constantly to avoid use of outdated models or datasets (Penn State University
2013).
AEC UK
As per the AEC UK BIM protocol, interoperability between software tools is of superior importance for
beneficial BIM practice. To permit the diverse use of BIM, teams to decide on tools that will allow operating
between software tools for tasks such as converting 2D CAD to 3D visualization, or 3D to conducting
analysis. The guide lays out the process for securing the data involved by beginning with BIM data
management, which describes the level of accuracy that the incoming data must poses prior to making it
available for a project wide use. All data must be cleansed prior to importing or associating with the central
model. The intended use of the model and the relationship with the data must be satisfied according to the
employer’s information requirements. Data for a BIM task will be released only when absolutely necessary
and only after the mutual agreement between the team members (AEC UK 2012 ).
IFC
IFC is one of the five open standards developed by BuildingSMART International (NBS 2018), transports
the information between models and software tools (see section 3.4.1). The latest updated version is IFC 4
which is recognized as an ISO standard (ISO 16739), but the most widely applied version is IFC 2x3. IFC
specifications is an open standard which specifies the content and structure for BIM exchange between
software applications and BIM users (U.S. General Services Administration 2014). When the software tool
employed by the team is compatible with IFC standards, the teams will be able to exchange the model among
different software tools (Fig 3-10). As mentioned IFC’s define the structure and content for information
exchange. For information to be exchanged the exporting BIM software translates the internal representation
of the BIM model elements from its native format to IFC BIM structure format (U.S. General Services
Administration 2014). When this is done the model is translated typically to one of the two file formats which
is IFC or IFX (xml format) (U.S. General Services Administration 2014). While importing the model the
BIM software converts the IFC structure to the native format for internal representations (U.S. General
Services Administration 2014). This vendor neutral schema of IFC’s make them indispensable while working
with different business model from different disciplines (U.S. General Services Administration 2014).
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The mission of IFC is to be “the specification for sharing data throughout the project life cycle, globally,
across discipline and across technical applications in the construction and facilities management industry”’
(buildingSMART 2018). The purpose of the IFC adoption guide is to introduce and lead the initial practical
steps for the process of implementing the IFC schema and as a document for guiding implementation of the
generally agreed sections of an IFC. The guide along with the introduction includes the IFC schema
specifications, documents for successful implementation, and model view definitions. IFC is an information
model which defines a schema in express notation to construct both the geometric and alphanumeric values
and data of a model. An IFC schema is a group of classes, attributes, and relationships between the classes.
It assigns the template by which the group of classes and their relationship should be represented. Thus, a
schema is called a data model, which contains a blueprint of the model along with the alphanumeric values
associated with it. On the other hand, a model is a population of a schema following the patterns, and
constrains set by the schema. Such a model is referred to as a populated model (buildingSMART International
Modeling Support Group 2014).
Fig 3-10:IFC data exchange for specific view
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COBIE and gbXML
COBie intends to deliver the required information during the planning and execution stages to transfer the
required data to the management stage of the process (NBIMS-US 2017). The NBIMS-US has had COBie
as a part of the standards required for BIM projects since 2011. Likewise, the UK BS has included COBie to
their standards since 2014. The process of structured capture and release of information at various stages
minimizes the requirements to follow-up for updates regarding the changes in the project (Fig 3-11). BIM
models with verified data sets serve as the information that will be transferred as approved COBie master
data. The COBie master data will then be further extended by contractors and execution planners along with
information from the product venders as the project progresses. In general, the COBie data includes but not
limited to, the make, model and serial number, product data sheets, warranties, spare parts lists.
Fig 3-11: Model exchange from construction stage to project handover stage for COBie requirements
Similarly, the interoperability between BIM and engineering analysis software that are used for evaluating
the performance of a building on the basis of its design, is defined through an exchange format known as
green building XML schema (gbXML) file. This file format is exclusively for information exchange between
BIM modeling software to an engineering analysis software (Autodesk Green Building Studio 2019). gbXML
was developed to reduce interoperability issues between BIM and analysis software tools which can be seen
to be widely used for building energy analysis (Autodesk Green Building Studio 2019).
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3.5 Collaboration procedures
The emergence of BIM has brought along the advantages for a process that has proven to render an integrated method
resulting in coordination and productivity (NIBS 2017 ) (Fig 3-12). BIM integration happens in different stages of a
project (design to operation and maintenance) and at different levels of integration (different model level such as
architectural, engineering, operation or maintenance). To support an integrated process, following a reliable and
instructed procedure for information exchange, knowledge sharing, and data management in the form of contracts and
documenting these processes will deliver a monitored and efficient project outcome which is satisfying and acceptable
for owners. Standardizing the framework of the procedure enables an organization to train the project members with
a definite perception and purpose of the process.
Fig 3-12: Difference between a non-BIM process and a BIM based process
3.5.1 Types of collaborations
Increasingly, there has been a shift in a way projects are managed and operated these days. Large number of
projects are being benefitted through adopting what may seem to be a complex process comprising of multi-
disciplinary professionals (Lu , Zhang and Rowlinson 2013) . To a BIM integrated process includes
professionals from various discipline to collaborate early and throughout the process, it seems to be complex
and time consuming. Yet, studies show that establishing an inter-organizational collaboration can increase
competitive gains for organizations facilitating innovation, and productivity (Tariq Shafiq, Matthews and
Lockley 2013) . At the same time, wide adoption of BIM does not necessarily promise better outcomes (Lu ,
Zhang and Rowlinson 2013). Collaboration offers solution for BIM enabled projects focusing on decreasing
the fragmented method through integration and collaboration. BIM based collaboration can be classified in
three categories team based, organization based, and process based.
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Team collaboration
The success of a project significantly depends on the collaboration among project members regardless of the
project requirements. For a BIM project to be successful collaboration skills, attitude, motivation, and BIM
acceptance is as important as the professional knowledge of the team members. For a successful team
collaboration, it is crucial for every member of the team to have experience and understanding of the related
task. Communication of knowledge and expertise within the team contributes to an efficient learning process
and proceeds in strengthening the inter-organizational ties (Lu , Zhang and Rowlinson 2013). Collaboration
skills defines the capability of communicating within the team and individual social skills outside the team.
For example, a project team which is required to work with a new software has to have the cooperation of
the entire team members for accepting and learning together for delivering the project. If the team members
are not cooperative in adjusting to the changes or not communicating enough for everyone to understand,
there will be difficulties in completing the task on time.
Organizational collaboration
The environment in which the users perform collaborative tasks impacts the accomplishments of an inter-
organizational collaboration. Suitable environments supporting communication and function for process
related task is highly efficient for organizations having multi-disciplinary professionals working together.
Each team, organization, or project demands a unique approach for achieving the target set for the project.
Hence there will be different strategies for establishing techniques for moderating BIM collaboration within
an organization (Lu , Zhang and Rowlinson 2013). For example, contracts are one form of organizational
strategy, where details regarding project information, tasks, responsibilities, collaboration procedures, and
deliverables will be included in a contract document. These process and procedures will be mutually agreed
upon among participants for maintaining a healthy relationship with all the teams and avoiding a risk-free
environment which might occur when the different teams do not work with the same goals in mind.
Individuals, teams, and organizations inclined towards working together through an established system of
communication, coordination, and integration demonstrate uncomplicated problem-solving procedure
reducing time, process, and accomplishing the target in a more creative way. Another way of inter-
organizational collaboration is through setting up regular meetings among the different disciplines. For
example, the project participants at the kickoff can decide the location and dates for meetings this helps in
keeping track of the progress of the project and schedule so the members can be aware of the responsibilities
for continuous interaction amongst the disciplines.
Process collaboration
For facilitating the use of BIM in a project a framework for conducting the process with applicable tools and
team members should be established for it to work properly. Developing a framework for collaboration
including methods for programming the execution of the plan is essential as this links the plan of all the teams
together as one. Maintaining a process helps to specify goals, responsibilities, and use of the technology.
BIM execution ensues in stages (planning, execution and exchange of data) every stage requires personnel,
infrastructure and data to execute a specific task (Lu , Zhang and Rowlinson 2013). To value the individuals
contributing to a task and delivering accurate data process mapping serves as an essential method. Despite
the fact that the process of execution is difficult, it confirms communication between stages and serves as a
document for recording the procedure (Tariq Shafiq, Matthews and Lockley 2013). For example, once the
execution plan is prepared with the guidelines or mandates to work a program map of the process of execution
is developed. This map is graphical including the tasks, milestones and discipline responsible for creating
and receiving the files or data is developed. During a project execution, communication of any sort such as
formal and informal is efficient. Identifying process benefits in decision making, early decisions results in
allowing longer time for correcting uncertainty avoiding conflicts.
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3.5.2 Model management
The growing demand for BIM projects has raised the compulsion for accurate and efficient data management
(Nour 2009). The procedure to create and maintain the model using BIM is vital for producing accurate
results. The advancement of BIM has amplified the value of digital data in the design and construction
industry, the concern now is about how to make use of the tools and data which is available. As BIM is
reputed for creating and maintaining a collaborative environment one of the primary features of BIM is the
capability to create, store and re-use the data. As much as creation is important the data has to also be shared
without loss or misapprehension. For this reason, guidelines on modeling responsibilities, process, content
and data management plan have been published by various organizations around the globe in an attempt to
enhance the attribute of design solution and assist the BIM process for achieving maximum usefulness
through complete transfer of information from stage to stage (Olugboyega 2017).
Model requirements
Standards for model development for a BIM project are adopted to ensure standardized practice among all
the teams. Guidelines on model development are addressed in BIM standards to ensure that modeling
responsibility, modeling process, model contents, facility data, and level of development are completed
systematically in a process (NIBS 2017 ). The model development methodology should be prepared and
established early in the process to allow faster development of models and to construct large scale models
without delay in deliverables due to hardware or software issues. (AEC UK 2012 ). Realizing BIM to be a
comprehensive tool for a collaborative practice can have discrepancies between the required and the delivered
information as it is a multi-disciplinary field. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the individual team
members to carry forward the required task with a lot of detail and care. For example, the responsible teams
during the initiation of the project can decide on the level of detail that the model has to carry at every
important stage of the project; this can also include the responsible member and the file format requirements
to be followed at the time of exchange.
Modeling responsibility
BIM is an integrated process with individuals from various disciplines working together to deliver the
benefits of the technology to the project. To define the scope which is the expectation of the work to be
completed using BIM, individual participants from each team should be entitled with a specific role and
responsibility. These roles and responsibilities should be addressed in the BxP and documented for reference.
The NIBS National BIM guide for owners and the American Institute of Architects BIM guide specifies that
each model object should be assigned a Model Element Author (MEA) along with an attached LoD (see
section 3.1.1 – LoD, fig 3-2). The MEA will be responsible for attaching data or metadata to the model
element based on the requirements based on a BxP at the required stages of the process. For example, the
design team is the MEA for the design of the basic building elements like the walls, floors and objects like
the doors and windows with the materials specifications. Whereas the structural engineers are the MEA
responsible for designing the structure for the building which can be adding structural slabs with details such
as rebars. Therefore, models are divided based on disciplines. It is important to understand that when an
element is assigned to a MEA the model which will contain the element must also be determined. This is
because a single element can be duplicated multiple times in different models. Hence, a MEA along with a
definite LoD will be a source for an accurate and reliable information.
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Modeling process
Creating the information model by following the best practices suggested by software vendors and by
following industry standards should be the priority of the project participants. BIM is not limited to just 3D
geometry creation; BIM is widely used by building performance analysis (NIBS 2017 ). Some of the aspects
of BIM other than 3D geometry creation are representing detailed physical characteristics of project and
facility components following standard naming conventions for files and levels in models, providing
acceptable and satisfactory information for model attributes. For example, to easily identify model elements
illustration in the form of graphics should be available and should exactly represent as shown in the
illustration. The host of the model elements should be inside the model, for instance a door cannot be an
independent component, rather it resides in a specific wall. The maturity of the model should be considered
early in the process, is essential for phasing the project. Each discipline responsible for creating the must be
presented separately with the associated attribute information. The process of creating a model varies from
project to project depending on the organization, function, and scale. However, certain procedures can remain
uniform like the use of IFC compliant software, BIM software satisfying owners project requirement (OPR),
applicable software tools, file formatting and documentation of the process (NIBS 2017 ).
Model contents
The AIA defines a BIM model as “a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a
facility. As such it serves as a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable
basis for decisions during its lifecycle from inception onward” (American Institute of Architects 2013). Since
BIM is a virtual representation of the physical characteristics of a facility the data carried in the model must
be accurate enough to construct, operate, and maintain the facility. To build a model in a digital environment
which is accurate it must have real time information from the designer, engineers, contractors, manufacturers
and vendors. For example, the BIM model should include data about location, site details, materials, system
components and utilities. Code compliance, and construction details must be included as part of the model
for legal procurements such as using standardize wall thickness based on the code or using unit measurements
based on practice followed in the industry. Likewise, project data should also be included in to the digital
model. This will include BIM project team members, elements that make up the model like the doors, HVAC,
materials, etc. Project data should be useful for identifying the cost and estimation of the project and be
grouped according to the discipline or by the services being provided.
Data management plan
To support the effective use of digital data the project participants develop a framework for creating, sharing,
and utilizing the data in the project. The wide extent of opportunities and employment of digital data is nearly
unmeasurable (NIBS 2017 ). These endless possibilities exemplify the risk involved due to the inefficiencies
to understand the importance for data accuracy among project participants which might lead to inaccurate
results. When the quality of data is compromised in a project or data delivered through an unstandardized
process will result in inefficient, uncoordinated, and unintended use of digital data. BIM standards with
protocol forms have been developed by AIA and other organizations with an intention to direct project
members to understand the usability of the information (American Institute of Architects 2013). Adopting
protocols will help in identifying the difference in digital data that are required and essential for project
growth and the additional data that will enhance or increase the performance of the building. For example,
information about materials used in the building, site conditions such as orientation and location of the
building are required data. Whereas, adding weather data, sun path and wind flow are additional information
which are significant for building performance analysis. To monitor the data in a project team member, agree
on adopting and following protocols throughout the BIM process. These protocols are guidelines, they should
be followed by the project members. These include required data information, data transfer file types,
identified data, and members responsible for data input (NIBS 2017 ).
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3.6 Summary
Along with the endless opportunities, BIM is also a field of challenges. The challenges can be classified as user, policy,
technology and practice based. In an effort to overcome these challenges many countries have come up with the
standards as a method to resolve the risks involved in using this technology and as a driver for adoption. The efforts
around the world are by both public sectors such as government bodies as well as private non-profit organizations
which are formed for the benefit of the industry as a whole. A BIM standard is a manual or a document with a set of
instructions and guidelines to perfume a task in an organized and systematic way to avoid data loss or result in loss of
time. Analysis of commonly occurring contents form various BIM guide irrespective of the discipline being addressed
resulted in three major topics which are BIM Execution Plan (BxP), software interoperability, and collaboration
procedures. These topics discussed in the guides presents the importance of having a plan in mind before initiating a
project.
