BIM in Project Management

Abstract: The construction industry is known to hold a quite low innovation level compared to many other industries. Along with the technical development, Building Information Modelling (BIM) has entered the industry in some of today’s large and complex construction projects. BIM is an intelligent 3D-model based process used for creating and managing building projects. The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to find how BIM is applied on some of today’s most complex construction projects, what the effects are on the project management and what can be done to increase the benefits from this technology. The thesis focuses on two BIM-projects, Nya Karolinska Solna (NKS) in Sweden and new Royal Adelaide Hospital (NRAH) in Australia. In total seven interviews were conducted; one of the Design Managers from each project, the BIM managers and three BIM experts. It was concluded that both projects are to deliver a BIM model with the information and attributes linked to the content in the model. The model will be used in the Facility Management of the hospitals. Also the BIM-model is used for estimating during the procurement process. Personal and data analyses, such as clash controls, are conducted based on the model. Furthermore the progress of the project is followed via the BIM-model on the project platforms, which become a central communication base for wide understanding in the project. The main conclusion is that the implementation of BIM benefits the projects time and cost management. Even if BIM also requires an investment of time and money the interviewees are certain that the project benefits from BIM over the buildings lifecycle. The industry needs more time to develop tools and understanding to fully see the benefits on all levels and disciplines.