Investigating the Role of BIM in Promoting Lean and Green Outcomes on Construction Projects

Abstract

The research has developed a framework for BIM-based organisational capabilities development for enhanced adoption and effective use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) within the Indian architectural organisations. This study helps the architectural organisations by suggesting adoption of BIM as a mechanism which allows them to undertake lean and green improvements simultaneously. In order to accomplish the research goal, BIM was identified as an enabler and a process for generating the lean and green outcomes on construction projects in India. The study was conducted through a sequential mixed method approach focusing on collecting and analysing both qualitative and quantitative data. The research was divided into four phases: Questionnaire survey data collection and empirical analysis of data including PLS-SEM analysis to understand the current status of BIM adoption, its drivers, inhibitors and implications within architectural organisations in India; Semi-structured interview and for interpretive analysis of native BIM functions and BIM capabilities through ISM; extensive literature review to study and identify the lean and green outcomes; and case studies analysis through QCA to validate the proposed framework. Past research has also proposed that an enhanced adoption of BIM in the Indian built environment sector is only possible when three-prolonged issues pertaining to technology, people and process are clearly addressed. The proposed framework for BIM-based organisational capabilities comprising of three hierarchical layers: technology, process and outcomes. Case studies were obtained from Indian architectural firms to validate the framework which suggested that using this framework, it was possible to illustrate how the Indian architectural organisations can develop their organisational BIM capabilities by analysing the technical and social skill set present within their organisations; and by establishing a BIM adoption culture within the organisations to attain the desired lean and green outcomes.