Building Information Modeling Body of Knowledge. I: Background, Framework, and Initial Development

Abstract

This paper presents the first phase of the building information modeling (BIM) body of knowledge (BOK) research conducted by the Academic Interoperability Coalition (AiC). The AiC BIM BOK initiative identifies and examines the formation of a global BIM culture emerging from its ubiquitous adoption and implementation worldwide in the last two decades. It advocates both urgent needs and unprecedented opportunities to establish a BIM BOK to (1) develop a holistic and robust framework to capture BIM concepts, standards, best practices, and state-of-the-art innovations; (2) identify foundational knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to meet workplace BIM job task performance requirements; (3) benchmark desired learning outcomes and career-specific competency in cultivating future BIM talent; and (4) enable credible and authentic BIM education accreditation and training credentialing. This research proposes the working definition of BIM BOK as the systematically curated concepts and nomenclature, knowledge, best practices, standards, and expected outcomes pertaining to BIM and its implementation. It summarizes the literature and background review, identifies the theoretic underpinnings of the BIM BOK, and delineates a knowledge representation framework adopted by AiC to encapsulate the BIM BOK using a job task analysis (JTA) workshop. A preliminary inventory of the BIM BOK contents is also developed, which is further explored and evaluated using a rigorous three-round, consensus-building Delphi study in the next phase of the BIM BOK research. The intellectual contributions of this research include that (1) it promotes the broad awareness of an expanding global BIM culture and proposes a systematic approach, i.e., the BOK, to scientifically investigate its formation and impacts on advancing the field of BIM study; (2) it clarifies the theoretic underpinnings and justifies the practical implications of establishing the BIM BOK; (3) it creates a holistic and dynamic knowledge representation framework for comprehensive and multidimensional BIM BOK documentation across industry sectors; and (4) it lays the foundation for more comprehensive development, evaluation, and utilization of the proposed BIM BOK when evaluating building and use cases.