A comparison between different approches for 5D BIM in construction site surveying

Abstract

It is well known that BIM technology offers many profitable issues by now. Its benefits are widely experimented and described, especially in terms of design efficiency and interoperability. However, it is not so common, at least in Italy, to see projects completely managed by BIM, especially considering medium and small intervention. This approach should change in the next years while Italian laws will make mandatory, step by step, the use of BIM for public procurement of a certain amount. With the aim of the implementation of BIM in each phase of the project, also in medium and small interventions, the presented research examines the use of 5D-BIM during the execution phase of the process, to assess construction advancements during works with the support of modelling advantages. Then, the research focuses primarily on the definition of proper requirements to outline a 5D site management throughout the whole construction process. After the definition of different needs for the different actors of construction process, the research moved to the possible BIM use for the satisfaction of these needs by the definition of customized parameters dealing with site spaces and facilities, quantities, time and cost management. The study includes also the levels development (LOD) definition of objects aimed to the scope of using information contained in the model for the works advancements checking during the realization of works. An approach was studied to realize the scope of work, tested in different construction sites with the aim to satisfy both the needs of clients, and the needs of a contractor. The considered construction sites are similar in terms of dimensions and amount of works. As will be demonstrated in the paper, the on-field management with the use of models, if correctly developed and used, can simplify contractors and clients' inspectors job during the works realization in terms of efficiency of inspection and calculations.