Case Studies of Bim Adoption for Precast Concrete Design by Mid-sized Structural Engineering Firms

BIM is a complex technology. Although its potential benefits are clear, its integration in structural engineering firms requires leadership and persistence as well as careful planning. Sophisticated threedimensional parametric modelling software for precast concrete structures has been commercially available since 2005. Early adopters have gained sufficient experience with precast concrete buildings to allow analysis and comparison of their adoption strategies. Four detailed case-studies, observed at two mid-sized engineering firms in the last two years, have been recorded and analysed. They shed light on the obstacles that had to be overcome, the achievements and disappointments, and the changes in workflow and personnel that the firms have experienced. The results reveal clear improvement in engineering design quality, in terms of error-free drawings, and steadily increasing improvement in labour productivity. The firms' clients have also begun to exploit the rich information available with BIM, but not to the extent expected. Progress in adopting BIM is slow but certain. The conclusions may help the managers of structural engineering firms who are planning their own adoption process to avoid some of the pitfalls of replacing 2D CAD practices with BIM.