Integrated Design and Engineering using Building Information Modelling: A Pilot Project of Small-Scale Housing Development in The Netherlands

During the design phase, decisions aremade that affect, on average, 70% of the life-cycle cost of a building. Therefore, collaborative design relying on multidisciplinary knowledge of the building life cycle is essential. Building information modelling (BIM) makes it possible to integrate knowledge from various project participants that traditionally work in different phases of the building process. BIMhas been applied in a number of large-scale projects in the industrial real estate and infrastructure sectors in different countries, including The Netherlands. The projects in the housing sector, however, are predominantly small scale and carried out by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). These SMEs are looking for practical and affordable BIM solutions for housing projects. This article reports a pilot project of small-scale housing development using BIM in the province of Zeeland, The Netherlands. The conceptual knowledge derived from European and national research projects is disseminated to the SMEs through a series of experimental working sessions. Action learning protocols within a pilot project are developed to ensure direct impacts in terms of cost reduction and quality improvement. The project shows that BIM can be applied without radical changes to the SMEs' information and communication technology systems or to their business organizations.