Running Head: Bim in Hong Kong Construction Industry 1

Running head: BIM IN HONG KONG CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 1
BIM in Hong kong Construction Industry

Coventry University
CHEUNG TZE YU
167375626
BIM IN HONG KONG CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 2
Abstract
The study aims to evaluate the benefits accrued to the construction industry of Hong Kong
through the use of BIM, the impact that BIM use had on the Hong Kong construction industry,
and the differences between traditional project delivery and the project delivery using BIM. The
study achieves this through literature review and case study analysis. The case study selected for
analysis was the 70-storey One Island East commercial building in Hong Kong, which was one
of the first buildings that used BIM in Hong Kong. The case study examines the benefits that the
contractor, owner, and other stakeholders of the building in particular and the benefits that the
local Hong Kong construction industry received in general. The literature review looks at the
various definitions of BIM, the level of adoption of BIM in various countries, the different
features of BIM, the different types of BIM, and the comparison of traditional and BIM-based
project delivery. During the comparison, the traditional approaches, the waste reduction due to
BIM utilization, and the BIM approaches were discussed. The research methodology adopted by
the study included a interpretivist paradigm using inductive approach and qualitative
methodology as the study is exploratory in nature.
Keywords: BIM, One Island East, Hong Kong

Table of Contents
Abstract................................................................................................................................2
Table of Contents.................................................................................................................3
List of Figures......................................................................................................................6
List of Tables.......................................................................................................................8
BIM in Hongkong................................................................................................................9
1. Introduction......................................................................................................................9
1.1. Research Background...............................................................................................9
1.1.1. Building Information Management (BIM)........................................................9
1.1.2. Hong Kong Construction Industry...................................................................11
1.1.3. Research Questions..........................................................................................15
1.2. Research Methodology...........................................................................................15
2. Literature Review..........................................................................................................16
2.1. Definitions of BIM.................................................................................................16
2.1.1. Definition of BIM as a Model.........................................................................16
2.1.2. BIM as a Representation..................................................................................17
2.1.3. BIM as a Process.............................................................................................17
2.1.4. BIM as an Interdisciplinary Set.......................................................................17
2.1.5. BIM as Instrument...........................................................................................18
2.2. BIM Adoption.........................................................................................................18

2.2.1. United States....................................................................................................19
2.2.2. United Kingdom..............................................................................................19
2.2.3. Scandinavian Region.......................................................................................20
2.2.4. Singapore.........................................................................................................21
2.2.5. Japan................................................................................................................22
2.2.6. Australia...........................................................................................................22
2.2.7. China................................................................................................................22
2.2.8. Hong Kong.......................................................................................................23
2.3. Features of BIM......................................................................................................24
2.4. Types of BIM..........................................................................................................25
2.5. Impact of BIM in the AEC Industry.......................................................................28
2.6. BIM Benefits for Construction...............................................................................29
2.7. Comparison of Traditional and BIM-based Approach............................................36
2.7.1. Traditional Construction Approach..................................................................36
2.7.2. Waste in Construction Industry........................................................................44
2.7.3. BIM Approach.................................................................................................45
3. Research Methodology and Design...............................................................................49
3.1. Research Philosophy and Design............................................................................49
3.2. Research Philosophy...............................................................................................50
3.2.1. Research Approaches to Theory Development................................................52

3.2.2. Research Methodology....................................................................................52
3.2.3. Time Horizon...................................................................................................53
3.2.4. Data Collection................................................................................................54
4. Results and Discussion..................................................................................................55
4.1. One Island East (OIE) - Case Study.......................................................................55
5. Conclusions....................................................................................................................68
References..........................................................................................................................70
List of Figures
Figure 1: Capabilities stages across the 21 countries.....................................................................11
Figure 2: Hong Kong Construction Activity.................................................................................12
Figure 3: Hong Kong construction industry ecosystem................................................................12
Figure 4: Industrial fatality statistics in the HK construction industry..........................................14
Figure 5: BIM Uses throughout a Building Lifecycle...................................................................30
Figure 6: An example of exterior envelope virtual mock-up.........................................................32
Figure 7: Layers of Complex Systems at Research 2 Tower Vivarium.........................................33
Figure 8: Hennessey center safety and site logistics planning......................................................34
Figure 9: Quantity takeoff based on S-BIM..................................................................................35
Figure 10: A Comparison between “Traditional” and “BIM” Process..........................................37
Figure 11: DBB process.................................................................................................................38
Figure 12: Design-build characteristics.........................................................................................41
Figure 13: Comparison between DB and DBB.............................................................................42
Figure 14: Communication and contract pathways for CMR........................................................43
Figure 15: Project Life Cycle - ability to influence cost...............................................................46
Figure 16: Typical BIM roles and responsibilities.........................................................................48
Figure 17: Saunders research onion...............................................................................................50
Figure 18: One Island East............................................................................................................56
Figure 19: Highlights about One Island East.................................................................................57
Figure 20: A schematic diagram of the design team......................................................................60
Figure 21: The framework for collaboration.................................................................................62
Figure 22: OIE construction site in Sep 2006................................................................................63

Figure 23: Information for 3D design coordination......................................................................63
Figure 24: BIM data in a tree structure..........................................................................................64
Figure 25: Automated clash detection and management...............................................................64
Figure 26: Creation of rule-based parametric objects....................................................................65
Figure 27: Automated quantity take-off generation.......................................................................66
Figure 28: Interoperability between 2D drawings and BIM 3D model.........................................66
Figure 29: Partial MEP model of OIE...........................................................................................67
Figure 30: Construction sequence modeling through Primavera..................................................67

List of Tables
Table 1: Top 5 most expensive cities to build globally..................................................................13
Table 2: Performance of select mega-projects...............................................................................13
Table 3: BIM features....................................................................................................................25
Table 4: Key stakeholders and activities in the traditional delivery process.................................39
Table 5: BIM benefits for project stakeholders.............................................................................48
Table 6: Summary of the adopted research methodology for the study........................................50
Table 7: Essential research paradigms...........................................................................................51
Table 8: Deduction and induction: from reason to research..........................................................52

BIM in Hong kong Construction Industry
1. Introduction
1.1. Research Background
1.1.1. Building Information Management (BIM)
The first use of computers in the construction industry was to produce drawings apart
from its use in administrative tasks. Technological developments had led to three-dimensional
(3D) modeling and the use of computers began to increase for visualization of the buildings. In a
construction project, a large amount of information has to be processed and exchanged among
various departments of various disciplines which increases the information processing
requirements to a very high level (Winch, 2001). For construction project delivery organizations,
these information processing requirements are even higher as they have to process information
from every project singly as well as integrate information from various discrete projects to
conduct multi-project management (Winch, 2014). BIM enables users to generate, store,
exchange, and reuse building information and domain knowledge throughout the lifecycle of a
building (Gu and London, 2010; Vanlande, Nicolle and Cruz, 2008).
The construction industry in several countries such as the US and the UK have suffered
constant decline in performance while manufacturing and other industries have had productivity-
enhancing changes continuously (Sveikauskas et al., 2016). There has been continuous scrutiny
of the construction industry for its failure to meet stakeholder expectations and the inherent
inefficiencies in its processes (Demian and Walters, 2014). According to the Construction
Industry Training Board (CITB) (2017), the prediction of both the cost and time for design and
construction processes is inconsistent in most projects, causing project stakeholder
dissatisfaction.
The construction industry is characterized by collaboration by multi-disciplinary
departments and their interactions whose processes and information are interwoven. The critical
success factors for communicating, integrating, and aligning the values of these departments is
necessary given that the interdependence and design and construction tasks complexity has been
growing (Knotten et al., 2015). Longitudinal studies over multiple decades have identified the
need for improvements in project communication and changing confrontational procurement and
contractual structures as critical strategies for benefiting the construction sector (Cahill and
Puybaraud, 2008; Murray, 2003; Wolstenholme et al., 2009).
BIM emerged as a critical process that emerged as an innovation related to technology
and policy. BIM is increasingly adopted or mandated by governments across the work as BIM it
enables, over the entire project lifecycle of the project, to digital facility modeling, performance
simulation, and manage information flow. Figure 1 shows the BIM adoption in 21 different
countries and their capability stages.
Figure 1: Capabilities stages across the 21 countries (Kassem and Succar, 2017)
1.1.2. Hong Kong Construction Industry
According to WEF (2018), in the Global Competitive Index (GCI) for 2017-18, Hong
Kong was number one in the world for the eighth consecutive times for quality of construction.
According to Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) (2019), a significant driver for Hong
Kong economy is the construction industry as it accounts for nearly 5.2% of Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) excluding contributions from related sectors. These related sectors include real
estate that contributes a 5.1% to the GDP, professional and business services that contribute a
5.9% to the GDP, and transport and storage that contributes nearly 5.9% to the GDP, and many
others. Also, the construction industry is a significant employer as it employed approximately
340,000 comprising of management to worker jobs in 2017, while this number was 270,000 in
2011 including an estimated 120,000 manual workers employed at construction sites in 2017
(Census and Statistics Department, 2019). Figure 2 shows the construction activity for Hong
Kong from 2007 to 2027 along with forecasts while Figure 3 shows the significant stakeholders
in the construction industry in Hong Kong.
Figure 2: Hong Kong Construction Activity (KPMG, 2018)

