Application of Building Information Modeling in Construction Projects-A Critical Review

Building Information modeling (BIM) is a valuable tool which provides extensive information about the nature & magnitude of work, documentation, specification, design, planning and scheduling construction resources, workmanship, quality, safety, energy analysis, life cycle costing etc. In the past few decades, there have been growing interests of the construction sector using BIM due to many benefits & effective utilization of resources during design, planning & construction of new buildings. The BIM is mainly focused on developing different models by adding time, cost and energy analysis in existing 3D model. It has potential to increase efficiency of the project, minimize waste and increase sustainability across construction projects. Although, studies in the past reported the application of BIM mostly in building construction; however, limited studies have been reported in infrastructure. Present study provides a comparative analysis of the impacts & benefits of BIM on the horizontal industry such as Roads, Bridges. Findings of this research provide a critical review of various studies reported on BIM & also suggests the potential area of research. The application of BIM in infrastructure sector has many challenges such as structural & design complexities, lack of skilled personnel, the type of infrastructure, expansion joints etc. throughout the life cycle of the projects which needs to be addressed in future studies. Also, application of BIM to the existing buildings faces many challenges such as automation of data capture, BIM creation, updating information etc. which yet to be studied and can be considered as potential area of future research.