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CHAPTER 4
In this chapter, a research methodology is proposed for developing BIM standards for the Indian AECO industry (Fig
20). There are three main parts: study, analysis and proposal. The analysis stage includes four sub-parts: assessment,
gathering results, referring to existing solutions and analysis of existing solutions. As part of the research methodology
and for the analysis of the case studies the projects are discussed in detail for understanding the method of BIM
implementation. Lastly, the results and conclusions from the case studies are discussed highlighting the similarities
and discrepancies among the case studies.
4.1 Research methodology: Overview of Workflow
BIM implementation in India is still in its preliminary stage; the nation is aware of the advantages of swiftly shifting
practice to this widely adopted technology. To aid the process of transformation, establishing a protocol suitable for
the Indian context is essential. A methodology was proposed to identify the core sections of the proposed standard for
India (Fig 4-1).
Fig 4-1: Research methodology for BIM Execution Plan development
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4.1.1 Identifying case studies
The first stage involves identifying case studies in India that have implemented and documented the process
of BIM. This provides the knowledge required for establishing the purpose for the research. In the second
stage, the identified projects which are analyzed for the level and process of BIM implementation, the
analysis puts forward an idea about the differences in process depending on the nature of the project and
practice techniques.
4.1.2 Analysis of assessment
To substantiate the need for a national BIM standard for India, a methodology which facilitates in
understanding the accurate demand of the industry is necessary. The case study method (Fig 4-2) was adopted
as a validation to confirm the precise need of the industry by studying the existing practices through three
projects. Hence, the first stage involves identifying projects in India as case studies that have substantially
executed a BIM based process for the workflow. Three projects of different scale and typology were
identified. The case studies are briefly described highlighting the key information of the project, for better
understanding of the nature of the adopted practice.
4.1.3 Process results
In order to have a comprehensive understanding of the identified case studies, the method of BIM
implementation for each project is individualized analyzed. Rationalizing the purpose for analyzing the
method of BIM implementation executed in the case studies is to identify the differences and similarities
while performing a BIM based task and the workflow followed for completing the required task. The case
studies are analyzed based on but not limited to the following contents: BIM goals, BIM uses, process
workflow, level of BIM implementation, and limitations if any regarding the implementation process. Once
the analysis of the case studies is completed, the outcome of the results is used to check for best practice
methods, whether realistic BIM goals were established based on the competencies of the professionals and
the available resources. As a result, this helps in determining the practicable solutions to resolve existing
issues through BIM standards.
4.1.4 Comparing BIM Execution Plans
Following the analysis of the case studies to identity the methodology practiced to implement BIM and to
determine the scope of the research, solutions for the identified areas are proposed. Based on the results and
identified focus area, existing BIM standards from countries which have aptly formulated and mature
standards are chosen to be precedents for the proposed deliverables. Several BIM standards are available
which were formulated and developed by various nations to supports the practice of this technology by
reducing the risk involved in undertaking undefined processes (see section 5.2).
4.1.5 Check for solution
BIM standards addressing similar issues are identified and initially reviewed individually, and later compared
against each other to study the pattern of solution offered in different standards. Contents, techniques,
documents and process for solutions recommended by different standards are some of the subject of thought
were compared.
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4.1.6 Proposal: the final deliverables
The last stage is crafting the proposal. Results from the analysis of the case studies and solutions suggested
from the comparison of the BIM standards are taken as the data available for resolving the existing issues.
Developing a BIM Project Execution Plan (PxP) in India to be used for addressing the discussed issues
specific to for the betterment of the industry. The proposal will be a template outlining the requirements,
guidelines, best practice methods and specifications for practicing a standardized process to deliver quality
work by avoiding risk and time delays. The proposed Project Execution Plan can be modified to the
requirements of the users and client’s needs; this is to ensure realistic outcome benefitting the industry in
India.
4.2 Case study: documentation / description of BIM implemented projects in India
As a result of rapid urbanization, India over the last decade has witnessed transformation in the AECO industries
practice methodologies. In view of the recent transformation and the obligation to stay updated with the current trends,
many projects have earnestly considered the use of BIM. However, due to unexpected shortcomings while using BIM
the shift from traditional method to digital method has been substantially lower with respect to the rapid urbanization
the country has been experiencing (IBIMA 2017). The primary reasons for unexpected shortcomings or the reluctance
to adopt this technology are the failure to address the exact requirements and having unrealistic ambitions (IBIMA
2017). To further support in understanding the precise prevailing situation in India, three large infrastructure projects
that have used BIM were studied in an effort to examine the efforts, difficulties, and processes followed. Even though
the goal to move towards digitalization by utilizing BIM is common across the industry, the process of implementation
varies based on the project requirements, practice preferences, and the people’s mindset while using the technology.
Fig 4-2: Case study methodology
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4.2.1 Case study 1: Aviation project
The first project is an aviation project covering 255,000 square meters, located in India and is currently under
construction. This is one of India’s first public-private infrastructure project to follow the design, build, and
operate practice engaging in complete 3D design and construction along with 4D scheduling technology
throughout the project lifecycle. It engages in complete 3D and 4D practice to take advantage of the
visualization and project management tools needed to keep track with the ambitious schedule of the project.
The professionals involved in the project growth, believe that it is crucial to monitor the progress of the
project and to maintain awareness among the working team for accomplishing strategic and operational goals
that will affect the value and time involved. The projects BIM implementation strategies were developed by
the project consultants on the basis of the owner’s requirements. The project is a joint venture of multiple
stakeholders including Tata Projects. For a project of this scale, the management of mega data from the
drawings, models, and schedules at the rate of which they were being produced and transferred from different
disciplines is difficult to manage and constantly update. Hence, BIM has been employed as the central source
for design, planning, collaborating, and executing the goals of the project. Autodesk BIM 360 a leading
software tool, was used for collaboration during designing, documenting, and reviewing. The tool will also
be used for pre-construction fabrication, and post-construction record modelling. According to the project
team, for a large-scale project with a huge number of people working and improving the process every day,
communication, collaboration, and coordination is the cardinal solution for successful project delivery. BIM
360 enables all the team members from different disciplines to share and review the master model under a
single location. The main advantage of sharing a common master model among the teams is to be familiar
with issues and concerns faced by other project teams, detecting clashes in the model, resolving displaced or
inaccurate design elements and important data. With a mandate to fully engage in BIM utilization, the project
is presumed to induce the indispensable value of transforming to a digital workflow with this massive
infrastructure project.
4.2.2 Case study 2: Express highway project
The second project studied for analysis is an express highway infrastructure project. It is expected to start
operation in 2019. The project was proposed and being developed by the state government, the authorities in
charge of the project decided to manage and monitor this express highway in an online platform by extending
it to a digital project management system. The digital project management system provides assistance in 3D
civil infrastructure modeling, virtual construction validation, centralized project, work management, and
enterprise resource planning system which is a virtual model for cost control, ensuring steady collaboration
amongst project participants and stakeholders. The primary reason for the adoption of BIM for this large
infrastructure project is for cost analysis and estimating the engineered model to evaluate the investment and
profits through cash flows in every stage of the construction. The quality of cost analysis is ensured to be
valuable for the project owners in three ways – an accurate bill of quantities (BOQ), which is the estimation
done during the initial tendering and sanction phases for quantities such as time, measurements, number, or
weight. Change order management is conducted in a closed loop on the engineering process or change of
material by linking the project execution system to the 3D model. This is done to reassure that the proposed
work is actually being executed on site and a record model is developed. Another dimension for employing
BIM was because it allows the project participants and the stakeholders to visualize the timeline of
construction, manage the project schedule, and detect any latent spatial and resources conflict. The adoption
of a 3D platform is to have a model which can be used for tracking the infrastructures lifetime durability
along with the project’s growth.
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4.2.3 Case study 3: Metro rail project
The third project analyzed is a metro rail project. It is a joint venture between the state and the central
government implemented by a public private partnership. The project is under construction and expected to
be completed by 2021, the idea was to employ 5D BIM techniques for real time scheduling. This is expected
to provide insights to project teams to bring down cost through analysis. By including 5D BIM techniques it
adds more value to 2D and 3D drawings through a defined program schedule for the project which can be
monitored during the decision-making process. By doing so, the changes to design, construction, and layouts
can help determine the changes to the project in every phase. Strategy planning team for the project state that,
globally, the adoption of such a platform has reduced the overall project cost by five to six percent (The
Hindu - Business Line 2018). Similar to the other two case studies, the idea behind the integration of BIM in
the process was to have a digital backbone to the project from the concept to design to construction, along
with the execution and operation phases as well. Considering the scale of the project it is important to have
a common data environment for exchanging data throughout the lifecycle of the project and keeping the team
members informed about the software and process involved in the practice. One of the other reasons for
employing BIM is the crucial time schedule along with the budget requirements set by the project owner.
The digital management platform offers to improve project potency through the most efficient use of the
information technology infrastructure coupled with best practices from around the globe, such as UK BIM
Level 3 adoption which has proven advantageous in mega projects like the Cross Rail of UK, and Transport
London which are being managed on such systems.
4.3 Analysis of case study: results and conclusion
The case studies are compared based on the following contents: BIM goals, BIM uses, process workflow, level of
BIM implementation, and limitations if any regarding the implementation process (Fig 4-3). Every project differs
based on its project and owner’s requirements, when BIM is considered to be used in the project. Hence it is necessary
to decide on the BIM goals and uses for the project; this is done to ensure much thought has been put into before the
commencement of work. The perception about a BIM project differs between the client and the project team or
sometimes even among the different disciplines, hence clearly defining the process for workflow is essential for
determining the project outcomes and to know what to expect from using BIM. This is a vast field of technology to
be applied, therefore it is important to know how specifically BIM is being employed based on the requirements from
the clients. Some of the most common uses of BIM are visualization, coordination, constructability, sustainability,
fabrication, and life cycle assessment, which requires assigning tasks and responsibilities to individual team members
who are hired in accordance with recognized stature, skill sets and abilities.
Fig 4-3: Analysis for interpreting BIM implementation in large infrastructure projects
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The information required for the analysis is derived from the project contract documents. These outline the
requirements of the project to be completed based on the owners request (Fig 4-4). This document is considered to be
the source for legal agreements between the client and the project contractors, hence, any changes to the plan or scope
of the project has to be refelected in the contracts.
Fig 4-4: Data from case studies
For the purpose of analysis, the projects contract document was studied to understand the BIM requirements laid out
by the project owner for the contractors to follow (Fig 4-5). In all the three cases the specific use of BIM for the project
is mentioned along with the minimum requirements, scope of work and the responsibilities of the contractor while
working on the project. Since, the three cases follow a design build process which is similar to an Engineering,
Construction and Procurement process (EPC) the contractor develops the execution of work based on the request from
the owner. The execution of work is a plan developed keeping in mind the requirements of the owner or the Owners
Project Requirements (OPR). In order to satisfy the OPR the contractor plans the process in sequential phases, which
highlights the important milestones and timeline for completing a specific task clearly stating the team member
including the work assigned. It is also important for the developed plan to be executed based on industry specifications,
regulations, and compliances (Fig 4-6).
Fig 4-5: Communication between the owner and the contractor
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Fig 4-6: Requirements of contractor based on owner’s expectations
The analysis of the case studies focuson but not limited to three primary components: project goals, BIM uses, and
project programming. The case studies’ project goals are examined to determine any established project goals that
mention the expected outcomes of the project or adopted standards for desirable results. The most promient similarity
among the three case studies is the use of BIM technology is anlysed to identify the particular BIM use choosen to
slove or impove the process. Since BIM is used in the all the three cases they are analsysed to check if a plan for
executing the project goals (project programming) exists (Fig 4-7). Lastly, it was verified if the decided plan was
effectively utilised or alternatively modifications were made to the plan.
Fig 4-7: Case study analysis components
4.3.1 Result of analysis: Similarities identified during analysis
As the initial step for analysis the similarities among the three cases were identified, the observation was that
in all the three cases the contract document prepared by the owner signifies the importance of BIM by clearly
stating the goal and use for employing it in the project. In the first case, for the aviation project the BIM goal
mentioned by the owner was to use Autodesk BIM 360 to manage the entire project in a digital platform
bringing together everyone on board to use the same tool for design, fabrication, and construction. For the
second case, the express highway project uses 5D BIM, which is used for estimating and managing the cost
and time involved during construction and operation of the facility. And for the third case, the metro rail
project uses 6D BIM for project lifecycle analysis which provides an environmental analysis of the project
performance with a perspective for sustainability, helping in decision making process beginning from the
design stage through construction, operation, maintenance, until demolition of the facility. It is evident that,
predominantly the three cases rely on BIM for project management and monitoring the growth in every stage
for a large construction project. Overall, in the three cases BIM has been employed as the basis for creating,
sharing, documenting and managing the project and serving as a central repository for data management.
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4.3.2 Result of analysis: Differences identified during analysis
Although the three case studies have strong inclination towards utilizing BIM, the extent to which the projects
have essentially displayed the efforts for achieving the desired goals greatly varies. In the first case study, for
instance, the owner of the project outlines a set of requirements for the project teams to complete the task
(Fig 4-8). This significantly helped the project teams to understand the exact requirement and be aware of
the responsibilities to deliver as per the request. The project owner required the BIM team from each
discipline to deliver a process map (Fig 4-9) highlighting the process they would be following from project
initiation to handover (Fig 4-10 & 4-11). To support or to establish a standardized practice the among the
different disciplines, guidelines on modeling requirements, model contents and technological requirements
were provided. As a response to this, the teams were required to prepare quality control while modeling,
modeling strategies for determining the LoD and determine the hardware and software, which will be used
respectively (Fig 4-8). On the contrary, the other two cases in spite of having a mandate to use BIM along
with requirements for the teams to complete a task from the owner, does not have a plan that was developed
by the project teams to the owner as a response for the OPR.
