Analysis of Citation Networks in Building Information Modeling Research

Abstract

Building information modeling (BIM) has emerged as a pervasive and ubiquitous tool in the fields of construction and engineering. With BIM's rise, so too has there been an explosion of research interest in BIM. Nevertheless, despite the prolific output of BIM-related publications, the cumulative theoretical and practical value of this body of research remains vague; alignment with current industry objectives and relevance to future global challenges remain unclear. This study systematically analyzes the current body of knowledge so far produced on BIM through a purely quantitative approach. Network analysis techniques are used to assess the status of research themes, cross-topic research, trends in topic concentration, and influence of outlets, as well as to map how research actors collaborate in creating knowledge on BIM. The results reveal that although 45 separate themes are closely associated with BIM literature, a further 15 relevant themes have been neglected. Moreover, much of the research is revealed to be increasingly self-referential, lacking in cross-disciplinary insights, and weak in theoretical rigor. This study contributes to the field generally, and to editorial boards of research journals in particular, by identifying the intellectual deficiencies in BIM research and skewed distribution of research output across BIM related topics, as well as priorities for future research in BIM.

Exploring the Moral Hazard Evolutionary Mechanism for BIM Implementation in an Integrated Project Team

“…In order to reduce proprietary cost incurred by the non-owner participant, the integrated project team manager should first conduct reengineering of the business process that significantly affects integration between the IPD system and BIM. The traditional work process that is established based on computer-aided design has not adapted to deep application of BIM, which increases implementation cost [13]. Moreover, the project manager should check and ensure the BIM software adopted by each stakeholder compatible, and provide the uniformed data standard manual to make information flow unimpeded, for the purpose of reducing technology cost [45].…”

“…This presents us with a question of why BIM application is impeded in integrated project team notwithstanding a large amount of advantages described by scholars and experts in extant literatures. According to extant literatures, most researchers have paid too much attention to technology research and development technology factors are no longer the main obstacles to the application of BIM [13]. As a matter of fact, BIM is a sociotechnical system more than technology [14], and the acceptance of BIM significantly influenced by many elements derived from the social attribute of organizations [15].…”

Building Information Modeling (BIM) for Structural Engineering: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Literature

“…It helps AEC specialists in visualizing a future building in a virtual environment, planning the forthcoming construction processes, and identifying any potential design, construction, or operational issues [1]. Such benefits can add value to the practices of all the disciplines involved, including that of civil engineering, in general, and structural engineering, in particular [9][10][11][12].…”

“…ere have been some in-depth reviews on BIM in general [9,[13][14][15] and studies that have dealt with specific fields like transportation infrastructure, heritage buildings [16], civil infrastructure maintenance [17], collaborative management [18][19][20], health and safety [21][22][23], contractors [10], and academics aspects [24,25]. Research on the integration of BIM within civil engineering is still in its infancy [9]. Few researchers have focused on civil engineering in particular [26].…”

A Benefits Prioritization Analysis on Adopting BIM Systems Against Major Challenges in Megaproject Delivery

“…Through lessons learnt from megaproject management in representative cases, strategic priorities, which consist of the development of leadership capability and professional competences (Kwegyir-Afful, 2018;Merrow and Nandurdikar, 2018), have emerged as vital for megaproject delivery. The need for enhanced project management systems, which are supported by innovative technical solutions such as BIM systems (Crotty, 2012;Chong et al, 2016;Department of Transport and Main Roads [TMR], 2017;Hosseini et al, 2018), has been highlighted recently in order to improve communication and collaborations among stakeholders across various megaproject stages. It is therefore verified as the necessity to further specify the value of BIM, which has been identified in research to have dramatic value in terms of lifecycle project cost reductions and time saving (Bryde et al, 2013), effective and efficient communication and collaborations (Liu et al, 2017), enhanced safety management (Martínez-Aires et al, 2018), and many other issues as summarized by Hosseini et al (2018), on the road to tackle the stubborn problem of significant time and cost overruns and other major challenges through a BIM-integrated megaproject delivery with regard to some research initiatives in transport projects (Blanco and Chen, 2014) and large-scale building projects (Kim et al, 2017), etc.…”