Automation in Construction 58 (2015) 196–206

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Automation in Construction

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon

Integrated system for BIM-based collaborative design

Minho Oh a,1, Jaewook Lee a,⁎, Seung Wan Hong b,2, Yongwook Jeong c,3
a
Department of Architectural Engineering, Sejong University, 98 Gunja-Dong, GwangjinGu, Seoul 143-747, Republic of Korea
b
Department of Architecture, Inha University, 253 Yonghyun-Dong, Nam-Gu, Incheon 402-751, Republic of Korea
c
Department of Architecture, Sejong University, 98 Gunja-Dong, GwangjinGu, Seoul 143-747, Republic of Korea

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: For effective collaboration among construction project participants, the use of Building Information Model (BIM)
Received 3 October 2014 has become more common throughout the building life cycle. However, due to the use of different BIM-based
Received in revised form 28 June 2015 software among collaborators during the design, a variety of problems have occurred, including loss of data, dif-
Accepted 21 July 2015
ficulty in communication, and poor work efficiency. Hence, this study proposes an integrated design system for
Available online 15 August 2015
the improvement of BIM-based collaborative design. For this purpose, problems are derived based on an analysis
Keywords:
of conventional BIM-based collaborative design. In addition, a concept for the development of the BIM-based
BIM integrated design system is established from integration methodologies. Based on ‘functional integration,’
Collaborative design ‘integrated information management’ and ‘integrated process support,’ the integrated design system is
Integrated design system implemented through the combination of three modules: BIM Modeler, BIM Checker and BIM Server. To test
Data exchange the integrated design system, a case study on a hospital building design is reviewed, and improvements
IFC compared to the conventional system are examined. It appears that the proposed system can enhance design
quality and productivity by providing necessary support for collaborative design in an integrated manner.
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction clients, etc.) for making decisions. So far, however, participants in

BIM‐based design use different software according to work type and
As construction projects become larger and more complicated, the tasks in general, resulting in data loss in the process of information
amount of information required dramatically increases. As a result, exchange, and this requires unnecessary duplication of work for data
various problems such as difficulty in collaboration and information restoration [44]. Consequentially, unlike the ultimate purposes of BIM,
sharing among project participants have taken place. To solve these due to limits in the application of BIM, the whole design process is still
problems, a variety of BIM-based technologies and applications have separated by phases and participants, which often causes additional
been proposed [5,22,28,36,60]. cost and the inability to finish on schedule [12].
BIM was introduced based on the concept of storing and managing The design tools supporting BIM-based collaborative design should
various data produced throughout the building life cycle in an integrat- provide integrated functions that can be used throughout the design
ed manner [12]. The geometric and property information of building process. In addition, the information produced during collaborative
objects is modeled upon solving design errors that frequently occur design should be provided to participants in a timely manner. The
during conventional paper-based design and difficulty in information integrated function and information in collaborative design make com-
exchange in the collaborative design process [27]. In BIM-based collab- munication among design participants smooth and improve design
orative design, therefore, it is essential to exchange design information quality and productivity by preventing unnecessary work. However,
between various participants (e.g., architects, engineers, contractors, commercial BIM-based design tools used in practice are inadequate at
providing a design environment from the perspective of integration,
and most related studies have focused on information sharing using
standard formats. Therefore, this study attempts to conceptualize inte-
⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +82 2 34083836; fax: +82 2 34084331. gration for the improvement of BIM-based collaborative design and to
E-mail addresses: minho7349@ecosian.com (M. Oh), jeawook@sejong.ac.kr (J. Lee), propose an integrated design system. For this purpose, we derive prob-
hongsw@inha.ac.kr (S.W. Hong), yjeong@sejong.ac.kr (Y. Jeong).
1
Tel.: +82 2 34083331; fax: +82 2 34084331.
lems based on analysis of conventional BIM-based collaborative design,
2
Tel.: +82 32 8607580; fax: +82 32 8664624. and establish a concept from integration methodologies for the devel-
3
Tel.: +82 2 69352427; fax: +82 2 34084331. opment of the BIM-based integrated design system.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2015.07.015
0926-5805/© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
 M. Oh et al. / Automation in Construction 58 (2015) 196–206 197