Fig 4-8: Case Study 1 (aviation project) project owner’s requirement and project team deliverables
Fig. 4-9: Importance of establishing project requirements
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Fig 4-10: Case Study 1 (aviation project) diagram highlighting the program for the project
(Penn State University 2013)
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Fig 4-11: Case Study 1 (aviation project) diagram highlighting the program for the project
(Penn State University 2013)
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4.3.3 Conclusion
Even though BIM implementation has been fairly recent to the Indian AECO industry, many projects are
beginning to follow the BIM practice. The knowledge inferred from the case studies shows that BIM
implementation in India can be broadly classified as BIM expectations set for a project and efforts for
realizing the expectations. Currently as the country does not have mandates or protocols for integration by
the project owners and BIM users to adopt there are a wide range of practice methods that exist which leads
to setting unrealistic expectations from BIM. The analysis of the case studies presents the unique expectations
set by each project, the similarities identified in the expectations indicated that BIM was certainly used for
design development even if not for satisfying the additional requirements such as 4D and 5D analysis. Even
though, the three cases have similar expectations from BIM, only one out of the three projects have
significantly displayed efforts for realizing the expectations through a program development and by
following standardized practice. This has significantly helped the team members to complete and monitor
tasks without confusion or delay. Therefore, in conclusion, to support the execution of BIM expectations,
Project Execution Plan containing a template outlining, guidelines, best practice methods and specifications
for establishing a work plan and for project management during the design stage has to be developed to begin
the BIM standards development for India (Fig 4-12).
Fig 4-12: Inference from case studies for standards development
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4.4 Summary
The methodology developed for analyzing the case studies aids in identifying the practice followed by large
infrastructure projects in India. The building industry in India is highly disconnected, therefore, understanding the
demand and establishing the requirements for a standardized process will help in setting realistic goals and to follow
a practical methodology for executing these expectations. In an industry that involves a huge number of people
constantly working, updating and transforming to a digitalized platform, standards and guides on project initiation,
planning and execution is greatly important. Standardization brings along with it many benefits including faster and
clear process, quality assurance, informed service, life cycle data management, improved design, visualization, and
decision-making ability. Adopting a particular process for practice resolves many issues which might arise in the
future, but the adoption itself should be through a standardized process. One of the ways to practice standardization is
through a monitored process which is possible through the adoption of an execution plan. Execution plans facilitate
communication and coordination when collaborating between various disciplines. The idea behind having an
established execution plan is not entirely for mandating, they can be modified to suite the requirements and policies
of any organization.
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CHAPTER 5
This chapter summarizes the review of BIM Execution Planning guides, overview of the identified BIM standards and
comparison of identified standards for thirteen BxP guides from five countries including the US, the UK, Finland,
Singapore and Australia.
5.1 Introduction: Review of BIM Execution Planning guides
Globally, the AECO industry in the last few decades has inclined towards the adoption of BIM in an effort to curtail
the manual processes, review of code compliances, and the dependence of paper-based process by moving towards
standardization along with developed process policies for using the technology for a defined workflow involving an
error free, risk free and a time managed process (Nawari 2018). As discussed in the previous chapters, many developed
and developing nations have designed BIM guides that are suitable for its industry and practice methodologies (Smith
2014). BIM Execution Plans forms the central component of a BIM guide supporting in preparing and guiding the
project through a defined workflow (Sacks, Gurevich and Shrestha 2016). A BxP is a document that will add value
through high levels of planning, which in turn reduces the risk of the unknows and connects the entire team together
(Ramirez-Saenz, et al. 2018). For example, Taipei University of Technology researchers demonstrated that a project
which developed a BxP for facility management resulted in efficiently monitoring and operating the building (Lin , et
al. 2015). Therefore, it is clear that developing a BxP not only helps in managing the project but also adds value and
benefits for maximizing the BIM advantages (Ramirez-Saenz, et al. 2018). BIM Execution Plans are designed and
followed by the countries in an effort to derive the core components of an execution plan that can be used by the
qualified, trained, and experienced BIM professionals in India. Even though, many organizations realize the need for
a common BIM guide, the approach is unique for specific projects in terms of process requirements and workflow
methodologies. The practice of developing a standard or a guide for the implementation of BIM technology has
evolved among countries and organizations with the hope to support the necessity for deploying a plan for assisting
in the successful integration of technology (Keenliside 2015).
5.2 Overview of the identified BIM standards
The building industry around the world, despite the differences in the cultural believes, practice methodologies, project
requirements, and demands set by the industry, focus on constantly pioneering in developing a method for achieving
maximum or full potential by the use of BIM and encourage professionals to transform entirely towards the digital
platform starting from the project initiation to the end of the project life cycle. Different countries are in different
stages of development in regards to the BIM implementation and the standards adoption. Although, India being a
rapidly growing economy with enormous opportunities, qualified professionals, and raising popularity, only 22% BIM
usage is reported in the country. The reason for a reportedly lower rate of BIM implementation is significantly due to
the lack of resources available for a guided procedure unique to the demands set by the countries AECO industry.
However, the increasing awareness and demand from the project owners and the realization of benefits by the
professionals in using BIM has forced the Indian AECO industry to follow or practice methodologies developed and
that are proven to be successful by other nations in an effort to develop a similar method for itself. A wide range of
BIM standards have been identified for studying the BIM execution planning strategies discussed in the document.
The 13 identified guides are from the US, the UK, Finland, Singapore and Australia (fig 5-1). The guides were further
distinguished based on the type of organization which developed them like universities, government and national
organizations.
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Fig 5-1: Identified BIM guides for studying BIM Execution Plan
5.2.1 University
United States: Penn State University (PSU)
The Penn State University in 2009 published the first version of the Building Information Modeling (BIM)
Project Execution Planning (PEP) Guide with the motto ‘Begin with the End in Mind’ and they released an
update in 2011 (Penn State University 2013). In an attempt to apply the motto, which they consider to bring
in valuable changes to the AECO industry, they are helping the project owners realize the importance of
understanding and communicating the desired project goals to the project teams. The primary focus of the
guide is to support the planning and execution of a BIM project by the stakeholders. While preparing the
guide, the current approaches for BIM integration followed by the project owners were considered for
delivering a realistic solution. For effectively engaging in planning the process for BIM integration the guide
was structured in three stages. The first stage is strategy planning, which allows to establish BIM goals and
objectives for preparing a process map including the important milestones in the process (Penn State
University 2013). The second stage is implementation planning; once a strategy is in place an implementation
plan with standards and protocols for carrying out the required task is formed (Penn State University 2013).
The last stage is the procurement planning; the process has to be documented in order to assure the agreed
process is completed as per the instruction and requirements of the owner, this is also completed to make
sure that there are no misinterpretations regarding process and requirements among the different parties (Penn
State University 2013). The guide is significantly descriptive in nature for project owners, who want to
successfully integrate BIM. For example, the entire guide was developed in a way to offer direction,
management, control and development of a plan for project execution.
University of Southern California (USC)
The University of Southern California (USC) BIM Guidelines for USC Capital Construction Development
and Facilities Management Services was published in 2012. The purpose of the guide was to define the BIM
scope and project deliverables for design and construction works for new facilities and renovation of existing
campus facilities at USC. It is stated in the document that the guide follows the Design Bid Build (DBB)
process, which is the contract process followed by USC (University of Southern California 2012). The
primary focus of the guide was to effectively monitor the projects at USC by improving the traditional
methods of design and construction. The method of improvements mainly included coordination between
teams using BIM for reducing cost and time involved for change orders and for 3D visualization (University
of Southern California 2012).
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The other reason for following a BIM Execution practice was to effectively re-use the data for multiple
purpose like facility operation and maintenance. For example, USC BIM Guidelines have strict mandate
requirements to follow COBie guidelines during every important milestone of the project development. This
requires project teams to submit COBie spreadsheet with relevant data during respective project stages.
Similarly, the guide highlights the requirements to be fulfilled while delivering and using BIM during design,
construction and maintenance of the facilities (University of Southern California 2012). The guide is highly
prescriptive in nature, which means the project teams are required to follow the guide exactly as prescribed.
Any changes to the plan have to be submitted to USC for consideration and approval
.
Georgia Tech (GT)
Georgia Tech (GT) in 2011 published a guide for BIM requirements for architects, engineers and contractors.
The guide was a mandate for projects which are $5 million or greater, whereas, projects which are $2.5
million or lesser are encouraged but not required to follow the requirements (Georgia Tech (GT) 2011). The
main purpose of the guide was to establish a well-informed process through the development of a framework
for coordination and management among project teams and the stakeholders (Georgia Tech (GT) 2011). The
stakeholder’s awareness on project execution and process are important requirements of the guide (Georgia
Tech (GT) 2011). The guide describes the basic deliverables to be derived using BIM along with the
importance of data reuse during facility management (Georgia Tech (GT) 2011).
Indiana University (IU)
Indiana University (IU) in 2015 published BIM guidelines and standards for architect’s engineers and
contractors. The guide is a mandate for every project that is over $5 million and any other project which was
previously developed through BIM (Indiana University 2015). The guide describes the requirements for
every project team during every milestone in the project with basic requirements such as model development
and deliverables schedule (Indiana University 2015). Additional strategies for best practices, model
coordination and deliverables strategies are listed for projects aiming for more than the basic requirements.
For example, the Indian University developed the proficiency matrix for determining the team members
knowledge on BIM before beginning the project (Indiana University 2015)
Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD)
Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) published BIM standards in 2015 with instruction and
guidelines for consultants and contractors for design and construction for LACCD using BIM (LACCD 2015).
LACCD is committed towards designing high-performance buildings through the sustainable building
program along with the use of BIM for the execution of design, construction and operation (LACCD 2015).
The guide determines the importance of defining the process and establishing requirements, procedures and
protocols for utilization of BIM in different stages of the project (LACCD 2015). The BIM guide developed
by LACCD has taken precedents from various guides that have been published in the United States such as
the National BIM Standards (NBIMS-US), General Services Administration (GSA), the US Army Corps of
Engineers (USACE) (LACCD 2015). And international organizations like the BuildingSMARTS IFC and
OmniClass Construction Classification (OmniClass) as developed by Construction Specifications Institute
(CSI) (LACCD 2015).
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5.2.2 Government
General Services Administration (GSA)
The General Services Administration (GSA) is responsible for providing policy and standards for federal
buildings in the United States, in the areas of architecture, engineering, urban development, sustainable
design, fine arts, historic preservation, construction and project management (General Services
Administration 2015). The GSA in 2003 established the National 3D-4D BIM program, for developing
information technology collaboration between public buildings and the government board (General Services
Administration 2015). The first required BIM deliverable by GSA was mandated in 2007, which required all
the project design deliverables and construction documentation to be carried out in 2D. The first BIM Guide
was published in 2007, which provided the guidance for project teams that wanted to use BIM beyond the
minimum requirements set by the organization. In the following years, the GSA published a series of BIM
guides highlighting the complete set of BIM uses in different stages of a project (General Services
Administration 2015). The primary purpose for developing the guide was to allow the project teams to meet
the customer, design, construction, facility management and program requirements through BIM
visualization, coordination, simulation and optimization (General Services Administration 2015). The guides
are numbered 01-08 including topics such as; overview, spatial program validation, laser scanning, 4D
phasing, energy performance, circulation and security validation, building elements and facilities
management. The series of guides describes the mandates and guidelines to be followed for all federal
buildings in the US. For example, one of the important requirements for project teams is to provide master
information plan for execution of program and assignment of responsibilities for model creation and data
integration (General Services Administration 2015)
State of Ohio BIM Protocol
The State of Ohio’s Architects office BIM Protocol are mandates to be followed by the project teams in order
to fully complete a project (State of Ohio Department of Administrative Services(DAS) 2011). The standards
and guidelines to satisfy the protocols determined by the guide are clearly described for achieving successful
BIM implementation (State of Ohio Department of Administrative Services(DAS) 2011). Along with
protocols, methods for creating, embedding and delivering data which can be crucial for data management
and reuse are outlined for the benefit of the project (State of Ohio Department of Administrative
Services(DAS) 2011). The State of Ohio BIM Protocol is developed to serve as a guide for consistent model
development, management and exchange for facilities such as institutional and government buildings in the
State of Ohio (State of Ohio Department of Administrative Services(DAS) 2011).
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Construction and Facilities Management (CFM) is
solely committed for improvising the building performance of health care facilities for the Nations Veterans
(U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs n.d.). The mission of the VA BIM Guide is to provide design,
construction and project management standards and strategies for delivering high quality and cost-effective
medical facilities support for the Nations Veterans (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs n.d.). The
requirements described in the guide are descriptive in an effort to enhance the process change and to increase
the benefits for using BIM (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs n.d.). VA follows Integrated Project
Delivery (IPD) methodologies for achieving project goals and objectives (U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs n.d.). Another vision of VA’s is efficient data management and reuse, therefore to achieve this vision
VA guides suggest the use of IFC compliant BIM authoring tools for all major construction and renovation
projects over $10 million (Department of Veterans Affairs 2017). Smaller projects are encouraged to use
BIM to its maximum benefits (Department of Veterans Affairs 2017).
5.2.3 National
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National BIM Standards – United States (NBIMS-US)
The National Institute of Building Science BuildingSMART alliance is responsible for the development of
the National BIM Standards for United States (NBIMS-US 2017). The primary focus of the BIM Guide is
the use of a standardized process for facilitating the efficient lifecycle management of the built environment
supported by the digital technology (NBIMS-US 2017). The guide is descriptive in nature for achieving
successful outcomes through the informed mechanism of creating, exchanging and managing BIM data in
the digital environment (NBIMS-US 2017). This is mainly realized through standardization, specifications
and information exchange protocols along with a defined workflow method (NBIMS-US 2017). The BIM
Execution Planning (BEP) guide is a document which structures the procedure for creating and executing the
BIM plan for a project. The NBIMS suggests that for a project team to successfully implement BIM a BEP
will ensure an informed process among all the parties by assigning specific tasks at each milestone of the
project (NBIMS-US 2017). Once a plan is adopted the team can follow and refer to it for maximum benefits
from BIM implementations (NBIMS-US 2017).
Common BIM (COBIM)
The publication series “Common BIM Requirements 2012” is entitled COBIM. The BIM Guide was
published by Finland as the guide to be used to follow the mandate which was passed by the Finnish
government in 2007 (COBIM 2012). The mandate included the practice of BIM through design tools which
have IFC certifications, this is to encourage OpenBIM and software interoperability (Mohammad , Succar
and Dawood 2015). The primary focus behind the development of this guide is aimed to support the design
and construction process while delivering a high quality, efficient, safe and in compliance facility (COBIM
2012). The series starts from the schematic stage to the facility management stage outlining the functions,
scope and process for implementing BIM in every stage of the project (COBIM 2012). To make the digital
model successful and benefitting for the project, specific priorities such as BIM objectives and uses have to
established (COBIM 2012). In order to have a monitored process the guide suggests to have these plans
defined and documented at the beginning of the process (COBIM 2012).
