DISSERTATION

INTEGRATED BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING AND CLOUD

COMPUTING FOR REAL ESTATE PROJECTS

Submitted By:
RAJ MODI (13MCL009)

Guided By:
Dr. DEBASIS SARKAR
Associate Professor & Head Of Dept.
Dept. of Civil Engineering, School of Technology, PDPU

M.TECH IN INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING & MANAGEMENT

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY
PANDIT DEENDAYAL PETROLEUM UNIVERSITY

RESEARCH PROPOSAL
1. INTRODUCTION
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a process involving the generation and
management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of
places. Building Information Models (BIMs) are files (often but not always in proprietary
formats and containing proprietary data) which can be exchanged or networked to support
decision-making about a place. Current BIM software is used by individuals, businesses
and government agencies who plan, design, construct, operate and maintain diverse
physical infrastructures, from water, wastewater, electricity, gas, refuse and
communication utilities to roads, bridges and ports, from houses, apartments, schools and
shops to offices, factories, warehouses and prisons, etc.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the documentation process consisting of

information about different phases of any project like design, construction planning,
construction, facility management and operation. It is one holistic documentation process
beneficial for operational visualization, and construction application such as estimating,
scheduling and design coordination. Main advantage of implementing BIM application is
the visual coordination of the building systems such as MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and
Plumbing) systems and it also identifies the possible conflicts between the building
systems. By detecting the conflicts, problems can be resolved before actual construction
which in turn saves money and time invested. (Kumar and Mukherjee, 2009)
The National Building Information Model Standard NBIMS defines BIM as A digital
representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility and it serves as a
shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for
decisions during its life cycle from inception onward. BIM represents real world elements
such as walls, doors, and windows as three-dimensional 3D objects. In addition to geometry
details, other information can be attached to these objects including manufacturers, fire
rating, schedule, and cost estimates. Another BIM advantage is the ease to insert, extract,
update, or modify digital data by owners, clients, engineers, architects, contractors,
suppliers, and building officials. (Goedert and Meadati, 2008)

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been a growing development within the past
few years in the construction industry. The use of BIM has provided a means for increasing
total project quality, providing accurate scheduling timetables, yielding quantity take-offs,
and diminishing total project costs (Eastman et al. 2008). Although BIM is a recent
development, a lot of research has been conducted to further enhance the capabilities of
BIM in design and construction. (Bynum, Issa and Olbina, 2012)
A proof of concept prototype (CloudBIM) of the governance model outlined previously
has been constructed using the CometCloud (Kim et al. 2009) autonomic Cloud Computing
framework. Utilisation of this framework allows us to leverage on the Master/Worker
programming model supported by CometCloud, which utilises all computers within the
cloud as either masters or workers. How our prototype will scale to cover a multi-actor
project, with several different companies involved. Within this figure each company
possesses a set of workstations, which each connect to a master (labelled M). To the users
it appears as if this master provides the data for the entire BIM, whereas in reality the data
will be in the cloud spread amongst the workers (labelled W). (Beach, Rezgui and Rana)

Construction industry involves a multitude of stakeholders who perform their work from
disparate locations. This involvement of numerous stakeholders, which is common in
construction industry compared to the other industries, has led to conceptual fragmentation.
In spite of this fragmentation, the construction industry delivers complex projects with
limitations. The limitations can be mostly attributed to the difficulties in achieving the
optimum levels of collaboration, coordination, and communication (referred as three Cs)
which are required for efficient project delivery. Shifting from a two-dimensional design
documentation, the industry has recently embraced Building Information Models (BIM)
that allow an information rich visualization of the facility during feasibility analysis stage
enabling efficient information transfer among the stakeholders. Deploying the BIM in the
cloud can further enhance the project integration through the near optimal levels of the
three Cs. Very few researchers have investigated that the modifications made to the BIM
can promote post project delivery functions too in a seamless fashion. To incorporate this,
the authors had proposed a conceptual framework using BIM on the cloud for construction
project life cycle. This framework is described in this paper. The utility of the framework
is also discussed. (Amarnath, Sawhney and Maheswari, 2011)

2. NEED FOR STUDY

The BIM is a new and promising approach in India which is gradually gaining acceptance
by the owners, architects, engineers, and builders. The survey explores the BIM potentials
when used in the field to better communicate and integrate construction information across
different trades, allowing for efficient work processes and better decisions. More
specifically, the study concentrated on the deployment of the model to support planning,
scheduling and tracking of the job site operations in India. As per the survey results BIM
has remarkable acceptance potential among the AEC firms in India. (Kumar and
Mukherjee, 2009)

