Mustafa Selcuk Cidik
Name: Mustafa Selcuk Cidik
Research Title: The use of BIM (Building Information Modelling) in interdisciplinary design team collaboration in construction projects
Name of Director of Studies: Professor David Boyd
Key Contact Details - Email: mustafa.cidik@mail.bcu.ac.uk
About the Project: Construction projects require different players with different backgrounds and foci to collaborate in order to deliver unique value for the client and for the physical environment of the end product. In such practice, communication between them during developing project becomes critical, as each person possesses a different set of skills. Consequently, efficient inter-disciplinary collaboration during the design phase of construction projects is regarded as a critical success factor.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) can be defined as the process of development and use of a digital model of the facility to be built. The resulting product of BIM has the potential to be the central hub for all information about the facility from its inception onward.
The conceptualisation and use of BIM is anticipated to be a central hub for building information created by an inter-disciplinary collaborative effort, to be exploited by everyone involved during the building life cycle for different purposes. It has been argued that the BIM applications’ visualisation capabilities (i.e. 3D) and ability to directly use and exchange rich building information presents opportunities for enhanced collaboration and distributed project development.
The aim of this study is to explore the effects of the use of BIM on inter-disciplinary design team collaborations in construction projects, with a focus on human-technology interactions. In order to achieve this aim, first the scope and content of inter-disciplinary design team collaboration in BIM-enabled construction projects will be investigated, with a focus on the extent to and manner in which BIM tools are being used. Second, the affordance that BIM (as a group of material tools) offers for inter-disciplinary design team collaboration will be determined. Finally, a BIM implementation and management strategy which offers better inter-disciplinary design team collaboration will be synthesised.
Research Activities: The research will begin with a literature review about theoretical concepts and previous work on IT supported collaboration environments and their use. Following that, the scope and content of inter-disciplinary design team collaboration in BIM-enabled construction projects will be investigated and the affordance that BIM offers for inter-disciplinary design team collaboration will be determined thorough case studies. The case studies will consist of observations in inter-disciplinary collaborative settings and interviews with individuals. Qualitative data collected through observations and interviews will be analysed using analysis software. Following the data analysis, a BIM implementation and management strategy which offers better inter-disciplinary design team collaboration will be synthesised.
Findings: The findings of this doctoral research are expected to contribute to current literature on BIM implementation and use strategies as well as BIM technology development strategies. It is believed that exploration of affordances of BIM as a digital infrastructure from inter-disciplinary design collaboration perspective would lead to better design practices and improved supporting hardware and software.
Achievements:
Conference Paper:
Cidik, M, Boyd, D, and Thurairajah, N (2013) Managing the polarised perspectives in BIM Enabled Projects. ARCOM Annual Conference 2013, 2-4 September 2013, Reading, UK. (Accepted paper, not published yet).
Working Paper:
Cidik, M, Boyd, D, and Thurairajah, N (2013) The BIM Information needs for sustainability in conceptual design. ARCOM Doctoral Workshop on BIM Management and Interoperability. Birmingham, UK: Birmingham City University.