Building Construction Association (BCA)
The government of Singapore realizing the growth of the building industry, has created a central repository
for building codes and regulations (Smith 2014). This online repository led to the establishment of Building
and Construction Authority, which mandated the world’s first online submission in 2015 for BIM projects
over 5,000 square meters (Smith 2014). The Singapore BIM Guide version 2 published in 2013 outlines the
various possible deliverables, processes and professionals involved in a BIM project (Building Construction
Authority 2013 ). The guide projects the importance of having a BIM Execution Plan for deciding the project
delivery methods, forming BIM teams for different disciplines, and defining the projects workflow method
(Building Construction Authority 2013 ). The execution plan supports in clearly understanding the strategic
goals for BIM implementation in a project, outlining additional resources and services for the execution of
work (Building Construction Authority 2013 ).
Australia: NATSPEC National BIM Guide (NATSPEC)
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The NATSPEC National BIM Guide was first published in 2010 with a recent update in 2016, much of the
content and solutions discussed in the guide are reproduced with approval from the United States Department
of Veteran Affairs (VA) BIM Guide (NATSPEC Construction Information 2016). The guide was put together
with a view to contribute to the advancement of the Australian construction industry by the digitalization of
information through 3D modeling using BIM and by improving coordinated workflows (NATSPEC
Construction Information 2016). The guide is prescriptive in nature, for example, the guide lists out the
essential requirements from a client and a project team for delivering through an uncomplicated process.
Similarly, the guide emphasizes the importance of framing the requirements for a BIM project. Realizing the
significance of assessing the project based on the competence and proficiency about the user and the software
leads to a realistic and valuable assessment. The NATSPEC’s Project BIM Brief takes precedents from the
Penn State Universities BIM PEP, which stresses on the importance of having a defined work flow with the
scope of work entitled to the respective role of the project team member (NATSPEC Construction
Information 2016). The ultimate goal of the guide is to make available to the user a complete set of resources
which can be modified according the specific needs of the project and the client (NATSPEC Construction
Information 2016).
United Kingdom: AEC UK BIM Protocol
The AEC UK BIM Protocol version 2.0 is not a standards document (AEC (UK) 2012). This document is
descriptive, it was developed as an instruction manual for deploying British Standards (BS) for executing
BIM practices (AEC (UK) CAD & BIM Standards 2010). Some of the guides which were most notably
discussed in the guide were; the BS 1192:2007, PAS 119-2 and BS8541-1 (AEC (UK) 2012). The guide is a
baseline level of compliance with reference for every situation (AEC (UK) CAD & BIM Standards 2010).
This BIM document is flexible to allow an extensive range of methods for practicing BIM (AEC (UK) CAD
& BIM Standards 2010). The AEC (UK) BIM Protocols previous guides on software tools such as BIM
Standards for Autodesk Revit and Bentley Buildings are combined together in this version for delivering a
comprehensive software-based protocol for users following the BS (AEC (UK) CAD & BIM Standards 2010).
Through the integration of two different software applications workflow in one document, enhances the
process of application in a BIM-enabled project (AEC (UK) CAD & BIM Standards 2010). This document
serves as a guide for the BIM mandate established by the UK government in 2016 which requires all centrally
procured projects to achieve BIM Level 2 (AEC (UK) CAD & BIM Standards 2010). The BIM Level 2
requires the compliance of IFC and COBie requirements for any software tools used in the project for
coordinated information exchange process (National BIM Standards UK 2018).
5.3 Comparison of identified standards
The 13 BIM Execution Plans (BxP) from 5 countries are compared (TABLE 3), based on the type of organization that
published the guide such as universities, government and national organizations and analyzed on BIM Execution
Planning topic of contents as discussed in chapter 3 (see section 3.1.1). The purpose of comparing existing standards
for a similar purpose as the origin country is to establish a required benchmark for the end-user to efficiently develop
knowledge, proficiency and abilities to carry out the required task for implementing a BIM based process. To develop
a BxP for India requires understanding of existing standards. Comparing BIM standards published by developed
countries will help in developing an organized guide. Analyzing content, the solution, and the development addressed
by the standards can improve and aim to solve issues faced by the users in India. Although, the intent is to deliver a
standardized process along with work flow methods, a comprehensive process with pre-determined standards does
not have to be specific to all organizations or users. The purpose of standards development is to educate the users of
the various possibilities that exist in order to execute an informed and monitored process.
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TABLE 3: BIM Execution Plan comparison from different standards
BIM EXECUTION PLANNING CONTENTS
BEP GUIDES
PSU
USC
GT
IU
LACCD
GSA
Ohio
VA
NBIMS-US
COBIM
BCA
NATSPEC
AEC-UK
Template available (Yes/No)
Y Y Y Y N Y Y N N N Y N Y
Descriptive (D) / Prescriptive (P) D P P P P D P D D D P D D
Owners approval required (Yes/No) Y Y Y Y Y N Y Y N N Y Y Y
Quick Guide (Yes/No) N N N N N N N N N N Y N N
BIM project
scope
Project information
BIM objectives
BIM uses
Roles &
Responsibilities
Responsibility matrix
BIM team members
BIM manager
Collaboration
procedure
IE Process map
Information
exchange
worksheet
Model delivery
format
TC Key project
contact
Team meetings
Collaboration
&
communication
strategy
Modeling
requirements
Modeling guidelines
Level of
Development (LOD)
86
Model
Management
Model store and
quality control
Creation of As-built
model
BIM
deliverables
Drawing submittals
Delivery schedule
Infrastructure
requirements
Software &
hardware
requirements /
specifications
Security & backup
Document update process
(Yes/No)
Y N N N N N N Y N Y Y N Y
TABLE 4: Legend for TABLE 3
LEGEND POINTS
Highly detailed 1
Detailed .5
Few Details .25
Not present 0
The assignment of the values for each topic was based on its occurrence in the respective BIM guide. The evaluation
depends on three things:
• Clarity of explanation
• Details regarding the topic (why this is important to be included)
• Whether an example regarding the topic was provided (like an implementation strategy or a solution for
improving)
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5.3.1 Content analysis
The degree of specification of the topic of contents over the thirteen BxP documents considered for analysis
(TABLE 5). The frequency of the topic is the number of times the topic appears in all the thirteen documents
and the corresponding percentage of frequency (TABLE 5). The topics are weighed based on the degree of
detail across the documents from the comparison table (TABLE 3), by assigning a score of 1 for highly
detailed, 0.5 for detailed, 0.25 for few details and 0 for not present (TABLE 4). The specificity values are a
measure of the degree of detail with which each topic is regarded over the thirteen documents. The specificity
value is achieved by averaging the degree of detail over the frequency of the topics it has occurred. The
specificity values are only the relative degree of detail and does not signify the quality of the topic being
regarded.
The topic of contents chosen for analysis are discussed in chapter 3 (see section 3.1.1). It is evident from the
table that the topics that occur in all the thirteen documents are BIM objectives, BIM uses, model delivery
format and modeling guidelines. However, all the above-mentioned topics are not certainly the mostly highly
comprehensive in terms of the details available in the occurring documents. Modeling guidelines are the most
detailed among the frequently occurring topics followed by BIM uses and objectives. Even though, model
delivery formats appear in all the thirteen documents they are not highly detailed.
The quick guide present in the Singapore BIM Guide, is a sequential description of the all the processes
involved in the execution process. This is typically useful for the project teams to quickly check for
procedures or steps during implementation of the execution plan. However, the quick guide cannot be a
substitute for the detailed BIM guide.
Roles and responsibilities for BIM team members occur in 12 of the 13 documents. The topic is highly
detailed in most of the documents it occurs, except for the ones that are discussed in GT, GSA and AEC-UK
in which the only the BIM task is highlighted without mentioning the member responsible for completing
the task. BIM managers responsibilities occur in 11 out of the 13 documents and is highly detailed in most
of the documents except the ones in Indiana University and COBIM in which a member of the team is
responsible for coordination and a separate role for manger is not discussed.
Team meeting occurs in 11 documents and lacks details, all the documents that mention about team meetings
discuss the kickoff meeting required at the initiation of the project but does not describe the follow up meeting
for the teams to collaborate. Location for meeting, people who must be present at the meeting, model
requirements, and presentation for meetings are some of the contents that are lacking discussion.
Facility management requirements for BIM occurs in 12 of 13 documents yet lacks details such as COBie
requirements, COBie worksheet which contains the requirements for modeling for each discipline.
Another important topic which occurs in 11 of the 13 documents are the BIM deliverables which are about
the submittal formats and schedule for delivery. Documents lack the basic requirements such as the file types,
drawing standards and method for submittal requirements. Similarly, for delivery schedule which lacks the
details for milestone submission and requirements from each discipline.
Process maps for BIM execution occurs in 7 of the 13 documents and is fairly detailed. Even though it occurs
in only half the documents the degree of detail is fairly detailed with the document highlighting the overall
process as a map. The contents that are missing were individual maps for each discipline with details of the
process including the change order management.
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TABLE 5: Table comparing the frequencies of topic of contents
Topic of contents Frequency
of the topic
Frequency
percentage
(%)
Degree of
detail (0-13)
Specificity
(0-1)
BIM project
scope
Project information 2 15% 2.00 1
BIM objectives 13 100% 10.50 0.80
BIM uses 13 100% 10.75 0.83
Roles &
Responsibilities
Responsibility matrix 3 23% 2.50 0.83
BIM team members 12 92% 10.00 0.83
BIM manager 11 85% 9.75 0.89
Collaboration
procedure
IE Process map 7 54% 4.75 0.68
Information
exchange
worksheet
2 10% 2.00 1
Model delivery
format
12 92% 7.50 0.63
TC Key project contact 2 15% 2.00 1
Team meetings 11 85% 7.00 0.64
Collaboration &
communication
strategy
8 62% 3.50 0.44
Modeling
requirements
Modeling guidelines 13 100% 11.50 0.89
Level of Development
(LOD)
7 54% 5.50 0.79
Model
Management
Model store and quality
control
12 92% 7.25 0.61
Creation of As-built model 10 77% 6.50 0.65
BIM
deliverables
Drawing submittals 10 77% 5.25 0.53
Delivery schedule 11 85% 5.25 0.48
Infrastructure
requirements
Software & hardware
requirements /
specifications
11 85% 5.00 0.45
Security & backup 4 31% 1.50 0.38
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LOD appears in 7 of the 13 documents and is not highly detailed. Documents that discuss LOD have detailed
description of the LOD specification required at each level, whereas the ones that are less detailed only
mention the stages of BIM implementation such as, in the design stage the 3D model with walls and floors
have to be completed without specifying the LOD for it.
Interoperability is a topic which contains multiple sub-topics. Information exchange worksheets contains the
information/data for the exchange requirements between the sender and the receiver. Model delivery format
outlines the native file format type information and requirements for the receiving team to effectively use the
model. The practice of OpenBIM and use of IFC compatible software are the requirements to determine the
use of specific software to protect data loss during model exchange. Therefore, the three important sub-
components identified during analysis under interoperability are information exchange, model delivery
methods and software compatibility. Information exchange work sheet appears in 2 of the 13 documents
however it is highly detailed in its contents, outlining the entire data requirements for model exchange. Model
delivery format appears in all the 13 documents with some level of detail, the lack of details is the failure to
provide information on specific details such as native file type and procedure to convert to required file
formats. Software specifications appear in 11 documents with some level of details, some documents do not
specifically mention the software to be used or does not highlight the importance to determine software early
in the process.
5.3.2 Organization analysis
As mentioned earlier the documents are classified based on the type of organization that published the
document: universities, government and national organizations. After comparing the documents there
appears to be a relationship between the scope of the construction standards and the degree of details
discussed in the documents based of the type of organization. For example, execution plans published by
universities rely on details such as design process, building simulations and are more specific about the BIM
software to be used. Whereas government and national organizations do not stress design process but outline
the requirements of model content definitions. The role of BIM managers is significantly less in small scale
projects like the university facilities compared to the government and national standards. Therefore, the
concept of employing a BIM manager for university facility construction is likely to be less compared to the
other two organizations.
Similarly, the primary focus of the guidelines differs based on the BIM objectives such as design centric or
construction centric. Some documents focus on the technology for design coordination like giving importance
to clash detections, while others focus on construction coordination by assigning task for constructing the
building accurately. The qualification of BIM professionals is another component that is significantly
important in all the three organization types, yet it is does not appears to be detailed. However, as a response
the research conducted by the Academic Interoperability Coalition (AiC) to identify the foundational
knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) of professionals, provides a broader picture about the importance of
organizational qualifications for success of a project (Wu, ASCE, et al. 2018). The difference in qualification
demands among organizations is that the universities are particular about the BIM needs and therefore
establishes a clear requirement for skills. However, they do not discuss the evaluation process for selecting
the right professional for execution. On the other hand, the government and national organizations mention
about BIM skill sets as a reason to educate the industry with the demands of the owners and to cultivate
deeper change in working methods for owners to adopt.
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5.3.3 Development analysis
Arranging the standards in sequential order with regards to the content reveals the degree of development of
the contents discussed in the documents. Software interoperability guidelines on model contents development
and management, qualification of BIM team and BIM manager and Level of Development (LOD) for
important milestone of the project are some of the topics which have been seen discussed with increasing
details with updates to the documents over the years. For example, the NBIMS BIM guide published in 2012
lacks LOD contents and the latest version 3 2017 has a detailed description of LOD along with details
required for each stage of the project (NBIMS-US 2017). The USC BIM Guide details out the general
requirements, model contents, COBie design data for facilities management, LOD and Collison detection
and constructability data for each stage in the project for through design development and modeling standards
(University of Southern California 2012). Some guides like the LACCD and AEC-UK have structured model
layering and file naming formats for best BIM practices (LACCD 2015) (AEC (UK) 2012).
5.4 Summary
Typically, in the building industry it is usual for organizations, professional, and project owners to have unique
practice methods, procedures, and preferences for executing a task. The comparison of thirteen BxP from different
countries shows that the commonly found topics of contents are outlining BIM project scope, establishing specific
roles and responsibilities, determining collaborative procedures involving both digital and team-based collaborations,
modeling guidelines and knowing the software and hardware requirements to successfully execute a BIM project.
Based on the project requirements and practice methods, additional topics can be included such as program mapping,
deliverables schedules and file organization for exchange requirements. Therefore, as a solution to the lack of a
standardized process in India, a frame work for practice which will significantly improve the process of BIM
implementation to a well-informed process has to be developed. The framework must contain the essential components
as identified in the comparison of the thirteen BxP’s, along with benefitting components such as process mapping,
strategy planning and execution and best practices during model development.
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CHAPTER 6
This chapter provides an overview of BIM Execution Plan for an architecture organization, a table of contents for
structuring a BIM Execution Plan, a BIM Project Execution Planning template and its adoption in India.
