Aryani Ahmad Latiffi

Application of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the Malaysian Construction Industry: A Story of the First Government Project

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is currently being used by the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry in Malaysia. It has been introduced by the Director of Public Works Department (PWD) in 2007 to reduce construction costs and avoid design problems. BIM utilization in construction can detect any clash analysis during the design stage, improves efficiency of project scheduling, reduce costs and ensure high quality of the project as well as facilitate communication among construction players. Since it has been introduced by the PWD, several projects have been constructed and being constructed using BIM and one of the project is The National Cancer Institute (NCI). The project is owned by the Malaysian government. This paper discusses the application of BIM in the project, the first project launched by the Malaysian government. A literature review was conducted to explore previous BIM studies on the history of BIM, benefits and importance, barriers and challenges as well as existing BIM projects in the Malaysian construction industry. Furthermore, semi-structured interviews were carried out with the client, consultant and contractor involved in the project. The interviews results reveal necessities and benefits of implementing BIM in completing the project. BIM is necessary for construction because its implementation can increase project quality. It is useful in assisting construction players to complete projects successfully. The results provide clear evidence of the effectiveness of implementing BIM in government projects. This paper can serve as a reference for critical studies of developing a strategy approach model for BIM implementation in the Malaysian construction industry.

Building Information Modeling (BIM): Exploring Level of Development (LOD) in Construction Projects

Level of Development (LOD) is a protocol exhibit to address the basic guidelines of Building Information Modeling (BIM). The basic guidelines were created to identify specific content requirements, authorize use and purpose. LOD identifies how much information is known about a model at a given time. The use of LOD is to reduce the problems due to inadequate information needed in projects. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the implementation of LOD in projects using BIM in the Malaysian construction industry. In order to do so, a literature review was carried out to identify basic guidelines of the LOD specification. In addition to this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with BIM consultants from the public and private sector. The findings revealed that the implementation of LOD in Malaysia is varied with its own purpose. From the use of LOD, it helps construction players to get the information that they can be used.

The Development of Building Information Modeling (BIM) Definition

Conventional practice on managing information in construction has sometimes created a miscommunication and errors among construction players. Therefore, Information Communication Technology (ICT) has introduced Building Information Modeling (BIM) for managing construction projects effectively and efficiently. Different terms on definition of BIM have been used and expanded widely with different perspectives. The aim of this paper is to explore the notion of BIM development from the year of 1975 to 2013. The methodology of this paper is based on literature review on BIM definitions. The findings reveal that there are six perspectives in BIM development which are design, estimation, construction process, building life cycle, performance and technology. From the development of BIM, it can be concluded that BIM is a new methodology that involves the use of technologies in order to improve collaboration and communication of construction players as well as the management of documentation.

Exploring developers' understanding on Building Information Modelling (BIM) and its impact on Return on Investment (ROI)

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the current trend in the construction industry globally, and Malaysia, is not an exception too. BIM has been in Malaysia for the past ten (10) years, and in the future, BIM will be an industry standard, instead of an optional service. Even though BIM is already in the industry for ten (10) years, many developers are still reluctant to implement it because they could not see the benefits of BIM especially in monetary terms. This paper aims to explore the understanding developers of BIM and its impact on Return on Investment (ROI). A literature review is carried out to review the linkage between BIM and ROI. The study engages qualitatively with four (4) respondents who held the title of BIM managers in their respective companies that have experience in BIM. Data was collected through face-to-face semi-structured interview sessions and was analysed using qualitative content analysis techniques. From the findings, the respondents do understand BIM and that BIM is not a tool for visualisation only. It is, in fact, able to help them in project control. The findings show that BIM had impacted on the ROI of both the project and organisation. At present, these findings support the argument that BIM does have an impact on the ROI both positively and negatively. However, the findings prove that BIM is worthy of its pricey initial investment. It is, therefore, suggested that Malaysian developers invest in BIM though the initial investment may seem pricey.

The Potential of Context-Aware Computing for Building Maintenance Management Systems

The increasing awareness of the importance of a proper building maintenance management system becomes the main contributing factor for the development of facilities management worldwide. Various building maintenance management system tools become necessary to remain competitive. The widespread use of mobile devices envisions a growing market for new applications in building maintenance. It is well-understood that the use of mobile technologies is critical in building maintenance as the right information needs to be delivered to the right person, at the right time, and at the right place. However, existing building maintenance applications only support the delivery of static modes of information (such as building data and checklists); the information is pre-programmed and is thus not able to take into account the users varying contexts. Building maintenance applications could be made easy and responsive to users wishes if they were context-aware. This paper discusses the key issues in building maintenance management systems and their potential for the use of context-aware computing. Findings show that many building maintenance management systems are complicated and only slowly being adopted in Malaysia. In conclusion, it was found that context-aware building maintenance systems have the potential to simplify the process and increase the usage of computerized maintenance management systems.

