Total BIM: Toward transforming construction

Licentiate thesis, 2024

Building Information Modeling (BIM) was expected to rapidly transform the construction industry, but its uptake has been unexpectedly slow. Furthermore, even state-of-the-art BIM projects have been challenged by hardware and software issues, limiting BIM’s implementation in the construction phase. This research explores an emerging approach to construction: Total BIM. Total BIM embraces BIM in its totality in that BIM is actively used in the construction phase by implementing model-based construction processes. It replaces 2D drawings as the legally binding source of information, enabling site workers to interact with modern cloud-based BIM software to create and extract necessary and relevant information.

Until recently, there has been a lack of real-world cases successfully implementing BIM as the single source of information for construction workers, which has hindered the possibility for researchers to explore the use of Total BIM in practice. However, this is beginning to change in Sweden and Norway, with the emergence of pioneering Total BIM projects. The purpose of this study has been to explore how Total BIM can be implemented as a single source of information across the design and construction phases of real-world projects. To achieve this, three in-depth case studies were conducted, collecting qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, observations, workshops, and more.

The findings, presented in four appended papers, demonstrate that implementing Total BIM in construction projects is possible and may even be preferred compared with traditional ways of working. Total BIM could serve as the missing link for advancing digitalization in the construction industry. Construction workers become an important part of structured data creation, through integrated processes such as requests for information (RFIs), controls, checklists and photos. This structured data enables new opportunities for informed, data-driven decision-making and site monitoring.

This research contributes rich empirical data from real-world case studies of Total BIM projects, illustrating how Total BIM overcomes limitations observed in previous state-of-the-art BIM projects. Additionally, it questions whether Total BIM could represent the digital disruption that the construction industry has been missing. For practitioners, this research provides real-world examples from Total BIM projects, demonstrating Total BIM implementation and highlighting key processes, while highlighting how Total BIM can create value.