Computers in Industry 73 (2015) 1–7

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Computers in Industry
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/compind

Effective digital collaboration in the construction industry – A case

study of BIM deployment in a hospital construction project
Christoph Merschbrock a,*, Bjørn Erik Munkvold b
a
Department of Civil Engineering and Energy Technology, Oslo and Akershus University College, P.O. Box 4, St. Olavs Plass, NO-0130 Oslo, Norway
b
Department of Information Systems, University of Agder, P.O. Box 422, NO-4604 Kristiansand, Norway

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Article history: Building information modeling (BIM) and related digital innovations can serve as a catalyst for more
Received 25 June 2014 transparency, tighter integration, and increased productivity in the architecture, engineering, and
Received in revised form 1 July 2015 construction industry. Yet, many project teams struggle with how to work based on the new technology.
Accepted 14 July 2015
Collaborative design based on shared information systems like BIM requires changing traditional and
Available online 25 August 2015
institutionalized work practices and routines. A case study of integrated BIM design in a large healthcare
construction project serves as an example for how commonly experienced challenges can be overcome.
Keywords:
The project has been awarded BuildingSMART’s 2015 award for ‘outstanding open BIM practice’ making
Building information modeling
it Norway’s role model for BIM practice. Based on diffusion of innovations theory, we identified the
Diffusion of innovations
Architecture following set of key factors enabling digital collaboration in this project: change agents, new roles and
Engineering and construction industry responsibilities, a cloud computing infrastructure, BIM contracts, and a BIM learning environment. The
findings presented in this article may serve as an example for BIM implementation and collaborative
work in construction projects.
ß 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction digital work experience a variety of individual, environmental and

technological challenges [13,14]. Thus, many construction firms
Major construction projects increasingly depend on building operate in ‘siloed’ environments instead of encouraging a more
information modeling (BIM) to be completed expeditiously, and collaborative culture [10]. Consequently, many of the key
many companies in the architecture, engineering, and construction advantages of collaborative BIM design remain unexplored in
(AEC) industry have used BIM as a catalyst for IT-based change wider practice [9].
processes in their operations [1]. BIM enables a new way of R&D outlook publications by institutions such as the Council for
working by providing a common environment for all information Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) see the
defining a building, facility or asset, together with its common need to further define collaborative design processes [15], and
parts and activities [2]. BIM has the potential to substantially literature reviews call for more research into the inter-organiza-
transform design and construction work and to promote innova- tional modeling activity [16,17]. We contribute to this discussion
tion in the industry [3,4]. Recent studies suggest that BIM improves by investigating the reasons for why some AEC firms succeed in
transparency, productivity, and product quality throughout their collaborative work. The research question guiding our work
construction supply chains [5–7]. However, it is well documented is: How can individual, environmental, managerial and technological
that in many construction projects the potential of BIM is still not challenges be addressed to achieve improved design collaboration
fully exploited [8–10]. through the use of BIM?
Project teams wanting to use BIM need to gradually build new The article presents a case study of cutting edge BIM practice.
digital coordination practices surrounding their digital work The case study can be seen as Norway’s most advanced BIM project
[11,12]. Project teams seeking to build new processes for their to date. This is supported by the project receiving the 2015 buil-
dingSMART award for outstanding ‘open-BIM practice’. Diffusion
of innovations (DOI) theory [18] served as a basis for our analysis of
the factors leading to effective digital collaboration. Our study
* Corresponding author. contributes to further understanding of the key BIM diffusion
E-mail addresses: christoph.merschbrock@hioa.no (C. Merschbrock),
factors in construction projects.
bjorn.e.munkvold@uia.no (B.E. Munkvold).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2015.07.003
0166-3615/ß 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
2 C. Merschbrock, B.E. Munkvold / Computers in Industry 73 (2015) 1–7

