Efficient Construction Analyses- Case of BIM

Findings

This section synthesizes the analyses of the literature presented earlier and the completed case study. It delves into the key points, discussing details and providing relevant insights to fulfil the paper's objectives.

The amalgamation of various ideas, innovations, and processes discussed in this section showcases their significant impact on operations within the construction industry. These processes and activities are interrelated and mutually reinforcing, paving the way for their implementation as standard operating procedures by government agencies and major corporations. The overarching goal is to ensure the low-cost, high-quality sustainability of projects. However, achieving these transformations and collaborations necessitates the active involvement of major stakeholders, including government agencies, corporations, contractors, architects, sub-contractors, and researchers.

To enhance competitiveness and productivity quality in the UK construction industry, a proactive approach is suggested to implement necessary changes. Researchers have emphasized that individual quality of life is intricately tied to the products provided by the construction industry, ranging from houses and bridges to water and sewer lines, roads, airports, hospitals, and shopping centres. The construction industry's role in providing essential infrastructure, such as shelter, water, and power, is crucial for supporting connectivity, mobility, and commerce in the United Kingdom.

The construction industry contributes significantly to the country's gross domestic product and is a major job provider. The national economy's robustness is closely tied to quantifiable construction values, affecting the final consumer property prices. Business productivity in construction can further enhance the national economy by renewing existing bridges and infrastructure and adopting green products. Prioritizing efforts to modify structural designs and recycle materials is essential for ensuring green productivity and sustainability. This, in turn, minimizes the greenhouse effect and controls carbon emissions.

Despite ongoing debates about the construction industry's status, with conflicting views on whether it is improving or declining, there is a consensus that there is ample room for improvement. Analysts differ in their assessments, with some noting a continuous decline over the past thirty years, while others see significant improvements, such as advancements in pipe laying. Regardless of the perspectives, both parties agree that considerable enhancements are possible. Some key areas for improvement include:

• Improvements along with BIM

Tulacz and Armistead, 2007, point out that studies that have documented construction efficiency in contrast to construction productivity show that 25 to 50% of waste is accounted for in managing, modifying and moving labour and machinery. The main key point highlighted in the report is that the advancement of technology can not only improve the efficiency of the construction industry but also look into meeting various other challenges faced by the nation, such as environmental sustainability. The research completed, and the detailed case study showed various interrelated activities, which, if implemented, will result in a breakthrough in productivity within the construction industry. The paragraphs below include a brief discussion of each of the activities.

Enhanced efficiency on the job site through effective interaction between machinery, people, information and processes. This is a dynamic set-up since the construction site is where equipment, people and equipment interact with each other to complete the tasks. To manage all these activities, utilising the available resources efficiently is imperative. Poorly managed resources can waste resources and time since the equipment will have to be moved multiple times, schedules will be mismanaged, and the workers will have to wait for the tools and equipment.

Use of BIM in Quantity Surveying Practice

The use of enhanced technology such as automated equipment (pipe installation and concrete movers), information technologies such as trackers, digital assistants, real-time movements and improvements in the process could lead to a great cut down in the waste and enhance the security and quality of the employees as well as the operations. The sequence of planning and segmentation proves to be obstacles in using such technologies. Furthermore, it is pertinent to state that efficiency within the job process and operations requires a skilled labour force adept at communication and collaboration and proficient in management and technological faculties.

Enhanced prefabrication, modularization, preassembly, off-site processes and fabrication should be implemented. These involve assembling or fabricating components and systems in manufacturing and off-site areas. Once complete, the equipment is shipped to the construction area for installation procedures. Implementing these techniques will bring about a lower cost, efficient utilization of resources, including labour and enhanced quality. Various barriers, including building codes, conventional designs, and procedures, hinder the use of such modern automated technologies.

Demonstration installation should also be implemented, including field experiments, seminars, training, and high-tech scientific laboratories that use reporting protocols and standardised testing procedures. Demonstration installation can be implemented to test the validity of new technology, procedures, and their impact on construction site implementation. If implemented effectively, they can reduce risk and mitigate innovation of contractors, engineers and subcontractors.