6.1 Overview of BIM Project Execution Plan (PxP) for India
The building industry in India is the second largest employment generating sector and one of the key pillars for
economic growth (RICS & KPMG 2014). Global construction reports predict that over the next decade India will be
among the fastest growing countries in terms of construction output and one of the highest contributors to the global
construction market (Global Construction 2030 2015). The research conducted by the RICS School of Built
Environment to study the BIM adoption in India, the extent of current BIM usage was collected through surveys and
interviews by identifying the type and size of the organizations who use BIM (RICS & KPMG 2014). That study
revealed that architectural firms use BIM significantly higher than the other disciplines, with BIM consultants being
the second highest user of BIM (RICS & KPMG 2014) (TABLE 6).
It was also found that BIM is being used more in the schematic and design development stage followed by the
construction stage (Fig 6-1) (RICS & KPMG 2014). The usage of BIM which shows that the users of 2D and 3D
combined together is higher than the induvial use of the same, this shows the awareness to explore is high with the
Indian users (RICS & KPMG 2014) (TABLE 7). Organizational BIM experience was surveyed to understand the
user’s years of experience with BIM, which shows that 46% reported 2 to 5 years of experience which means that
about half the users started using BIM in the last five years (RICS & KPMG 2014). About 34 percentage reported that
they are aware of BIM but will consider BIM implementation within the next one year (RICS & KPMG 2014) (TABLE
8). Based on the results from the research it is evident that BIM is significantly used in the initial stages of the project
which includes concept, schematic and design developments (RICS & KPMG 2014). Some of the main BIM functions
identified involves design coordination, clash detection and quality measurement (RICS & KPMG 2014) (fig 6-2).
One of the questions in the surveys conducted by RICS included the respondents view on advantages of BIM. The
respondents were required to give a brief explanation about the advantages in the form of comments rather than
selecting a pre-determined list (RICS & KPMG 2014). This was to identify the accurate view of each respondent and
to keep the results open-ended. For the comments of the respondents, it was evident that BIM is mainly seen as a tool
for coordination, visualization and estimation of quantities (fig 6-3). From the comments it is also clear that, BIM is
considered to be advantages during the initial stages of the project than the later stages. This is due to the increased
use of BIM during the design development stages.
However, there are many barriers making it difficult for the users to fully implement BIM in India (see chapter 3
section 3.1.3). One of the primary reasons listed by the planning commission of India and by the BIM experts in the
country is the lack of standards and low key use of technology, distrust among industry stakeholders, inefficiencies in
the delivery process and skills deficit (IBIMA 2017) (RICS & KPMG 2014). As a result of constantly encountering
these inadequacies the need for the industry and government organizations to collaboratively identify a method for
resolving these inadequacies to enforce major systemic improvements is highly essential (RICS & KPMG 2014).
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TABLE 6: Type of organization in India using BIM (RICS & KPMG 2014)
Type of organization Percentage
Architectural firms 26.25%
Structural engineering consultants 13.50%
MEP consultants 8.75%
Construction management consultants 11.25%
Real Estate and Infrastructure Developer 12.50%
Contractors 7.50%
Cost planners 1.25%
MEP Subcontractor 0.25%
Facility Management 0.50%
BIM Consultants 18.25%
Total 100.00%
Fig 6-1: BIM uses for different project stage in India (RICS & KPMG 2014)
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TABLE 7: Organizational BIM usage in India (RICS & KPMG 2014)
Organizational BIM use Percentage
No CAD 2.50%
2D only 16.25%
3D only 3.75%
2D and 3D 77.50%
TABLE 8: Intended BIM implementation by organizations in India (RICS & KPMG 2014)
Indented BIM implementation Years
Within 1 year 34.44%
1 to 3 years 43.33%
3 to 5 years 10%
More than 5 years 12.22%
Fig 6-2: Main functional uses of BIM in India (RICS & KPMG 2014)
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Fig 6-3: Advantages of BIM regrading by respondents (RICS & KPMG 2014)
Contrary to the existing practices in other countries, India does not have any national standards or guidelines to support
in the BIM implementation process (RICS & KPMG 2014). As identified by the planning commission of India, the
lack of standards is causing confusion and failure to meet the effective outcomes while using BIM (IBIMA 2017).
Therefore, the presence of a framework is essential to have a systematic approach for appropriate BIM implementation
and a monitored practice. The success of the framework which is the plan or process for establishing a systematic
approach, can be validated by establishing mandates for minimum requirements of the developed framework (RICS
& KPMG 2014).
6.2 Table of Contents: Structuring a BIM Project Execution Plan (PxP) in India
BIM is a multi-dimensional resolution for various issues such as coordination and documentation regarding building
design, construction and operation. It offers support by exploring and optimizing benefits through building simulations
for cost, quality, scheduling and management of a project (Ramirez-Saenz, et al. 2018). Implementing BIM in a
project should be based on specific project requirements through standardization, informed data exchange policies
and high level of collaborations among the various disciplines involved in the process (Sacks, Gurevich and Shrestha
2016). A BIM Execution Plan is a framework of the entire process along with strategies and guidelines for successfully
completing the vision or goal of the project (Ramirez-Saenz, et al. 2018). For these reasons a BIM Execution Plan has
to be elaborate with sufficient details from the early stages forming the base for any project. In order to develop a
comprehensive execution plan for the design phase, two sample plans from architectural organizations in the US have
been studied to understand the practice methodologies. Based on the analysis from chapter 5 (see TABLE 4 and 5)
and sample plans (fig 6-4 and 6-5), a BIM Execution Plan with some minor modifications and few additions has been
proposed. The proposed template can be modified as per the specific requirements of a project.
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6.2.1 Sample BIM execution plans
Execution plans developed by Gonzalez Goodale Architects (GGA) and Steinberg Hart, two US based design
firms have been considered as examples. The two execution plans were studied to understand the process of
implementation and practice methodologies prepared by the organizations, in an effort to develop an
execution plan for India. The execution plan at GGA was developed by the lead project manager of the firm
while taking inputs from the designers and key personnel. The intent for preparing a BIM Execution Plan for
the firm was to start early and continuous discussion throughout the project and to meet all project goals. The
BIM Execution Plan at Steinberg Hart was developed by the BIM Virtual Design and Construction (VDC)
director. This purpose of the document was to maintain a standard process while approaching different
projects.
The similarities identified in the study of the two documents revealed that both the organizations have been
successful in implementing BIM on several projects and the main purpose for developing an execution plan
for the design team was to have early and regular discussions with internal and external project teams to
validate that the BIM plan meets all project specific goals. In both the cases the BxP is used to define the
BIM uses along with detailed design of the process for executing BIM throughout the project’s lifecycle. The
BxP contains goals, workflows for the design team along with the roles and responsibilities for team members,
modeling, information exchanges and other relevant business process such as model synchronization,
deliverables protocols, software and hardware requirements.
For the purpose of study, the BxP from the two organizations are referred to as Plan A and B from GGA and
Steinberg Hart respectively. The arrangement of the contents entirely depends on the firms BIM goals and
strategy to execute the goal. Plan A and B follows different order of arrangement for the table of contents
which indicates the preferred practice for execution (TABLE 9). For instance, Plan A beings with an
introduction for the document that addresses the purpose for developing an execution plan. This is helpful
while explaining to a stakeholder or while training a new employee about the firm’s decision to include a
BxP. The contents are arranged in sequential order starting with team integration, project collaboration,
model requirements, infrastructure, deliverables and appendices (TABLE 9). Plan B does not provide an
introduction or overview for the document. Instead it begins with outlining the information and organization
with specific details for both project and modeling requirements, suggests best practices for model
management and ends with an appendix.
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Fig 6-4: BIM Execution Plan (BxP) by Gonzalez Goodale Architects (GGA)
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Fig 6-5: BIM Execution Plan (BxP) by Steinberg Hart
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TABLE 9: Ordering table of contents for Plan A and B
Plan A Plan B
1. Introduction 1. Project information
2. Team integration 2. Model information
3. Project coordination 3. Project organization
4. Model requirements 4. Model organization
5. Infrastructure 5. Best practices
6. Deliverables 6. Appendixes
7. Appendices
Even though the arrangement of the table of contents are different in plan A and B, the concept or contents
discussed in the execution plans have similarity in the topics discussed in the two plans. The thematic
classification of the contents presents in both the plans resulted in six main components, which has
subcomponents adding details to each topic. The six components with its corresponding subcomponents that
are grouped together using a common name based on the comparable contents identified during study to find
the similarity in the execution plans (TABLE 10). A brief explanation for the subcomponent and the purpose
for being included in the execution plan is described (TABLE 10).
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TABLE 10: Classification of common the topic of contents identified in Plan A and B
Main
component
Subcomponent Pres
ent
(Plan
A/B)
Description
Introduction BIM overview Plan
A
This subcomponent mentions the reason and purpose for
developing an execution plan by the organization. The
document overview outlines what the execution plan will
define in terms of project workflows and goals for the design
team and the information which will be shared to the project
stakeholder on roles and responsibilities of the team, business
process such as design schedules and infrastructure which will
be used. The overview also includes the procedure to modify
and update the plan with the consent of the organization.
BxP data ownership Plan
A
The section highlights the proprietary rights to all the digital
data files which may include CAD, BIM, FM drawings and
data as defined in the contract prepared by the organization.
The consent to share and provide access to all BIM content
developed by other disciplines and responsibilities of other
teams to translate shared BIM models to agreed software
versions and format.
Project
information
Project details Both The details such as project name, number, type of contract and
additional description about project typology is included in
this section along with a table for an estimated project
schedule. The project schedule will outline the phase,
estimated start and completion dates, names of the team
members involved in particular project phase and the level of
development in each phase.
Project BIM objectives Both In order to provide the desired results, BIM objectives and
uses are determined early in the design process. BIM
objectives are also project goals to be achieved using BIM
such as 3D coordination, FM data for facility operation and
maintenance and design options for clients. Based on the goal
the uses of BIM can be classified such as 3D coordination,
energy analysis and visualization this can be further classified
for different project phases starting from schematic design to
facility operations. Plan B also includes a table for exclusions
which lists the objects which will not be included in the scope
of the design.
Team
integration
Key project contacts Both The contact details of the team members are listed in the
execution plan. The purpose of adding or making the contact
available in the plan is to allow easy communication and to be
informed about the list of members in the team responsible for
the project completion.
Role and Responsibilities Both This section is dedicated to list the appropriate responsibilities
for a designated role in the organization. Individuals assigned
to complete specific tasks like the BIM manager who is
required to serve as the main contact for the organizations
BIM tasks and must have relevant experience for the size and
complexity of the project. In addition to the managers duties
the overall BIM team’s responsibilities are listed by assigning
a model author for individual BIM models for different
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phases. A table with the model name, phase, author name and
software tool are listed for reference in the execution plan.
Collaboration Team meetings Plan
A
The project teams will begin collaboration initially through
team meetings, the first project kickoff meeting will discuss
the specific requirements such as the goals, strategies and the
schedule for further meetings. Team meetings will be
conducted in convenient locations decided by the involved
disciplines.
Data exchange Both A common data exchange platform such as an online cloud-
based source or a software is chosen as the preferred platform
to transfer, manage and store all project information which
will include models, emails and other corresponding files or
documents. This is done to assure that all disciplines are inter-
coordinated and mutually agree with the practice and
progress. Data exchange also serves as a validation
mechanism for BIM coordination process, clash detection and
resolution.
Modeling
standards
Modeling
requiremen
t
Level
Of
Development
(see chapter
3, section
3.2.1 fig 3-2)
Both The level of development is simplified depending on the
requirements set for the project for the specific discipline. The
level of development for model contents, analysis, cost and
schedule vary in detail depending on the phase of the project.
For LOD 100 which is for the schematic phase provides
limited details for the contents, whereas for LOD 300 the
contents are populated with sufficient contents for accuracy.
Model
contents
Both The model contents for the schematic phase (LOD 100)
includes details such as area, height, volume, location and
orientation. These are modeled using minimal details in 3D
with corresponding data such as cost and schedule. The
content for the design development phase (LOD 300) will
require specific details in terms of quantities, size, shape,
location and orientation along with non-geometric
information for accurate building analysis.
Best practices Both To make the BIM implementation process efficient and
adaptable for the team best practices for modeling, data
exchange, storage have been included in the execution plan.
Some of the practice methods which will efficiently help in
saving time and avoids data loss are common file naming
structure, model syncing procedure and creating work sets for
documentation these can vary depending on the size of the
project and its requirements.
Modeling
guidelines
Exclusion Plan
B
For successfully developing a BIM model it is not only
important to know what is needed, but also to know the
elements that need not be included to the model. Project teams
will list all the excluded BIM elements not part of their scope
or the elements not required for the process. For example, a
new facility project on an existing site does not require the
modeling of the existing buildings on site. Only the
representation of the existing building locations in the site
mode is sufficient. This can be included in the model
exclusion section.
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6.2.2 Structuring a BIM Project Execution Plan
The comparison of the thirteen different BIM Execution Plans (BxP) and the study of BxP from two design
firms in the US, was intended to identify the frequency and details of the topics that occur commonly among
the selected execution plans (see chapter 5, section 5.3, TABLE 5) and to identify the most precise
information included in a BxP which is prepared for a project (TABLE 10). The objective of these analysis
was to create a robust template with all the subcomponents analyzed for the development of an execution
plan for India. An execution plan must suit the specific requirements of the project and therefore does not
require the inclusion of all the analyzed components. To satisfy these criteria the commonly addressed
components based on the comparison of the thirteen different BIM Execution Plans and the frequency and
details of the topics which are found to be an essential part of an execution plan are listed (TABLE 11).
Furthermore, certain supplementary components which were found to be a substantial part of the execution
plan but does not occur frequently from the comparison of the thirteen different BIM Execution Plans are
identified and briefly described (TABLE 12).
TABLE 11: Commonly occurring components in a BIM Execution Plan
File
Storage
and naming
Both One of the most time saving practice while implementing
BIM is the organization of files based on its contents.
Segregating models based on its use for example design
models used from concept development to construction for
design and coordination can be saved and stored using unique
names in their respective folders.
Deliverables Both Project deliverables are determined by the stakeholder and the
project teams prepare a schedule and method for delivering
the required task. The execution plan includes a table which
contains information about the file type, model content, team
member and date for submitting each BIM model at different
stages of the project.
Infrastructure Software requirements Both To successfully complete the BIM requirements set for the
project relevant hardware and software are to be used. It is the
responsibility of the individual teams to check for software
needs and coordinate for preferred practice methods during
the kickoff meetings. The choice of software tool is decided
collaboratively, if any changes need to be made it has to be
approved by the BIM manager.