2. Theoretical lens  Management factors – the managerial approaches taken to

organize the digital work, and the availability of ICT support
The DOI literature serves as a foundation to understand why considered important for ICT diffusion.
and how a set of actors succeeds in ICT adoption and use. An  Technological factors – technology characteristics, e.g. function-
innovation is defined as an idea, practice or object that is perceived ality, speed and accessibility, which may influence the diffusion
as new by an individual or unit of adoption [18]. The diffusion of an of an innovation in construction projects.
innovation depends on the type and characteristics of the  Based on these factors we present how the design team in our
innovation [19], and traditional DOI theory has been argued to case study established a collaborative BIM work space for their
be best fit for the study of innovations having an ‘‘intra- project.
organizational locus of impact’’ ([20], p. 20). Nonetheless, DOI
has been used to study the diffusion of a wide range of complex,
networked technological innovations, such as enterprise resource 3. Method
planning systems, corporate web sites, and online games.
BIM and 3D visualization tools in the construction industry can We conducted a case study of a major hospital construction
be seen as inter-organizational persuasive digital technologies project in Moss, Norway, initiated by the Southern and Eastern
[21], bringing together user experiences by connecting organiza- Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse Sør-Øst). The case was
tions. Traditional DOI theory views innovation diffusion as a linear suggested to us by the Norwegian branch of the industry-led
process and the DOI contagion model assumes that ‘‘innovations organization buildingSMART, as a leading example of advanced
are being spread but are not changing’’ ([19], p. 1403). However, BIM-based design practice. The client had the ambition to create
combinatorial innovations such as BIM mutate and evolve while the ‘‘biggest, most complete, and best digital model in the world’’.
they are spread [19]. To understand the dynamics of such The project comprises the construction of several facilities
innovations researchers need to go beyond what has been including buildings for emergency, surgery and intensive care,
suggested in traditional DOI literature and inquire into the ‘‘local, patient rooms, psychiatric care, and for services such as a laundry
complex, networked, and learning intensive features of technolo- and central sterilization. Altogether, the buildings comprise a gross
gy, [and] the critical role of market making and institutional floor area (GFA) of 85,000 m2, and the project costs are estimated at
structures in shaping the diffusion arena’’ ([20], p. 14). s670 million. In hospital design architects, health-care experts
Construction projects make a challenging diffusion context for and users need to work in a ‘‘dynamic alliance’’ in order to build a
networked technology such as BIM [22], for several reasons: hospital satisfying future users [29]. The Health Authority decided
construction firms exist along a spectrum ranging from highly to use BIM technology to facilitate communication and teamwork
computer literate ‘diffusion ready’ organizations to those hardly among the parties involved in design. The outcome of the
using computers in their work [23,24]; AEC organizations struggle collaborative design process was a highly detailed virtual model
to develop new forms of organizing and to change their established signifying each of the building’s components ranging from
ways of working [25]; AEC firms frequently fail to establish sprinkler heads to lighting fixtures. Thus, this project in which
common infrastructures for BIM technology use within and BIM and collaborative design was prioritized makes a compelling
between organizations [26]; and many construction executives context for our study.
remain skeptical about the business value offered by BIM The drawings were prepared by 100 architectural consultants
technology [27]. working for three different firms, and roughly 100 engineering
The practical side of BIM diffusion and use is at the focus of consultants covering different areas of expertise. These consultants
several studies. Some scholars apply a DOI approach to explain had different levels of BIM maturity. Only a few had experience
intra-organizational BIM diffusion [21,22,28], or the industry wide from jointly creating semantically rich BIM-based models, some
diffusion of BIM [23]. Much of this prior DOI-based research relied had experience from creating disciplinary models, while most of
on surveys to identify generalizable factors important for BIM the consultants had never used modeling technology except for
diffusion [21,22]. We argue that prior work can be extended by creating simple 3D visualizations.
providing a more in-depth account of the necessary conditions for Our data was collected through eight semi-structured inter-
BIM use at the inter-organizational level [20]. In our study we use a views with key actors in the design team. All interviewees were
set of diffusion factors identified by Peansupap and Walker [21] as disciplinary or project level leaders responsible for BIM-based
a starting point to structure our analysis: design and management. Focusing the interviews at the BIM
experts allowed for developing a solid understanding of how BIM
 Individual factors – the personal characteristics of an individual was run in the project which was considered sufficient for the
working with the technology, such as IT skills, capability to learn, purpose of our study. The interviews were conducted in April 2013,
and previous experience with IT. at a point in time when the design had been ongoing for 3 years and
 Environmental factors – characteristics of the workplace envi- the team worked on finalizing the detailed design. Table 1 provides
ronment, such as the availability of an open discussion an overview of the interviews conducted. Six interviews took place
environment and the possibility to share knowledge about ICT. at the designers’ construction site offices, one was conducted via

Table 1
Interviews conducted.