Value Creating Activity from Aluminium Recycling on Metal Scrap Collector Site: Malaysia Case Study

This research is on the value creating activities from aluminium recycling on the metal scrap collector site. Less is known on how value is created from recycling. Value creation is important in order to generate profit. Metal scrap collector is one of the main component in the recycling chain which creates value for recycling. Understanding the value creation part of metal scrap collector will help to understand the value creation from recycling as metal scrap collector is one of the actors in the recycling industry. A case study was conducted in order to gather the data for this research. An indepth interview session was done with Managing Director of the metal scrap collector firm. A few value creating activities were identified consisting of two categories which is primary and supporting activities. Eventhough the separation between primary and supporting activities is in line with the value chain analysis by Porter. But the activities in the primary and supporting section differs slightly in a few section. This indicates that the value creation activities in the metal scrap collector differs from the original value chain analysis by Porter. Further research on other actors in the recycling value chain is needed in order to test the homogenousity throughout the recycling calue chain.

Building information modelling (BIM) after ten years: Malaysian construction players’ perception of BIM

Building Information Modelling (BIM) concept has expanded widely in many countries for more than a decade with its role of improving current practices in construction projects. However, the understanding of BIM differs among construction players, depending on how construction players utilize the concept in their projects. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the understanding of BIM concept among construction players in the Malaysian construction industry. A literature review on BIM concept and semi-structured interviews with construction players in BIM such as client, civil and structural (C&S) engineer and mechanical and electrical (M&E) engineer, quantity surveyor (QS), contractor, facilities manager and BIM consultant have been conducted in order to achieve this studys the aim. The results show that the understanding of BIM concept among the construction players is limited to BIM as a process and technology. It is important for the construction players to improve their understanding of BIM as it can be used to enhance performance and productivity of construction projects.

Aluminium Recycling Activity on Construction Site: Malaysia Case Study

Aluminium is largely used in transportation industry to make vehicles, but not all country has their own transportation industry. But nearly all country has their construction industry. With the rise of aluminium usage in the effort to save the environment, it is wise to identify the recycling activity on a construction site. This paper is about the identification of aluminium recycling activity on a construction site. Construction site is second to transportation in term of aluminium usage. A case study is conducted to identify the aluminium recycling activity on the construction site.This study is explorative in nature as different country has different conduct of recycling on site. Fromconducted case study, one main recycling activity is in the light which is collecting. Even though it is only one activity, it appears in many stages of the aluminium recycling activity. By having this knowledge, it might help the responsible party to set up standardised recycling procedure on the construction site while at the same time encourage the recycling activity.

Roles and Responsibilities of Construction Players in Projects Using Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been implemented in construction projects to overcome problems such as project delay, cost overrun and poor quality of project. BIM enhances construction player to perform their activities in effective and efficient through the development of three dimensional (3D) model. However, BIM requires changes in current practices among construction players in terms of the processes and technology that use for managing projects. Therefore, this paper is aimed to discuss on roles and responsibilities of construction players in projects using BIM. This is a review paper that discusses on BIM, its definition, activities with roles and responsibilities of construction players in managing projects. The findings revealed that roles and responsibilities of construction players in projects using BIM are differ from conventional practice by the use of BIM tool. The findings of this paper provide useful information for construction players that considering implementing BIM in projects.

Potential Improvement of Building Information Modeling (BIM) Implementation in Malaysian Construction Projects

Application of building information modeling (BIM), such as preview design clashes and visualize project’s model increase effectiveness in managing construction projects. However, its implementation in Malaysian construction projects is slow in order to see and gain the benefits. Therefore, this paper aims to explore on potential improvement that could increase BIM implementation in construction projects. A literature review was conducted in the history of BIM and its effects on construction projects in Malaysia. This is further supported by semi-structured interviews with construction players, consist of client, architect, structural engineer, mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineers as well as contractor to discover potential improvement that could increase BIM implementation in construction projects. Encouragement from the government and top managerial level in an organization were found as a way to increase BIM implementation in construction projects. Highlighting the potential improvement is expected to increase BIM implementation in construction projects.