similar standpoint, Flager et al. [14] studied design optimization

through process integration.
In particular, Stavridou [53] defined system integration as
‘integration of tools and software’ and the studied relationships be-
tween components, data, processes and services (i.e., functions) of the
integrated system. The study emphasized that components should in-
clude integrated functions that should be available across the life
cycle, and data exchange should be possible between system compo-
nents. He also insisted that integrating processes to provide services
should be required. Jovanov [26] developed a network technology for
reducing information loss between mobile devices. Using a similar ap-
proach, Proth et al. [46] proposed a server network technology for infor-
mation exchange between software whereas Racu et al. [47] conducted
a study on developing an automotive design process by using a timing
model between software components. As such, network-based integra-
Fig. 1. Hierarchy of integration [53].
tion [21] can also be classified as information integration, and time-
based integration can also be classified as process integration.
As shown in Table 1, there have been many studies on integration
methodology in various fields. Even though the standpoint of
2. Current approaches in integration integration is defined differently depending on the characteristics and
purpose of study, these studies emphasize the integration of ‘function,’
2.1. Software and system integration ‘information,’ and ‘process’ directly or indirectly (Fig. 2).

The lexical meaning of ‘software integration’ is “making disparate 2.2. Integration in BIM applications
applications work together to produce a unified set of functionality”
[24], and ‘system integration’ is defined as “the process of connecting In general, Architecture/Engineering/Construction (AEC) design col-
systems, devices and programs together in a common architecture so laboration includes participants from diverse fields and is executed
as to share and exchange data” [58]. As such, system integration is a con- using software applications (or systems). The concept of integration
cept that includes software integration (Fig. 1). Therefore, the integrat- has been applied to the development of BIM applications, and Table 2
ed system should be able to provide services to users in an integrated summarizes studies on BIM-based integration. The studies in this table
manner based on the software developed by unifying the tools that deal with the functional integration of individual software for
provide individual functions under a single system [53]. particular tasks or IFC-based information integration.
Software and system integration aims to provide services meeting Information sharing through the IFC file format has many con-
user needs and demands and to improve work efficiency. There have straints in actual collaborative design, leading to diverse attempts to
been studies on integration in various fields under diverse categories. solve this problem. Lim et al. [37] and Kim and Ock [29] derived prob-
Table 1 summarizes studies related to software and system integration lems through the analysis of information compatibility using the IFC
by category and field. The surveyed methodologies are largely classified file format for BIM-based software such as ArchiCAD, Revit,
into five areas: process, information, network, technology & function, MicroStation and Digital Project. Plume and Mitchell [45] analyzed
and time. IFC-based software interoperability during design, and Fischer and
Chapman and Kihn [10] emphasized information integration for the Kam [13] tested the interoperability between the IFC format and diverse
improvement of work efficiency, while Frances and Garnsey [15] tried commercial programs through analysis of actual cases. These studies re-
to integrate information and functions for system integration. In veal that the data loss occurs because the IFC format-based information
construction as well, there have been studies on the necessity of an exchange fails to provide complete interoperability. Often data loss has
integrated environment for efficient collaboration. In his study on the resulted from structural differences between the IFC format and the
effects of integration on the quality of buildings, Furgusson [19] defined software's own data format or differences in data conversion mecha-
integration as “flow of information and knowledge, taking a full life nisms. Consequently, there have been limitations in developing a col-
cycle view of the industrial facility development process.” From a laborative design environment through the IFC format.

Table 1
Studies on software and system integration.