Affiliation Project level BIM services provided Duration Interview mode

Client #1 Project BIM manager (strategy) 60 min Face-to face

Client #2 Project BIM manager (technical) 60 min Face-to face
Architect #1 Discipline BIM coordinator (architectural) 45 min Face-to face
Architect #2 Discipline Façade designer 20 min Face-to face
Electrical engineer #1 Discipline BIM coordinator (electrical engineering) 60 min Face-to face
Electrical engineer #2 Multi-discipline BIM coordinator (all engineers) 75 min Face-to face
HVAC engineer Discipline BIM coordinator (HVAC engineering) 35 min Face-to face
Structural engineer Multi-discipline BIM coordinator (all engineers) 190 min Skype
 C. Merschbrock, B.E. Munkvold / Computers in Industry 73 (2015) 1–7 3

Skype and one took place at a firm’s branch office. All interviews quality and the overall quality of the building. However, having to
were voice recorded, transcribed, and coded by using the purchase systems useful to work faster and more efficient can lead
qualitative data analysis software NVivo9. Categories were derived to a contradicting situation for some of the designers:
from the data by assigning nodes to notions which could be related
We get paid by the hour so if we buy software to save time it is
to the diffusion factors presented by Peansupap and Walker [21].
the client that benefits from it. Because we have to use our
money to buy the software and we get less money from the
4. Case analysis
client. But the client will benefit from us using less time.
The case analysis presents influential BIM diffusion factors, (Structural engineer)
organized according to the four categories suggested by Peansupap
4.2. Environmental diffusion factors
and Walker [21]: individual, environmental, managerial, and
technical.
A collaborative work environment requires structures, rules
and practices that promote cooperation. The design team in
4.1. Individual diffusion factors
this case project arranged their collaborative environment for
BIM-based work by establishing: (1) guidelines and rules for
The use of BIM to facilitate the collaborative design work in this
model based work; (2) roles and responsibilities; (3) a project
project was not a matter of choice for the design team. The client
BIM-room; and (4) cross-disciplinary exchange and control
simply imposed a new way of working and collaborating upon the
processes.
design team. This decision was not without risk, as collaborative
(1) Guidelines and rules. The design team developed a project
BIM-based design is significantly different from the traditional way
BIM manual based on a template for BIM use provided by Norway’s
of working in this industry. To minimize the risk of resistance
largest construction client [31]. The architect suggested that BIM
among the designers, the client formulated contracts in which the
manuals and handbooks are of crucial importance and should be
collaborative use of BIM was explicitly demanded from all parties
established before the design work commences:
wishing to partake in the design of the buildings. BIM technology
was considered important: The key learning is to be a little in front of planning to create
some rules for how we work, how we draw and who is doing
Well, as a building owner it is an important part of the strategy
what, and that you have to make a BIM manual before you start.
to have building models which can be used [. . .] and the
(Architect #1)
intention is to save money in the operation phase. (Client #1)
The complexity inherent in large healthcare construction Furthermore, the designers customized the manual for the
projects provides an ‘‘opportunity to harness the strengths of particular needs of a hospital building project. The manual
BIM’’ ([30], p. 446). The client anticipated that a semantically rich specified the way in which modeling information was to be
and highly detailed BIM model would be a useful resource for delivered by the parties in the project. For instance, this included a
