Building information modelling adoption in construction project management in Kenya

102 Pages·2016·1.3 MB·English

BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING
ADOPTION IN CONSTRUCTION
PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN KENYA :

A Case Study of Nairobi County
BY
MUSYIMI M. MUMBUA.
A PROJECT REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
FOR THE AWARD OF MASTERS DEGREE IN CONSTRUCTION
MANAGEMENT AT THE DEPARTMENT OF REAL ESTATES AND
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI
AUGUST 2016
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DECLARATION

I declare that this is my original work and has not been presented to any other university or
institute of higher learning for examination or academic purposes.

Signature__________________________ _________________

MARYLYN MUMBUA MUSYIMI DATE
REG. NO B53-68312/2013

This research proposal has been presented for examination with my approval as the
University supervisor.

Signature__________________________ _________________

ARCH. PETER NJERU DATE
DEPARTMENT OF REAL ESTATE AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

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DEDICATION

I dedicate this project to Mr. & Mrs. Dominic Kioko, without whose encouragement I would
not have undertaken or completed this endevour.
To my husband, Dennis, for his support.

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ACKNOWLEDEMENTS

I thank God for through Him all things are possible. He has been faithful in completing the
good work that He begun in me.
Thank you to my supervisor Arch. Peter Njeru, for your time and effort without which this
work would not been possible.
I thank all that participated in the study, and my classmates and colleagues, for their
invaluable insight and camaraderie.
To my employers Waweru & Associates and Mutiso Menezes International for according me
the necessary support to complete my studies, thank you.
Finally, to the entire staff of The Department of Real Estate and Construction Management,
thank you.
I take full responsibility for this study. Any errors or shortcomings herein do not in any way
reflect the contribution of the aforementioned.

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ABSTRACT

Construction projects today are far more complicated than ever before and there is an urgent
need to coordinate the efforts of all the participants in a project. Globally the Construction
Industry is shifting from CAD to BIM. It is therefore important that we understand what this
transition constitutes. Substantial research has been carried out on BIM use in allied
construction professions of Architecture, Engineering and Quantity Surveying. This research
seeks to address the gap in knowledge of BIM use for Construction Project Management, and
in particular, in the Kenyan context, as well as how the adoption of BIM can enhance the
delivery of projects.
The research was guided by four objectives within the study area of Nairobi County: to
establish the extent of BIM use for Construction Project Management; to identify the
challenges in adopting BIM for Construction Project Management; to identify the advantages
in adopting BIM for Construction Project Management and to develop strategies to increase
the adoption of BIM in Construction Project Management.
The research design employed was survey research which was exploratory in nature.
Individual respondents from firms were asked about their perception and personal
experiences as pertains BIM adoption. The major findings revealed that the organisation,
processes and technology in use within a firm significantly affect the choice to adopt BIM.
Based on these findings, it is recommended that: construction industry regulators actively
take up BIM implementation; that educators should train on the use and benefits of BIM;
professionals should be encouraged to adopt BIM in their practices and finally, that
professional bodies should be encouraged to include training on BIM in their Continuous
Professional Development programmes. The following areas of further research are
recommended: the re-modelling of contractual relationships to suit BIM adoption and
research into the changing responsibilities of stakeholders in the adoption of BIM.