Study Process Information Network Technology and function Time

Racu et al. (2007) [47] ●

Zeidner (1988) [62] ●
Beyne (2006) [7] ●
Bolcer et al. (1996) [8] ● ●
Chapman et al. (2009) [10] ●
Flager et al. (2009) [14] ●
Frances et al. (1996) [15] ● ●
Furgusson (1993) [19] ● ● ●
Hasselbring (2000) [23] ● ●
Jovanov (2006) [26] ● ●
Lee et al. (2000) [33] ●
Noureldin et al. (2004) [43] ● ●
Proth et al. (1997) [46] ●
Schoner et al. (1992) [52] ●
Stavridou (1999) [53] ● ● ●
Terwiesch et al. (1999) [55] ●
Yoo et al. (2008) [59] ● ●
198 M. Oh et al. / Automation in Construction 58 (2015) 196–206

The integrated design environment for BIM-based collaborative Table 2

design has to provide efficient work support throughout the process Studies on integration related to BIM-based design.

by reflecting on users' needs and demands, not just simply applying a Study Function Information Process
standard format. Building an integrated design environment from a IFC Server and web
comprehensive perspective including ‘function,’ ‘information,’ and
Akinci et al. (2003) [4] ●
‘process’ is necessary.
Beetz et al. (2010) [6] ● ●
Chen et al. (2005) [11] ● ●
3. Concept of BIM-based integrated design system Fu et al. (2001) [18] ● ●
Kiviniem et al. (2005) [30] ● ●
3.1. Analysis of BIM-based collaborative design Lim et al. (2007) [37] ●
Liu et al. (2010) [38] ●
Mihindu et al. (2008) [39] ●
BIM-based collaborative design is performed by using software that Mitchell et al. (2007) [40] ●
provides functions needed for the fulfillment of tasks in phases. To ana- Plume et al. (2007) [45] ●
lyze the current status of BIM-based collaborative design, we derived Ren et al. (2007) [48] ●
Sanguinetti et al. (2012) [51] ●
functional requirements required for the four design phases defined
Vanlande et al. (2008) [56] ●
by AIA (American Institute of Architects) [1]: Pre-design, Schematic Watson et al. (2010) [57] ● ●
Design, Design Development and Construction Documents. Table 3 Zhang et al. (2011) [61] ●
summarizes the three requirements by phase: 1) BIM data generation
and documentation, 2) quality evaluation of BIM data, and 3) BIM data
storage and management. because Solibri could not provide a function to generate the MEP system
For the analysis of BIM-based collaborative design, we selected two like Revit, all the objects included in the MEP system were independent-
commercial BIM applications (Revit and Solibri Model Checker) that ly transferred, which resulted in the object increase.
support the three functional requirements, and investigated their
performance for each task. We selected Revit to generate 3D BIM data
and Solibri Model Checker to evaluate the quality of BIM data. For infor- 3.2. Conceptual approaches for development of BIM-based integrated
mation exchange between the two applications, the IFC format was design system
used. Because data loss commonly occurs when the IFC format is used
[44], this study analyzed the information exchange capability of the This study proposes the development concepts for an integrated de-
IFC format to discover the causes of problems. sign system from the standpoint of system and software integration to
For the analysis, we chose a 5-story hospital building with 4 base- overcome the limitations of conventional BIM design tools. The follow-
ments, modeled it with Revit, and converted the Revit's native file into ing three integration concepts are required for the collaborative design
an IFC file. To model the architectural and MEP components, two archi- environment that the BIM-based integrated design system should
tects and two MEP engineers worked 8 h per day for 20 days. After
reloading the converted IFC file with Solibri Model Checker and Revit, Table 3
we analyzed the data loss between the applications during information Functional requirements for BIM-based collaborative design.
exchange.
Design phase Tasks Functional requirements
According to the analysis, 78.8% of all objects were lost in the process
of exchanging information between the IFC and Revit formats, and most Pre-design Site and mass modeling - BIM data generation and
Schematic design Architecture modeling documentation
object properties (e.g., color, grid, layer, location, and view) were lost as Schematic drawings - BIM data management and
well. Between the IFC and Solibri format, data about color, location, and MEP system planning sharing
MEP system were lost and the imported objects increased from 1031 to Generation of
1078 (Table 4). visualization data
Material utilization
Most data loss between IFC and Revit occurred due to the discrepan-
planning
cy of object definitions between the two formats [9,17,20,60]. That is, Design review - BIM data generation and
because the IFC format could not include all the objects and their prop- Regulation review documentation
erties defined in Revit, object data beyond the scope of Revit could not - BIM data evaluation
be transferred through the IFC format. The reason of the object increase - BIM data management and
sharing
between IFC and Solibri is the difference of object modeling [2]. For MEP Design Architecture modeling - BIM data generation and
modeling with Revit, an MEP system could be modeled to include duct, development MEP modeling documentation
flexible duct, duct fitting, air terminal, or air conditioner. However, Detailed drawings - BIM data management and
Generation of sharing
visualization data
Construction planning - BIM data generation and
Design review documentation
Regulation review - BIM data evaluation
- BIM data management and
sharing
Construction Architecture modeling - BIM data generation and
documents MEP modeling documentation
Construction drawings - BIM data evaluation
Generation of - BIM data management and
visualization data sharing
Detailed construction
planning
Regulation review
Construction documents - BIM data generation and
documentation
- BIM data management and
sharing
Fig. 2. Conceptual elements of BIM-based integration.
 M. Oh et al. / Automation in Construction 58 (2015) 196–206 199