Figure 3: Hong Kong construction industry ecosystem (KPMG, 2018)
According to a report prepared by KPMG for Hong Kong Development Bureau in
September 2018, Hong Kong had recorded a construction activity volume of HK$1.9 trillion
over the past decade, and the construction investment is expected to grow to HK$2.5 trillion in
Hong Kong over the next decade (KPMG, 2018), also shown in Figure 2. While the healthy
pipeline of construction is a positive sign for the construction, several disturbing factors plague
the construction industry in Hong Kong. The construction industry in Hong Kong has an aging
workforce, Hong Kong tends to lag in innovation and in adopting advanced technologies, and is
amongst the most expensive markets for construction in the world as shown in Table 1 (KPMG,
2018). Hong Kong also witnessed a series of incidents in megaprojects where there have been
unsatisfactory cost performance and delays in commissioning as shown in Table 2, safety
incidents at the sites as shown in Figure 4, and quality-related issues related to construction
delivery (KPMG, 2018).
Table 1: Top 5 most expensive cities to build globally (Arcadis, 2018; Turner & Townsend, 2019)
Ranking Arcadis International Turner & Townsend

Construction Costs 2018 International Construction
market survey 2018
1 New York City San Francisco
2 San Francisco New York City
3 Hong Kong Hong Kong
4 Zurich Toronto
5 London Boston
Table 2: Performance of select mega-projects (KPMG, 2018)
Figure 4: Industrial fatality statistics in the HK construction industry (KPMG, 2018)
In Hong Kong, there are nearly 25,000 companies in the construction industry out of
which 75% have a gross work activity of less than HK$5 million. About 321 companies
considered as main contractors performed nearly half of the total gross value of construction
work performed in Hong Kong. This shows that a few of the companies have high degree of
market control, and the rest of the industry is highly fragmented (KPMG, 2018). There is a
significant level of subcontracting that happens in Hong Kong, mostly in the case of private
contracts. While subcontracting is beneficial as it becomes easier to secure specialist skills, there
can be intermediary organizations that generate commissions without performing any physical
work or services in Hong Kong (KPMG, 2018).
In Hong Kong, the Construction Industry Council (CICHK) had developed a BIM
implementation roadmap in construction industry by taking up several initiatives (Fung, 2014).
These strategies include “push and pull” strategies. Push strategies include developing policies
that encourage BIM adoption by the industry, while the pull strategies facilitate industry-wide
buy-in and industry-wide readiness. CICHK has proposed seventeen initiatives across nine areas
which include 1) Collaboration, 2) Incentive and Proven Benefit, 3) Standard and Common
Practice, 4) Legal and Insurance, 5) Information Sharing and Handover, 6) Promotion and
Education, 7) Compliant BIM Tool, 8) Audit and Risk Management, and 9) Global
Competitiveness (Fung, 2014).
1.1.3. Research Questions
The research questions that the thesis tries to answer are as follows:
RQ1. What are the benefits that the construction industry of Hong Kong gets from BIM
use?
RQ2. What is the impact of BIM use on the Hong Kong construction industry?
RQ3. What are the differences between traditional and BIM-based project delivery?
1.1.4. Research Aim and Objectives
The study bears the following objectives:
1. To identify the barriers to the use of BIM technology in property facility management
practittioners in Hong Kong.
2. To provide reccomendations for ways in which property facilitators, managers, and
practitoners can enhance the use of BIM
To ensure the attainment of the the above objectives, the study:
i. Reviewed previous literature on the barriers and enablers to the use BIM;
ii. Analyze literature on successful cases foof BIM implementation both locally and overseees
iii. Compose a questionnaire survey to investigate and capture the opinion of property
facilitators and managers on barriers to, and enablers for, the use of BIM.
iv.The study examine the survey data and identify the major barriers and enablers of the use of
BIM
v. Draft recommendations on the appropriate ways of the use of BIM technology for
property/facility management practitioners in Hong Kong.
1.2. Research Methodology
Since this is exploratory research, the researcher used a qualitative research methodology.
Qualitative research is preferred as it provides insights and any future researcher can develop
hypotheses from the current for quantitative research (Wilson, 2014). The researcher intends to
use a case study analysis method for this research. The rationale behind the selection of this
method is that it allows an in-depth study of the phenomenon of BIM adoption, usage, benefits,
and impacts on the construction industry, which is a contemporary phenomenon (Teegavarapu,
Summers and Mocko, 2008).

2. Literature Review
2.1. Definitions of BIM
BIM has been defined by various researcher and practitioners in various ways based on
how they viewed BIM to be. The definitions of BIM fall under five categories based on how they
were viewed by the practitioners. These five categories relate to BIM being viewed as a model, a
process, a representation, as an instrument, or an interdisciplinary set. The following are the BIM
definitions according to each category. The diversity of the definitions shows that BIM has a
vital role to play in construction management and the different countries and regions are all not
on the same page regarding BIM adoption and implementation.
2.1.1. Definition of BIM as a Model