Building information modelling (BIM) is seen to offer solutions to many of the

inefficiencies and systemic failures inherent in the construction industry. Numerous design
firms, companies, organizations, and institutions, including construction contractors, have
developed BIM-facilitated business processes and services. Examples include the
Association of General Contractors (AGC) (2009) and the American Institute of Architects
(AIA) (2008). The central role of BIM in the construction industry is perhaps best expressed
in a statement from McGraw-Hills BIM Smart Market Report: Your career and the
prosperity of your company depend on becoming familiar with the tools, processes and
value propositions of BIM. To satisfy the industry demand for engineers with BIM skills,
some universities have started to integrate BIM into architecture, engineering, and
construction (AEC) programs. (Sacks and Pikas, 2013)

3. OBJECTIVIES
1: To identify and evaluate the performances indicators required for developing an
integrated BIM and cloud computing model for real estate project.
2: To apply life cycle cost analysis tools for evaluating project lifecycle management for
real estate project.
3: To proposed and develop a suitable integrated BIM and cloud computing model for the
above real estate project in Indian context.

4. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this research work is restricted to the study of Real Estate Projects in Indian
context.

5. RESEARCH METHODOGY
a. LITERATURE REVIEW
A literature review indicates that BIM application stops at the preconstruction phase with
a limited amount of research regarding data collection of the construction process.
Significant contributions include practical 3D data collection methods and extending the
BIM software products to accommodate construction process documentation. Results
indicate that BIM software is not specifically prepared to accomplish these objectives and
some modification to procedures as well as software were necessary for the BIM to
capture the construction process documentation. (Goedert and Meadati, 2008)

This paper deals with the status check of BIM application in India, to do that a survey has
been designed to check the acceptance of BIM till date, while this application is widely
accepted throughout the industry in many countries for managing project information with
capabilities for cost control and facilities management. (Kumar and Mukherjee, 2009)

This paper shows an investigation on the perceptions of the use of BIM for sustainable
design and construction among designers and constructors. A survey was developed and
administered through the Internet to determine the existing trends of BIM application in
general as well as its use as a tool in sustainable design and construction. The survey
results indicated that although the majority of the respondents believed that sustainable
design and construction practices were of importance within their company, most still
believed that sustainability was not a primary application of BIM and that project
coordination and visualization were instead more important. In terms of project delivery
methods, the majority of the survey respondents believed that design/build and integrated
project delivery (IPD) are the optimal project delivery methods to integrate BIM as a
sustainability tool. (Bynum, Issa and Olbina, 2012)

In order to address this issue, this research utilizes the concept of SaaS with regards to
Cloud Computing, which is a software delivery method that provides access to the
software and its functions as a web based service, to develop a visual system for BIM
visualization and manipulation. Cloud Computing is a technology used to access
services offered in the Internet cloud. Everything an informatics system has to offer is
provided as a service, so users can access these services available in the Internet cloud
without needing to have any previous know-how on managing the required computing

resources. The Cloud-BIM system not only provides an information visualization service,
it also provides information manipulation services for users located anywhere, and at any
time. (Chuang, Lee and Wu)

b. DATA COLLECTION
This project presents a practical approach to data collection that is incorporated into a
BIM model. The objective is to capture 3D as-built data into the BIM model; document
the actual construction schedule; and use BIM to capture and store construction
documents including specifications, submittals, shop drawings, change orders, and RFI
(requests for information). As-built information will be collected by us and will be
updated into 3D models. The daily construction sequence will be documented as a 4D
model for effective site utilization. The 5D model integrates a 3D drawing with time and
cost estimates. The 5D model facilitates the impact of changes on the project and assists
decision making for owners, project engineers, or managers. Construction documents will
be collected and stored as pdf and .dwg files in the local database and integrated with the
model components for future retrieval. BIM software does not directly incorporate the
construction process data but is adaptable with some programming.

c. CONCLUSION
BIM has emerged as a major technology trend and a promising tool for planning, design,
construction and facilities management functions. A succinct review of preceding
research efforts in the BIM field was presented, along with the identification of some of
the research deficiencies. Specifically, the paper reveals that previous research efforts
have focused mainly on pre-construction design and planning, perhaps due to reasons of
perceived higher value of BIM application in these phases by building professionals. Two
outstanding research deficiencies were identified in this study. First, existing research is
fragmented and lack of connection of the BIM technology in construction field, in
particular in planning, design, construction and facilities management functions in the
past decade. These development however apparently are all independent of each other.
Also, relatively less attention has been paid to application of BIM on managing the facility
and asset in the intelligent building. In many countries, this may present a significant
potential for the future as existing building stocks age and demands for smart and flexible
building services increase. (Wong, J. & Yang, J., 2010)

