A Comparative Review of Building Information Modeling Frameworks

Abstract

The building sector influences the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of many countries. There is a vast amount of waste generated in the building process, with many projects suffering from delivery delays, running over budget, and resulting in buildings of minimal quality. Building Information Modeling (BIM) has shown great potential towards solving these problems. BIM sets frameworks for Architects, Engineers, and Contractors (AEC), enhancing management of the building process. This paper analyzes select framework methods, tools, and processes, identifying key guidelines required to create a BIM framework customized to local requirements; this will have a positive effect on the construction industry by lowering the cost of buildings and improving the communication among parties, and leading to the development of frameworks based on local indicators. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to determine components and factors from structure frameworks with the main findings then classified and categorized into the following sectors -- government support, maturity level measurement, standards, protocol, database, and education plan. This permits the development of a comparison highlighting the frameworks’ differences and summing up possible strategies for BIM implementation on several bases, such as region differentiation and the local industries’ Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural, Technological (PEST) aspects, allowing for greater understanding of BIM implementation on various scales. The selection of the BIM frameworks was dependent on specific criteria with a minimum score of 4 out of 5 required to merit inclusion. Three strategies for the creation of a BIM framework were discovered and were seen to vary across regions. The discovery of these strategies lays the groundwork for future research into the development of these frameworks to determine the potential advantages and downsides of each.