2.1.2. BIM as a Representation
2.1.3. BIM as a Process
2.1.4. BIM as an Interdisciplinary Set

2.1.5. BIM as Instrument
2.2. BIM Adoption
BIM originated from robust IT modeling programs in the 1970s and 1980s, but the real
origin of BIM can be considered as the date when the first version of ArchiCAD software
program appeared in 1982. However, the shift from traditional practice to the real BIM
implementation happened in 2000 as the software program Revit was put into use for project
practice (Bergin, 2012). Several researchers had investigated the advantages and disadvantages
of adopting BIM in construction projects in single projects or small samples (Ahmad, Demian
and Price, 2013; Bryde, Broquetas and Volm, 2013; Cook, 2014). However, a long-term study by
McGraw Hill Construction (2014) shows an increase of BIM adoption rate during the past few
years with the adoption rate in North America increasing from 28% in 2007 to 71% in 2012.
A survey in 2013 of 727 global contractors from countries such as Australia, Brazil,
Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the
United States showed that the US took the lead in BIM implementation and outperformed BIM
adoption in countries such as UK, Japan, Germany, Canada, and France (MGH Construction,
2014). A quantitative assessment of emerging markets China and India show a significant
upward trend (MGH Construction, 2014), which is in line with the prediction that the BIM
market will grow from $1.8 billion in 2012 to $6.5 billion in 2020 (Langdon, 2013).
2.2.1. United States
The US leads in BIM adoption and development in the construction industry, with the
construction and maintenance of all federal building and facilities being managed by General
Service Administration (GSA) (Wong, Wong and Nadeem, 2009a). GSA had pioneered the
advocacy of employing BIM in public projects and initiated a national 3D-4D BIM program
through Public Building Service (PBS) in 2003 and conducted the study to validate BIM usage
for spatial programs on those projects in 2007 (Khemlani, 2012). GSA is the top public client
with approximately 8700 buildings with more than 300 million square feet of space across the
US and also develops guidelines and standards such as national BIM Standard to play a critical
role in promoting BIM adoption in the US (CIBER, 2012). It is also planning to increase its scale
by including project lifecycle and validation of spatial programs, laser scanning, 4D phasing, and
other activities. The US may follow the GSA lead and use BIM in construction projects in Air
Force and Coast Guard and the US Army Corps of Engineers (CIBER, 2012).
2.2.2. United Kingdom
The UK government set BIM implementation as a strategy, and it was considered as the
most advanced and ambitious program in construction industry (Blackwell and UK Government,
2012). According to the program which was initiated in 2011, all government projects had to
adopt BIM on or after 2016. The implementation of BIM-enabled realization of 20% savings in
the construction budgets (Cabinet Office, 2011). The UK government is aiming to play a leading
role in the world in BIM implementation rapidly (Withers, 2012). To realize this in a short span
of five years, the UK government injected resources into establishing BIM task group that is
tasked in covering the major supply chain issues related to public sector and private sector to
facilitate BIM delivery (MGH Construction, 2014).
2.2.3. Scandinavian Region
Apart from the US, Scandinavian region consisting of Norway, Denmark, and Finland is
another global leader in BIM adoption and development as they were the first few countries that
intended to use ArchiCAD software, promote interoperability, open standards, developing
information foundation classes (IFC), and use model-based design. Construction projects in this
region use prefabrication as an essential element as they use BIM modeling technology
extensively, which illustrates the best use of BIM to support construction project (Khemlani,
2012). The governments in the Scandinavian region offer considerable support to BIM adoption
which can be ascertained by the fact that Finnish government invested massive investments in IT
research in construction since 1970s that has enabled a background setting for BIM practice in
Finland. The Universal BIM Guide was published to support BIM implementation in the
construction industry. In the Scandinavian region, as in the US and UK, the public sector is the
key driver in promoting BIM implementation (Bragança, 2007).
The Danish government is an active supporter of BIM adoption by spending a significant
amount in IT research and development. Also, clients such as the Danish University Property
Agency, Defense Construction Service, and Palaces and Properties Agency have requirements
for using BIM in construction projects due to which BIM implementation accelerated (Bragança,
2007). In Norway, the firm Statbygg conducts and promotes the BIM practice and also maintains
most of the government facilities. The company had started adoption of BIM in 2007 and
required compliance with IFC standards since 2010 (Bragança, 2007).
2.2.4. Singapore
The construction industry in Singapore did not see a comprehensive implementation of
BIM until 2015 when Singapore Building and Construction Agency (BCA) made using BIM an
essential requirement for public projects (Bragança, 2007). To support this initiative, Singapore
government raised S$250 million through a special vehicle; Construction Productivity and
Capability Fund (CPCF). CPCF was tasked with developing BIM as a strategy in construction
industry. In 2000, Singapore had set up Construction and Real Estate Network (CoreNet) for
fostering use and development of IT in construction. CoreNet was at the forefront in advocating
the BIM adoption and implementation through its built-in e-Plan Check system which enables
architects and engineers to check the BIM design of a project through an online gateway.
Singapore took advantage of IFC standards to take the lead in BIM implementation in Asia
(Bragança, 2007).
Due to the policies promoting BIM in Singapore, local practitioners are trained in various
BIM skills, which increases the percentage of BIM-skilled workforce at the industry level
(Cheng, 2013). Therefore, fewer draftspersons are needed, and they can be replaced by skilled
modelers. Kaner et al. (2008) conducted four case studies and found that using BIM to model
production of error-free fabrication drawings resulted in savings of approximately 2.6%, 20.3%,
27.7%, and 47.3% of working hours, respectively in the four case studies compared to traditional
CAD tools.
2.2.5. Japan
Due to supply chain management, post-construction activities, and use of model-driven
robotics which had adopted BIM extensively in Japan, BIM adoption rate in Japan is high
making it the leader in BIM implementation practitioner in Asia (MGH Construction, 2014).
2.2.6. Australia
Australia lags in BIM implementation and adoption compared to other countries
mentioned earlier due to lack of sufficient government support. However, voluntary adoption of
BIM usage is increasing as other project stakeholders are adopting BIM for the potential
productivity and competitive advantage that it delivers to them. In Australia, the organization
BuildingSmart takes the initiative in BIM development and implementation (CIBER, 2012).
2.2.7. China
China lags behind other countries in BIM implementation. A survey conducted in 2012
by China Construction Industry Association 85% of 388 responding construction companies did
not use BIM as they considered BIM as additional work rather than as a tool that assists in
improving productivity in construction projects (MGH Construction, 2014). As implementation
of BIM requires expenditure that reduces the incentives of project stakeholders and practitioners,
many practitioners were reluctant to adopt BIM in their projects. Also, the laws related to
construction in China cause design and construction stages to be separated, which reduces the
advantages of BIM implementation due to which projects rely on traditional practices (MGH
Construction, 2014). China established a BIM Union in 2013 as part of China Industry
Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance by the Ministry of Science and Technology to pave the
way for developing BIM standards and future developments and practice (NATSPEC, 2016).
2.2.8. Hong Kong
BIM adoption is mainly driven through the requirement by clients or project owners and
uses one-off style BIM practice. The significant institutes that drive BIM adoption in Hong Kong
are Development Bureau, Housing Authority, and Hong Kong Institute of Building Information
Modelling (HKIBIM) (MGH Construction, 2014). The mandate of Development bureau is to
plan, implement, and manage BIM implementation in infrastructure development in public sector
(Wong, Wong and Nadeem, 2009a). The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) is one of the
public governmental agencies that adopt BIM in design, construction coordination, and
sustainability studies. HKHA established BIM center in 2009 and piloted a series of public
housing projects and realized substantial savings as well increases in productivity due to
effective collaboration, optimization of design, better planning, clash detection. Hong Kong is
also looking at expanding BIM implementation in more application areas such as an automatic
bill of material (BOM) extraction from BIM models, checking compliance with building codes
and regulations, integration with the specifications, and prefabrication and assembly (Wong,
Wong and Nadeem, 2009a, 2010). A group of stakeholders, corporations, and BIM application
experts established HKIBIM in 2009 and is the first professional body in the world for
promoting and facilitating BIM applications in the building environment (Wong, Wong and
Nadeem, 2010).
2.3. Features of BIM
BIM has seen widespread use in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC)
industry for several years and can potentially become the information backbone of the industry
(Eastman et al., 2018; Cheng and Ma, 2013). Due to technological advances, the BIM
capabilities are increasing. The concept of BIM keeps developing and is now thought as the
definitive project delivery tool in the construction industry (Joannides, Olbina and Issa, 2012).
Based on the definitions in the previous section, the M in BIM can be management, model, or
modeling. Ahmad, Demian, and Price (2012) analyzed sixteen different definitions of BIM and
identified eight keywords that appeared at least three times in each of these definitions. Table 3
shows the features of BIM-based on the keywords, which are in the headings.
Table 3: BIM features (Ahmad, Demian and Price, 2012)
2.4. Types of BIM
Several studies discuss about the application of different dimensions of BIM such as three
dimensional modelings (3D), construction scheduling and sequencing (4D), costing (5D),
sustainability (6D) and as-built modelling for facilities operations and maintenance (7D) (Wang,
2011; Abbasnejad and Moud, 2013; Redmond et al., 2012). However, Gammon (2018) takes it
further and defines ten dimensions of BIM. According to Gammon (2018), their integrated
project delivery (IDPD) includes geometry as the third dimension (3D), planning through
software such as Synchro Pro that lets the activities to be sequenced and scheduled (4D), and
quantification that lets generation of all materials (BOM) and cost estimates automatically (5D).
The sixth dimension of IDPD allows using BIM for reaching their sustainability objectives (6D),
seventh dimension allows facility management (7D), eighth dimension allows design
collaboration between stakeholders (8D), ninth dimension allows control of robotics such as
drones and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines (9D), and tenth dimension allows
using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for automatic scheduling, planning, and modelling (10D).
The following is a detailed description of the use of 3D-BIM to 5D-BIM, which are
construction-related activities (Eastman et al., 2018).

Also, according to Ashcraft (2008), BIM uses include 1) allows single data entry and
multiple usages; 2) ensures accuracy of design; 3) ensures consistency of design bases; 4) allows
3D modeling; 5) allows identification and resolution of conflict and clashes; 6) allows
estimation; 7) allows visualization of alternative solutions and options; 8) allows optimizations
such as energy optimization; 9) allows reviews and 4D simulation of constructability; 10) allows
control of fabrication errors and costs; and 11) allows functional simulations. According to
Baldwin (2012), at the design stage, BIM allows modeling of the existing conditions, spatial
programming, authoring models, and coordinating designs. At the analysis stage, BIM allows
structural, lighting, and energy analysis, auditing of the model, and checking the code. At the
construction stage, BIM allows utilization of the site, 4D sequencing of the construction, 5D
estimation of cost and material take-off, and digital fabrication. During operations, BIM allows
scheduling maintenance, management of assets and space, and expansion of the facility. For data
management, BIM allows change management, reporting, and tracking issues, providing
platforms for collaboration, metadata management, database linking, and provides
interoperability and exchange of files (Baldwin, 2012).