Main component Subcomponent
BIM Execution Plan Overview Introduction / Executive summary
Project information Project details
BIM objectives goals and uses
Team information Key contact details
Roles and responsibilities
Collaboration procedure Team collaboration
BIM collaboration / Information exchange
Modeling standards Requirements
Guidelines
Infrastructure requirements Software specifications
Hardware specifications
Deliverables Strategies
Formats
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TABLE 12: Essential components identified from different BIM Execution Plans
Main
component
Subcomponent Document Description
BxP Overview Introduction – Quick
guide for practice
Singapore BIM Guide The Singapore BIM Execution Planning guide offers the
users a step wise guide to utilize various templates and
materials available to define the execution plan for a specific
project or organization. This is useful for describing the
overall idea of the guide in a concise and sequential manner.
Project
information
BIM objectives –
Process design
PSU BIM Guide Each of the identified BIM uses a process map defining the
method of creation, data requirements for completing the
task and specific information exchange requirements are
defined. This is suggested by the PSU BIM Guide for
building a foundation for the entire BIM execution process.
Model standards Requirements – BIM
use selection
procedure
PSU BIM Guide The PSU BIM Guide suggests to utilize a BIM use case
template which contains all the necessary BIM elements
classified based on the phase of the project. This
correspondingly addresses the model author and the users of
the element. This is useful while verifying the
responsibilities of individual teams and the trade which will
be requiring the model in the process.
Requirements – MEA
(See chapter 3, section
3.5.2)
NBIMS-US A Model Element Author (MEA) is the person who is
responsible for creating and updating any given model
element and will have full control over the element. The
information from a MEA and the LOD specification
identifies the source responsible for the information released
and therefore this helps in creating accurate and reliable data.
Requirements –
Model element matrix
PSU BIM Guide For every important model element an LOD is determined
for completeness and for achieving benefits for developing
the model element. To determine the right LOD a format has
been adopted by the PSU BIM Guide using the Model
Element Matrix which defines a specific LOD and the MEA
for a specific element.
Guidelines –
Exclusion
Plan B
BIM Execution Plan
(BxP) by
Organization B
To avoid crowding the model with excess information or
elements the BIM Execution plan from organization B
includes a table for the list of elements which will not be
included in the model based on the disciple’s scope.
Deliverables Compensation
expectations
Singapore BIM Guide To effectively use BIM in a project and to build an
information rich BIM model it is essential to recognize the
efforts of all the parties upfront. For this reason, the
Singapore BIM Guide to steer BIM from the early stages has
come up with cost implications while releasing drawings
from designers to builders.
Strategies – Project
coordination
Singapore BIM Guide The coordination and management of a BIM model is
significantly important for successful project completion and
delivery. The Singapore BIM Guide has developed a table
for model revision and coordination for each discipline to
insure quality control at every stage of the project.
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6.3 BIM Project Execution Planning (PxP) Template
The template developed for a BIM Project Execution Plan (PxP) for India, was mainly intended to resolve the
inadequacies relating to difficulties with BIM implementation in the industry through the precise formulation of a
strategy planning document. From the analysis, the development of a template should resolve the issues for the users
in India and support the following:
• Provide a guided process for BIM execution in a project.
• Allow project teams to choose the appropriate BIM uses.
• Define roles and responsibilities for project BIM manager and team members.
• Determine BIM implementation strategies.
• Establish standards for model development.
• Support the process through determined software usage.
The information of all the components and tables in the execution plan were primarily derived from the results from
chapter 5 (see section 5.3) and chapter 6 (see section 6.2) with minor modifications to its contents to suit the
requirements of the Indian industry. Therefore, the template is regarded to be used by the professionals in the industry
as a reference and modified as per the specific requirements of the project.
6.3.1 BIM Template document table of contents
TABLE 13: Table of Content outlining the components included in the BIM Project Execution Plan
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Main component Subcomponent
BIM Execution Plan Overview Introduction / Executive summary
Data ownership
Quick guide
Project Information Project details
BIM goals / objectives
BIM uses
Project schedule
Project team Information Key project contacts
Roles and responsibilities
BIM Implementation Process Process mapping
Information exchange
Collaboration procedure
Modeling Standards Model development
Model coordination
Model organization
Technological Infrastructure Needs Software specifications
Data security and backup
Document update procedure BIM PxP update procedure
Appendix Reference files
Resources
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The summary of the list of components included in the BIM Project Execution Planning (PxP) template are
identified along with its subcomponents (TABLE 13). The document is developed for project teams who are
new to BIM, as a support for fundamental practice methods and essential components for BIM integration.
The primary focus of the PxP was to develop a process highlighting the most essential and commonly
occurring practices and values of BIM based on the analysis from chapter 5 (see section 5.2). The nature of
the developed PxP is prescriptive, to accommodate the modifications based on project requirements. The
plan focuses on Design-Build (DB) process, as this project delivery method increases the collaboration
among project teams (see Appendix A). However, it must be noted that the plan will still be applicable for
different methods, such as the Design-Bid-Build (DBB) and Integrated Project delivery methods (IPD).
6.4Adoption in India
The developed BIM Project Execution Plan (PxP) is considered to be the first step towards the establishment of a
standardized practice for the Indian built environment (Appendix I). Existing BIM Execution Plans from developed
nations, were identified and analyzed for practice methods. The components for the PxP developed for India, are
derived from the analysis of thirteen BxP’s from five countries along with two execution plans from two firms in the
US. The analysis primarily focused on identifying frequently occurring components, the degree of detail of the topics
and the importance of the topics. Based on the analysis conducted, the essential topics for the PxP for India were
identified (TABLE 13). It is important to understand, that the intention of the plan is to serve as a guide for small and
medium sized firms who are relatively new to the BIM practice. Therefore, the template provides the fundamental
concepts needed for BIM implementation along with the highest values of BIM uses. Since, the development of the
PxP is the first step towards a standardized process, plan is highly prescriptive in nature. The project teams are
encouraged to modify the plan to suit the requirements of the project’s requirements.
6.5 Summary
The research conducted by RICS School of Built Environment about the “State of BIM Adoption and Outlook in India”
clearly portrays the status of BIM implementation and emphasizes the lack of standards as the reason for the recorded
lower adoption of BIM in the country. To reduce the inconsistencies faced by the industry due to the lack of standards
can be resolved by the development of a BIM project Execution Plan (PxP). Acknowledging the time and efforts
required to develop a suitable plan, it was developed for users who are relatively new to the BIM practice. The primary
reason for including new users, was to encourage the small and medium sized firms to follow a standardized BIM
practice. The document is flexible to accommodate modifications, and therefore is prescriptive in nature. This solution
is considered to render the required improvement for India to progress toward fast and steady BIM implementation.
The plan serves to be more of an information manual for initial practice of BIM rather than a standards document. It
is ambitious to expect mandates on BIM practice immediately, as the situation in India is different from the countries
who have been using standardized practice for BIM implementation for a longer period. Therefore, the development
of a template for a BIM Project Execution plan is assumed the first step, as a solution for mitigating the incompleteness
in BIM integration and to stimulate early adoption. The analysis of two execution plans from the US along with the
results from the comparison of the thirteen BIM Execution Plans from different organizations supported in
determining the accurate list of components for the Project Execution Planning template, which is expected to function
as a guide for BIM implementation in India, modifications would be made as per the project demands.
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CHAPTER 7
This chapter discusses the five focus areas, future work, and conclusion.
Fig 7-1: Methodology followed for research
7.1 Five focus areas
The five primary focus areas are the importance of BIM adoption for India, a review of existing global BIM standards
for applicability in India, a methodology developed for identifying limitations in BIM adoption in India, a comparison
of thirteen BIM Execution Plans, and a proposal for the development of a Project Execution Plan for practice by an
architecture organization in India.
7.1.1 Importance of BIM adoption
The build environment sector is one of the key contributors to economic growth in India. Currently, the
industry is struggling to move forward in terms of its growth and development, due to a number of challenges
faced which includes;
• User barriers,
• Policy barriers,
• Technological barriers, and
• Practice barriers.
The lack of standards is listed as one of the primary reasons for low use of technology. The traditional
practice involves the use of 2D drafting for drawings and documentation. However, BIM is considered to be
the solutions to cope up with the changing trends and increasing complexities in projects. On the other hand,
the country is in need of a BIM standard, to increase the advantages for using BIM and reducing the errors
in the process.
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7.1.2 Review global BIM standards
BIM being one of the promising developments with a wide range of utilization and opportunities present for
implementation in all the discipline in the AECO industry has driven many countries to frame BIM goals,
implementation strategies and establish guideline and protocols for strategic practice methods (Cheng and
Lu 2015). The United States was one of the first counties to adopt and contribute to BIM implementation by
publishing several guides, standards and protocols for various public and private sectors (Cheng and Lu 2015).
Several other countries like the UK, Finland, Singapore and Australia have also been actively involved in
developing mandates and guidelines for encouraging BIM adoption (Cheng and Lu 2015). It is important to
note that in all these countries there are a combination of organizations responsible for these efforts namely
public, non-profit and private organizations (Cheng and Lu 2015). The range of organizations include
government, non-profit and private organizations. These organizations are constantly working towards
improving the process of BIM adoption and making it easier for industry users to adopt to it effortlessly. The
knowledge inferred from the review of the global BIM standards is that, the process of implementation is
almost similar in all the countries with very little differences based on practice methods.
7.1.3 Methodology developed for identifying limitations in BIM adoption in India
The methodology completed to identify the limitations for BIM implementation in the Indian AECO industry
(Fig 7-1). The research conducted by the Indian BIM Association identified the barriers for BIM
implementations existing in the country. To validate the requirements of the industry and to resolve the
inadequacies, three case studies from India which have significantly tried to implement BIM in the project
was studied (IBIMA 2017). The case studies were of different typologies and required different BIM uses.
However, the similarity among the three cases was the intention to use BIM for collaboration and decision
making in the project. The results of the analysis can be broadly classified into two categories based on the
identified BIM implementation: the expectation or intention to use BIM and the exhibition of efforts in
achieving the desired goal. For instance, all three case studies required a process to be developed for
implementing BIM. it was found that only one out of the three projects presented efforts for achieving the
determined goal set by the project owner. Only one project developed a program to describe the workflow
designed for the projects BIM execution. This program clearly establishes the process for model development
and information exchange procedures. The program map also indicates the person responsible for the model
development. This gives a clear idea about the process of execution for the project. To support the process
of execution, the project team uses CAD and BIM standards provided by the owner. Therefore, from the
analysis of the case studies it was identified that the difficulties for developing an execution plan for BIM is
due to the absence of guidelines or standards for the industry to follow.
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Fig 7-2: BIM Project Execution Plan Development process
7.1.4 Comparison of thirteen BIM Execution Plans
To have a comprehensive knowledge about BIM standards, thirteen BIM guides from five countries was
studied based on the type of organization and topic of contents discussed in these guides. The guides were
initially studied for identifying the similarities on the overall contents present (fig 7-2). The topics were
evaluated based on the level of details of the discussed contents. Referencing the findings from the case
studies to the findings from the analysis of the BIM guide determined the need for a BIM Execution Plan for
the architecture industry in India. The significance of an execution plan for India is largely focused on
improving a collaborative work, therefore the development of a template for the execution plan is expected
to be the foundation for the extensive use of BIM in the industry. The BIM Execution Plan from the thirteen
guides were studied to identify the commonly occurring contents in an execution plan. The execution plans
from the thirteen guides were analyzed based on content, organization and development of the guide. The
content analysis was completed by determining the frequency, detail and specificity of the topic commonly
occurring in the thirteen guides. It was found that the content on BIM objectives, BIM uses, modeling
guidelines and delivery strategies were the most commonly found topics in the guides. The analysis on the
type of organization that published the guide revealed that private organizations like the universities focus of
details of specific topics such as the requirements of as-built model based on their project requirements. The
development analysis identified the topics which have consistently increased in the level of detail, the
identified topics were software interoperability and LOD for consistent development over the years. Analysis
conducted on thirteen different BIM standards from five different countries based on organization type and
purpose for developing a guide revealed that the primary intent for publishing these guides was to provide
assistance during the implementation process by defining a plan for executing the desired BIM goals. The
other notable reasons for developing a BIM guide was to guide the users with the fundamental concepts on
BIM implementations.
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7.1.5 Proposal: Development of Project Execution Plan for India
As a result of the analysis from the case studies and the BIM guides, a BIM Project Execution Planning
template for India was created (fig 7-2). To understand the structure of a BIM Execution Plan, execution
plans from two firms in the US were checked for structuring and essential contents. Once the table of content
from the two plans were analyzed the organization for the template along with the results from the comparison
of the thirteen BxP resulted in the following sequence:
• BIM Project Execution Plan overview,
• Project information,
• Project team information,
• BIM implementation process,
• Modeling standards,
• Technological infrastructure, and
• Project execution plan update procedure.
Practice methodologies suggested in the template are derived through analysis from existing BIM guides,
that can be used by the project team while choosing a BIM based process. Contents that can be removed
or modified are clearly highlighted along with instructions to use the guide. The template was developed
in a way that it accommodates changes to its contents based on the project requirements. Project teams
can use this template as a reference for creating a new project execution plan based on suitable practice
methodologies.
7.2 Improving BIM Project Execution Plan
For the development of a comprehensive execution plan, it is important to understand the constant update of the
developed document. The document can be improved in terms of survey of AECO professionals, case studies of more
projects in India, developing a legally binding document and integration of lean process to the PXP.
7.2.1 Survey of AECO professionals
An industry wide survey conducted to obtain input from professionals with different years of experience. The
survey questions should be framed in order to cover the awareness, usage and capability of professionals to
practice BIM. Organizations of all sizes (small-large) must be included in the survey process to check if size
of the organization affects the rate of BIM implementations.
7.2.2 Create case studies of more projects in India
More case studies on projects in India, to identify practice methods and level of BIM implantation in the
country. The projects can be of different typologies, to understand the differences in the same implementation
method. Analysis on the benefits of a standardized BIM implementation process against a normal process,
can be conducted to understand the importance of a standardized process.
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7.2.3 Develop a legally binding document
One of the reasons why BIM is seen as a tedious and difficult process is due to the absence of legal content.
The process of BIM implementation can be made more efficient by addressing procurement strategies for
project stakeholders. This can be achieved by including building codes and project delivery methods such as
Design-Bid-build (DBB), Design-Build (DB) or Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). Since the government is
not actively involved with regards to the BIM standards development in India, addressing contractual issues
to solve legal matters can be step towards mandating the use of BIM Execution Plans for all projects with a
certain level of investment.
7.2.4 Connect Lean processes and BIM Project Execution Plan
Lean construction concepts are gaining popularity and importance due to its techniques on waste reduction.
Research on lean concepts and its scope of integration with BIM PxP on faster project delivery strategies
through efficient project planning, management and re-use can bring benefits to stakeholders and improve
adoption rate.
