Explore the vast range of titles available.

PurposeRapid advancements in blockchain technology transform various sectors, attracting the attention of industrialists, practitioners, policymakers and academics, and profoundly affect construction businesses through smart contracts and crypto-economics. This paper explores the blockchain innovation ecosystem in construction.Design/methodology/approachThrough a qualitative study of 23 diverse interviewees, the study explores how open or closed the blockchain innovation ecosystem in construction is and who its emerging orchestrators are.FindingsThe data showed that construction aims towards an open innovation blockchain ecosystem, although there are elements of hybridisation and closedness, each system pointing out to different orchestrators.Practical implicationsThe study has implications for governments and large companies in construction, showing that open innovation initiatives need to be encouraged by policymakers through rules, regulations and government-sponsored demonstrator projects.Social implicationsThe data showed that there is lack of readiness for business model change to support open innovation blockchain ecosystems in construction.Originality/valueThis is the first study applying the open innovation theory in the construction industry and sheds light into the phenomenon of blockchain, suggesting routes for further democratisation of the technology for policymakers and practitioners.

The optimal approach to design, build, operate, and maintain buildings  With this strategic guide to building information modeling (BIM), you’ll learn how to implement this new technology as part of a comprehensive systems approach to the design, construction, management, operation, maintenance, and use of buildings.  The authors, among the leading experts and pioneers in BIM, show you how BIM supports more streamlined, integrated, and efficient business processes throughout the life cycle of buildings, from their initial conception through their eventual retirement or reuse. The result is better quality buildings, lower construction and operating costs, shorter project turnaround times, and a higher quality of building information to support better business decisions.  Moreover, they set forth a plan for incorporating BIM into every organization’s existing workflows, enabling you to take full advantage of all the benefits that BIM offers.  Everything you need to implement a BIM approach is set forth in detail, including: The business case for BIM, demonstrating how it can improve collaboration, facilitate better design and construction, optimize workflow, and help reduce risk Guidance for meeting the challenges of BIM such as an entrenched business culture, the proliferation of BIM tools, and the uneven rates of BIM adoption The “big picture” view showing how your organization can work with business partners and fit into the building life cycle in a BIM-enabled industry  Throughout the book, sample documents and figures help you better understand the principles of BIM and how it works in practice.  In addition, first-hand accounts show you exactly how adopters of BIM have gained a competitive edge. Architects, engineers, constructors, building owners, and facility managers can turn to this book to realize the full potential of BIM and radically improve the way buildings are designed, built, operated, and maintained.

AMICO (Account Method of Infrastructures embodied CarbOn) is a research project conducted in partnership with Webuild group. The aim is to develop integrated tools for the analysis and evaluation of CO2 emissions (Embodied Carbon) and energy demand (Embodied Energy) of some phases of the infrastructure life cycle. The results of the study make it possible to identify which materials and processes have the most significant energy-environmental impact, and to define mitigation actions for progressive decarbonisation of the construction sector. In particular, the paper focuses on the importance of the project of digitising environmental data in a BIM environment.

Companies in the construction sector need effective information management. In particular, the transmission of information within a company is key to improving its management and competitiveness. Currently, many companies in the construction sector are making a great effort to implement the building information modelling (BIM) methodology. Such implementation requires collaborative work through the Cloud between the different agents in the construction process of any project. In fact, information management in BIM projects is related to the creation, storage, transfer and efficient application of information within a three-dimensional (3D) virtual model of the project. The size of the project also determines the optimal management approach. The main problems resulting from poor information management may be a lack of coordination between actors, loss of information or misinterpretation of information. This work has two stated objectives. The first objective is to carry out a literature review of the applications of BIM technology and the importance of managing knowledge according to International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO)- 19650. The second objective is to propose a disruptive method based on the Kanban tool to properly manage BIM information in the design and construction phases. This paper has practical implications for the improvement of BIM application for project managers.

Building Information Modeling (BIM), also called n-D Modeling or Virtual Prototyping Technology, is a revolutionary development that is quickly reshaping the Architecture-Engineering-Construction (AEC) industry. BIM is both a technology and a process. The technology component of BIM helps project stakeholders to visualize what is to be built in a simulated environment to identify any potential design, construction or operational issues. The process component enables close collaboration and encourages integration of the roles of all stakeholders on a project. The paper presents an overview of BIM with focus on its core concepts, applications in the project life cycle and benefits for project stakeholders with the help of case studies. The paper also elaborates risks and barriers to BIM implementation and future trends.