According to Gray et al. (2013), a survey about the patterns of BIM in Australia, Korea,
China, Indonesia, the UK, Canada, Brazil, India and the US found that the patterns include
interdisciplinary usage, project lifecycle stages, integration of technology including compatibility
of software, organizational issues, and interoperability. Therefore, it can be considered that BIM
usage is varied and has a broad range of applications. Since one person cannot have proficiency
in all the types of usages and one company or project may not need all the functions offered by
BIM, one should be careful about the right functions applicable for one’s project or company.
2.5. Impact of BIM in the AEC Industry
BIM mirrors the transformation that is occurring within the AEC industry and offers
many benefits that include enhanced efficiency, accuracy, speed, coordination, and consistency. It
allows for energy analysis, and reduction of project costs and various stakeholders can benefit
from this. Stakeholders such as the owners, architects, engineers, contractors and contracting
companies, and professionals can benefit from this (Mandhar and Mandhar, 2013). BIM allows
improvement and support for business practices when compared with traditional practices that
include two-dimensional CAD or paper-based practices (Eastman et al., 2018). As constructions
projects become more and more complex and the communication and information sharing
requirements become more complicated due to the requirement for collaboration, the necessity of
BIM for managing the projects becomes highly required. Moreover, BIM serves the needs of all
the stakeholders during the design, construction, and forecasting and budgeting processes
(Weygant, 2011).
The adoption of BIM shows that the construction industry accepts and acknowledges its
potential to enhance the integration between procurement and actual operations (Lorch, 2012).
According to Sebastian and Berlo (2010), BIM makes it possible to incorporate the frameworks
as well as technologies required for integrating processes and object-oriented information across
the lifecycle of a building in a multi-dimensional model. Collaboration is mandated when
contracting parties and stakeholders utilize BIM (Eastman et al., 2018). BIM usage can enhance
the building value, reduce the duration of the project, provide accurate and reliable cost
estimates, generating facilities that are market-ready, and allows facility management in an
optimized manner (Eastman et al., 2018). According to Sarno (2012), integration of BIM, project
management of the construction, and infrastructure lifecycle management (ILM) allow
stakeholders to benefit from enhanced efficiencies throughout the project lifecycle, achieve
control, and get more savings. BIM allows the creation of models that are rich about the
information related to geometric, topology and semantic details and the life cycle of a facility
resulting in an improved communication, coordination, analysis, and quality control (MGH
Construction, 2012). BIM reduces waste, is green as it reduces energy usage, assists in
sustainable demolition, allows an array of interdisciplinary design review, allows many
collaborative activities, and coordination and clash detection (Karlshøj, 2012; Kolpakov, 2012).
2.6. BIM Benefits for Construction
BIM finds many uses in construction, and Figure 4 shows these various uses in design
(preconstruction), construction, and operation (post-construction) phases.

Figure 5: BIM Uses throughout a Building Lifecycle (Aumba et al., 2009)
To maximize BIM impact on a project, its use during the design phase has to be
maximized as it can influence the cost maximum when used so. The team can coordinate to
provide solutions before problems cause high-cost impacts to the project. Using BIM enhances
the collaborative efforts of the team. Architects and engineers can test energy analysis and design
ideas. The contractor can check the provided constructability, sequencing, value, and engineering
reports, and during the early stages of design, start 3D coordination between subcontractors and
vendors. The owner can check the visualization of the design (Aumba et al., 2009).
BIM usage is also beneficial if used during the construction phase. However, it does not
have as much impact on the cost as it has when used during the design phase as seen in Figure 11
as the construction progresses. BIM can still be used for sequencing, cost estimation, fabrication,
and onsite BIM, which are discussed below. During the post-construction phase, maintenance
scheduling, building system analysis, asset management, and space management and tracking,
disaster planning, and record modeling can help in the building maintenance throughout its
lifecycle. By connecting the record model to building automation systems (BAS), it becomes
possible to control and monitor the use of mechanical and electrical equipment, thereby
providing a successful location-based maintenance program. Also, building system analysis can
be used to analyze the energy, lighting, and mechanical energy can be used to measure building’s
performance and initiate upgrades as needed (Aumba et al., 2009).
2.6.1.1. Visualization
BIM is a great visualization tool and provides a 3D virtual representation of the building
and allows provision of walkthroughs, renderings, and modeling construction sequences during
the bidding phase. Due to this, the model can be communicated to the contractors who are
invited to bid as it provides a better understanding of what the final product may look like and
visualize and make informed decisions on the aesthetics and functionality of the space as
depicted in Figure 6 (Khemlani, 2012).

Figure 6: An example of exterior envelope virtual mock-up (Khemlani, 2012)
2.6.1.2. 3D Coordination
The construction team must collaborate with the architect, engineer, and the owner in the
early design phase to properly implement BIM. The construction manager can convert 2D
drawings provided by the architect to 3D intelligent models. In the case of contractor
involvement, there is a need to spatially coordinate their work, especially in the case of MEP
contractors. The construction manager can start the 3D coordination immediately after creating
the model to ensure resolution of any same space interference (hard clash) or clearance clash
(soft clash) conflicts. Therefore, coordination between construction manager and specialty
contractors before construction can reduce design errors tremendously. For example, Research 2
Tower Project of Colorado Denver Health Science Center had implemented whereas the
Research 1 Tower did not. The latter had significant problems in mechanical systems. Figure 7
shows the 3D MEP coordination for Research Tower 2, work planning for concrete placement,
and assembly instruction models. The project benefited by reduction of RFIs by 37% and
reduction in change orders by 32% (MGH Construction, 2009).

Figure 7: Layers of Complex Systems at Research 2 Tower Vivarium (MGH Construction, 2009)
2.6.1.3. Prefabrication
Prefabrication delivers benefits such as reduced cost and time of field labor and increased
accuracy and quality of the construction as the prefabrication allows usage of tools and options
that are readily available in a controlled environment of the prefabrication site to deliver better
results. BIM can provide the level of accuracy required for prefabrication, but the BIM used for
the project is interoperable with the software used by fabricators so that approved designs can be
fabricated using CNC machines at the prefabrication site and ensure the delivery on schedule.
Complicated steel connections can be welded offsite. Roof penetrations for rooftops must be
sleeved before pouring. Any other complex requirements can be taken care of during the
prefabrication (Antillón, Morris, and Gregor, 2014).
The 4D model can include a site logistics plan; the space utilization model can include
the temporary components used for logistics, transportation, and construction such as trucks and
cranes. Figure 8 depicts the site logistics plan for Hennessey Center Steel Erection (Enshassi,
Ayyash and Choudhry, 2016). Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) can be used to track
material delivery status and linked to BIM to show that materials are the right location. RFID can
be linked to workforce for monitoring. 3D laser scanning can be used to monitor the progress of
the designed BIM. Construction managers can use BIM and upload site survey points to robotics,
which could help in several instances, such as accurate positioning of hangars would help the
MEP contractors (Healthcare Facilities Today, 2013).
Figure 8: Hennessey center safety and site logistics planning (Enshassi, Ayyash and Choudhry, 2016)
2.6.1.4. Cost Estimation
Cost estimation has two main components, quantity take-off, and pricing and the former
is automatically generated for an object by BIM. Figure 9 shows an example of quantity take-off
based on structural BIM (S-BIM). An expert analyzes the components and their installation
details. In case of non-availability of pricing for a specific activity, it has to be broken down
further for accurate pricing information.

Figure 9: Quantity takeoff based on S-BIM (Lee and Cho, 2012)
2.6.1.5. Construction Planning and Monitoring
4D-BIM includes construction planning and monitoring and sequencing using critical
path method (CPM) or line of balance. CPM defines predecessors and successors for each
activity along with duration, and the path that takes the longest duration is the CPM. Line of
balance uses a location for scheduling and takes advantages of repetitive tasks to increase labor
productivity as it focuses on one trade completing its work at a location before another trade
moves in (Kenley and Seppänen, 2009). Planning using BIM enhances the utilization of the site,
coordination of the space, and product information.

2.7. Comparison of Traditional and BIM-based Approach
2.7.1. Traditional Construction Approach
According to Association of General Contractors (AGC) (2008), the traditional 2D-based
project delivery evolved from paper-based drawings, to overlay drafting, to layers and levels in
the CAD programs. However, since this was a 2D-based delivery process, it became difficult to
think, see, document from an integrated 3D or beyond way. For instance, a change such as
moving a duct or a beam could not be visualized in the 2D environment. Therefore, in a 2D
design process, there is a possibility of incomplete designs as not all areas are drawn. In a
traditional delivery process, the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders are delineated.
The principle difference between traditional 3D CAD and BIM is that the former is a
visual representation of the construction as separate and independent 3D views such as
elevations, plans, and sections. Since they are separate and independent, updating or modifying
one must be followed by correcting all the others, which is an error-prone process. This renders
the documentation quality to be reduced. Also, in the traditional process, the 3D renderings are
just drawings and graphical entities with lines, arcs, and circles and have no embedded
information. However, in the case of BIM, the models have intelligent contextual semantics and
objects in the model are defined as elements and systems which can be beams, spaces, columns,
and others. The BIM information model carries all the functional and physical characteristics of
the elements and systems and project lifecycle characteristics as a series of smart objects. An
example could be the water purifier system in the BIM which would contain the data about its
supplier, procedures about its operation and maintenance, and other relevant details (Azhar and
Richter, 2009; Cooperative Research Centre for Construction, 2008).

Also, digital models that contain only 3D data with no attributes or information of the
object, models that have no support of behavior, models that consist of several 2D CAD files that
have to be combined for obtaining the building definition. Models that do not automatically
reflect changes to dimensions in one view to others are not considered as digital models that fall
under the category of BIM (Eastman et al., 2018). Figure 10 shows a comparison of traditional
and BIM process.
Figure 10: A Comparison between “Traditional” and “BIM” Process (Azhar, Khalfan and Maqsood,
2015)
According to American Institute of Architects (AIA) and American Institute of Architects,
California Council (AIACC) (2007), the project teams consist of primary participants and key
supporting participants who are the major stakeholders. Accordingly, the primary participants are
those that have substantial responsibilities and involvement in the project throughout its
lifecycle. Some of the primary participants include the owners, architects, Mechanical,
Engineering, and Plumbing (MEP) contractor, and general contractor. In the case of supporting
participants, they could include primary design consultants and subcontractors. They could also
include the government and the operations and maintenance team. Table 4 shows a list of
possible significant stakeholders in each stage.