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Contents
DECLARATION ....................................................................................................................... 1
DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................... 2
ACKNOWLEDEMENTS .......................................................................................................... 3
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... 4
LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................... 9
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................. 10
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 11
1.0 Background of the study ................................................................................................ 11
1.1 Statement of the problem .......................................................................................... 12
1.2 Purpose of the study ....................................................................................................... 14
1 .3 Methodology of the study ............................................................................................. 14
1.4 Conceptual Framework .................................................................................................. 15
1.5 Operationalisation table.................................................................................................. 16
1.6 Hypotheses of the study ................................................................................................. 17
1.7 Objectives of the study ................................................................................................... 17
1.8 Research questions ......................................................................................................... 17
1.9 Significance of the study ................................................................................................ 17
1.10 Assumptions ................................................................................................................. 18
1.11 Limitations ................................................................................................................... 18
1.12 Delimitations ................................................................................................................ 18
1.13 Definition of terms ....................................................................................................... 19
1.14 Outline of the study ...................................................................................................... 20
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................. 21
2.0 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 21
2.1 Information and Information Management .................................................................... 21
2.1.1 Nature of project information in construction projects. .............................................. 22
2.1.2 Transfer of project information ................................................................................... 23
2.1.3 BIM and Construction Information. ............................................................................ 23
2.2 BIM ................................................................................................................................ 24
2.2.1 History of BIM ........................................................................................................ 24
2.2.2 Definition of BIM .................................................................................................... 24
2.2.3 BIM as software technology .................................................................................... 25
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2.2.4 BIM as a process...................................................................................................... 25
2.3 BIM and Construction Project Management .................................................................. 25
2.3.1 Traditional construction project management ......................................................... 26
2.3.2 Purpose of construction project management .......................................................... 26
2.3.3Structure of construction project management ......................................................... 27
2.3.4 Functions of the Construction Project Manager ...................................................... 28
2.3.5 Uses of BIM in Construction Project Management ................................................. 30
2.3.6 Levels of BIM use ................................................................................................... 33
2.3.7 Impact of BIM ......................................................................................................... 35
2.3.8 International BIM initiatives and Standards ............................................................ 36
2.3.9 International BIM guides ......................................................................................... 38
2.3.10 BIM Initiatives and standards in Kenya ................................................................ 41
2.3.11 Best Practice in BIM use for CPM ........................................................................ 41
2.3.12 How does BIM alter conventional work practices? ............................................... 43
2.4 BIM adoption ................................................................................................................. 44
2.4.1 Challenges to BIM adoption .................................................................................... 44
2.4.2 Benefits of BIM adoption ........................................................................................ 45
2.4.3 Strategies to aid BIM adoption ................................................................................ 47
2.5 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 48
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ..................................................................... 49
3.1 Introduction. .............................................................................................................. 49
3.2 Research Design ............................................................................................................. 49
3.3 Target population ........................................................................................................... 50
3.4 Sampling Procedures. ..................................................................................................... 50
3.5 Data Collection Methods ................................................................................................ 50
3.5.1 Data Collection Instruments .................................................................................... 50
3.5.2 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................... 51
3.6 Study and research Instruments Validity ....................................................................... 51
3.7 Reliability of research findings ...................................................................................... 52
3.8 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 52
CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION AND PRESENTATION. ............. 53
4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 53
4.2 Background .................................................................................................................... 53
4.2.1 Response rate ........................................................................................................... 53
4.2.2 Involvement in Construction Project Management in Nairobi County ................... 56
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4.2.3 Knowledge of BIM .................................................................................................. 56
4.3 Use of BIM for construction project management ......................................................... 57
4.3.1 Percentage of firms using BIM for construction project management .................... 57
4.4 Organisation ................................................................................................................... 60
4.4.1 Number of technical staff ........................................................................................ 60
4.4.2 Presence of a BIM manager within the organisation ............................................... 60
4.4.3 BIM usage areas in construction project management ...................................... 61
4.4.4 Changes made within organisations in order to adopt BIM ................................... 62
4.4.5 Shared project goals and objectives ........................................................................ 63
4.4.6 The project stage at which different stakeholders are involved with the project
64
4.5 Technology ..................................................................................................................... 65
4.5.1 BIM software used .................................................................................................. 65
4.5.2 BIM level used by firms .......................................................................................... 65
4.5.3 BIM usage by construction stage............................................................................. 66
4.5.4 Opinion on what stage BIM can give most benefits .......................................... 66
4.5.5 Firms’ maturity in BIM implementation ................................................................. 67
4.6 Benefits of using BIM versus traditional Construction Project Management ............... 67
4.6.1 Challenges encountered in adopting BIM ............................................................... 70
4.6.2 The effect of BIM adoption challenges on level of BIM maturity .......................... 70
4.7 How Construction Project Management can benefit fully from BIM ............................ 72
4.7.1 Encouraging adoption of BIM in Construction Project Management in Kenya ..... 73
4.7.2 Association between BIM adoption challenges and encouragement strategies ...... 74
4.8 Hypotheses testing..................................................................................................... 74
4.8.1 The effect of organization, technology and process factors on the level of BIM
adoption. ........................................................................................................................... 74
4.9 Chapter summary ........................................................................................................... 76
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS; DISCUSSION; CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................................... 78
5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 78
5.2 Summary of major findings....................................................................................... 78
5.3 Discussion ...................................................................................................................... 79
5.3.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 80
5.3.2 Organisation............................................................................................................. 81
5.3.3 Technology .............................................................................................................. 84
5.3.4 Process ..................................................................................................................... 85
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5.3.5 Awareness and opinion ............................................................................................ 86
5.3.6 The extent of BIM use for Construction Project Management within Nairobi
County. ............................................................................................................................. 86
5.3.7 Challenges in adopting BIM for Construction Project Management in Nairobi
County. ............................................................................................................................. 86
5.3.8 Advantages in adopting BIM for Construction Project Management in Nairobi
County. ............................................................................................................................. 87
5.3.9 Strategies to increase the adoption of BIM for Construction Project Management in
Nairobi County. ................................................................................................................ 87
5.4 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 87
5.5 Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 87
5.6 Areas for further research. .............................................................................................. 88
6.0 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 89
APPENDICES ......................................................................................................................... 93
APPENDIX ONE: Letter of Introduction ............................................................................ 93
APPENDIX TWO: Questionnaire ....................................................................................... 94

