BIM has recently gained ground in developed countries. However, the use of BIM in developing countries including Cameroon is not well-known. In this study, BIM implementation in Cameroon is... Show More

BIM has recently gained ground in developed countries. However, the use of BIM in developing countries including Cameroon is not well-known. In this study, BIM implementation in Cameroon is explored. The research methods used are a pilot study, electronic email surveys and in-depth phone interviews. Altogether, 179 professionals having at least a Master's Degree in Civil Engineering from the National Advanced School of Engineering Yaoundé I - Cameroon, a leading engineering institution in Francophone Africa, were sampled. Forty six provided feedback yielding a response rate of 25.7%. It emerged that some BIM software are already being used in Cameroon. However, major barriers hindering BIM uptake are high license fee and lack of huge projects that can pay off the cost of investment in BIM. Perhaps, partly because the respondents were highly skilled, it emerged that the lack of expertise was/is not a major problem to use BIM in projects. Although this study is limited to Cameroon, many recommendations could be relevant to other African countries.

The Iranian construction industry is facing several problems including low productivity and immense housing scarcity. It is generally believed that industrialisation and offsite manufacturing can... Show More

The Iranian construction industry is facing several problems including low productivity and immense housing scarcity. It is generally believed that industrialisation and offsite manufacturing can increase the productivity of the Iranian housing industry. Yet, one of the major issues of the Iranian construction industry is defective management during design and construction processes which has considerably increased the risks of offsite construction in Iran. BIM could theoretically address these issues thanks to its potential advantages such as improved efficiency, productivity, and quality. As one of the key stakeholders, architects have a major role in the current situation of the Iranian construction industry. A questionnaire survey was conducted in architectural SMEs to study the normal practices of architects during design and construction processes on site. Frequent design changes and defective communication between stakeholders were identified as the major issues. The results reveal that BIM in general and integrated design in particular could effectively address the aforementioned issues mitigating the risks of offsite construction in Iran.

The UK housing market has, over the recent 5 years, experienced considerable economic pressures both from the market place and the construction sector. The need for an economic and mass produced... Show More

The UK housing market has, over the recent 5 years, experienced considerable economic pressures both from the market place and the construction sector. The need for an economic and mass produced housing type that specifically targets the market to achieve the balance for the need of affordability and the benefits of mass customisation is a key focus for delivery. This study sought to deliver a mass produced housing system that could also deliver a high level of customisation. Historically housing that has been mass produced to ensure affordability, has removed a high level of customisation to ensure that the final costs were controlled. This paper also examines the design factors that are integral to the process of delivery of affordable housing. In addition, it will observe the gaps between affordability and mass customisation of a modern method of construction delivered project and the move away from traditional methods of delivery, mapping the shift in the procurement of the design for such housing typologies.

Existing homes for senior population may not be safe because many injuries occur due to poor accessibility and design compatibility. Thus, Universal Design (UD) becomes more relevant, especially if... Show More

Existing homes for senior population may not be safe because many injuries occur due to poor accessibility and design compatibility. Thus, Universal Design (UD) becomes more relevant, especially if it incorporates the principles of sustainability. Yet, adopting houses of this type requires detailed evaluation of their costs and benefits in a simple and efficient manner. The Building Information Modeling (BIM) concept enables engineers to design and create virtual models permitting the visualization and evaluation of design alternatives before physical construction. The tools used to create BIM models lack detail information about UD principles. This paper presents a methodology that integrates BIM, UD and sustainability to attain sustainable universal houses for Canadians. The goal of this model is to simplify the process of creating sustainable universal houses in 3D and to evaluate the costs and benefits to stakeholders at the conceptual stage of the life of the houses.