2.7.1.1. Types of Traditional Contracts
There are three major contract types in construction industry, and the type of contract has
a big say in the project technology and method of management. The contract type also impacts
the project management culture, relationship between project stakeholders, risks and advantages
for the stakeholders, and the flow of information between the stakeholders. These contract types
are Design-Bid-Build (DBB), Design-Build (DB), and Construction Management at Risk
(CMR).
2.7.1.2. Design-Bid-Build (DBB)
DBB is the most used worldwide contractual approach and is used in nearly 90% of all
public works and nearly 40% of private works as well (Guy, 2007). The fact that this is followed
more in public works than private works indicates that there is less political pressure on this
contractual process as DBB seeks the cheapest bid for construction process. The most
advantageous factor about DBB is that it allows discovery of the most competitive contract or
bid through an aggressive approach (Guy, 2007). Figure 11 shows the DBB process.
Figure 11: DBB process (Guy, 2007)
As seen in Figure 6, the process is linear, and each step in the process has to wait for the
previous step to finish before starting the next step.

Table 4: Key stakeholders and activities in the traditional delivery process (AIA and AIACC, 2007;
Eastman et al., 2018)
The approach shown in Table 4 is DBB method. This is a viable and most widely-used
delivery method for most public building construction projects (Miller et al., 2000; Ibbs et al.,
2003; Ling et al., 2004). Typically, design services are obtained before the construction phase by
awarding architectural and engineering contracts. However, the design was not completely fixed
until the construction phase as the input from the construction contractor was not available until
then. Since the delivery model provides the owner a market advantage by allowing open
competition through a regimented design phase that is followed by separate bid and construction
phases. Also, most governments mandate the use of “open bidding” for state construction
projects. Therefore, the eventual contractor is prohibited from any substantive early involvement.
In this DBB process, the owner initially gives the design services contract to a designer who
develops the project requirements by working with the owner and develops the design. The
design will be used for bidding which allows the owner an option to select the contractor based
on pre-selected criteria and the project proceeds to construction. This shows the design of the
project has little if any, input from the contractor who does the construction. This results in
substantive issues related to constructability and coordination that may surface during
construction and have to be resolved in that phase (AIA and AIACC, 2007). This strict
delineation in the delivery process causes frequent claims and disputes among the participants.
Other issues could be overruns of cost and time overruns (Azhar, Kang and Ahmad, 2014).
2.7.1.3. Design-Build (DB)
In the case of DB contract, the owner chooses a single contractor or entity to transfer the
risk and coordination effort so that there can be higher coordination between the design and build
team. Therefore, there will be a single point responsibility for activities related to both the design
and construction. The owner has a higher involvement during the design phase while defining the
project criteria and this involvement reduces to less management as the contractor executes the
project based on the established criteria. This is supposed to improve the constructability and
coordination while reducing the cost of change thereby reducing the risk to the owner and
transferring it to the designer-builder entity. Most of the risk is borne by the contractor who
designs and builds and so often retains the majority of the savings that is accrued (AIA and
AIACC, 2007). Figure 12 indicates the communication lines between the different significant
stakeholders in the DB contract.

Figure 12: Design-build characteristics (AIA and AIACC, 2007)
The contractor responsible for the design and build takes the owner’s project design
criteria and starts controlling the project from thereon. The success of the project is measured by
the improvements in the project delivery time or project cost savings realized by the contractor
from the baselined and agreed-upon Guaranteed Maximum Price. The owner is responsible for
defining the acceptable level of quality expectations by imposing the relevant quantitative or
performance requirements in design criteria itself. DB contracts can be 1) qualifications only
selection, 2) best value selection with criteria documents provided by the owner, or 3) price-
driven selection with detailed bridging documents provided by the owner (AIA and AIACC,
2007). As an example, the difference in the number of days of project execution between DB and
DBB contracts is illustrated in Figure 13.

Figure 13: Comparison between DB and DBB (Park and Kwak, 2017)
2.7.1.4. Construction Management at Risk (CMR)
There are a variety of project delivery scenarios for which the generic phrase
“Construction Management” is applied where specific services are required in addition to the
general services that a contractor for construction traditionally provides. In most cases, the hiring
of the construction manager is done early in the design phase to enable delivery of early cost
commitment and to management issues related to schedule, cost, construction, and building
technology. There can be different types of Construction Management such as CMc
(Construction Manager - Constructor) or CMa (Construction Manager - Adviser), which differ
based on the responsibilities of construction that they assume. In cases where both the
construction manager and constructor are same, all the liability and responsibility of the general
contractor is absorbed by the construction manager, and such as delivery system is called as CMc
as well as CMR (AIA and AIACC, 2007). Figure 14 shows the communication and contract
pathways for CMR.

Figure 14: Communication and contract pathways for CMR (AIA and AIACC, 2007)
CMc compares will with DBB in the sense that it offers the same benefits of direct
owner-architect and owner-contractor contractual relationship. It also offers comparable advisory
benefits of CMa and the comparable early cost commitment attribute of DB. The difference
between CMc and DB is that the responsibility of the design remains with the architect, who has
contracted independently with the owner. Also, in this delivery model, the constructor is
introduced before construction to supervise scheduling, cost control, constructability, and to
bring additional knowledge to various fields such as project management, building technology,
and bidding or negotiation of construction contracts. In this model, the selection of the
constructor is typical via a qualifications-based selection, which is done early in the design
phase, and the constructor is paid a fee for services performed in that phase. In some cases,
owners might competitively bid CMc contracts, which is not a good practice. To assist
integration, it is imperative for the construction manager to be involved in the project as early as
feasibly possible. There are variations to CMc known as Negotiated Select Team (NST), the
CMc is contracted by the owner at the beginning of design or even earlier (AIA and AIACC,
2007).
2.7.1.5. Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)
IPD is a project delivery approach that is collaborative and involves a deliberate effort for
integration among project participants, including the owner, architect, engineers, contractor and
subcontractors (KPMG, 2013). Historically, design-assist, DB, public-private-partnerships and
even DBB through early contractor involvement in the design process have achieved this
collaboration resulting in improved cost estimating and constructability, schedule condensation,
increased value to the stakeholder and reduced field conflicts. The success of IPD depends on
right project delivery strategy, which is based on the project size, complexity, and schedule.
Selecting the right team with experience in IPD principles helps.
2.7.2. Waste in Construction Industry
Waste in construction industry can be process-related, technology-related, or policy-
related (Won and Cheng, 2017). The main areas of wastage in the AEC industry are due to poor
procurement and planning due to inaccurate take-off. Scheduling and planning play a significant
role in reducing the rate of wastage as managing the buffer depending on the sequencing of the
events. Poor procurement planning can lead to long storage times, demurrage, spoilage, and
damages to materials such as chemicals and cements (Katz and Baum, 2011). Another waste
generation area is due to design modifications and poor design management, and change orders
can result in 33% of the construction waste (Osmani, Glass and Price, 2008). Wastage is possible
due to lack of prefabrication and standardization resulting in inaccurate dimensions at early