The objectives of this report are to investigate feasible methods to create a site-linked BIM
model, and to discuss the benefits and limitations of bringing BIM concept to the site
conditions. Four different methods by using different software developed by Autodesk,
Bentley and Graphisoft were discussed in the previous sections, Method 2, which is using
Revit Architecture and AutoCAD Civil 3D was used and testified as a feasible procedure
through the case study.
The broad pros and cons of BIM in the AEC industry have been substantially discussed in
this report; by bringing the concept of BIM to site condition, the building is no longer
treated in isolation of its surround site but incorporates extremely helpful short-term and
long-term information for the owner, designer, and builder regarding site topography,
landscaping, access roads, ground conditions and the location of site utilities. The
following conclusions specifically focus on the benefits and limitations when it comes to
the topic of site-building integrated model. (Menglin Wang, 2011)
Based on a literature review and our industry consultation, it is our opinion that the Cloud
Computing model offers a unique opportunity to solve the AEC industry wide data
sharing, access, and processing requirements. However, there are key socio-organizational
and technical issues related to the project-based nature of the industry that must be
resolved. The governance model outlined in this paper has been developed and validated
by both industry consultation and the development of a prototype, so that it can act as an
enabler for the development of strategic research roadmap for the use of cloud computing
by the AEC industry. (Beach, Rezgui, Rana)
d. SCOPE FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
First, some further theoretical study could be done around the site model itself, how to
create a more completed model, how many details should the model involve, who should
be responsible for the model, the coordination between the building modeler and the site
modeler and so on.

Secondly, from the technology aspect, one software technology solution was explored in
more detail using Civil 3D to create a site-linked model, however, Bentley / Autodesk
(Revit) products seems to be a very promising and seemingly more suitable software
according to their product descriptive literature. It is therefore recommended to explore
this technical software solution. It would be valuable to continue a research on how to use

Bentley/ Autodesk (Revit) products to create this site-linked model, compare the method
with what this report proposes and then provide the best method for the whole AEC area.
(Menglin Wang, 2011)

Another research direction is to involve more buildings on site. This research provided
the solution concerning only one building and one site. Future study could focus on how
to interlink with Cloud Computing and its management or Risk Management. This
research could be very useful for Building design and operations. Also the whole digital
Building model could be used to facilitate design collaboration, support construction
delivery, and leverage facility information for operations and maintenance.

6. RESEARCH PLAN

Dates
Activities
Detailed Study of BIM &
Cloud Computing
Data Collection
Data Analysis &
Documentation
Prepare BIM & Cloud
Computing Model
Redesign Model (If
Necessary)
Conclusion & Future
Scope

Jan.

Jan.

Feb.

Feb.

Mar.

Mar.

Apr.

Apr.

1-15

16-31

1-15

16-28

1-15

16-31

1-15

16-30

REFERNCES
Amarnath, C.B., Sawhney, A. and Maheswari, U. J. (2011), Cloud Computing to Enhance
Collaboration, Coordination and Communication in the Construction Industry. World
Congress on Information and Communication Technologies IEEE, (Page no. 1235-1240)
Bynum, P., Issa, R.A. and Olbina, S. (2012), Building Information Modelling in Support of
sustainable Design and Construction. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management,
Vol. 139, No. 1, (Page no. 24-34).
Goedert, J.D. and Meadati, P. (2008), Integrating Construction Process Documentation into
Building Information Modelling. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
ASCE. Vol. 134, No. 7, (Page no.509516).
Kumar, J.V. and Mukherjee, M. (2009), Scope of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in
India. Department of Architecture and Planning, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee,
India.
Nawari, O. Nawari (2012), BIM Standard in Off-Site Construction. Journal of Architectural
Engineering, Vol. 18, No. 2, (Page no.107113).
Sacks, R. and Pikas, E. (2013), Building Information Modelling Education for Construction
Engineering and Management. I: Industry Requirements, State of the Art, and Gap Analysis.
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management.
Wong, J. & Yang, J. (2010) Research and application of Building Information Modelling
(BIM) in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry: a review and
direction for future research.

International Conference on Innovation in Architecture,

Engineering & Construction (AEC), Loughborough University, U.K., Pennsylvania State

University, pp. 356-365.
Wang, M. (2011) Building Information Modeling (BIM): Site-Building Interoperability
Methods, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Beach, T.H., Rezgui, Y. and Rana, O.F. CloudBIM: Management of BIM Data in a cloud
computing environment Cardiff School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Wales, UK
Chuang, T.H., Lee, B.C. and Wu, I. Applying cloud computing technology to BIM
Visualization and Manipulation

Website
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_information_modeling) 21.03.2014