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1: Operationalisation table. ......................................................................................... 16
Table 2.1: BIM Integration in the CPM process. ..................................................................... 30
Table 2.2: BIM Levels ............................................................................................................. 33
Table 2.3: BIM benefits in construction projects..................................................................... 35
Table 2.4: Standards and Guidelines coverage of BIM ........................................................... 37
Table 2.5: BIM procedure developed by Penn State University, USA. .................................. 38
Table 2.6: Summary of BIM Guide developed by The General Service Administration, USA.
.................................................................................................................................................. 39
Table 2.7: Summary of National Guidelines for Digital Modelling, Australia. ...................... 40
Table 2.8: Benefits of BIM Adoption. ..................................................................................... 46
Table 4.1: Response rate – Profession. .................................................................................... 54
Table 4.2: Response rate - Years of experience, ...................................................................... 55
Table 4.3: Years of Experience versus Profession ................................................................... 55
Table 4.4: Involvement in Construction Project Management in Nairobi County. ................. 56
Table 4.5: Knowledge of BIM. ................................................................................................ 56
Table 4.6: Firms using BIM for construction project management. ........................................ 57
Table 4.7: Knows BIM versus uses BIM. ................................................................................ 57
Table 4.8: Planning to adopt BIM versus does not use BIM. .................................................. 58
Table 4.9: Planning to adopt BIM versus knows BIM. ........................................................... 59
Table 4.10: Number of technical staff. .................................................................................... 60
Table 4.11: Presence of a BIM manager within the organisation. ........................................... 60
Table 4.12: General applications of BIM. ............................................................................... 61
Table 4.13: Use of BIM in construction project management areas. ....................................... 62
Table 4.14: Changes made within organisations in order to adopt BIM. ................................ 62
Table 4.15: Shared project goals and objectives. ..................................................................... 63
Table 4.16: The project stage at which different stakeholders are involved with the project. 64
Table 4.17: BIM software used. ............................................................................................... 65
Table 4.18: BIM level used by firms in Kenya. ....................................................................... 65
Table 4.19: Extent of BIM usage by construction stage, ......................................................... 66
Table 4.20: Opinion on what stage BIM can give most benefits, ............................................ 66
Table 4.21: Firms’ maturity in BIM implementation. ............................................................. 67
Table 4.22: Comparative benefits: BIM versus Traditional. ................................................... 68
Table 4.23: Most optimal stage for using BIM ........................................................................ 68
Table 4.24: Firm maturity in BIM implementation. ................................................................ 69
Table 4.25: Challenges of adopting BIM in Kenya. ................................................................ 70
Table 4.26: The association between BIM adoption challenges and level of BIM maturity. .. 71
Table 4.27: How construction project management can benefit fully from BIM. ................... 72
Table 4.28: Strategies for encouraging adoption of BIM. ....................................................... 73
Table 4.29: BIM adoption challenges. ..................................................................................... 74
Table 4.30: Hypotheses testing-Organization factors .............................................................. 75
Table 4.31: Hypotheses testing-Technology factors ................................................................ 75
Table 4.32: Hypotheses testing-Process factors....................................................................... 76
Table 5.1: Summary of major findings. ................................................................................... 78

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