design stage (Won and Cheng, 2017). Cast-in-place concrete is a source of big waste, and there
can be 70% reduction in waste due to prefabrication (Lawton et al., 2002) and reduction of 52%
overall construction waste volume through prefabrication (Jaillon, Poon and Chiang, 2009).
Double material handling and inappropriate material handling can lead to wastage (Lu
and Yuan, 2010). Another area of waste is inadequate construction waste management at the site
that includes lack of tracking waste movement, space planning for construction waste and
material storage space, and delayed on-site waste sorting (Lu and Yuan, 2010). Passive
participation, poor communication, and lack of coordination and reviewing meetings between
project stakeholders has been known to have a harming effect on project waste management
(Wang et al., 2010).
2.7.3. BIM Approach
All the traditional project delivery methods discussed earlier can benefit from the
application of BIM. BIM can be used to quantify work and estimate costs and for providing
compelling 3D renderings. Usage of schedule integrated BIM or 4D-BIM is recommended for
animations, safety analysis, and for site logistics plan preparation. It can be used for coordinating
work between contractors and subcontractors, update schedule and costs, and turn over as-built
building information model to the owner’s maintenance team (AIA and AIACC, 2007).
2.7.3.1. DBB with BIM
The contractor starts the job as soon as the project is awarded, which is dependent upon
the construction delivery approach. In the traditional approach, the design, bid, and build phases
follow each other. The architect who is typically the lead designer and construction manager
work directly for the owner while the designer's team comprises of the engineering consultants.
The design of the building is first done by the engineer and the architect. Once the design phase
is completed, general contractors bid for the job and start construction once they are awarded the
bid. Therefore, the approach does not involve early participation of the construction team during
design. A 3D parametric model created by the designers during design phase for the project
through BIM will lack the knowledge of the contractors in that phase. Overall, DBB eliminates
the benefits of having the construction input during design phase as this is the phase which has
the highest impact on the cost as shown in Figure 15. The architects and engineers may hesitate
from sharing their models due to intellectual property loss, liabilities, and others and
misinterpretation of the information included in the model (AIA and AIACC, 2007).
Figure 15: Project Life Cycle - ability to influence cost (Eastman et al., 2018)
2.7.3.2. CMR with BIM
In CMR delivery method, both the designer and the construction manager work directly
for the owner and can collaborate and complement each other’s work while reporting to the
owner. Even when BIM is used, the same risk as in traditional method is carried forward as
sharing their models could cause liability concerns and unauthorized reuse of intellectual
properties in designers and architects. Also, CMR approach usually involves the preconstruction
services which enables construction team to input their information during the design phase to
the BIM at an early stage. CMR with BIM can be used for private and public fast track projects
(AIA and AIACC, 2007).
2.7.3.3. DB with BIM
DB delivery approach has a single entity taking over the responsibilities of the designing
and building for the owner. Selection of DB professionals is usually based on a combination of
professional qualifications and cost. The quality control assurance is limited as the designer, and
the general contractor works together as cost could become a priority over quality. However,
BIM can be freely used right from beginning of the project, and the intimate collaboration of the
designer and the builder through BIM will make it a reliable and productive process (AIA and
AIACC, 2007).
2.7.3.4. IPD with BIM
IPD, by its nature, requires a high level of collaboration contractually and requires the
stakeholders such as designers, contractors, subcontractors, and owners to share the project risks.
If a project is completed within the budget and schedule, then all project participants gain.
Otherwise, they all lose their fee. Due to this, all participants are incentivized to work together
towards a common goal. They share BIM, decision making, and responsibility. Pure
collaboration and no litigation are the results of this joint project management approach. BIM
makes it easy to achieve IPD (AIA and AIACC, 2007). Table 5 shows the benefits that each
major project participant gets out of various dimensions of BIM, and Figure 16 shows the typical
BIM roles and responsibilities at various stages of construction.
Table 5: BIM benefits for project stakeholders (Azhar and Richter, 2009)
Figure 16: Typical BIM roles and responsibilities (AEC (UK) BIM, 2015)
3. Research Methodology and Design
3.1. Research Philosophy and Design
Management research involves observing the daily activities of people as they work in
organizations and try sensemaking (Easterby-Smith, Thorpe and Jackson, 2015). The researcher
incorporates the assumptions and theoretical points of view in the research through the selection
of research philosophy or research paradigm, which are a set of philosophical assumptions
concerning the epistemology that include the methodologies that need to be adopted (Maxwell,
2013). The researcher plans the research based on the questions that the research needs to answer
or the problem that the research needs to solve. The research problem or the research question
determines the types, methods, and techniques for collecting the data. However, from Figure 17,
it can be seen that the data collection methods and techniques are at the center of the onion, and
the researcher has to peel the outer layers before finalizing them (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
2016).
Figure 17: Saunders research onion(Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2016)
Table 6: Summary of the adopted research methodology for the study (Adapted from Saunders, Lewis and
Thornhill, 2016)
Item Selection for the current study

Research philosophy/paradigm Interpretivism
Research design Qualitative
Research purpose Exploratory
Research approach Inductive
Research strategy Study a single Case
Research time horizon Cross-sectional
3.2. Research Philosophy
Research philosophy guides the choice of research approach and the data collection, its
interpretation, and its analysis (Levin, 1988). It affects the research design and strategy adopted
by the researcher. The four major paradigms of research philosophy are pragmatism,
interpretivism, realism, and positivism, though researchers consider positivist and interpretivist
paradigms as the primary research paradigms and Table 7 shows the differences between them
(Easterby-Smith, Thorpe and Jackson, 2015).
Table 7: Essential research paradigms (Easterby-Smith, Thorpe and Jackson, 2015)
Interpretivism paradigm allows the researcher to understand the difference between
humans acting as social actors and is used to research phenomenon such as organizational
behavior and managing human resources as it is not possible to measure reality in such cases but
only viewed through the experiences of those experiencing them (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
2016). When the requirement is subjective assessment and complex and interrelated relationships
may have to be established, then this paradigm is preferable (Wallace and O’Farrell, 2012). It is
an appropriate choice when quantitative measures seem inappropriate (Dent, 2002).
An exploratory study allows the researcher to gain valuable insights about topics about
which there is little knowledge (Gray, 2004) and often relies on secondary research methods such
as reviewing existing literature and is typically combined with qualitative methods. Therefore, if
the researcher plans to understand how the use of BIM has impacted the construction industry in
Hong Kong, the researcher has to conduct a literature review followed by studying the case of
single building construction and how BIM helped in the construction of the building.
3.2.1. Research Approaches to Theory Development
According to Gray (Gray, 2004), a theory is used to derive hypothesis before the research
and findings in the case of a deductive approach and uses strategies such as qualitative,
quantitative, and mixed methods research and, the outcome of this research will be a theory
(Mackenzie and Knipe, 2006). To answer research questions, an inductive approach is a better
approach, as the findings will be used to generate new ideas and structures. Table 9 depicts the
primary differences between deductive and inductive methods.
Table 8: Deduction and induction: from reason to research (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2016)
3.2.2. Research Methodology
According to Johnson, Onwuegbuzie, and Turner (2007), the three categories of research
methodologies are qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method, which are not mutually
exclusive. The researcher uses qualitative methodology in the current study as the researcher
wants to understand and explore the in-depth the application of BIM in a particular building and
the advantages and disadvantages derived from the implementation of BIM in that building. The
proposed research is an exploratory study, aiming at investigating research questions that
investigate the “what.” It can, therefore, use, experiment, survey, archival analysis, history, and
case study as strategies. However, the researcher preferred case study analysis as the
phenomenon that the study focuses is contemporary and has some real-life context. The
researcher has little control over the events (Yin, 2003). Also, the number of construction
projects that implemented BIM in Hong Kong is limited and hence the other four strategies
would be impractical as there is a lack of historical evidence, making case study analysis the
most suitable approach.
The case study was divided into three main sections. The first section of the study was to
acquire basic information about the organizations and buildings under study. The sectin helped
to provide detailed qualitative information about the subject under study. The second section was
to analyze the BIM softwares installed, the extent of BIM application in the projects and reasons
for the companies to adopt BIM. The section sought to provide insights of the research while
enabling the investigation of otherwise difficult situation. The sectin further analyzed the extent
of BIM implementation. The third section of the case study was to collect opinions about usage,
barriers and support required for the implementation of BIM technology . Case studies are
important in creating a research on an investigative topic that would otherwise require a large
number of participants while still shedding light on the subject matter.
3.2.3. Time Horizon
A cross-sectional study involves researching a particular phenomenon at a particular time
while a cross-sectional study enables a researcher to compare several variables at the same time.
Cross-sectional variables cannot allow the researcher to understand the cause-and-effect
relationships between the variables as they use a single snapshot of a moment in time and ignores
the developments before and after the snapshot (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2016).
Longitudinal studies emulate a diary by representing a phenomenon over a long period and are
observational, and the researchers do not interfere with their subjects. However, in a longitudinal
study, the researcher takes several snapshots over a period and hence helps the researcher to
detect developments or changes in the characteristics of the target population at several levels to
establish sequences of events (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2016).
Based on the research question, definitions of both cross-sectional and longitudinal
horizons, the research design and methodologies selected, the researcher chose the cross-
sectional time horizon as the appropriate time horizon for the present study.
3.2.4. Data Collection
The researcher searched using Google search, as well as searched databases such as
Google Scholar to find out any documents or articles related to the use of BIM in Hong Kong in
the building of any notable building. The researcher decided to use ten years from 2008-2018 as
the period in which this study was conducted. Search terms such as “BIM” “Hong Kong”
“Building” and others were used along with qualifiers and operators to return a set of results.
They were examined for relevance, and irrelevant results were discarded The researcher
thereafter conducted an extensive review of the litrature including the journal
papers,aticles,webpages and publication to create a wide range of information on the importance,
barriers, and recoomendation in relation to the use of BIM. Out of the relevant results returned,
they were analyzed further if they focused on BIM usage or not and if not, they were discarded.
Out of the results, one case study was selected that discussed BIM adoption for a notable
building in Hong Kong, and it was analyzed. The data consisted of the document and archival
records related to the case study.