decision making, facilities management, and for active inclusion of naming convention for parametric objects allowing designers to
the users in the facilities design (doctors, nurses). tag every component used in design in a consistent way based on
The client marketed the project as a ‘‘BIM learning project’’, unique identifiers specifying the location and type of component.
allowing companies to develop skills and processes while working In addition, the manual specified the file exchange format, in this
on the project. This created a positive attitude toward the new case industry foundation classes (IFC), to provide a basis for
technology and the new collaborative way of working. As noted by reliable cross-disciplinary information exchange. Beyond the
one designer, who initially had only rudimentary BIM skills, the project level manual, each design discipline developed a BIM
team enjoyed having had the opportunity to learn how to work handbook which provided the individual designers working hands
based on BIM: on with the modeling technology with some practical advice on
how to create models that would comply with the project level
What I have learned [about BIM]? Everything. When I came
agreements specified in the BIM manual.
here my BIM skills had never been good, I kind of self-trained
(2) Roles and responsibilities. The design team created the
me. [. . .] Now, I have learned everything about BIM [and] I
position of ‘‘disciplinary BIM manager’’. These managers had the
advise everybody to do this kind of project. (Electrical engineer
responsibility of monitoring the modeling activity within disci-
#1)
plinary design groups. The structural engineer described the tasks
Other, more experienced designers saw this project as a good involved in being a BIM manager as to include quality control of
opportunity to advance their firm’s BIM development. The disciplinary models and ensuring their compliance with the
electrical engineer stated: project’s BIM manual. Further tasks were the preparation and
weekly submission of disciplinary IFC models for the cross-
Those projects provide a good opportunity to take the next step
disciplinary model control. The coordinators engaged actively in
[in BIM] because you have a big project and professional
disseminating knowledge about the BIM manual and its practical
builders and owners. [. . .] I am sure that we will use many of the
implications for the designers. The disciplinary BIM coordinators
things we learned here in all our projects in the years to come.
had to report to the client’s project level BIM managers, who were
(Electrical engineer # 2)
responsible for combining the 42 different IFC-based models
Some firms thus used this project to develop templates for new created within the disciplines each week into a joint model of the
processes, advance their knowledge about available technology, entire building. The complete model was then used for clash
and to develop BIM solutions. These designers built transferrable detection in order to find and eliminate inconsistencies between
knowledge which could be deployed in other projects. the designs created within the different disciplines.
The design team had an overall positive attitude toward (3) Project BIM room. The design team agreed that it would be
collaborative BIM design and the structural engineer stated that necessary to establish a project BIM room as a central location for
BIM helped to get rid of some ‘‘tiresome, time consuming and dull the weekly cross-disciplinary meetings where the designers
work’’ included in traditional design. In addition, there seemed to discussed the overall building model assembled by the client’s
be wide agreement that BIM has positive implications for design BIM manager. The room was equipped with two screens and a
4 C. Merschbrock, B.E. Munkvold / Computers in Industry 73 (2015) 1–7