Table 4
Analysis of data loss in file conversion between different formats.

Modeling and conversion (1) Revit MEP modeling Revit → IFC → Revit

Data loss analysis (1) Shape Recognition of 2D shapes only due to loss of view tree data
Visualization Loss of view and color data
Location Loss of object location and grid data
Layer Loss of object layer
Property Loss of object property data
System Loss of MEP system data
Loss of object 222 out of 1031 objects preserved (78.8% lost)
Modeling and conversion (2) Revit MEP modeling Revit → IFC → Solibri

Data loss analysis (2) Shape Good overall recognition of object shapes in IFC file
Visualization Loss of color data
Location Loss of object location and grid data
Layer Good overall recognition of layers as IFC data
Property Good overall recognition of property data
System Good overall recognition of MEP system data
Loss of object 1,078 out of 1,031 objects preserved (0.2% increased)

provide. The goal of these concepts is to improve design quality and 3.2.2. Integrated information management
enhance the productivity of design tasks. According to the National Building Specification (NBS), BIM is “the
process of generating and managing data about the building, during
its life cycle” [41]. Similarly, the National Institute of Building Science
3.2.1. Functional integration (NIBS) defines BIM as “the organization and control of the business pro-
Functional integration is a low level concept [54] for the development cess by utilizing the information in the digital prototype to effect the
of an integrated system to meet user needs and demands. Despite the ne- sharing of information over the entire life-cycle of an asset” [42]. There-
cessity of functional integration [16,22,49,50], since conventional BIM- fore, the BIM-based collaborative design refers to collaboration between
based design software has been mostly developed focusing on functions workers throughout the entire process through communication and
by particular task, using additional software to provide additional func- information exchange for efficient fulfillment of duties [31,32,34,35].
tions is inevitable, which, in turn, increases design costs and causes inter- In contrast, interoperability represents the degree of information
operability issues. For example, to review the BIM model, the output of exchange between tools as a core technical factor to support collabora-
the design, in a test in Section 3.1, the created model was sent to Soribri tive design [3,25,34].
using Revit or ArchiCAD. As a result, such problems as information loss The BIM‐based integrated design system should provide partici-
and work redundancy occurred. Hence, the BIM-based integrated design pants with the required information in time without interoperability
system has to provide integrated functions required for the fulfillment of issues. Moreover, because the levels of information to be shared by par-
tasks by phase and work type in the collaborative design process without ticipants are different in accordance to the specific nature of a project,
using heterogeneous software. Major integrated functions are for model- the system needs to manage the integrated information according to
ing building components, communicating with other participants, and the level of information sharing (e.g., project level, library level, or ob-
storing and sharing information. ject level). According to the example in Section 3.1, the MEP engineer

Fig. 3. Key integration concepts of BIM-based integrated design system.

200 M. Oh et al. / Automation in Construction 58 (2015) 196–206

Table 5
Major functional modules of BIM-based integrated design system.