To support innovation, effective performance measures should be implemented, enabling innovation and ensuring corrective actions throughout the operation of the Project. This leads to an analysis by the organization about the success and failure of the project, the drawback or inefficiency of the Project, and any potential outcome of the Project. Given the nature of the construction projects and the industry sector, leading performance indicators are mandatory at all levels and Projects, respectively.

• Prefabrication, Preassembly & Modular Construction

Various other factors contribute to work inefficiency on the job site, including exposure to high dust levels, noise, and extreme weather conditions, leading to inevitable fatigue. New technologies can lead to a lesser workload for the workers and ensure their safety since the equipment is easier to control and use. Also, altering the use of material can reduce the material's weight, making it easier to move and handle. Manufacture of building equipment away from the job site entails not only precision but also quality of the equipment. Pre-fabrication, modularization, pre-assembly and off-site fabrication all involve assembling or fabricating systems and equipment at offsite plants and manufacturing areas. When this is complete and the appropriate time comes, this equipment is shipped to the installation site. All these activities can be completed through the effective use of learning principles and with the application of BIM.

A survey was conducted to analyse the relationship between material technology and the subsequent productivity within the construction industry, based on a hundred specific construction-related tasks and found that:

• The use of lighter materials increased labour productivity by 30%.
• Labour productivity was also seen to increase when equipment and materials that can easily be installed or fabricated were used (Goodrum et al., 2009)

• Resource Efficiency

Environmental impacts that arise from construction and demolition are astonishing. Landfill sites are one of the major sources of pollution since all the construction and manufacturing debris is brought to them every year. The Environmental Protection Agency has highlighted statistics about the magnitude and impact of construction and demolition, which owners, contractors, and designers can positively utilize.

On the other hand, modular construction efficiently utilises resources since it allows repetitive units to be reassembled within a controlled condition. Another factor to consider is the utilization of material waste, which results from conventional construction practices and weather intrusions. If finished before installation onto the construction site, whole modular units would lead to significantly less waste generation. Modular construction is based on moving a product in a controlled and tight condition towards project schedules. Considering the various site constraints, it would be an efficient tool for minimising the impact on the site, given the environmental concerns.

A report produced by the United Kingdom Waste and Resources Action Program states that off-site manufacturing can significantly reduce the amount of waste generated while ensuring quality cost predictability and enhancing the safety of the workers on site via the utilization of effective management tools such as BIM. Various industries within the construction sphere contribute significantly to the amount of waste generated; however, the mainstream ones include plasterboard, with up to 36% of waste generation; timber, with up to 25%; and packaging, with up to 5%. It is stated that up to 90% of waste can be reduced, including cement, timbre, concrete, pallets, cardboard, etc., by implementing the modern equipment used for construction and ensuring off-site manufacturing, for which much support can be obtained through the utilization of BIM and/or lean principles as detailed in the previous chapter.

• Streamlined Construction Process

Four inherent stages comprise the construction process in the factory. First and foremost, approval of the design by the authorities and the end consumer; second, assembling module components within a controlled environment; third, transporting the equipment modules to the final site; and fourth, erection and assembling of modules to make a finished building, the final product, as shown in table 1 of chapter 3 A factor which is unique to modular construction is that both the assembling of modules as well site work is being conducted simultaneously. This has various benefits, including reduced construction time, increased efficiency, reduced finances and supervision costs, and an earlier occupancy permit. All the procedures are conducted within time and amalgamate as a part of the construction process.

Another factor unique to modular construction is that various constructions, including floors, roofs, walls, ceilings, and rafters, can be completed simultaneously. In comparison, when construction is done on-site, the ceilings cannot be built until the walls have been built; similarly, walls can’t be erected unless the floors are in place. Meanwhile, in modular construction, all walls, rafters, ceilings, and floors are built at the same time, and after their completion, they are brought to the site to be given the form of a building. The time taken in modular is half that consumed with conventional construction methods and techniques.

• What are the Government and Industry Doing Already?

Since we have already seen how the use of BIM can effectively enhance the performance of a construction project (from the case study), it is, therefore, important to develop an understanding of the strategies the government is keen to adopt to benefit from this modular construction and project handling tool.