computer to which the updated and combined model of all This was enabled by additional funding from the Norwegian
disciplines was uploaded. Not only was the room intended as a government. The client appointed two BIM specialists as ‘change
collaborative space for the designers, but also for the contractors so agents’ enforcing the collaborative use of modeling technology at
that they would be able to look at the models while constructing the the project level. One of these specialists had the responsibility to
building. manage the strategic aspects of the BIM collaboration whereas the
(4) Cross-disciplinary exchange and control process. The design other managed the technical aspects of the BIM-based collabora-
team developed a weekly routine for design exchange and cross- tion.
disciplinary model control, involving the following steps: The design team decided to use various approaches to BIM
training, with most of the training taking place on the construction
- All designers deliver their models to their disciplinary BIM site to keep the disruption of the daily design work at a minimum.
coordinators, who control the model for correctness and create The training was delivered based on four basic approaches: (1)
exchangeable IFC files that are uploaded via a web-server to be super users (internal and external); (2) cross-disciplinary BIM
synchronized with the local construction site server. training; (3) disciplinary BIM training; and (4) learning aids.
- The client’s BIM manager controls all models for compliance with (1) Super users – highly capable and BIM-experienced designers
the BIM manual and for logical errors. In case of obvious errors he were identified and formally appointed as ‘BIM super users’ for
requests new IFC models. Last, he assembles all disciplinary sub their disciplinary design group. These super users were seen as a
models into a joint model of the entire building by using the BIM task force to start up the project and provide training and help
model checker software Solibriß. for less experienced designers. These persons had a double role of
- The client’s BIM manager uploads the model of the entire troubleshooting practical BIM problems and training their peers in
building to the computer in the BIM room. In a cross-disciplinary BIM use, in addition to working in their usual roles as project
model control meeting with the entire design team the models engineers or architects. Due to the lack of availability some firms
are controlled for geometrical clashes based on a set of pre- had to appoint external experts to train their designers, e.g. the
defined clash-detection rules for Solibriß. Further, the designers electrical engineers hired an expert from a software vendor to train
conduct virtual walk-throughs in order to detect other necessary their people in BIM design until they felt confident to work without
improvements. All design tasks are protocolled, tagged and this help.
extracted from the digital Solibriß model. Last, the disciplines (2) Cross-disciplinary BIM training – three hour courses were
receive lists with design tasks requiring immediate attention. developed to introduce all designers to the basic functionality of
- The client’s BIM manager controls the design changes undertak- the cross-disciplinary systems used at project level, including
en based on the agreed task lists and in case of compliance Solibriß for clash detection and Navisworksß for time scheduling.
approves the respective part of the model as ready to be built. These courses were designed to provide a strategic overview rather
After approval, the model is used to extract data to plan areas, than to teach the actual hands-on work with those systems. The
rooms, functions and the time schedule based on database courses were held on the construction site.
applications (e.g. dRofusß; Navisworksß). (3) Disciplinary BIM training – these training programs were
designed to teach users the hands-on skills required to design
According to the designers the cross-disciplinary model control based on a particular disciplinary BIM design system (such as
procedure had both advantages and disadvantages. The advan- RevitßMEP or RevitßArchitecture). These courses were targeted
tages include that more design errors could be identified before the primarily at the designers that needed to learn from scratch how to
construction commenced. In addition, the increased design clarity design based on BIM. The training was organized by software
allowed designers to develop a better understanding of each vendors at their training facilities and usually lasted for several
other’s work, creating a better, more respectful relationship weeks.
between the designers: (4) Learning aids – The learning material was customized for
Suddenly, the structural engineer understands why the architect each discipline’s unique learning needs, developed by people with
is doing what he is doing. [. . .] You get a totally different extensive experience from working hands-on with BIM in the
understanding for each other’s challenges. (Structural engineer) respective disciplines. The material was bundled into a set of
disciplinary BIM handbooks placed at every BIM workstation in the
On the downside, increasing clarity in design increased the project. These manuals provided hands-on knowledge on BIM
accountability for the designers, which may be unwanted where design and included step-by-step recipes which could be followed
the design is still under development: by the designers in order to create a digital model.
One corner of the hospital may be very well developed and
almost finished and another part of the project can be on a 4.4. Technological diffusion factors
preliminary stage. So, then when the client gets the model of the
whole hospital he finds things that clash in the unfinished areas Collaborative BIM design requires a set of BIM workstations to
because that is really not coordinated yet. (Structural engineer) be linked by a supportive server infrastructure. At project initiation
the design team decided that all designers should work physically
co-located at the construction site in Moss. Co-locating the design
4.3. Managerial diffusion factors
team was regarded as useful to build team relationships and to
improve communication in design. Thus, all BIM workstations
The seemingly most prominent challenge related to BIM work
were initially set up on-site and linked toward a local server. The
in this project was that most designers did not have any prior
server functioned as a team work space in which the central BIM
experience in BIM design and collaboration. Being aware of this
model was placed and the designers worked ‘live’ on the same
lack of expertise, the client promoted BIM competency develop-
model. This co-located setting and infrastructure was used
ment as a project goal:
throughout the conceptual design phase. When the design
The client has the objective to implement model-based design advanced to the detailed design phase the infrastructure was
in this project and shall contribute to increase the competence altered, as there was a need to include additional design team
about BIM in general and ensure the knowledge gained can be members distributed geographically (in Oslo, Trondheim, etc.). The
transferred to other projects. (Client # 1) designers agreed that the cost of supporting a fully co-located team
[(Fig._1)TD$IG] C. Merschbrock, B.E. Munkvold / Computers in Industry 73 (2015) 1–7 5

