Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the Egyptian Construction Industry

Abstract

The Construction Industry represents a major factorin the development of nations. The development of construction projects is in response to the increasing demand by private and public sectors and by governments to improve the quality of life and well-being of its citizens. Hence, there is a need for better tools and the increased use of technology to improve the efficiency in the delivery of construction projects. Building Information Modeling(BIM) is considered as a new management process that has been applied in a number of countries to improve the efficiency of project delivery. So, research in this area has focused on carrying out studies related to this new process, its goals and uses that may be helpful in developing construction industry. BIM has been used in a variety of projects with different uses but it still needs to be studied by examining its ability to reduce waste in projects and its ability to be applied according to country regulations. Currently, the Egyptian construction industry is facing a major challenge to develop various types of projects all-over the country to be competitor in construction market and accommodate its growthall-over the world.Hence, this research iscarried out to study the concept of applying a management tool, BIM, in the Egyptian construction industry and assess some of BIM benefits and constraints during the construction process. This will be illustrated in the thesis according to an analytical data depended on a random sample for BIM engineers in Egypt extracted from their responses on a conducted questionnaire for different companies. Also, it will be followed by a review for an applied model for case studies to detect the effect of using BIM process through its lifecycle and by applying different dimensions of the model. Moreover, according to the presented case studies there will be a detailed comparison of applying BIM and applying traditional methods in these projects. This will finally help in presenting a good vision about applicability of BIM in Egyptian construction industry, benefits and constraint. On the other hand, it will introduce a good review for the different n’D models in all project phases. This research work demonstrated the importance of using BIM in construction projects in Egypt as a powerful tool which contributes to achieving many benefits throughout project lifecycle that can improve its efficiency and productivity. Respondents to conducted survey assured adopting BIM in construction industry gradually as the knowledge and benefits of BIM become more apparent.The presented case study also proved the importance of applying 5D model in enhancing project control process.

Keywords:Building Information Modeling, Construction Modeling, Project Control Systems, 5D BIM Model, Systems Coordination, Management Tools