4. Results and Discussion
The study aims to examine the uses and benefits of BIM for construction industry. The
literature review included the definition and the use of BIM and its adoption in the construction
industry of various countries. The methodology consists of presenting a case study that involved
a noteworthy building in Hong Kong. The building whose case study was presented in the study
is One Island East, which is a 70-story, Grade A, commercial building located at North Point on
Hong Kong Island. Its construction was completed in 2008 and was one of the first commercial
buildings that were designed and constructed using BIM. This case study presents real-life
examples of BIM use and their benefits. Overall, the literature review and case studies provided
an insight into the benefits of using BIM and its applications and answer the research questions.
The resuts of the case study and litrature review indicate that the due to the increase in
demand the industry is moving towards productive,safer and green construction. In order to
ensure that the goals of safety, productive and green construction the case study reveals that
companies and constructors are increasingly becoming and adopting innovation and cutting edge
technological design for construction and maintainace of buildings. Some of the technology
include prefabrication to enhance efficiency of work execution.
The case study reveals that the industry can move towards high productivity and several
projects have enhanced BIM on the project lifecycle. The building under the case study had
integrated Radio Frequency Identification( RFID) to ensure effective project modeling and
visualization. BIM technology was used for simulation,monitoring and management of projects
inorder to create, share and exchange building information through out the lifecycle of the
project and interaction between the stakeholders. Manual construction activities are increasingly
becoming automated through the use of technology and robotics to enhance efficiency, site safety
and quality of the project and to ensure the reduction of construction waste.
The resuts of the case study indicate that BIM has become important in the facilitation
and creation of a platform where they can efficiently share design, on the construction and
maintance of buildings over a life cycle. BIM has also impacted how stakeholders collaborate
through ensuring completeness of information by enhacing life cycle management. The case
study analysis indicated that BIM contribution to the success of the project under the study
were due to the enhancement of information model, visualisation of construction process. BIM
made ir easier for enhancement of design details by facilitating the analysis of alternative
solutions and identifying areas of potential conflicts. Mangers of the projects indicated that
BIM helped to effectively improve cost estimating, tendering and site planning of the projects
thereby enhancing efficiency.
The outcome of the case study and literature review indicate that BIM was mostly
utilized to enhance interactions with non proffesionals such as clients and potential clients.
Principally the 3D visualization component of BIM technology helped the non proffesionals to
understand the complex details of construction. The technology helped to improve communation
and collaboration during the project and in some cases helped to reduce time on project
documentation and communication. The most successful projects used not only for
communication processes but also as a platform for multi-disciplinary collaboration to enhance
project scheduling and cost estimating is not yet mature. The projects under study on the
implementation of BIM technology in hongkong
The process of adopting new technology is a lengthy process and the readiness of
stakeholders to adopt the technology also encompasses very many procedures. Adoptation of the
technology depends on various factors such as the ability of technology to merge with existing
practices, operation system and personees capability. However several challenges such as
technological feasibility,cost and time benefits and training of human resource. The result of the
case study indicate that the promotion of intiatiatives gerared towards transforming the
construction industry such as awards and government funding will help transform the
construction industry into a high tech and highly efficient working environment.
4.1. One Island East (OIE) - Case Study
One Island East project in Hong Kong is a building that is in Taikoo Place that is a 70-
story, Grade A, commercial building located in North Point at Quarry Bay. It is ranking as the
tallest building in the world is 153, while is ranked 89 in Asia, 73 in China, and 7th in Hong
Kong (CTBUH, 2019). The owner of the building is OIE limited (OIEL), and the developer was
Swire Properties Limited. The architectural design was by Wong & Ouyang, the structural
engineering design was by Arup, MEP engineering was by Meinhardt, and the main contractor
was Gammon construction limited (CTBUH, 2019). Since OIE was one of the first commercial
buildings in Hong Kong that are of repute that has used BIM for, designing, modeling, and
virtual construction, its implementation of BIM in construction is a good case study for analysis.
Due to the adoption of the BIM, there were significant improvements in quality and savings in
time and cost. BIM adoption also changed the design and construction organization and
processes. As the building construction used BIM, it formed the basis for efficient facilities
management. OIE is an illustration one of the most substantial BIM implementations for a
commercial building and was awarded the American Institute of Architects’ 2008 BIM Award for
design delivery and process innovation (Brandon and Kocatürk, 2008). Figure 18 shows the OIE
building after it was finished. Figure 19 shows some of the highlights of the high-rise OIE
building.
Secondly, although BIM was proposed as an innovative solution to the fragmentation of
the construction industry, the nature of fragmentation itself turns out to be one of the factors
inhibiting further successful implementation of BIM (Gu and London, 2010). The study
conducted by Dossick and Neff (2008, 2010) proves that BIM’s positive influence on project
integration is limited to the technological level; the key to team cohesion is still based on human
factors. Observation of current practice of BIM also indicates that a collaborative atmosphere
with collective participation and contribution from all stakeholders in a building project will be
of great significance (Gu et al., 2008), rather than the innovation itself. In fact, researchers had
asserted that improved communication techniques themselves in the construction process will
add little value to the improvement of co-ordination and cohesion in the building team, but the
patterns of relationships and responsibilities within project teams have significant influence on
the way team members communicate (Higgin et al., 1965). In Hong Kong, proponents claim that
BIM has the power to alter and reinforce the collaborative relationships between project
stakeholders, rather than a simple technology innovation. However, the project team members
broadly accept BIM as advanced CAD. Therefore, we conducted research to explore the reality
of BIM implementation in the Hong Kong construction industry.

Figure 18: One Island East (CTBUH, 2019)

Figure 19: Highlights about One Island East (CTBUH, 2019)
The implementation of BIM was targeted to bring the following improvements to this
project and also to the local construction industry:
 Generation of comprehensive 3D geometric coordination of all building elements
before tendering
 Enhancing the take-off quantities by using the BIM which improves the accuracy
and speed of the BOM preparation in the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors
format
 Increase the accuracy which results in more accuracy and reduction in unknowns
and risks for the contractors that lower the tender pricing
 Automation and interoperability of 2D documents with 3D building information
model data
 Enable knowledge capture by creating a reusable catalog of intelligent parametric
building parts
 Use BIM elements and process modeling and managing the sequence of
construction activities
 Waste reduction in construction throughout the entire process
 Reduction of contractor requests for information (RFIs)
 Elimination of incomplete design coordination reduces the claims on-site
 Enables quicker construction which reduces the construction cost, enables the
standardization that helps the construction supply chain and regulatory authorities,
enhances the safety of the site, increases the quality of build, and enables facilities
maintenance using the BIM elements
For constructing the OIE, the BIM was produced using Gehry Technologies Digital
Project software. This was based on Dassault Systèmes software comprising of CATIA for
product modeling and DEMIA for process modeling. It has the best possible geometric modeling
capabilities and was specifically developed to adapt 3D tools from other industries to
construction. It enabled automated detection and management of clashes. It had comprehensive
routing tools for mechanical and electrical systems. Digital Project had built-in scripting
functionality that enabled customization and integration as per the project requirements. It
enabled concurrent file versioning and management of collaboration and file sharing over the
internet using compressed data. BIM allowed integration and interoperability with planning and
scheduling software such as Microsoft Project and Primavera. It allowed handling of substantial
amounts of data. Since CATIA was used in other industries, the knowledge gained in those
industries could be useful in construction industry. It enables streamlining and reuse of process
knowledge as it was designed for that (Riese, 2010).
However, the decision to adopt BIM was taken after the project had already reached the
completion of the schematic stage of design so that BIM could be implemented starting from the
detailed design stage onwards. The contractor did modeling based on 3D BIM project database.
Rule-based parametric object data were created to enable the comprehensive modeling of
mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems (Chan, Liu and Chen, 2018). To facilitate
the detailed design, production of drawings, and coordinating the design and cost implications,
the BIM model was used, which required managing the design team and the design model. The
staff, as well as the design team members, were co-located in a project design office close to the
construction site where nearly 25 to 50 designers collaborated on the design (Figure 20). In order
to complete the construction quickly, it was essential to detect clashes and resolve them before
the commencement of the construction. In this particular case, the design team used the BIM
model to resolve nearly 2000 clashes and design errors before tendering. Due to the BIM model
and its completeness based on the building elements and components, it was possible to estimate
the costs accurately and prepare and maintain their accuracy even after several design changes
(Wong, Wong and Nadeem, 2009b).

