Track: Engineering Management

Abstract

The South African Architecture, Engineering and the Construction (AEC) industry falls victim to fragmentation of processes and lack of coordination amongst professionals. Therefore an urgent need to explore and embrace techniques, technologies and innovations to reduce building cost, materials and time, while collaboration amongst professionals is enhanced. Building Information Modelling has shown promise to solve some of the problems associated with the ineffectiveness of building design and facilitates a more collaborative approach to project delivery. While Lean Construction can reduce waste and non-value added activities in a process. However, it is unclear how the two concepts straddled together can further improve efficiency in construction. Therefore, it is critical to determine the barriers and opportunities of combined systems. Various sources of literature reveal that several barriers affect the synergy between lean construction and building information modelling. This research uses a comprehensive literature review to gather data for analysis. Furthermore, the authors use their autoethnographic experience to synthesise factors contributing to the successes and failures of the systems in South Africa. Finally, a framework of strategies to synthesise lean construction and building information is created. This research will be necessary for researchers, practitioners and other professionals as it will add on to the body of knowledge in the sector of construction and information technology.