Understanding the impact of BIM on collaboration: a Canadian case study

Facilitating collaboration amongst project stakeholders in the construction industry is one of the central tenants of building information modelling (BIM). While there is increasing evidence of the positive influence of BIM on project outcomes, ambiguity remains around BIM's true impact on collaboration. The presented case study aims to develop insights into the impact of BIM on collaboration in the architecture, engineering and construction industry. A critical realist perspective was adopted and a systematic combining approach was employed to support data collection and analysis. Data were collected through a longitudinal case study of a large design-build project in Canada. The unit of analysis was the individual project team member. Five cognitive determinants identified from the analysis are seen to inform an individual's framing of event patterns in the context of BIM-enabled collaboration: requirements, expectations, intentions, incentives and capabilities. From this perspective, the impact of BIM on collaboration is understood as a reshaping of an individual's cognitive determinants, which influence a team member's framing of event patterns enacted throughout project delivery. This shift is manifested by changing information landscapes, i.e. sources and flows of information, that are generated, shared and consumed within the project team.