A Seven-Dimensional Building Information Model for the Improvement of Construction Efficiency

With the fast expansion of major cities in China, increasing scale, complex, and tall buildings have been built to meet the increasing commercial and living demand. However, the efficiency of project management and investment is not always satisfactory. To solve this problem, a seven-dimensional building information model (7D BIM) is developed. To do this, a 3D BIM is firstly developed, which consists of architecture model, equipment model, steel framework model, other solid models, etc. Then, a 1D schedule management model and a 3D project management model (bidding management, enterprise quota management, and process management) have been integrated into the 3D BIM, thus forming a 7D BIM for a complex project. By providing a clear 3D vision in modeling the construction process, the proposed 7D model can be applied to help engineers/project managers carry out clash detection, structure design, modification, equipment installation, 3D project management, and maintenance after construction. The performance of this model has been demonstrated through a case study of a complex project launched in China. The study shows that the implementation of the 7D BIM has achieved significant cost and time saving as well as project quality and work efficiency improvement.

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