Given the widespread adoption of BIM technology within the construction industry, it is estimated that the United Kingdom government would save up to two billion pounds, according to the study conducted into the Business Case for Interoperable Building Information Modelling by Wix and Nisbet, 2008, which works well with a budget cut scheme that has been implemented by the government with the aim of fifteen to 20% savings on each of the Projects by next year. The implementation of BIM technology within the United Kingdom began in 2011 and has since become widely used in private and public sector organizations to procure and deliver product Projects. The BIS BIM Strategy lists down the drivers for BIM technology. It highlights three requirements that the construction industry and the government have implemented: (1) To achieve higher efficiency in operations along with reducing the costs of the assets; (2) Ensure efficiency and effectiveness of construction supply chains; and (3) basing the growth ambitions on a sector which implements forward-thinking approach.

The government has been working in continuous amalgamation with the construction industry council to ensure the implementation of BIM. There are various industry-focused programs which aim to implement the BIM technology, with a specific focus on the supply chain to give effect to the mandate of the government to ensure that all publically procured projects are delivered using the BIM technology by the year 2016 (Department for Business Innovation & Skills, 2014).

Throughout all levels of the supply chain, the use and implementation of BIM ensure transparency and collaboration between suppliers, engineers, and other stakeholders, which has inherently proven to be one of the greatest competitive advantages of BIM. It furthermore reduces waste produced through procurement, processing and materials. Furthermore, the key driver in the success of BIM is the benefit that the technology has created for clients, customers and all the stakeholders within the entire supply chain.

BIM has become recognized as a driver for competition and growth within European countries. The European Union Sustainable Construction Strategy aims to enhance the performance of the industries within their domestic sphere through BIM and ensure their competitive advantage in the global market.  On the other hand, the application of BIM is currently being viewed by the European Union Directive on Procurement, and both the United Kingdom and the European Union must collaborate to ensure that any future protocols on BIM are compatible with the BIM technology already implemented within the United Kingdom.

The ICT industry within the United Kingdom is very advanced and modern, which can be an advantage for the United Kingdom. Therefore, it can provide a backbone for future developments and improvements within the BIM technology, which may be implemented within the United Kingdom. The BIS BIM strategy also pointed this out and was introduced internally by the software teams and construction markets.

Government Construction Strategy formulated the BIM technologies alliance, collectively representing BIM technologies and software(s).  The main aim of the BIM technologies alliance is to collaborate with the government to ensure the effective embedding of existing BIM technologies and implement and develop future products and data analysis schemes to ensure effective and efficient protocol and procedural systems.

Engagement and collaboration between construction, manufacturers and products represent about 40% of the value of the construction industry within the United Kingdom, and manufacturers, more importantly, are the inherent contributors to the construction industry. The ability and willingness of the manufacturers to implement BIM data analysis and then provide feedback about their products is critical to not just the success of BIM technology but also for the future embedment of data throughout the lifecycle of the Project from the beginning to operations to the end product. The Construction Product Association has been actively involved in using BIM technologies. It has been involved in coordination between the product manufacturers to ensure good quality sustainably. Various standards, including SMART, IFC and COBie, have been implemented and collaborated with organizations, including the British Standards Institute, to produce an era of structured protocols (HM Government, 2012).

The final stage, the handover, is extremely important in ensuring that the product is produced and used as it was designed. It also ensures that it continues sustainable production with the same design. This area has been subject to observation by the Government's construction strategy and is implemented in public procurement projects through government soft landings. The synergy between the data provided by the BIM and the handover procedure, which involves analysis of the performance of the Project post its operation stage, is extremely strong. The BIM technology has successfully provided an approach to the industry that shifts the focus from supply chain operations to product post-operation and delivery analysis. Government soft landing has been enshrined within the BIM task group to ensure an efficient transition from construction/manufacture to operation/delivery of the product asset.

Industries throughout the globe have recognized the potential benefits of using BIM technologies and have immersed themselves in research for the same. An example is BCO, British Council of Offices, in collaboration with HOK Architects and Salford University, was successful in establishing a programme whereby knowledge-based benefits of BIM can be identified and then subsequently applied throughout the design, operation and manufacture of the Project (Department for Business Innovation & Skills, 2014).