Virtual Reality (VR) has been rapidly recognized and implemented in construction engineering education and training (CEET) in recent years due to its benefits of providing an engaging and immersive environment. The objective of this review is to critically collect and analyze the VR applications in CEET, aiming at all VR-related journal papers published from 1997 to 2017. The review follows a three-stage analysis on VR technologies, applications and future directions through a systematic analysis. It is found that the VR technologies adopted for CEET evolve over time, from desktop-based VR, immersive VR, 3D game-based VR, to Building Information Modelling (BIM)-enabled VR. A sibling technology, Augmented Reality (AR), for CEET adoptions has also emerged in recent years. These technologies have been applied in architecture and design visualization, construction health and safety training, equipment and operational task training, as well as structural analysis. Future research directions, including the integration of VR with emerging education paradigms and visualization technologies, have also been provided. The findings are useful for both researchers and educators to usefully integrate VR in their education and training programs to improve the training performance.

Building information modeling (BIM) is the hottest topic of the last decade in the construction sector. BIM is interacting with other technologies toward the realization of digital twins. The integration of laser scanning technology and BIM is progressing. Increasingly, solid, mesh models are being semantically enriched for BIM. A point cloud can provide an excellent source of data for developing a BIM model. The BIM model will be refined not only geometrically but can also be saturated with non-graphical data. The problem is the lack of a clear methodology for compiling such models based on TLS and images. The research and development work between universities and companies has put modern digital solutions into practice. Thus, the purpose of this work was to develop a universal methodology for the acquisition and extraction of data from disconnected sources. In this paper, three BIM models were made based on point clouds derived from laser scanning. The case studies presented confirm the validity of the “scan to BIM approach, especially in the context of historic buildings (HBIMs). The paper posits that the integration of laser scanning, digital photogrammetry and BIM provides value in the preservation of heritage buildings. In the process of the practical work and an in-depth literature study, the ever-present limitations of BIM were identified as research challenges. The paper contributes to the discussion on the use of BIM in the design, construction and operation of buildings, including historic buildings. The acronym HBIM (heritage building information modeling) will increasingly resonate in the academic and practical work of the discipline of conservation and maintenance of historic buildings and cultural heritage sites.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop a building information modelling (BIM)-based mixed reality (MR) application to enhance and facilitate the process of managing bridge inspection and maintenance works remotely from office. It aims to address the ineffective decision-making process on maintenance tasks from the conventional method which relies on documents and 2D drawings on visual inspection. This study targets two key issues: creating a BIM-based model for bridge inspection and maintenance; and developing this model in a MR platform based on Microsoft Hololens. Design/methodology/approach Literature review is conducted to determine the limitation of MR technology in the construction industry and identify the gaps of integration of BIM and MR for bridge inspection works. A new framework for a greater adoption of integrated BIM and Hololens is proposed. It consists of a bridge information model for inspection and a newly-developed Hololens application named “HoloBridge”. This application contains the functional modules that allow users to check and update the progress of inspection and maintenance. The application has been implemented for an existing bridge in South Korea as the case study. Findings The results from pilot implementation show that the inspection information management can be enhanced because the inspection database can be systematically captured, stored and managed through BIM-based models. The inspection information in MR environment has been improved in interpretation, visualization and visual interpretation of 3D models because of intuitively interactive in real-time simulation. Originality/value The proposed framework through “HoloBridge” application explores the potential of integrating BIM and MR technology by using Hololens. It provides new possibilities for remote inspection of bridge conditions.

PurposeDue to the weaknesses of the traditional methods and advances in science, using currently new technologies such as building information modeling (BIM) for the restoration and revival of historical monuments is considered a novel solution. This study addresses how computer science in BIM can contribute significantly to the restoration and improvement of the cultural heritage.Design/methodology/approachThis study addresses how computer science in BIM can contribute significantly to the restoration and improvement of the cultural heritage.FindingsAlso, it assesses through this application, the capabilities of current software's in developing with the use of photogrammetry an accurate geometrical models for the minaret with its elements are linked to databases carrying information related to the minaret texture, historical identity and decoration. Finally, it shows the importance of this model to support experts in case of future restoration and conservation to the minaret.Originality/valueThe research describes the process of regenerating and documenting the motifs of the historical Choli minaret in Erbil. It explains the steps followed for full application of the historical buildings information modeling (HBIM) to this minaret.

The benefits brought by the integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are being proved by more and more research. The integration of the two systems is difficult for many reasons. Among them, data incompatibility is the most significant, as BIM and GIS data are created, managed, analyzed, stored, and visualized in different ways in terms of coordinate systems, scope of interest, and data structures. The objective of this paper is to review the relevant research papers to (1) identify the most relevant data models used in BIM/GIS integration and understand their advantages and disadvantages; (2) consider the possibility of other data models that are available for data level integration; and (3) provide direction on the future of BIM/GIS data integration.