7.3 Future work
The developed Project Execution Plan can be improved through future work. The components for future work include:
validating the developed BIM Project Execution Plan, developing legally binding execution plans, BIM Execution
Plan for the operations and maintenance industry, enhancing BIM software interoperability and through BIM
conference
7.3.1 Validate the developed BIM Project Execution Plan
The validation of the developed BIM PxP is important. The PxP template can be shared with five architecture
firms in India to be used for practice. Projects using and not using the template can be compared a year later.
Based on the results the PxP can be improved for maximizing the benefits for the project users.
7.3.2 Create contract documents
The BIM Project Execution Plan can be developed to be legally binding; this can also act as a contract
document for the various parties involved in the project. The template can be developed based on a defined
contract type for example, for a Design Build (DB) project or a Design Bid Build (DBB) project. In order to
develop the document to address legal procurement issues, the primary type of contract used commonly in
India must be identified. Based on the findings the documents can be developed to suit the process.
7.3.3 Create a BIM Execution Plan for the operations and maintenance industry
Similar to the BIM Project Execution Planning template developed for use while the project is underway, an
execution plan for operation and maintenance phases can be developed. The development should be
conducted through detailed analysis of the scope of work entitled to the discipline and the project phase.
Analysis can be on identifying the key project team members involved in the project phase and the BIM uses
relevant to the project phase.
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7.3.4 Enhance BIM software interoperability
The reason for lower rate of BIM implementation apart from lack of standards is due to the lack of BIM
software interoperability. The hesitation of project teams to use BIM due to interoperability issues, can be
avoided by initiating the affiliation of the Indian BIM Association with international organizations for
interoperability, like the BuildingSMART International. This will also guide in developing standards for
practice in India.
7.3.5 Hold BIM conferences
One of the most efficient and helpful method for inviting global BIM leaders to India, to get advice and ideas
on best strategies for improving the situation in the country is by organizing BIM events such as conference
and symposiums. This will not only gain international attention but also national attention.
7.3.6 Create collaborations
Professionals in the AECO industry should work with appropriate government officials to advocated for the
use of BIM processes. Task groups could be used to create collaborations.
7.3.7 Consider other benefits of BIM
Although BIM is often adopted based on industry aims of saving money and efficiency, it can also be used
to help achieve other goals. For example, BIM standards on energy software interoperability can help in
making 3d models and data more easily transferred to energy simulation software with the goal of decreasing
energy use in buildings and reducing carbon emissions.
7.5 Conclusion
Understanding the barriers for BIM implementation in the Indian AECO industry led to one partial solution, the
development of a BIM Execution Plan for India. The development of a BIM Project Execution Plan is the first step
towards the process of standardization and the mitigation of issues regarding the lack of guidelines. The plan discusses
the fundamentals of BIM implementation, which includes strategies on project, team requirements, and BIM
integration. The reason to discuss fundamental topics is mainly to addresses small and medium sized organizations.
This is to save the efforts of average sized firms in developing a plan by themselves. The sample template consists of
seven components:
1. An overview of the execution plan,
2. Project information section,
3. Team integration,
4. BIM implementation strategies,
5. Minimum modeling requirements,
6. Technological infrastructure needs and
7. Document update procedure.
These seven components were designed while keeping in mind to provide a through guide for BIM execution for a
project. The components were identified through complete analysis for the thirteen BxP from five different countries
taking into account; the different practice methodologies and strategies are outlined in the guides. Additionally, two
more BxP from US that were developed through a similar process were studied to derive accurate components for the
template. This template is serves as a guide for project teams to develop a well-informed process of execution. The
presence of sample template will encourage project owners to consider implementing BIM to the project requirements,
allowing fast and steady development of the Indian BIM implementation.
111
APPENDIX I – BIM Project Execution Plan (PxP)
BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING
PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PxP)
Version XX
FOR:
[TEAM NAME]
ON
[PROJECT TITLE]
[PROJECT LOCATION]
[PROJECT NUMBER]
[PHOTOGRAPH OF THE PROJECT]
DEVELOPED BY
[FIRM/ORGANIZATION NAME]
DEVELOPED ON
[DATE: XX-XX-XXX]
112
NOTE
This template is intended for building owners, design and construction teams who are new to Building Information
Modeling (BIM). The aim is to introduce the fundamentals of a BIM Project Execution Plan (PxP) for small to midsized
projects in India.
The template was developed to help project teams and owners to understand the importance and implications of
BIM practice through strategic planning, mindful selection of BIM uses and responsible application of the technology.
TEXT FORMATTING
Unless otherwise mentioned, the text in black is the required information for the document and shall not be modified.
The text in grey is the ‘Hidden text’ which are the instructions and examples for assisting the development and
completion of the PxP and the content shall be edited to be modified to suit the preparation of the document. The
text in grey can be deleted from the final PxP.
To show this instruction text in the document:
1. Word 2003 users: Go to the Tools menu, choose Options (last item), click on the View tab and make sure
that Hidden text is ticked (under the Formatting marks heading).
2. Word 2007 users: Click on the Office button, choose Word options (last item), click on Display and make
sure that Hidden text is ticked.
3. Word 2010 (and above) users: Go to File menu, choose Options (last item), click on Display and make sure
that Hidden text is ticked.
[The magenta text] indicates the information to be replaced with the prompted text. If the text is not
suitable/relevant for the document, it can be removed.
Bold text, for example PROJECT INFORMATION indicates a Section in the document.
113
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION 1.0 BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN OVERVIEW ............................................................... 120
1.1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .. 120
1.2 DATA OWNERSHIP .......................................................................................................................................
120
1.4 QUICK GUIDE .. 121
SECTION 2.0 PROJECT INFORMATION ................................................................................................... 122
2.1 PROJECT DETAILS .........................................................................................................................................
122
2.2 BIM GOALS / OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................................
122
2.3 BIM USES .....................................................................................................................................................
123
2.4 PROJECT SCHEDULE .....................................................................................................................................
123
SECTION 3.0 PROJECT TEAM INFORMATION ...................................................................................... 124
3.1 PROJECT CONTACTS .... 125
3.2 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ... 125
SECTION 4.0 BIM IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS .................................................................................. 126
4.1 PROCESS MAPPING .....................................................................................................................................
126
4.2 INFORMATION EXCHANGE ..........................................................................................................................
128
4.3 COLLABORATION PROCEDURES . 129
SECTION 5.0 MODELING STANDARDS ................................................................................................... 125
5.1 MODEL DEVELOPMENT ...............................................................................................................................
125
5.2 MODEL COORDINATION ..............................................................................................................................
127
5.3 MODEL ORGANIZATION ..............................................................................................................................
128
SECTION 6.0 TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE ............................................................................. 130
6.1 SOFTWARE SPECIFICATIONS ........................................................................................................................
130
6.2 HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS ......................................................................................................................
130
SECTION 7.0 PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN UPDATE PROCEDURE .................................................... 130
APPENDEX A – REFERENCE FILES ............................................................................................................ 131
APPENDIX B - RESOURCES .............................................................................................................................
131
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 114
SECTION 1.0 BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN OVERVIEW
The intent of this document is to server as a tool to define and coordinate the design scope of work for using Building
Information Modeling (BIM) on a project by the [TEAM NAME] at [FIRM NAME].
1.1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
For the successful completion of a project an execution plan for the BIM implementation process is
developed by [FIRM NAME]. This template supports in defining the BIM goals and uses of a project for
outlining the design scope of work for example design authoring, design review and project coordination.
[IF APPLICABLE insert additional information such as BIM Project Mission Statement, supplementary
information complementing to the execution plan can be attached to the document.]
1.2 DATA OWNERSHIP
To protect the intellectual property and to limit the liability among the involved parties, [FIRM NAME] owns
the right to all the digital data files which includes all the CAD and BIM files created by the organization.
[FIRM NAME] shall provide all the electronic copies of the Building Information Model(s) including the
drawings for construction, as applicable to the consultants, contractors, subcontractors, and vendors for
preparing submittals. The parties accessing the BIM model will take full responsibility to translate and use
the models in an agreed format. The use of software must comply with the specifications as mentioned in
the document. Any concerns regarding the digital data has to be submitted in writing/email to [FIRM NAME].
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 115
1.4 QUICK GUIDE
The quick guide assists as the instruction manual to help guide the users to define the execution plan in a
sequential manner.
STEP DESCRIPTION REFERENCE
1. Begin by listing the essential Project Details in the PxP template SECTION 2.1
2. Define the project’s BIM Goals/Objectives based on the owner’s project requirements. SECTION 2.2
3. Based on the determined BIM goals identify the BIM uses for achieving maximum benefits by
implementing BIM in the project.
SECTION 2.3
4. After the project requirements are decided the Project Schedule is created SECTION 2.4
5. Form a qualified team of professionals for achieving the BIM goals, list the Project Contacts
and Roles and Responsibilities of the project team.
SECTION 3.0
6. Execute the defined BIM goals for the project by developing a Process Map for each of the
identified BIM use.
SECTION 4.1
7. Develop a plan for the Information Exchange to ensure an interrupted progress during the
project BIM execution.
SECTION 4.2
8. Describe the Collaboration Procedures for internal and external team meetings along with the
frequency, participants and location of these meetings.
SECTION 4.3
9. To have consistency and clearness in modeling follow standard Modeling Standards such as; SECTION 5.0
Model Development SECTION 5.1
Model Coordination SECTION 5.2
Model Organization SECTION 5.3
10. To support the required BIM implementation the necessary Technological Needs have to be
discussed in the PxP.
SECTION 6.0
11. The PxP should be a live document and therefore any modifications to the execution plan must
be reflected in the PxP through an Update Procedure.
SECTION 7.0
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 116
SECTION 2.0 PROJECT INFORMATION
The purpose of outlining the project information in the PxP is to provide all the stakeholders with a detailed
description of the scope of the project.
List the identified BIM goals, uses and the basic project information such as the project details for current and future
reference.
2.1 PROJECT DETAILS
Include the project name, project number, contract type as per the owner’s project requirements.
Additional details can be listed in the project description.
1. PROJECT OWNER
2. PROJECT TITLE
3. PROJECT ADDRESS
4. PROJECT NUMBER
5. PROJECT CONTRACT
6. CONTRACT NUMBER
7. TASK ORDER
8. PROJECT DESCRIPTION Use this space for briefly describing the project description such as
typology of the project, number of facilities, total area of the
project, etc.
2.2 BIM GOALS / OBJECTIVES
The PxP should include a clear list of BIM goals/objectives of the project, this is valuable for the team to
document the underlying purpose for implementing BIM on the project.
BIM GOAL DESCRIPTION GOAL PRIORITY
(1-3)
List the BIM Goals for the
project such as eliminating
conflicts during BIM
process between
disciplines
Describe the intent of the BIM goal. Rate the priority
level of the BIM
Goal on a scale of
1-3 (1 - most
important)
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 117
2.3 BIM USES
List the BIM uses in each phase for achieving the project BIM goals.
NOTE: These are sample BIM Uses listed sequentially based on project phase, the list can be modified to
suit the project requirements.
PROJECT PHASE BIM USE X
PLAN PROJECT PLANNING
SITE ANALYSIS
PHASE PLANNING
COST ESTIMATION
DESIGN SCHEMATIC DESIGN PROGRAMMING
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
DETAILED DESIGN DESIGN AUTHORING
DESIGN REVIEWS
DESIGN
COORDINATION
3D COORDINATION
CODE VALIDATION
BUILDING
PERFORMANCE
ANALYSIS
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
ENERGY ANALYSIS
MECHANICAL ANALYSIS
LIGHTING ANALYSIS
OTHER ENGINEERING ANALYSIS
CONSTRUCT PLANNING SITE OPERATIONS PLANNING
CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM DESIGN
DIGITAL FABRICATION
3D CONTROL AND PLANNING
RECORD MODELING
COORDINATION 3D COORDINATION
AS-BUILT MODELING
SCHEDULING &
ESTIMATION
PHASE PLANNING
COST ESTIMATION
2.4 PROJECT SCHEDULE
List the estimated start and end date of the project along with the phase, LOD and the responsible project
team. This is done to record and monitor the project progress.
PROJECT PHASE ESTIMATED
START DATE
ESTIMATED
COMPLETION
DATE
RESPONSIBLE
PROJECT TEAM
LEVEL OF
DEVELOPMENT
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 118
SECTION 3.0 PROJECT TEAM INFORMATION
To establish coordination between project teams and models, the contact information for the project is shared in
this section. The contact information along with the roles and responsibilities of the key representatives from each
disciplines/trade must be mentioned in this section. The list with the contact information of all the team members
and their designated roles must be shared in a collaborative project management portal.
Every team must have a BIM manager, this individual is entitled with but not limited to the following responsibilities.
They include:
• Monitoring the practice and modeling compliance as defined in the PxP.
• Monitoring the update or modifications to the PxP.
• Coordinating file and model management procedures and protocols as described in the PxP.
• Coordinating and setting up file locations for shared use along with granting access and permission for BIM
files among disciplines/trades.
• Serve as the point of contact for all the internal and external BIM collaborations with other
disciplines/trades.
• Facilitate design coordination meetings ensuring if all the project stakeholders attend the required
discussions.
• Managing the version control for software use.
• Linking and managing multiple models.
• Validating model content during every project milestone.
The overall project team responsibilities which includes:
• Manage and update all the 2D drawings and BIM models through the end of the construction phase
incorporating all the necessary revisions to reflect the design changes as initiate by owner or coordination
changes.
• The team shall complete all the model updates throughout and during the construction phase to provide
record drawing in acceptable formats (BIM files, PDFs, and other formats as requested) reflecting all the
construction changes.
• At the time of cession, the team will transmit all the drawings to the consultants or other discipline
indicating the changes or revisions made to the design to incorporate these changes or revisions to their
models.
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 119
3.1 PROJECT CONTACTS
Add the lead contacts to the list below for each organization on the project. Additional contacts can be
added to the document or shared in a collaborative online platform for all the team members.
ROLE DISCIPLINE/TRADE NAME EMAIL PHONE
3.2 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
For each identified BIM use list the discipline/trade and the team lead responsible for the task.
PROJECT PHASE BIM USE MODLE AUTHOR
NAME AND
CONTACT
AUTHOR’S
DISCIPLINE/
TRADE
USER’S
DISCIPLINE/
TRADE
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 120
SECTION 4.0 BIM IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS
For successfully implementing BIM in the [PROJECT NAME] a process has been followed by [FIRM NAME], through
the following steps
4.1 PROCESS MAPPING
Prepare a map illustrating the process for executing the determined BIM Uses. An overview map for
illustrating the relationship of the BIM Uses and a detailed map illustrating the sequence of various BIM
Uses along with the details of the team responsible for the uses are outlined. Process mapping also contains
high level of information exchange throughout the project life cycle. Sample process maps can be found at
www.engr.psu.edu/BIM/download.
