查看文章

The construction industry in recent years has incorporated information technology which serves to facilitate the conceptualization and realization of construction projects. These efforts have culminated in the development of “Building Information Modeling”(BIM), a process consisting of generating and managing digital renderings of a building‟ s functional and physical features. BIM has attracted widespread popularity recently; however, there is several challenges concerning its definitions and expectations in early phases of construction projects. Evidently different organizations and people create their own definitions of BIM, based on the specific way they work with BIM. Thus, it is evident that there are differences in the way BIM is perceived by both different individuals and organizations within the construction industry. As a result, it might be difficult to come up with a common definition of BIM for the entire construction industry. In other words, there is confusion concerning what BIM is, and what BIM is not. This can lead to misunderstandings concerning expectations from different stakeholders involved in construction projects where BIM is utilized. Therefore, by reviewing and analyzing current literature in the area of BIM, the main objective of this paper is to discuss the most common challenges of BIM‟ s definitions and expectations which hinder the comprehensive realization of its benefits in order to increase the awareness of construction practitioners and firms. It is suggested that the definition of BIM should not be unilateral but rather encompass several key characteristics which have been attributed to it.