Integrated design system

Module BIM Modeler BIM Checker BIM Server

Role - Creation of BIM data by design phase and field - Spatial review of BIM data - Integration of information produced during collaboration
- Creation of drawing by design phase and field - Collision check among objects - BIM data storage and management by users’ purpose
- Regulation review of BIM data
Function - Architecture modeling - Design review - Management of project information
- MEP modeling - Regulation review - Management of personal information
- Structural modeling - Server management

needs spatial information about the architectural design to arrange the the integrated design system can cohesively support the participants
appropriate machine. However, all models had to be shared after con- in performing diverse tasks throughout the entire design process.
version into the IFC format. By providing the information that each par- To implement the three integration concepts, the following three
ticipant needs at every design stage, the increase in work hours caused modules have been developed: 1) BIM Modeler, 2) BIM Checker, and
by the conversion and sharing of files and supply of unnecessary infor- 3) BIM Server. These modules support ‘BIM data generation and
mation can be prevented. documentation,’ ‘quality evaluation of BIM data’ and ‘BIM data storage
and management’ as the major components of the integrated design
system. As shown in Fig. 3, the three integration concepts were
3.2.3. Integrated process support implemented through linkages between the modules.
'Process' is a term that has diverse meanings depending on the
particular fields in which it is used. In general, it is defined as ‘route in
which a certain job is handled.’ Because collaboration continues on the 4. Development of integrated design system
four-phased design process (i.e., Pre-design, Schematic Design, Design
Development and Construction Documents), we propose ‘integrated As shown in Table 5, the proposed system is composed of the three
support for the entire collaborative design process’ as an essential major modules (i.e., BIM Modeler, BIM Checker, and BIM Server), and
element of the BIM-based integrated design system. Through the their functions are provided under the same Graphical User Interface
integrated process support, unlike the conventional collaborative (GUI). These modules were developed based on the ‘functional
environment in which various software applications independently requirements for BIM-based collaborative design’ and the ‘three
support particular tasks by design phase, domain, and organization, integration concepts’ as described in the previous sections.

Fig. 4. Collaborative design environment in integrated design system.

 M. Oh et al. / Automation in Construction 58 (2015) 196–206 201

Fig. 5. BIM Modeler GUI: (a) view tree, (b) menu toolbar, and (c) property pop-up.

Fig. 4 represents the collaborative design environment provided by (e.g., wall, column, slab, ceiling, stairs, window, door, curtain wall, etc.),
the integrated design system. It shows how the integration concepts while the division covers specific objects in each category (e.g., straight
are implemented through linkages between the three modules during wall, linking wall, etc.). The 3D shape of each object was defined based
collaborative design. ‘Functional integration’ is to provide the functions on the standard dimensions, and its 2D shape was based on standard
required for modeling and design evaluation through the BIM Modeler, symbols. The modeling functions include basic modeling functions
BIM Checker, and BIM Server. The ‘integrated information management’ (e.g., object setting, modification, offset, etc.), and additional drawing
enables the integrated management of all information produced during and object-layout functions for collaborative design between partici-
the collaborative design by linking the BIM Server with other modules. pants. The drawing function allows users to select symbols and other
The ‘integrated process support’ provides functions required for the de- necessary drawing information (e.g., drawing list, sheet, number, etc.)
sign and management of design information through the continual link- from the library. In addition, for drawing style consistency, the library
age between the three modules depending on the progress of the provides fonts and styles through pop-up windows. The object-layout
project. function enables accurate object arrangement in consideration of object
interference by providing an input bar for setting object location and
4.1. BIM Modeler direction.
Fig. 5 shows the GUI of BIM Modeler. The ‘view tree’ (Fig. 5(a))
Comprised of Architecture Modeler, MEP Modeler and Structure allows the user to set values for object modeling and drawing genera-
Modeler, the BIM Modeler is a module that provides functions for tion. The ‘menu toolbar’ (Fig. 5(b)) provides modeling functions
modeling and drawing. For its development, the core components of (e.g., object selection, system setup, layer creation, modification, etc.)
BIM, which are objects and their properties by design phase, were for architecture, MEP and structure objects. The ‘property pop-up’
defined. Objects are classified into category and division, considering (Fig. 5(c)) shows object properties (e.g., name, location, shape, price,
their detail level by design phase. The category includes general objects etc.) required for modeling, which can be modified by the user.

