Introducing BS1192 (BIM standard) into construction projects

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is increasingly being promoted as a means to improve the procurement and delivery of construction work. In the UK, the Government now mandates BIM on public sector projects. The call for firms to use BIM rests on a belief that the sector can use digital technologies and underpinning standards to significantly improve collaborative practices. BIM, we are told, will improve the way in which firms produce and share information and, in doing so, transform the way in which the sector produces and delivers buildings. For BIM to achieve this, it needs to be rolled out to over a million professionals, including a wide range of disciplines and types of businesses and transform existing work processes. This in turn poses challenges of standardization and implementation.
The proposed topic explores how, where and what aspects of ‘BIM’ are taking hold and what we can learn from that experience to better support BIM use moving forward. More specifically it examines the relation between formal attempts at standardization, as in the development of BS1192, and the routinization of BIM practices on the ground. Research questions include the engagement of both clients and professional firms with formal standards and the effect of that engagement on everyday routines, on the (re-)specification of tasks, on professional jurisdictions, on firm business models and on innovation. Empirically, this topic provides a window into the ongoing introduction of BIM across the UK construction sector. Theoretically it provides an opportunity to explore the effect of market based policy mechanisms on construction practices and the relation between innovation and standardization. The research will combine technical understanding of BIM and the content of standards with qualitative research methods. There is an opportunity for cross case analysis.