ITcon Vol. 20, pg. 97-106, http://www.itcon.org/2015/7

BIM on the construction site: providing hidden information on task specific drawings

submitted:November 2014
revised:December 2014
published:January 2015
editor(s):Mahdavi A., Martens B.
authors:Leon A.H.M. van Berlo, M.Sc,
Netherlands organisation for applied scientific research TNO;
leon.vanberlo@tno.nl

Mathijs Natrop, M.Sc,
Solidu;
natrop@solidu.nl
summary:Building Information Modelling (BIM) is accepted as the new technology for design, engineering and collaboration AEC projects. BIM can be seen as a collection of objects, properties and relations. Many parties in the construction process use the data in their benefit. There is a group of people that has very specific needs on using BIM data: the construction workers. At this moment drawings are created from a BIM model at a specific moment in the whole building process. The information on the drawings is the same as the information that was put on before BIM technology came around. It contains general information for lots of different workers and craftsmen. In a BIM data collection much more information is available, but this information stays hidden for construction workers on site. With a raising complexity and fragmentation of experts on a construction site, most drawings donÕt seem to provide enough information, and are not specific enough for specialized tasks. This paper provides a concept, tested in practice, to dynamically generate drawings fit for a specific task or purpose. The main purpose of this concept is to provide site workers with all the information they need for the task, but nothing more. Using this approach anyone in the site office can generate a drawing on demand, fit for a specific task. The information on the drawings may contain specific information that comes from BIM data (or any other data source) that is traditionally not available on a drawing. The drawings can be printed on a manageable A3 piece of paper. Everything to instruct the site worker or craftsmen for the task at hand. The hypotheses is that, by giving a worker task specific information he is better informed, and less distracted by other information, improving the quality of his work and reducing the change of failure.Results of the research show that this approach creates a very good communication tool between the site office manager and construction workers. More and more specialized workers attend a construction site for only a short moment of time, to perform only one specific task. They are not aware of the context of the whole project. Giving them on demand information, including context they need, improves the efficiency of their work on site. The collaboration between site workers and the site office manager is the key factor in the approach. The information has to be available on time for the construction workers.
keywords:BIM, building information modelling, construction site, drawings, hidden info, task specific
full text: (PDF file, 0.878 MB)
citation:van Berlo LAHM, Natrop M (2015). BIM on the construction site: providing hidden information on task specific drawings, ITcon Vol. 20, Special issue ECPPM 2014 - 10th European Conference on Product and Process Modelling, pg. 97-106, https://www.itcon.org/2015/7