BIM-based multidisciplinary building design practice - a case study

Purpose / Context - As the emerging digital technology, Building Information Modelling has been applied in the multidisciplinary design work for sustainable houses. This study aims to input the real-world design context into the BIM pedagogy and to demonstrate the capacity of BIM in enhancing teamwork in the cross-disciplinary collaboration. Methodology / Approach – A case study of a Saint Lucia-based residential house project was adopted by utilizing BIM as the platform to carry on the redesign plan differing from an existing de-sign. Nine different student design teams from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, each team consisting of students from architecture, civil engineering, and architectural environmental engineering, worked in the BIM-based platform to provide solutions on architectural model, structural design, cost estimate, and sustainability in terms of energy efficiency. Each team’s design plan was presented and evaluated by academics, the client, and construction professionals. Results – The case study demonstrates the capacity of BIM in assisting the cross-disciplinary pro-ject design. BIM learners gained the practical experience in the team design work. As the project deliverable, different design plans were evaluated by the client and the contractor for further devel-opments. The BIM project experience from team members was also presented in this study. Key Findings / Implications – The BIM education provides the insights of how colleague educa-tion could equip students with the state-of-the-art learning experience by incorporating the real-world project into the BIM pedagogy. BIM, as the coordination platform, could be fully utilized to implement the building design. This case project serves as an example of briding the gap between BIM academ-ia and industry. Future BIM education could continue adopting the case study-based experiential learning approach and expand BIM applications from design to the construction stage. Originality – This work provides the case study in the pedagogical practice demonstrating the BIM-enabled multidisciplinary collaboration in architectural visualization, structural design, budget control, and sustainability strategies.