BIM-Based Checking Method for the Mass Timber Industry

Since the 1990s, mass timber constructions have become more and more popular. This type of construction has characteristics that are ideal for incorporating building information modeling (BIM). A mass timber structure implies offsite prefabrication at the factory, which generates modeling specificities. Although digitalization and BIM are becoming more and more common, and some studies have focused on BIM for mass timber construction, none of them focus on model checking for mass timber construction. In construction projects, there is still no general method that synthesizes the possibilities offered by BIM-based model checking in general, and research on the conformity of mass timber models in particular is almost non-existent. Our research objective is to provide a general step-by-step method summarizing the process of model compliance study with dedicated tools. To conduct this work, we first solidified our understanding of the problem by interviewing professionals from the mass timber construction industry. Next, we developed our method iteratively, supported by tools, and then validated it with three model-checking case studies. This method consists of five steps: checking the specifications, digital environment implementation, requirement deciphering, calculation, and compliance results' analysis. We then applied our method in three case studies. The results of the case studies are mixed: some audits were successful, while others were not, because barriers to auditing were encountered (missing information, impossible interpretation of data for the model properties, etc.). The obstacles encountered show that, to be efficient, BIM must be conducted on high-quality models, which is not often the case in real-life situations.