Figure 20: A schematic diagram of the design team (Baldwin and Bordoli, 2014)
BIM implementation in OIE started after scheme design phase and was used to enhance
the coordination and cost estimation of the detailed design as well as enable the contractors to
estimate more accurately for their bids. OIEL instructed the contractors to use the BIM model for
recording, coordinating, and communicating all the construction aspects of the actual building. In
general, the contractor enhances the BIM model and increases its granularity compared to that
provided by the design team. The contractors do this by enabling construction level detailing in
the BIM to automate the production and vetting of combined builder’s work drawings (CBWD).
BIM allowed the production of 2D drawings automatically that are used by the site workers to
layout the built works and traditional combined services drawings (CSD) that record the “as-
built” condition (Tse et al., 2006).
On the OIE project, the owner and the contractor collaborate on sharing and maintaining
the master BIM in the project office. If the contractor initiates any changes and improvements in
the design and construction process, then they will be communicated to the owner through
Digital Project, and the contractor merges them into the master BIM (Figure 21). The
construction process (Figure 22) is improved through the use of BIM as it is clear that the
relative success of a construction project depends mainly on the quality of the information
provided that the contractors obtain the constructors. Figure 23 shows the 3D coordination of
design that enumerates the order of magnitude of information that requires coordination before
construction in just one part of a building. Figure 24 shows the strategic placement of BIM data
in a ‘tree’ structure, making it easy to identify elements, even in vast databases as well as helps in
optimizing performance in large databases. While nearly 50 designers and modelers work
together on a single BIM, its capability to identify and manager clashes become essential. Before
inviting tenders from potential contractors, the BIM in the project was able to identify and
resolve roughly 2000 clashes between the MEP systems and the surrounding structural and
architectural elements (Figure 25). In previous constructions that did not use BIM, such clashes
may not have been detected until construction, resulting in penalties in project cost and schedule.
In the case of Figure 25, the automatic clash detection allowed to identify a clash between an
electrical cable tray and an air supply duct (Tse et al., 2006).
Figure 21: The framework for collaboration (Tse et al., 2006)

Figure 22: OIE construction site in Sep 2006 (Tse et al., 2006)
Figure 23: Information for 3D design coordination (Tse et al., 2006)

Figure 24: BIM data in a tree structure (Tse et al., 2006)
Figure 25: Automated clash detection and management (Tse et al., 2006)
Digital Project allows the creation of rule-based parametric objects and the project used
several graphically friendly templates for inputting the simple rules and parameters (Figure 26).
So, for example, it becomes easier to generate models of steel plates and stiffeners automatically
instead of modeling them one at a time by inputting the rules that govern the geometric
framework, which saves time, reduces errors, enables dynamic change management, and
enhances the collaborative design process.
Figure 26: Creation of rule-based parametric objects (Tse et al., 2006)
Figure 27 shows the possibility of automated quantity take-off from BIM, and Figure 28
shows the interoperability between 2D documents and BIM 3D model. A significant effort was
required related to MEP elements in the BIM model (Figure 29) and coordinating between the
MEP elements and ultimate coordination of the MEP elements with the rest of the project. BIM
allowed exploring several MEP design options using 3D process and, as the process is
automated, it is easier to make changes and enables iterative change management which
improves the quality of the design. Often solutions for problems identified were found in quick
time resulting in reduced correspondence. Also, as seen in Figure 30, its interface and
interoperability with Primavera allow for modeling of construction sequencing (Tse et al., 2006).
This allowed reduction of risks, early identification of process-induced design clashes, schedule
conflicts, and greater transparency between different trades (Riese, 2010).
Figure 27: Automated quantity take-off generation (Tse et al., 2006)
Figure 28: Interoperability between 2D drawings and BIM 3D model (Tse et al., 2006)
Figure 29: Partial MEP model of OIE (Tse et al., 2006)
Figure 30: Construction sequence modeling through Primavera (Tse et al., 2006)
5. Conclusions
The study aims to answer the following three research questions.
RQ1. What are the benefits that the construction industry of Hong Kong gets from BIM
use?
RQ2. What is the impact of BIM use on the Hong Kong construction industry?
RQ3. What are the differences between traditional and BIM-based project delivery?
The study answers these questions by examining the benefits that BIM delivers to the
construction industry in general across various countries and the level of adoption as well as the
level of maturity in adoption of BIM in different countries in the literature review. The literature
review also looks at the several initiatives taken by various statutory and industry bodies in Hong
Kong to proliferate the use of BIM. To definitively understand the benefits that the BIM-based
project delivery delivers to the construction industry in Hong Kong in general and the benefits
delivered to the construction owner, contractor, and other stakeholders, the study analyses the
case study of OIE construction as it was one of the first commercial buildings that used BIM.
The case study analysis showed that BIM delivered several benefits to all the involved parties.
These benefits include
 The design process is fully coordinated enabling complete information
availability before tender resulting in lower tender prices
 The quantity and cost are controlled and more efficient as they are semi-
automated
 Interoperability and compatibility is promoted through the use of IFC
 Dynamic design changes and new designs are a possibility

 To shorten the build time and increase the safety, it is possible to model the
construction sequence in 3D
 It allows automated clash detection and management that reduces the risk and
claims resulting from the construction process
 Buildings built sooner, cheaper and better
 Can interface with Machine Intelligence in the design process and construction
and maintenance through the use of AI and drones
 The BIM models built during the construction can be used further as an advanced
facilities management tool
These are the benefits in general that the local construction industry gets due to
implementation of BIM. Apart from these benefits, the OIE gained several specific benefits that
were discussed in the case study analysis. The literature review answers the other other two
questions about the impact of BIM on construction industry and the differences between
traditional and BIM-based project delivery.

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Running Head: Bim in Hong Kong Construction Industry 1

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Running head: BIM IN HONG KONG CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 1

BIM in Hong kong Construction Industry

methodology as the study is exploratory in nature.

Keywords: BIM, One Island East, Hong Kong

1.1. Research Background...............................................................................................9

1.1.1. Building Information Management (BIM)........................................................9

1.1.2. Hong Kong Construction Industry...................................................................11

1.1.3. Research Questions..........................................................................................15

1.2. Research Methodology...........................................................................................15

2.1. Definitions of BIM.................................................................................................16

2.1.1. Definition of BIM as a Model.........................................................................16

2.1.2. BIM as a Representation..................................................................................17

2.1.3. BIM as a Process.............................................................................................17

2.1.4. BIM as an Interdisciplinary Set.......................................................................17

2.1.5. BIM as Instrument...........................................................................................18

2.2. BIM Adoption.........................................................................................................18

2.2.1. United States....................................................................................................19

2.2.2. United Kingdom..............................................................................................19

2.2.3. Scandinavian Region.......................................................................................20

2.2.8. Hong Kong.......................................................................................................23

2.3. Features of BIM......................................................................................................24

2.4. Types of BIM..........................................................................................................25

2.5. Impact of BIM in the AEC Industry.......................................................................28

2.6. BIM Benefits for Construction...............................................................................29

2.7. Comparison of Traditional and BIM-based Approach............................................36

2.7.1. Traditional Construction Approach..................................................................36

2.7.2. Waste in Construction Industry........................................................................44

2.7.3. BIM Approach.................................................................................................45

3. Research Methodology and Design...............................................................................49

3.1. Research Philosophy and Design............................................................................49

3.2. Research Philosophy...............................................................................................50

3.2.1. Research Approaches to Theory Development................................................52

3.2.2. Research Methodology....................................................................................52

3.2.3. Time Horizon...................................................................................................53

3.2.4. Data Collection................................................................................................54

4. Results and Discussion..................................................................................................55

4.1. One Island East (OIE) - Case Study.......................................................................55

Figure 1: Capabilities stages across the 21 countries.....................................................................11

Figure 2: Hong Kong Construction Activity.................................................................................12

Figure 3: Hong Kong construction industry ecosystem................................................................12

Figure 4: Industrial fatality statistics in the HK construction industry..........................................14

Figure 5: BIM Uses throughout a Building Lifecycle...................................................................30

Figure 6: An example of exterior envelope virtual mock-up.........................................................32

Figure 7: Layers of Complex Systems at Research 2 Tower Vivarium.........................................33

Figure 8: Hennessey center safety and site logistics planning......................................................34

Figure 9: Quantity takeoff based on S-BIM..................................................................................35

Figure 10: A Comparison between “Traditional” and “BIM” Process..........................................37

Figure 11: DBB process.................................................................................................................38

Figure 12: Design-build characteristics.........................................................................................41

Figure 13: Comparison between DB and DBB.............................................................................42

Figure 14: Communication and contract pathways for CMR........................................................43

Figure 15: Project Life Cycle - ability to influence cost...............................................................46

Figure 16: Typical BIM roles and responsibilities.........................................................................48

Figure 17: Saunders research onion...............................................................................................50

Figure 18: One Island East............................................................................................................56

Figure 19: Highlights about One Island East.................................................................................57

Figure 20: A schematic diagram of the design team......................................................................60

Figure 21: The framework for collaboration.................................................................................62

Figure 22: OIE construction site in Sep 2006................................................................................63

Figure 23: Information for 3D design coordination......................................................................63

Figure 24: BIM data in a tree structure..........................................................................................64

Figure 25: Automated clash detection and management...............................................................64