Cost and Benefit Analysis of BIM Implementation in Construction Projects

Cost and Benefit Analysis of BIM Implementation in Construction Projects

Koptsopoulou, Marialena (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)

Bakker, H.L.M. (graduation committee)
Schraven, D.F.J. (mentor)
Koutamanis, A. (graduation committee)
Odio Pozuelo, Julian (mentor)

Delft University of Technology

Civil Engineering | Construction Management and Engineering

2020-11-03

Building Information Modelling (BIM) constitutes an innovative way of creating and managing data among multiple disciplines and it is recently introduced in Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. The adoption rate of BIM is considered low due to a lack of awareness regarding these methodologies and their outcomes. Although many studies present the benefits of BIM, there is still insufficient knowledge regarding its monetary value and the way it can be embedded in a company. Researchers have not yet been able to accurately substantiate all of the benefits because their intangible nature makes their quantification challenging. Apart from the lack of exact quantification of the profits, the Threats of BIM cause the need for evaluation. The objective of this research is to evaluate the costs and benefits of BIM implementation. The quantification focuses on the Execution phase of a project when BIM costs are considered to be the highest. What could constitute a standard method of evaluating the costs and benefits of BIM in Construction Projects? The answer to the main question that motivated the research is given through the development of a transparent and evaluative Framework that is based on Cost and Benefit Analysis (CBA) and is potentially applicable in any construction project. This Framework is structured on an Excel Spreadsheet, analyses BIM results and produces numerical data. The purpose of this method is to capture information, quantify costs and benefits and calculate the benefit-to-cost ratio. Consequently, the Framework is applied on 5 construction projects, namely, the Case Studies, and generates the B/C ratio which ranges from 1 to 8. Briefly, the evaluative method considers as inputs the BIM costs and workflows, is applied on the construction site in order to capture information on time and quantify the costs and benefits. The result is the CBA of BIM implementation and particularly the B/C ratio. Once the Framework is implemented, users are able to evaluate BIM costs & benefits, update BIM strategies and thus, raise awareness within academia and industry.

BIM, Building Information Modelling
Costs
Benefits
CBA
Evaluation Framework
Construction Projects
Contractor
Quantification

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:3d628808-e6a2-4bc6-b180-74526922ea41

Student theses

master thesis

© 2020 Marialena Koptsopoulou