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The construction sector is lagging behind other industries in terms of efficiency and value achievement. Several building sector initiatives are introduced to improve productivity and project value enhancement. Significant developments such as Lean principles and BIM tools have been applied in the construction sector to achieve efficiency and enhanced productivity while minimizing waste. Lean principles in construction practice are a developing research area, and BIM tools have been widely used in construction project delivery and communications. Although these concepts are beneficial, barriers to their integration and joint implementation have not previously been explored. The paper investigates barriers to implementing Lean and BIM and their interrelationships in the New Zealand construction industry. A three-step triangulation methodology was used in the study to validate the findings. The study used an extensive literature review process, case studies, and expert interviews to consolidate the findings. Barriers to Lean and BIM implementation in construction practice were identified, which include strong cultural resistance, lack of Lean-BIM understanding, resistance to change, lack of knowledge of the Lean-BIM method, and lack of support from senior staff in New Zealand organizations. The effect of implementing Lean-BIM principles is discussed, as are recommendations for implementing the method in construction practice.

Supplemental energy-dissipation devices are increasingly used to protect structures, limiting loads transferred to structures and absorbing significant response energy without sacrificial structural damage. The displacement of the bulged shaft plastically deforms lead in the high force to volume (HF2V) device, dissipating significant energy. HF2V devices are currently designed using limited precision models, so there is variability in force prediction. Further, although the outcome force is predicted, the knowledge of the exact internal mechanisms resulting in these device forces is lacking, limiting insight and predictive accuracy in device design. This study develops a generic finiteelement (FEM) model using commercially available software to better understand force generation and aid in precision device design, thus speeding up the overall design and implementation process for uptake and use. The model is applied to 17 experimental HF2V devices of various sizes. The highly nonlinear analysis is run using the software with automatic increments to balance higher accuracy and computational time. The total force output is sum of the friction forces between lead and steel and the contact pressure forces acting between moving shaft and displaced lead. FEM forces and plots of the 17 devices are compared with experimental device forces and test plots. The errors from force comparison for all 17 devices range from −8% (overprediction) to þ39% (underprediction) with a mean absolute error of 7.6% and a signed average error of 4.7%, indicating most errors were small. In particular, the standard error (SE) in manufacturing is SE ¼ AE14%. Overall, 13 of 17 devices (76%) are within AE1 SE of 14%; 3 of 17 devices (18%) are within AE2 SE (AE28%), and the last has −39% error, which is within AE3 SE ¼ AE42%. These results show low errors and a distribution of errors compared with experimental results that are within experimental device construction variability. The overall modeling methodology is objective and repeatable, and thus generalizable. The results validate the overall approach with relatively very low error, providing a general modeling methodology for accurate design of HF2V devices.

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