Applicability of building information modelling (BIM) to structural design workflow

Abstract

There have been many studies on different aspects of building information modelling (BIM), however the majority of those are focused on the general engineering, construction or architectural aspects with limited studies on the applicability of BIM to specialised civil/structural engineering field or structural design workflow. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the perception, overall understanding, current usage, and the main barriers to adoption of BIM in the context of structural engineering. For this purpose, an online survey was developed and distributed to structural engineers across New Zealand. The results provide valuable insight on the current status and the structural engineers’ awareness and experience levels regarding BIM. It is found that the usage of BIM for structural design workflow is significantly low due to various reasons, predominantly due to the interoperability of BIM and structural analysis applications, and the relatively low knowledge and training on the specific applicability of BIM in structural design context. Additionally, the need to significantly change the existing customary structural design workflows to adopt BIM, plus the current procedures and requirement by building consent authorities were found to be the most significant barriers to increase the adoption of BIM in the structural engineering context.