Fig. 6. Rule set for regulation review.

202 M. Oh et al. / Automation in Construction 58 (2015) 196–206

Fig. 7. BIM Checker GUI: (a) menu toolbar, (b) space selection, (c) rule set, and (d) review result.

4.2. BIM Checker provided by the ‘rule manager’ of the BIM Checker (Fig. 6), and it is
organized by design phase. Rules for the review of building scale are
The primary role of the BIM Checker is to evaluate the quality of provided in the pre-design phase, rules for the review of building type
design results (i.e. BIM data). The design evaluation is divided into are available in the schematic design phase, and rules for the review
‘design review’ and ‘regulation review.’ The design review is for figuring of constructability are found in the design development and construc-
out design errors of modeled objects and making corrections, while the tion documents phases.
regulation review is for making design modifications after examining if Fig. 7 shows the GUI of the BIM Checker. The ‘menu toolbar’
the design of a target building follows the legal regulations. Therefore, (Fig. 7(a)) allows users to select a target space and choose either design
the BIM Checker should provide accurate review results by analyzing review or regulation review. In ‘space selection’ (Fig. 7(b)), users can
spaces and objects in the BIM data. To this end, the three factors for spa- select and review spatial information, and ‘rule set’ (Fig. 7(c)) provides
tial analysis were defined as follows: 1) classification of space, 2) proper- rules for the regulation review. ‘Review result’ (Fig. 7(d)) displays the
ty information of space, and 3) 3D visualization. ‘Classification of space’ result of design review or regulation review for a user-selected area.
refers to a type of space defined by the user (e.g., classification by room
purpose, by floor, etc.), while ‘property information of space’ includes 4.3. BIM Server
area, location, volume and object, and ‘3D visualization’ represents the
visualization of review results. Because the BIM Server can directly manage the information pro-
For the regulation review, a separate rule set was developed. The duced by the BIM Modeler and BIM Checker, it is possible to store and
rules in the rule set were defined based on legal regulations extracted manage all information generated during the collaborative design in
from the building code and other relevant guidelines. The rule set is an integrated manner. The BIM Server consists of a Database

Fig. 8. Multi-access control of BIM Server.

 M. Oh et al. / Automation in Construction 58 (2015) 196–206 203

Fig. 9. User access screen: (a) design participant, (b) connected other design participants, and (c) information units to be shared.

Management System (DBMS) in which BIM data is stored, the Server Modify/Delete/Read Library, and 3) Create/Modify/Delete/Read Object.
Manager, which supports multiple access for project participants, and The project is all the information generated by the participants of the
the Server Access Control to control data accessibility by user. The cooperative design (i.e. all information units including library and ob-
DBMS stores extensive BIM data and provides them to users promptly jects). The library determines an object type in BIM data, and an
by indexing irregularly distributed objects. To do this, a method of spa- object is a subordinate element of the library. For example, the library
tial query was applied to sort objects in BIM data spatially. For example, data of a duct model refers to the type of duct, and duct objects include
to save a ‘wall’ object, it is stored in a simple-feature structure defined as detailed information about the duct (e.g., size, material, etc.).The project
a geometric type of spatial DBMS. In BIM data in which numerous ob- data are all the information (including library and objects) generated by
jects are irregularly distributed, therefore, the spatial query can search design participants in cooperation processes. Under this classification,
for a target object by quickly recognizing the simple-feature structure users can decide whether or not to share particular information by pro-
of the wall. ject, library, or object. Hence, security‐related problems can be solved
The Server Manager provides functions with which project partici- (Fig. 9).
pants can manage BIM data. In the management of BIM data using a Fig. 10 shows the GUI of the BIM Server. The BIM Server can be
server, data connection or handling problems can occur due to the accessed by the ‘collaboration tab’ in the ‘menu toolbar’ (Fig. 10(a)).
increase of users and BIM data. To solve these problems, we applied a The ‘server manager and server access control’ (Fig. 10(b)) provide
multi-protocol gateway for multiple users to store information pro- functions for the management of personal, institutional, and project
duced from the BIM Modeler and BIM Checker (Fig. 8). The multi- information.
protocol gateway basically provides the exchange of large object data
using TCP/IP protocol and supports the HTTP protocol as well for the 5. Validation of integrated design system
Web.
The Server Access Control determines the degree of information For the validation of the integrated design system, we used the hos-
sharing considering security issues in relation to legal contracts among pital building, that had been used to analyze the interoperability be-
participants and copyrights. The Server Control makes it possible to de- tween Revit and Solibri in Section 3, and confirmed improvements
cide the type and degree of information sharing through the following compared to conventional task performance. Like the previous case,
three classifications: 1) Create/Modify/Delete/Read Project, 2) Create/ two architects and two MEP engineers modeled the building, and it