Local and central governments have utilized procurement portals to ensure the effective delivery of the said product; however, the progress of BIM can be impeded if these portals react slowly to the data provided by BIM technology.

Undoubtedly, we have recognized the potential of BIM technologies and, therefore, have further developed digitally built Britain, which will give basis to our intention of becoming the global leader in BIM technology. Through digitally built Britain, the United Kingdom will not only support but also deliver the integration of BIM into various public procurement projects, including Smartcities. Using the BIM strategy will allow the investors and other stakeholders to ensure strategic alliances and sustainable investment decisions for those systems and Projects that cut throughout the city. One of the key objectives of digitally built Britain is to integrate various networks and software to work together while increasing the variety of BIM technological applications but decreasing their complexity. On the other hand, it is also important to develop the legal, political and commercial practices to support the use of BIM technologies.

• The Recent Advancement in BIM

Throughout the previous two decades, the BIM made a critical movement forward. BIM extended its borders, getting extra functions (dimensions) and creating further opportunities in the construction industry. Initially, BIM transformed from a 3D-CAD configuration (including dimensions of shape, place and size) to a more efficient 4D configuration. The 4D BIM system added the fourth dimension of time to the three fundamental dimensions. This fourth dimension supports the full development coordination in design. According to the research conducted by Akinci et al. (2002), the BIM's 4D integrated tool can empower a contractor/subcontractor concerning materials requirements, human resource planning, layout planning, and supplies requirements in real time.

Thereafter, cost size was added to 4D concepts, which matured BIM to an advanced 5D level. The 5^th dimension extension assures that it is conceivable to count the total expense for the development project and assumes that it is vital for project parts. The aggregate expense of project-related activities depends upon the data, such as the expense of labour, materials, and others that could be set up physically or consequently at the site with the assistance of chosen software tools.

The latest improvement made to BIM brought it to the new 6D level. The 6^th dimension is related to the life cycle of the project, administration of site offices, and natural effect. Although some experts and scientists still believe that the 6^th extension is under development, it is challenging to tide it into one entire framework, with the remaining five extents utilizing the software tools accessible in the commercial sector right now (GSA 2007).

Throughout the last decade, the imperativeness of BIM has been generally distinguished far and wide. In a few nations, BIM usage has gotten the backing of these states' administrations. The heading nations are the USA, Hong Kong, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Singapore, and the UK. The national frameworks related to BIM in the nations above are designed with state authorities in mind. 

The General Service Administration (GSA) of the United States focused on a key and incremental method of adopting 3D, 4D and BIM technology. The current stage for GSA in BIM usage is investigating the utilization of BIM innovation all around the project's life-cycle in the following fields: validation of spatial project, 4D phase establishments, sustainability and power/energy consumptions, laser scanning, circulation and security approval, and various other building components. The United States is assuming the leading role in BIM usage, and this U.S. experience could be generally utilized by different nations (NIBS 2007).

The National Institute of Building Sciences of the United States developed and distributed the first National BIM Standard in 2007, which incorporated classifications, guidelines, specifications, and suggested practices. The building-SMART International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) is an alternate organisation developed for BIM usage. IAI has united the partnered associations in 14 nations around the world. IAI formulated three standards, and the International Standards Organization (ISO) recognized these. BuildingSMART standards are created universally and spread information about facilities and projects, standard methods and standard names for items and properties (BuildingSMART, 2014). The following shows the operational model for these standards;

Figure 5: The BIM operational Model (source: self-edited)

Research conducted by Teicholz in 2004 pointed to the significant causes for the lack of advancement in the construction productivity field. This differentiates the project's design from its construction phase, which prompts a rise in the field costs. It mostly implies an inadequate consideration of the knowledge of construction throughout the design stage. It often prompts more changes and clashes throughout the construction stage, affecting the project regarding unwanted/additional delays and expenses.

Despite the construction industry’s adoption of Information Technology (IT) on a large scale, these applications/activities, for the most part, tend to run in a standalone mode that does not allow enhanced integrated efforts by the project team. This results in increased effort and time and reduces the capacity of the project team to react rapidly and successfully to changes in site conditions, scope, delays, and so forth. In this way, regardless of the wide execution of IT, it has not been able to produce considerable enhancements in the construction field.

