Journal of Information Technology in Construction
Journal of Information Technology in Construction
ITcon Vol. 21, pg. 233-249, http://www.itcon.org/2016/16
A methodology for contractor clash detection using Building Information Modelling on commercial construction projects
| submitted: | July 2015 | |
| revised: | May 2016 | |
| published: | August 2016 | |
| editor(s): | Turk Ž | |
| authors: | Dan Bockstael, MEng Candidate University of Manitoba umbocks4@cc.umanitoba.ca Mohamed H. Issa, Assistant Professor University of Manitoba Mohamed.Issa@umanitoba.ca | |
| summary: | Despite contractors adopting building information modelling reporting positive results on profitability and return on investment, there is little standardization in the way building information modelling is being adopted in the industry. This research proposes the application of failure mode and effects analysis as part of a methodology aiming to conduct clash detection using building information modelling and evaluate the impact of doing so on the constructability of commercial projects and the return on investment to contractors. It applies it to a case study of a commercial construction project designed using building information modelling. The methodology involved conducting clash detection analysis using building information modelling software and evaluating clashes detected using failure mode and effects analysis. It also involved analyzing the project’s actual requests for information and change orders to investigate whether they addressed issues that were visible in the design models, would have been detected as clashes and could have been prevented. The methodology also compared the results from the clash detection and failure mode and effects analysis processes to the ones from analyzing the project’s requests for information and change orders to determine the extent to which these processes could have predicted constructability issues. It finally entailed calculating the project’s return on investment by determining its direct cost savings, indirect costs and the cost of adopting building information modelling. Failure mode and effects analysis proved to be an efficient platform for organizing and presenting clash data and highlighting critical issues. It identified several design issues that would have prevented 4.8% of the project’s requests for information and 7% of design-related change orders. The latter would have reduced the cost of design-related change orders by 9% and total project costs by 0.1%., resulting in a 127% return on investment. This moderate return on investment is generally consistent with the ones reported in some research studies conducting similar detailed assessments of direct project savings, but in contrast with other studies using less rigorous assessments and reporting drastically higher values. | |
| keywords: | Building Information Modelling, Change Orders, Constructability, Contractor, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, Requests for Information, Return on Investment | |
| full text: | (PDF file, 0.945 MB) | |
| citation: | Bockstael D, Issa M H (2016). A methodology for contractor clash detection using Building Information Modelling on commercial construction projects, ITcon Vol. 21, pg. 233-249, https://www.itcon.org/2016/16 |