Mohamad Kassem

Combining Serious Games and 4D Modelling for Construction Health and Safety Training

Health and safety (H&S) is a major concern in the construction industry. Recent and historical data from the construction industry worldwide demonstrate that the human, social, and economic burden, inflicted as a result of H&S fatalities, is still significant. Training is considered one of the main strategies to reduce H&S risks. In recent years, the use of serious games for H&S training in construction has emerged in an attempt to overcome issues associated with traditional training methods. Current research in serious games has mainly focussed on scenario-led training where trainees interact with the same environment through a pre-selected number of options in discrete sections. This approach has limitations in terms of variety and amount of skills that trainees perceive from the game. In this paper, an approach that combines serious games design with 4D (3D + time) modelling is presented and tested in terms of its influence on increasing the capability of labourers to spot hazards at different time periods during the construction process, providing them with increased immersion in the virtual training environment. The results demonstrated that a combination of serious games and 4D approaches can improve users’ engagement and affect their abilities to spot H&S hazards.

A Conceptual Model for Investigating BIM Adoption by Organisations

Studies investigating Building Information Modelling (BIM) adoption proliferated in recent years. Existing studies are characterised by both deficiencies in the adoption drivers and factors identified and an insufficient demarcation of key terms and concepts used. The suitability of using the results of these studies to investigate a conceptual model for BIM adoption is therefore impaired. This study presents (a) a holistic set of drivers and factors that influence BIM adoption by organisations, and (b) the theoretical fundamentals for the development of a conceptual model for BIM adoption by organisations. The set of drivers and factors for BIM adoption can be used by researchers and practitioners for different purposes (e.g., assessment, ranking, adoption strategies). The theoretical fundamentals of the proposed conceptual model combine the essential lenses from the pertinent theories (i.e., innovation diffusion theory, and institutional theory) and models (i.e., diffusion dynamic model: top-down diffusion dynamics including formal and informal mandates). The model can be used to empirically investigate the decisions to adopt BIM by organisations and understand the varying influence of different adoption drivers and factors.