The industry has countless small stakeholders, for example, customers, suppliers, designers, vendors, and contractors, who are regularly not in a position to lead in adopting new technology and practices, generally due to the insignificant size of these stakeholders.

There is a low level of investment in research and development in the construction industry. Therefore, new methods that are being developed are mostly constrained to individual projects only. This prompts a slower rate of adoption of new technology. The usage of BIM provides stakeholders with the best chances to make positive progressions throughout the design and construction phases of a project, which ought to enhance the gainfulness of construction sites (Suermann et al., 2007)

This research provides a platform to move the entire BIM methodology forward and expands on the paramount work embraced by the government and the industry's stakeholders. BIM activities are intended to provide a competitive advantage over conventional methods. It stretches the overall competencies and markets, from infrastructure investment and expert services to construction and ongoing asset administration. It also gives customers abundant new information regarding the built infrastructure and management tools.

Figure 6 below shows how the effort in design can influence the overall effectiveness of the project.

Figure 6: relation between level of effort in design and distribution of add-on values (Source: NIBS 2007)

These results show conclusive evidence that adaptation of traditional and/or BIM can save costs and improve the efficiency of the project.

Conclusion

From the research completed in this paper, it can be concluded that for the processes in the construction industry, efficiency enhancements and innovation are considered to be at the heart of the strategy and planning. Various methods can be utilized to achieve efficient construction and constructability, some of which have been successfully implemented throughout the UK. Along with such proactive, efficient methodologies, the BIM has gained much success among the major contractors in the construction industry, and it has been further supported at the governmental level, as the major stakeholders have identified this advancement as the key to success shortly.

Regardless of the technological advancements and their adaptations, the fundamental work ethics and practices can never be ignored. Following the basic principles in any project's designing, planning, construction, and finishing stages involve critical activities requiring optimising and utilising standardized working procedures. Attaining an optimum balance between the cultural and technical platforms is fundamental. Consideration of optimized site layout planning, sustainable material selection, efficient designing, an adaptation of most suitable construction techniques, construction activity planning, managed plan executions, communications system usage, troubleshooting, quality control, waste management, etc., are some of the most utilized approaches used to enhance the effectiveness/efficiency of any project.

Recent advancements in the field of digital engineering have revolutionized the construction industry. It is also worth noting that BIM technology provides state-of-the-art computer-aided models, supports generating insight knowledge in various steps, and produces a foundation for sustainable and efficient solutions. Besides the standard use of BIM in geometrical and data analyses, it can also be applied in cost analyses, which eventually benefit the building/infrastructure over its complete lifetime.

Furthermore, the application of this technology has produced fruitful results in the form of enhanced construction process productivity, end-product quality improvements and reduced associated impact costs. It further promotes higher levels of collaboration and an informed decision-making process with integrated associated project teams, forecasting the activities and chain of supplies to achieve the project's objectives. Moreover, it has been considered an effective communicational tool, which acts as the bridge between the project life and the client’s requirements in the form of a virtual world.

It is clear then that the quality and standard of life of the residents and the economy depend upon the government's and related authorities' capacity to provide various services, digital or otherwise, to people, static or moving. There is a need to predict the demand and supply of such products and digital services so that the authorities or organizations can match such demand and inform the customers in case of any discrepancy. BIM is one of the key drivers for data and networking, but it does so through connecting with various building blocks, which may include location data taken from mobile cellular services.  Inherently, consumers want these services to be available when they want them. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully integrate different data sets with different data sources to ensure effective transformation in the paradigm of data volume.

BIM has revolutionised how the current industry thinks and operates, opening new efficiencies for the clients, supply chain management and project management. BIM is central to the integrator philosophy, guaranteeing the best value at each project life cycle phase. The government's construction strategy supports integrated supply chains. The industry now intends to accept that the evolved construction strategy and its BIM necessities will affect all parts of the supply chain and envoy a new era where organized in-house data about the assets under construction will encourage astute choice-making and ideal asset performance.