Efficient delivery of the projects – BIM enablesd testing of design solutions to provide a more responsive building design to the client brief, and, better coordination

of all project information.

The pilot represented a tentative, but nonetheless important first step on Ireland’s journey of discovery towards obtaining further knowledge in regards to BIM. The workshop promoted BIM and showcased its use to senior members of the construction industry and the public sector. The participants where universally positive about the impacts that BIM could have on their profession and in realising the goals of the CWMF. There was agreement that these technologies could assist the public sector contracts, as BIM has the capacity to ensure that all team members are working from the same data and that the implications of alternative design proposals could be evaluated with comparative ease. The workshop participants were of the opinion that the UK Government’s move to demand BIM Level 2 by 2016 will lead to the elimination of coordination errors and subsequent expensive variations. The key lesson learnt from the pilot included that BIM can have a place in the Irish AEC, but was still a relatively unknown entity.

Though the results were extremely positive, all representatives admitted that it would be a number of years before BIM could be deployed on public sector projects in Ireland. A significant restructuring of organisations like the OPW would be required and a substantial act of support from the heads of Government would be necessary. The workshop attendees criticised a notable lack of incentive from the Government and a reluctance to incorporate more change, due to the recent introduction of the GCCC forms of contract, as possible barriers. This fact, coupled with the fear of legal implications, such as, who owns the BIM

Ph.D Thesis 101 Barry McAuley model and which profession will carry most liability for the model, had left the Irish AEC/FM sector in an uncertain stance towards the implementation of BIM on public works.

4.9 FURTHER STUDY

The pilot participants represented only a small cross section of the AEC sector who were all firmly in favour of BIM. The results did not reflect the general Irish AEC/FM population in Ireland and further research was needed to gain an understanding of the industries awareness.

It was agreed that the best approach would be to conduct an extensive survey aimed at a disparate cross-section of the AEC/FM Sector. This would enable the collection and strong analysis of quantitative data. Chapter 5 contains the approach and analysis of the survey results.

The findings from this stage of the research provided the author with the confidence that his proposed research topic was achievable. Due to the lack of research and knowledge in the domain of BIM within Ireland at the time, it was important that this exploratory research was performed, so as to ensure there was an adequate cultural and technical platform available to establish and validate the KPTs.

Ph.D Thesis 102 Barry McAuley 5. BIM IN IRELAND SURVEY 2012

5.1 INTRODUCTION

The previous chapter focused on the first phase of the research in the sequential design concentrating on a qualitative case study, where the use of BIM was observed on a simulated public works pilot project. The author concluded that BIM can offer a more rewarding methodology for the Irish public sector in both the design and management of its assets.

These findings were also evident in the literature review conclusion in Chapter 2.As detailed in Chapter 4 the workshop analysis did not reflect the general Irish AEC/FM population and further research was needed to gain an understanding of the industries awareness. The further validation of the workshop results ensured that any bias that may have been represented in the data was further evaluated.

This chapter presents the results of the next phase of the research, which involved a questionnaire survey on the use of BIM in Ireland in 2012. The results show that the Irish construction industry was at a very early stage of adoption and knowledge of BIM at that time. The findings show that whilst there was a significant level of awareness of BIM in Ireland in 2012, the AEC/FM sector was still uncertain, as to the exact definition of BIM, and its direct relevance for the FM sector. It was, however, acknowledged that there would be an increasing importance placed on BIM within the next 5 years in Ireland. Given the presence of the UK BIM mandate and its introduction in 2016, the author also took the opportunity to compare the results of this survey with the National Building Specification (NBS).

5.2 METHODOLOGY

The survey methodology involved a two tier approach comprising of a planning and implementation phase, which is illustrated in figure 5.1.

5.2.1 Planning process

The planning process was further broken into four different tasks that included:

1. Selection of research question.

2. Overall presentation to sample.

3. Consideration of ethics.

4. Design of survey sample

Ph.D Thesis 103 Barry McAuley

Projected use of BIM in the next 5 years Is the CWMF achieving its objectives?

Ph.D Thesis 104 Barry McAuley Creswell (2009) suggested key criteria to be addressed during any survey design. These included

• Identify the purpose of the survey research: The purpose of the survey was to gauge the level of support for the introduction of BIM to assist in achieving the vision of the CWMF.

• Identify why a survey is the preferred type of data collection procedure for the study: This method represented the preferred tool in collecting a large sample of data for analysis.

• Indicate whether the survey will be cross sectional or longitudinal: A cross-sectional type survey was chosen, as this will be a single time description.

• Specify the form of data collection i.e. self-administered, questionnaires, interviews and structured observations. For the purpose of this survey questionnaires were selected as the main tool for data collection.

The findings of the literature review in Chapter two, combined with the lessons learned from the RIAI/DoES pilot outlined in Chapter four, provided the basis for the research questions.

The research questions focused on three key areas, namely:

1. Establish the current adoption level of BIM and its perceived importance in the near future in Ireland.

2. Investigate the respondent’s experiences, within public sector projects, with particular reference to the CWMF. Also explore if BIM could offer a more rewarding alternative to what was currently in place.

3. The final section focused on BIM in regards to managing the Irish Government Estate, with particular reference to the area of FM.

The questionnaire was structured specifically into the following four sections to complement the above research questions.

1. Respondent Details: All respondents were asked to indicate what sectors their