Browsing by Author "Wu, Qinglu"

Background: BIM (Building Information Modelling) has helped the construction industry with better workflow and collaboration. To further integrate technologies into the construction industry, research and applications are actively integrating cloud technologies into traditional BIM design workflow. Such integration can be referred to as Cloud BIM, which is considered the second generation of BIM development. Cloud BIM is related to many aspects including technical implementation, workflow improvement, and collaboration of different roles. Aims: In this thesis, we want to find the current situation of Cloud BIM, identifying the benefits and challenges as well as possible technical solutions to the challenges. Methods: We conducted a literature review and analyzed eleven selected papers to gather the necessary data for this thesis. We then did a case study of an integration of two applications, to understand the real challenges in an actual implementation of a cloud-based BIM solution. Results: Cloud BIM can mainly benefit collaboration and information exchange. However, many challenges still exist both in technical and non-technical aspects that require more work. Our integration explored a deeper and more cloud-based solution in a certain process of BIM projects. The main challenge we faced is inconsistent data standards. Conclusions: The results show that the industry is on the way to integrating the cloud into BIM. However, more work needs to be done to overcome the challenges.