Fig. 1. Network for collaborative BIM design.

and the expenses of travel involved would outweigh its benefits BIM software adopted software solutions similar to those already
and justify a more distributed setup. In this second phase the used in their design group. For example, two architectural firms
design team set up a ‘mirror’ web-server (Byggewebß) featuring adopted Revitß architecture since a third firm already worked
the same content as the local server. This web-server allowed for based on that software. Revitß software was used by most
distributed work where all designs could be accessed and altered engineers and by the architects allowing them to collaborate ‘live’
via the internet. based on the work sharing functionality embedded within Revitß.
In addition, the engineering consultants decided to build a Having most designers work based on software by the same vendor
server infrastructure based on Revitß server technology. This eliminated most interoperability challenges.
allowed them to work in a real time ‘live’ modeling collaboration In addition, all the software for the door, window and room
while operating in a distributed setting. They placed a RevitßCen- databases and the servers needed to be aligned and linked to allow
tralServer in Gjøvik and linked all their design offices through the for synchronization of the digital work. To arrange for this an
use of Wide Area Network (WAN) technology to this server. Thus, external ICT consultancy was appointed to set up and service the
their distributed BIM workplaces were linked and models were infrastructure. The designers faced challenges where the software
synchronized every night. In essence this meant that designers in in itself was not sufficient for its purpose. For instance, the
Trondheim would be able to see the design changes a colleague in application used to design the sprinkler system proved unfit for
Oslo had produced. The setup of the collaborative infrastructure large structures, and the system used in clash detection proved
during the detailed design phase is depicted in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 shows insufficient for clash detection of large models.
that the design team has in essence built a cloud computing Appointing a software consultancy helped to address some of
infrastructure for their BIM project. Building such an infrastructure the problems experienced, such as enabling the fire protection
is however often only feasible for large projects: engineers to partake in the BIM design. As a result of the efforts
undertaken to establish a functional BIM collaboration, the
You are able to do that in bigger projects because you get time
design team collected large amounts of documentation data on
to develop it [. . .] but often in small office building projects, like
the individual components used in the facilities design and
here in Kristiansand, you have maybe half a year to finalize the
placed this in databases. However, so far the client has not been
design of the building. (Electrical engineer # 1)
able to identify any commercially available system useful to
Since none of the designers had prior experience in creating a structure the data in a meaningful way for facilities manage-
digital model for such a large facility, the design team was ment.
surprised by the sheer amount of data that was to be shared
through this network. The models quickly became far too large to 5. Discussion
be handled by the designers’ computing equipment:
The case project is an example of an advanced collaborative BIM
That was a wakeup call for us in the beginning that we actually
work environment, establishing a shared design space for
cannot use those crappy computers anymore, we need top of
architects, engineers and clients, The key diffusion factors aiding
the line computers because it is so much data. (HVAC engineer)
the case project’s designers to establish this collaborative work
To establish a stable information flow between all design and environment are summarized in Table 2. These factors should be
database applications used in the project network these applica- regarded as contingent on the project context. For instance, the
tions needed to be interoperable. The design team approached this case project is somewhat unique in that BIM-based work was
challenge by first establishing that all design software used was to supported by a grant provided by the Norwegian government.
be IFC compatible. Second, all designers not yet working based on However, several of the approaches have proven effective to
6 C. Merschbrock, B.E. Munkvold / Computers in Industry 73 (2015) 1–7

Table 2 How innovative the new processes were, is signified by the project
BIM diffusion in the case project.
receiving an award for outstanding open BIM practice by
DOI element Key diffusion factors in the case project buildingSMART Norway.
Individual Project framed as a BIM learning project
Our contribution to practice is that we provide transferable
Possibility for designers to develop BIM
competence in the project learnings from a case study of advanced BIM based work. The
Environmental Formulation of guidelines and rules for research context, the technology used, the people involved, and
collaborative BIM work their interactions have been presented in sufficient detail allowing
New roles and responsibilities developed for construction managers to judge whether some of the practices
Project BIM room
Cross-disciplinary model exchange and
presented here can be transferred to their projects. Our contribu-
control process tion to research is that we explicate diffusion factors useful for
Managerial BIM use promoted as project goal by the enabling inter-organizational digital design work.
client and included in contractual arrangements
Government funding to increase industry’s
6. Conclusion
BIM competency
Change agents appointed at project level to
enforce BIM use This paper has presented a case study of leading industrial BIM
Organized approach to IS learning (super-users, practice (Winner of the 2015 BuildingSMART ‘outstanding open
cross-disciplinary and disciplinary BIM training,
BIM practice’ award). Applying the lens of diffusion of innovations
and learning aids)
Technological (hardware) Cloud computing network for distributed and
theory, we identified inter-organizational factors driving the
co-located design diffusion of BIM technology at the project level, and how
Top of the line equipment individual, managerial, environmental, and technological chal-
Technological (software) Interoperability achieved by using software lenges typically experienced by construction firms in BIM diffusion
from a single provider
can be addressed to set up a collaborative BIM workspace. These
All software used IFC compatible
Close collaboration with software developers factors include the establishment of BIM change agents, putting in
to improve the functional affordance of BIM place a cloud computing infrastructure, appointing software
technology developers, establishing BIM contracts, a systematic approach to
BIM learning, and the establishment of new roles and responsibili-
ties. To enable this requires the client to take an active role in
eliminate some widely experienced problems in construction supporting use of BIM, and include required resources for training
projects: and support in the contractual arrangements. Further studies
First, establishing a BIM learning environment helped to equip should be conducted in other types of construction projects to
all designers with the capabilities required for collaborative BIM validate our findings, and analyze further how diffusion of BIM is
work. Extant research has identified the uneven distribution of influenced by the project context.
capabilities and maturities in project teams as a major barrier for
collaborative design [24]. Adopting new systems and training the References
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