Fig. 10. BIM Server GUI: (a) menu toolbar and (b) server manager and server access control.
204 M. Oh et al. / Automation in Construction 58 (2015) 196–206

Fig. 11. Collaborative design with integrated design system.

took 8 h of work per day for 17 days. As a test case, we carried out a between the eight categories and three modules (BIM Modeler, BIM
collaborative design between architecture and MEP, and compared the Checker and BIM Server).
following eight performance categories: 1) modeling, 2) documentation, Table 6 shows the valuation result of the integrated design system
3) design review, 4) regulation review, 5) information transmission, under the eight performance categories. First, a decline in unnecessary
6) information management, 7) collaboration, and 8) design changes. duplication of work was confirmed through the minimization of the
The test items were classified depending on the three integration number of software applications in use, as a result of integrating the
concepts as follows: functional integration (No. 1–4), integrated functions required for the collaborative design, such as model and
information management (No. 5–6) and integrated process support drawing creation by Revit, and design and regulation review by Solibri
(No. 7–8). Fig. 11 shows the collaborative design performed with the in- in the previous case. Second, by utilizing the BIM server instead of
tegrated design system. The arrows in the figure represent the linkage IFC-based information exchange between Revit and Solibri, data errors

Table 6
Performance evaluation of the integrated design system.

Integration concept Category Module Conventional design system Integrated design system

Functional integration Modeling BIM Modeler - Architecture and MEP modeling using BIM modeler
Documentation BIM Modeler - Use of additional software to create detailed drawings - Able to create 2D drawings for detailed designs
- Unnecessary work occurs despite no loss of information - Able to create 3D models for detailed designs
Design review BIM Checker - Loss of information due to the interoperability - Design evaluation and revision without data
limitation of heterogeneous software conversion between the BIM modeler and BIM
- Loss of information at data conversion between the checker
Regulation review BIM Checker BIM modeler and BIM checker due to interoperability - Regulation review and revision without data
limitations conversion between the BIM modeler and BIM
- Occurrence of unnecessary operation such as a checker
conversion task
Integrated information Information BIM Modeler - Loss of information at data conversion between - No loss of information between the BIM modeler
management transmission BIM Checker different software for different tasks and BIM checker through the BIM server
BIM Server - Difficulty in communication between participants - Smooth and systematic communication between
due to loss of information in design collaboration participants without loss of information in design
collaboration
Information BIM Modeler - Difficult to manage information precisely due to the - Continuous management of the information
management BIM Checker loss of information during transmission produced in the BIM modeler and BIM checker
BIM Server by the BIM server, allowing the collaborative
design participants to manage information in
an efficient manner
Integrated process Collaboration BIM Modeler - Difficult to establish consistent collaboration - Able to provide environment for the fulfillment
support BIM Checker environment due to the use of different software of collaborative design by design phase and
BIM Server depending on work type field through the continued linkage of the
three modules
Design changes BIM Modeler - Difficult to communicate between participants because - Able to provide consistent process depending
BIM Server it is hard to establish a consistent design process: on the progress of the project
poor response to design changes - Able to response to design changes immediately
 M. Oh et al. / Automation in Construction 58 (2015) 196–206 205

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