ITcon Vol. 13, pg. 303-323, http://www.itcon.org/2008/21

Case studies of BIM adoption for precast concrete design by mid-sized structural engineering firms

submitted:September 2007
revised:January 2008
published:June 2008
editor(s):Olofsson T, Lee G, Eastman C
authors:Israel Kaner, Graduate student
Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Israel
email: israelkaner@gmail.com

Rafael Sacks, Assoc. Prof.
Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Israel
email: cvsacks@technion.ac.il

Wayne Kassian, P. Eng
Kassian Dyck & Associates, Consulting Engineers, Canada
email: wkassian@kdassociates.com

Tomas Quitt, P.E.C.E.
Star Engineers, Israel
email: office@stareng.co.il
summary:BIM is a complex technology. Although its potential benefits are clear, its integration in structural engineering firms requires leadership and persistence as well as careful planning. Sophisticated three-dimensional parametric modelling software for precast concrete structures has been commercially available since 2005. Early adopters have gained sufficient experience with precast concrete buildings to allow analysis and comparison of their adoption strategies. Four detailed case-studies, observed at two mid-sized engineering firms in the last two years, have been recorded and analysed. They shed light on the obstacles that had to be overcome, the achievements and disappointments, and the changes in workflow and personnel that the firms have experienced. The results reveal clear improvement in engineering design quality, in terms of error-free drawings, and steadily increasing improvement in labour productivity. The firms' clients have also begun to exploit the rich information available with BIM, but not to the extent expected. Progress in adopting BIM is slow but certain. The conclusions may help the managers of structural engineering firms who are planning their own adoption process to avoid some of the pitfalls of replacing 2D CAD practices with BIM.
keywords:Building information modelling (BIM), 3D parametric modelling, Productivity, Precast concrete, Structural engineering.
full text: (PDF file, 1.923 MB)
citation:Kaner I, Sacks R, Kassian W, Quitt T (2008). Case studies of BIM adoption for precast concrete design by mid-sized structural engineering firms, ITcon Vol. 13, Special issue Case studies of BIM use, pg. 303-323, https://www.itcon.org/2008/21