NOTE: The process maps presented below are taken from the Penn State BIM Execution Planning Guide
and should be modified to suite the project specifications as per the owner’s requirements (See appendix
S. No-1).
LEVEL 1 – OVERVIEW PROCESS MAP
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 121
LEVEL 2 – DETAILED PROCESS MAP
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 122
4.2 INFORMATION EXCHANGE
The project team has to define the information needed to complete the determined BIM use. In order to
define the information, a process containing the following steps has to be followed;
• Identify the project phase.
• Choose a model element breakdown structure. [commonly used format are the CSI or Omni class
(See appendix A S. No 2)]
• List the name of the model file, model element author and model receiver for refence.
PROJECT
PHASE
MODEL ELEMENT BREAKDOWN
MODEL
NAME
MODEL
ELEMENT
AUTHOR
MODEL
RECEIVER
MAIN ELEMENT SUB ELEMENT
PLAN SITE MODEL TOPO SURFACE
LANDSCAPE
SITE UTILITIES
BUILDING
MASS
SCHEMATIC
DESIGN
BUILDING MASS ORIENTATION
MASSING
DETAILED
DESIGN
SUB
STRUCTURE
FOUNDATIONS
BASEMENT
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 123
4.3 COLLABORATION PROCEDURES
Define how the project team will collaborate throughout, list the strategies, meeting procedures and file
delivery schedules.
A. MEETING PROCEDURES
NOTE: Following is a sample for preferred meeting schedule, this can be modified to suit the requirements
of the participants.
MEETING TYPE PROJECT
PHASE
FREQUENCY DISCIPLINE/TRADE
LEAD
PARTICIPANTS
LOCATION
BIM REQUIRMENTS
KICK-OFF MEETING
Project start One-time
BIM EXECUTION
PLAN
DEMONSTRATION
Project start As required
PROGRESS MEETING Design &
Construction
Weekly
STATUS REVIEW
MEETING
Design &
Construction
Monthly
DESIGN/BIM
COORDINATION
MEETING
Design Weekly
CLASH DETECTION
WORKSHOPS
Design &
Construction
Monthly
CONSTRUCTION
REVIEW
Pre-
Construction
One-time
ANY OTHER
REQUIRED MEETING
To be decided As required
B. DELIVERY SCHEDULE
Use the table below to document the model delivery schedule for the project by identifying the responsible
team members.
NOTE: The table has to update on the status of the model if approved or in progress. The revised date of
submittals of the models has to be reflected in the table.
BIM
MODEL
NAME
FILE SENDER FILE RECEIVER FILE TYPE APPROVED(A)/
IN PROGRESS
(IP)
NAME & EMAIL
DATE SENT
NAME & EMAIL NAVITE EXCHANGE
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 124
C. COLLABORATION STRATEGIES
List all the communication methods followed by the project teams such as online collaborative file sharing
platforms, interactive workspace initiatives, etc.
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 125
SECTION 5.0 MODELING STANDARDS
This section is included for instructing the project teams to follow minimum model requirements for delivering clear
and consistent model throughout the project.
5.1 MODEL DEVELOPMENT
A. MODEL CONTENT
List the BIM contents which will be include in the model and the responsible parties.
BIM MODEL
ELEMENT BY
DISCIPLINE
PROJECT
PHASE
LEVEL OF
DEVELOPMENT
MODEL
ELEMENT
AUTHOR
SOFTWARE
TOOL &
VERSION
DETAILS
See appendix
A (S. No-3)
See appendix A
(S. No-4)
B. MODEL EXCLUTION
List all the BIM contents which will not be included in the model.
EXCLUDED BIM MODEL
ELEMENT
DESCRIPTION
C. DETAILED ANALYSIS PLAN
Document the team and responsible member for BIM building analysis and corresponding responsibilities.
NOTE: This is a suggested table organization which can be modified based on requirements.
PROJECT
PHASE
BIM USE REQUIRED BIM MODEL BIM ANALYSIS SOFTWARE &
VERSION
RESPONSIBLE
TEAM
MODEL
NAME
ANALYSIS
TEAM
NAME &
CONTACT
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 126
E. MODEL ELEMENT RULES
For completeness of model, project teams must frame general and discipline/trade wise model element
rules.
NOTE: The rules mentioned below are sample and it is recommended for the project team to frame the
necessary model element rules as per project requirements.
PROJECT PHASE DISCIPLINE RULES DESCRIPTION
DESIGN GENRAL MODEL PROPERTY
DATA
Geometric properties of building
elements and systems must be
accurately modeled.
MODEL PRECISION Project units should be rounded to the
nearest decimal.
STRUCTURAL FRAMING Accurate location and size of columns,
beams, foundations and concrete walls.
EXISTING Existing columns and beams are located
based on as-built model.
ARCHITECTURAL ROOMS 1. Rooms are accurately modeled with
enclosures without overlapping.
2. Space for MEP are allocated.
3. Rooms contain correct name,
properties and corresponding data.
4. Room is modeled with correct ceiling
height.
OVERLAPPING 1. No adjacent elements should overlap
or touch each other.
2. Rooms and spaces shall be properly
enclosed using floors, walls and ceilings.
WALLS 1. Existing wall should be based on as-
built model.
2. New walls must be modeled using the
correct type and properties.
DOORS 1. Doors must be containing the correct
type and property data.
2. Doors must be associated with the
correct level.
CONSTRUCTION (See appendix S. No-5)
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 127
5.2 MODEL COORDINATION
A. CLASH DETECTION
3D coordination is of critical importance to assure quality project delivery and therefore the project teams
must conduct regular clash detections for resolutions.
The design team is responsible to produce the design file to the engineering team in which they design/fit
the systems in the intended space.
PRIORITY
(urgent, high, normal, low)
CLASH NAME
CLASH ID NUMBER
CLASH DESCRIPTION
CLASH TOLERANCE
LOCATION
(level, grid lines, distance)
DATE FOUND
RESPONSIBLE TEAM
RESOLUTION
DATE RESOLVED
B. REVISION MANAGEMENT
After every submission there might me some revisions to the submittal, therefore the project teams should
frame a uniform revision and change management procedure.
NOTE: Project teams can include the following with modifications to the procedure as per project
requirements.
1. At the time of submission all revised sheets/views to be exported to PDF.
2. All project revision for each discipline/trade should be documented with revision cloud.
3. Design team shall be responsible for maintaining and updating the model based on the changes
occurring during construction.
4. Sub-contractors are responsible for maintaining and updating an as-built representation of their
systems.
5. During project close out all the disciplines/trades are required to submit a model file representing
their scope of work to validate against the project’s requirements.
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 128
5.3 MODEL ORGANIZATION
Follow a defined model structuring system by establishing naming conventions and file organization. Reference standards
followed for modeling has to be attached in this section.
A. MODEL VIEW SETS
While producing construction documentation, project teams can assign view sets to determine a consistent representation
of drawings.
B. FILE NAMING CONVENTIONS
Determine file naming procedure to follow a consistent naming methodology.
NOTE: The suggested naming convention can be modified based on firm practice
DISCIPLINE/TRADE BIM MODEL FILE NAME
ARCHITECTURAL MODEL Project number_Arch_[Abbreviation of the project name] _[Model
version] _[Software version]
MECHANICAL MODEL Project number_Mech_[Abbreviation of the project name] _[Model
version] _[Software version]
ELECTRICAL MODEL Project number_Elec_[Abbreviation of the project name] _[Model
version] _[Software version]
C. FILE ORGANIZATIONS
Determine the file storage procedure and location for reference.
FILE NAME FILE TYPE FOLDER NAME
& LOCATION
PASSWORD
PROTECTED
(YES/NO)
FILE ADMIN
NAME &
CONTACT
FILE UPDATE
FREQUENCY
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 129
D. QUALITY CONTROL / QUALITY ASSURANCE
Before a model is being shared with a discipline/trade the model has to be checked for quality by the
sending party.
CHECK DEFINITION
RESPONSIBLE
DISCIPLINE
SOFTWARE
PROGRAME
FREQUENCY
VISUAL CHECK
Ensure there are no unintended
model components and the
design intent has been followed
INTERFERENCE
CHECK
Detect problems in the model
where two building components
are clashing including soft and
hard
STANDARDS
CHECK
Ensure that the BIM and AEC
CADD Standard have been
followed (fonts, dimensions, line
styles, levels/layers, etc.)
MODEL
INTEGRITY
CHECKS
Describe the QC validation
process used to ensure that the
Project Facility Data set has no
undefined, incorrectly defined or
duplicated elements and the
reporting process on non-
compliant elements and
corrective action plans
VERSION
UPDATING
CHECK
Ensuring that all users are using
the agreed upon version of the
software and the method by
which changing software version
is completed
REVISION
AUTHORITY
CHECK
Describe the method by which all
users will be given access and
extent of revision authority to
versions of the model as updated.
E. REFERENCE STANDARDS
List all the reference standards followed by the project team.
STANDARD VERSION APPLICABLE DISCIPLINE/TRADE
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 130
SECTION 6.0 TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
6.1 SOFTWARE SPECIFICATIONS
List all the applicable software applications that will be used by the project team.
BIM USE DISCIPLINE SOFTWARE VERSION LICENCE DETAILS
6.2 HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS
It is important to determine hardware specifications for supporting data sharing among several project disciplines or
organizations.
BIM USE HARDWARE OWNER OF HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS
SECTION 7.0 PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN UPDATE PROCEDURE
Any changes or updates to the execution plan has to be submitted in writing to [FIRM NAME] accompanying explanation with
necessary examples if applicable along with supporting documents.
SECTION NO. SECTION TITLE AMENDMENT
[PROJECT TITLE]
[DATE]
BIM PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN (PXP) 131
APPENDIX A – REFERENCE FILES
The following documents are references for the content specified in the template.
S.NO GENERIC TITLE SECTION in the template BIM GUIDE NAME & VERSION
1 PROCESS
MAPPING
4.1 Process Mapping PENN STATE UNIVERSITY BIM PROJECT
EXECUTION PLANNING GUIDE VERSION
2.0
2 MODEL ELEMENT
BREAKDOWN
4.2 Information Exchange HTTP://WWW.OMNICLASS.ORG/
3 BIM MODEL
ELEMENT BY
DISCIPLINE
5.1 Model Development
A. Model content
SINGAPORE BIM ESSENTIAL GUIDE FOR
BIM EXECUTION PLAN
4 LEVEL OF
DEVELOPMENT
5.1 Model Development
A. Model content
AIA G201-2013 BUILDING
INFORMATION MODELING PROTOCOL
FORM
5 MODEL ELEMENT
RULES
5.1 Model Development
E. Model element rules
SINGAPORE BIM ESSENTIAL GUIDE FOR
BIM EXECUTION PLAN
APPENDIX B – RESOURCES
The following BIM Standards guides can be useful resources while developing a new BIM Project Execution Plan (PxP) or while
making changes to the existing BIM Project Execution Planning (PxP) template.
1. Strategy planning – BIM Planning Guide for Facility Owners (Page: 04 -16)
https://www.bim.psu.edu/owners_guide/
2. Information exchange procedures – Penn State Project Execution Planning Guide (Page: 94)
https://www.bim.psu.edu/bim_pep_guide/
3. Model Progression Matrix – General Services Administration (GSA)
https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/design-construction/3d4d-building-information-modeling/guidelines-for-bim-
software/document-guides/level-of-detail/model-progression-matrix
4. Responsibility matrix for BIM team - Singapore BIM Guide Version 2.0 (Page: 35)
https://www.corenet.gov.sg/general/bim-guides/singapore-bim-guide-version-20.aspx
5. COBie data – General Services Administration (GSA)
https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/design-construction/3d4d-building-information-modeling/guidelines-for-bim-
software/tutorials/cobie2-tutorial
132
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American Institute of Architects . 2013. AIA digital management protocol . AIA .
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Autodesk Green Building Studio . 2019. Autodesk Green Building Studio . March.
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Building Construction Authority . 2013 . Singapore BIM Guide . BCA .
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BuildingSMART. 2018. BuildingSMART international home for OpenBIM.
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buildingSMART International Modeling Support Group . 2014. IFC4- the new buildingSMART
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COBIM . 2012. COBIM V 1.0. The Building Infomation Foundation RTS.
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HM Government. 2012. "Building information modeling, Industrial Stategy - Government and
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IBIMA. 2017. Scope of BIM in Indian AECO industry . Indian BIM Association .
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Abstract (if available)
Abstract
The building industry is in the late stages of a transformation from 2D drawing as a standard to 3D models with data and building information models (BIM) are becoming used increasingly from design to analysis to construction to facilities management. The translation from 2D drawings to 3D digital models that contain indispensable data about the building is being globally addressed by the AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industry through the increasing use of BIM in all stages of the project. This transformation has influenced government and private organizations to develop standards and codes to propagate the practice of using BIM for professionals to reduce cost and risk involved during the process by facilitating a high level of collaboration, communication, and coordination among all disciplines complimenting in the successful completion of the project. Although beneficial to the industry, many developing countries like India are facing numerous complexities in applying technology and adopting BIM in practice. The scale of development and urbanization that is happening and expected to continue in India emphasizes the importance to implement BIM technology and processes, which will help industry professionals collaborate for satisfying project goals. Although many countries have developed national BIM standards, India has not yet completed its first version although efforts are underway. ❧ To explore the complexities that are involved during adoption, the current level of utilization and the prospective of encompassing the practice of BIM in the Indian AECO industry has been analyzed by conducting case studies of three larger scale infrastructure projects, which have significantly implemented BIM. It was found that the limitations of adoption were influenced by technical and non-technical issues from all disciplines in the industry. A framework that ties these issues together was developed to position BIM adoption with regards to the current status and expectations of the industry. BIM guidelines from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Finland, and Singapore were reviewed and analyzed for valuable contents that supported as reference for developing guidelines for Project Execution Plan for India. The BIM framework has four main focus areas: the review of existing standards for applicability to India
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Porur Thirumeni, Aniizhai
(author)
Core Title
Building information modeling: guidelines for project execution plan (PxP) for India
School
School of Architecture
Degree
Master of Building Science
Degree Program
Building Science
Publication Date
04/28/2019
Defense Date
03/20/2019
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(original),
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Tag
BIM execution plan,BIM standards,building information modelling (BIM),India – BIM standards,OAI-PMH Harvest,software interoperability
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Noble, Douglas (
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), Choi, Joon-Ho (
committee member
), Kensek, Karen (
committee member
)
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aniizhai28@gmail.com,thirumen@usc.edu
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Tags
BIM execution plan
BIM standards
building information modelling (BIM)
India – BIM standards
software interoperability