Model Ownership and Intellectual Property Rights for Collaborative Sustainability on Building Information Modeling

Enhancing Students’ Competency and Learning Experience in Structural Engineering through Collaborative Building Design Practices

The field of the built environment is evolving, whereby the involvement of a multi-disciplinary team in the project becomes necessary. Complexities of issues keep challenging the industry of Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) and address the importance of skills in collaborative work to deliver a great building design. A building that is not only aesthetic but also durable, sturdy, sustainable, and has positive influences on the surroundings. That said, collaboration skills become essential for students in the field of AEC. Concerning this current need in the industry, it becomes necessary for the educators as well as the undergraduate programs, especially in the field of AEC, to facilitate the students with exposure to a multi-disciplinary environment, to enhance the readiness of their graduates in the industry. The current pandemic makes the efforts harder. This study presents a case study-based research on enhancing the competency and learning experience of students through an international and multi-disciplinary collaborative environment in the form of joint studio assignments involving students of architecture and civil engineering. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches through triangulation methodology were used in the study. Results showed that students could enhance their knowledge as well as their skill to collaborate, especially in the design process.

Barriers, Strategies, and Best Practices for BIM Adoption in Quebec Prefabrication Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

Prefabricated construction has long faced problems due to the industry’s fragmentation. Building Information Modeling (BIM) has thus appeared as an efficient solution to provide a favorable environment for efficient completion of projects. Despite its benefits, implementing BIM successfully in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which represent the vast majority of manufacturers in Quebec, requires deep risk analysis and rigorous strategies. Hence, this work aims to study BIM implementation barriers, strategies, and best practices in wood prefabrication for SMEs through a literature review, semi-structured interviews, and an online survey. After qualitative content analysis, 30 critical barriers, 7 strategic milestones, and 31 best practices to maximize BIM benefits were revealed. One of the critical barriers concerns the effort required to develop BIM software libraries and programs to translate information from the BIM model to production equipment. Among the best strategies, it is essential to start by analyzing the current business model of the SMEs and to appoint a small BIM committee whose main responsibilities are management, coordination, and modeling. The prevalent best practices were to support the implementation team and encourage communication and collaboration. Previous studies show that BIM is not fully exploited in prefabrication for various reasons. This study highlights the critical barriers, strategies, and best practices for BIM adoption and proposes a framework for BIM implementation in prefabrication SMEs in Quebec, Canada. It also provides a summary of current knowledge and guidelines to promote BIM adoption in this sector.