Investigating the uses of BIM for the Building of Residential Homes

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the uses of BIM for the building of residential homes.
Moving the construction industry into a fully collaborative industry, the UK Government has acknowledged that the utilisation of the Building Information Modelling process (BIM). As a result the UK Government has adopted the use of BIM as part of its Construction Strategy to encourage the greater use of technology, increased collaboration and the effective use of information to promote more efficient working practices through all stages of a projects life cycle. In order to achieve this objective the Government requires that all publicly funded construction projects must be undertaken by using BIM level 2, by 2016.
BIM is widely used for infrastructure and commercial projects, however in the residential sector it is practically non-existent. The study was set out to investigate the use of BIM for the building of residential homes and has identified the current uses of BIM within the construction industry, whether BIM could be used to improve residential homes and if BIM could make a positive effect in the housing sector.
The quantitative research methodology was selected to carry out this study. The research was gathered using online questionnaire survey. In total, 21 responses were received out of 75 questionnaire surveys emailed to professionals in the AEC industry. Also the questionnaire survey was posted on several LinkedIn pages related to BIM and the AEC industry. The results were explained using descriptive analysis and inferential statistical methods.
From the research for the use of BIM for the building for residential homes it was evident that BIM was mainly for large organisations on complex projects. However, the investigation indicates the benefits that BIM can offer to the building of residential homes.