Open access
1. Introduction
The adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) methodology in different sectors of the construction industry has admitted a strong governmental push, determined for public buildings and infrastructures, as a way to increase the level of digital transformation of the architecture, construction and operation (AEC) activities. This commitment has been followed, in each country around the world, from a horizon of 2007 in Finland to 2025 in Italy, passing through The Netherlands (2011), United Kingdom (2016), Spain (2018), Germany (2020), France (2022) and Portugal (2024). Observing government directives to increase digital transformation in the construction industry, the implementation of the BIM methodology has been introduced as the most adequate procedure, supported by advanced technologies capable of streamlining the development of integrated and collaborative projects, contributing to the achievement of accurate, sustained and efficient final products. Therefore, most professionals of the construction field have actively comprised BIM and implemented it in building projects that requires a multidisciplinary integration, in order to improve the performance of the large range of tasks and processes involved. Currently, BIM methodology has been used in complex building projects and as a research academic topic, reaching all the domains of the construction sector [1].
The BIM main concept considers the centralization of all information relating to the design and development of building projects, and involving complex integration of multidisciplinary design, construction and management of buildings and infrastructures. The BIM model, created for each project, establishes a mean of mitigating design errors, eliminating the duplication of information and reducing geometric inconsistencies between project phases. In it, the use of BIM platforms brings a height degree of integration and collaboration among sectors, tasks and teams contributing to optimize the final product.
The BIM systems, available on the market, combine several capabilities, such as the broad parametric concept (geometry, physical properties, identity and relationship rules), the friendly interaction aspect of the software in use, the ability of realistic visualization and the detection of conflicts between disciplines, supporting the elaboration of multidisciplinary projects. The high degree of integration and the efficient interoperability between software, provided by the advanced technological support of BIM work, afford a collaborative project with confidence in data transferred between partners, guaranteeing to reduce the repetition of information, to eliminate the eventual incorrect interpretation, and to agile the execution of the required project tasks. The implementation of BIM in the AEC enterprises, with all the valences enhanced by the methodology, requires a wide dissemination of its applicability and the recognition of an effective improvement of the working method, at an internal level.
The BIM project is prepared using advanced technology software, allowing the collaborative team to create, manipulate and add the information required along the development of a project, construction and management of a building. The created digital BIM model is structured according to the inherent BIM data organization, and it must present all the information always updated, following the distinct phases of the life cycle of the building. Based on this assumption, the 3D model, in each project, can support the development of nD BIM models, assisting the entire team involved in the building’s life cycle.
1.1 BIM implementation: Benefits
The BIM methodology is currently the main work platform in the construction industry, and all sectors have been recognizing benefits in its adoption, enhanced by its multiple applicability with a high level of efficiency. The following aspects can be considered as the main benefits:
The optimal collaboration in a team is based on the modeling process that depends of architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and piping (MEP) adjustments, in order to conceive a complete and correct BIM model. The BIM software users identify, as the fundamental advantages, the easy modeling process based on the use of parametric objects, and the ability to integrate the development of all discipline solutions directly over the architectural and structural BIM components. In addition, the modeling procedure presents the possibility of individualizing each design component of the BIM model, an important capacity as it is carried out by a multidisciplinary team of architects and engineers. However, the correct integration of disciplines and the responsibility of the development of each component must be coordinated by a BIM manager;
The data transfer process, frequently required to perform several type of analyses (structural and CO2 emission) and simulations (energy and sustainability), is realized with a high level of accuracy. The BIM methodology supports the development of different components of the project, requiring the frequent transfer of models between systems, which must be supported by an adequate interoperability capacity between the specific BIM systems used. In a multidisciplinary design, the transfer process is normally well succeed. However, an important exception is verified in the context of the structural design, where the reinforcement bars are not transferred with sufficient correction. Despite this limitation, the modeling software contains easy-to-interact features that allow the user to correct and complement the reinforcement details [2];
Over a correct and complete 3D BIM model, it is possible to manipulate the model database in order to support the development of technical drawings and the required nD models [3], such as 4D (construction planning), 5D (costs estimation), 6D (sustainability), 7D (maintenance and management), 8D (safety), 9D (lean construction) and 10D (industrialized construction) models;
The Virtual Reality (VR) technology applied over the BIM model increases the potential of BIM in the construction sector, contributing to the achievement of a high level of collaboration in an immersive and interactive environment [4, 5].
1.2 BIM implementation: Limitations
Nevertheless, important limitations must be recognized in the BIM adoption in the design and in AEC enterprises. Two main topics can be referred:
With regard to the design of structures, the deficient interoperability capacity, which is still verified among the available BIM base systems, constitutes a strong obstacle to the implementation of BIM in this domain. The most recent academic studies analyze the technological evolution of the modeling and structural calculation systems, observing the most problematic steps of the model transfer between systems. The technological advances that have been achieved have been increasing the functionalities available in BIM-based systems, used in the elaboration of multiple tasks inherent to the structural project. The degree of efficiency of the interoperability between modeling and calculation systems must be analyzed and known by the structural engineer, within the scope of the implementation of BIM in the office and in the project. Thus, the structural engineer must know the steps of the process, identify the limitations and develop strategies that lead to an efficient project.
In the field of bridge design, the implementation of BIM presents some limitation due to the difficulty of defining appropriate and adjustable parametric objects for different concrete cases of bridges [6]. The generation of parametric models of bridge decks can be supported on the development of script using the visual programming Dynamo or the Python code, aimed to define new families of parametric objects, representative of the configuration of the bridge deck, with a rigorous definition of the cross section, longitudinal variation and geometry of the track layout. This is a complementary work that is required on the development of bridge projects.
2. Conclusions
The text summarizes the relevance of adopting BIM as the principal strategy to accelerate the digital transformation in the construction industry. As benefits, the data transfer processes made with efficiency, the possibility of manipulating the model database in order to obtain distinct nD BIM models and the improvement in integration and collaboration among the team involved in a design process, were carried out. However, there still are some limitations that must be known by the BIM users, supporting the definition a better BIM strategies.
Despite the limitations still verified during the development of BIM projects, prepared using the available platforms, the advantages pointed out outweigh the identified negative barriers. The adoption of the BIM methodology is currently the process that should be used in all sectors of the industry, contributing to its dissemination in various sectors and to the recognition of the evident benefits.
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