Centre for BIM Research (CBR)
Digital transformation has been taking place for many years since the use of CAD technologies. Nevertheless, it has been accelerated in the last two decades when the Building Information Modelling (BIM) technologies have been introduced and implemented in all aspects of a construction project from design, construction, operation, maintenance and end of life of a built asset. It brings a new dimension to the construction professionals, manufacturers and suppliers in the built environment; both in the workflow and creates a new collaborative working environment. BIM can provide solutions more than the CAD technologies in various ways for the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries. This has an impact on the demand for research in BIM and digital skill sets among the construction professionals, which had gained significant momentum in recent years.
The proposed BIM Research Centre is to explore the opportunities in conducting BIM research, consultancy, and to assist and support the practitioners, entrepreneurs, and supply chains in BIM implementation and adoption within the built environment as well as a knowledge hub for the research in BIM education, training, and implementation.
Vision
A centre for BIM research for the built environment practitioners and academics and an impartial industry-focussed BIM Centre for research, consultancy, and training in the region and nationwide.
Objectives
Research and Development - to explore and seek for potential research and development within TAR UMT, external institutions, nation-wide industrial practitioners and international research institutions.
Consultancy - working with the small medium-sized enterprises, major construction, and consultancy firms in BIM research.
Collaboration - to create and strengthen the research collaboration in terms of cross-fertilising ideas and new multidisciplinary BIM adoption and applications.
Training - to teach and deliver current BIM knowledge and applications to empower individuals with the necessary skills in adopting new ways of working and performing their tasks.
Knowledge Exchange - to provide industrial partners with venues and equipment for road show events, seminars, and presentations. This includes data collection exercises, launch and evaluation of the BIM research outcomes.
Education - to create the opportunity and to strengthen research in BIM within FOBE for teaching and training purposes.
Our Focus & Activities
The focus of this Centre is to produce high quality impartial industry-focussed BIM research, training and consultancy for the built environment practitioners and academics. Where necessary, the scope and deliveries will be focused on the Architecture, Engineering and Construction, suppliers and international research collaboration in BIM technologies, implementation and teaching and learning as the Centre’s main activities.
Publications
2024
SOURCE: Malaysian Construction Research Journal
AUTHORS: Wong Foo Yeu, Yew Yee Fang
SDG: 8, 9
CITATION:
ABSTRACT:
Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been expanding and revolutionising the global construction industry. Many BIM studies focus on the adoption from different perspectives, but the BIM adoption level remains low. Most of the studies concentrate on top-down approaches, but there are limited studies that focus on bottom-up efforts from the employee level. Few studies have suggested that employee engagement is essential in ensuring the success of BIM adoption. The motivational factor in improving employee engagement is an important element in every business to determine how employees perform their work duties. It is crucial to understand the factors that motivate employees to drive their performance. This paper intends to analyse the existing literature on the motivational factors to improve employee engagement in an organisation and reveal their importance towards BIM adoption. Sixteen journal articles of relevant studies were carefully selected via the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The said journal articles are from prolific academic databases, namely Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, and Emerald. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify the themes and sub-themes of the relevant topic. This paper proposes five main themes, which are work-life balance, training and career development, reward programme, management, and work environment, followed by twenty-five sub-themes suggested from these five themes. Several future directions and recommendations are proposed, such as conducting further research on realistic motivational factors to engage employees towards BIM adoption, narrowing down the search criteria in the context of region and professions, and conducting evidence-based research on the current development of BIM to escalate the proliferation of BIM.
SOURCE: Journal of Advanced Research in Applied Sciences and Engineering Technology
AUTHORS: Lee Yee Lin, Khoo Terh Jing, Chow Yan Thung, Ha Chin Yee
SDG: 9
CITATION: https://doi.org/10.37934/araset.43.2.220236
ABSTRACT:
E-tendering implementation can bring significant benefits such as cost savings, transparency in contract and maximize the efficiency and resources to the construction industry. E-tendering also allows users to participate through internet where this increases the competition, lower down transaction cost and minimize the time consumption and errors in the bidding processes. This study determines the readiness level of E-tendering to the Malaysian construction industry so that the construction industries are capable to overcome the possible issues and enhance their implementation of E-tendering in Malaysia. The research applied mixed methodology. 89 respondents have participated in the questionnaire while five respondents were interviewed in the interview sessions. The results showed that E-tendering organization’s attitudinal readiness has several factors such as foresee the construction tendering practice trends, aware if the introduction of E-tendering is by the government, interested in E-tendering, foresee the increasingly importance of E-tendering to company and good knowledge of IT. The organization’s physical readiness has factors such as software facilities, network access, investment in IT, computer infrastructure and technical staff. The results can be used by policies makers to promote the adoption of E-tendering among the potential practitioners in Malaysia where this can improve the efficiency in construction projects tendering process.
SOURCE: ASEAN Engineering Journal
AUTHORS: Tan Kheng Soon, Ng Chiew Teng, Ng Teck Wei, Cheng Chin Tiong, Nurul ‘Azizah Mukhlas, Mohamad Shazwan Ahmad Shah
SDG: 9, 11
CITATION: CHALLENGES AND BARRIERS FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE (UAV) IMPLEMENTATION IN MALAYSIAN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. (2024). ASEAN Engineering Journal, 14(1), 237-243. https://doi.org/10.11113/aej.v14.20584
ABSTRACT:
The usage of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) in infrastructure projects has inclined drastic recently due to its benefits. However, there is a slowness in transition from conventional construction approach to new innovation. Besides, there are lots of issues in current practices such as cost overrun, dangerous, delay of time completion and lack of an overall comprehensive scientific system. Furthermore, although there was high level of awareness on the advantages of using UAVs, the Malaysian construction industry are still reluctant for the changes. In response, to overcome issues that the construction industry faces, such as infrastructure projects thus, this study aims to develop a conceptual framework for promoting the applications of UAV in Malaysia infrastructure projects. The methods adopted include explanatory sequential research methods. For instance, questionnaire surveys and interviews are used to collect quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. Besides that, a refined conceptual framework of the challenges and barriers of UAV adoption in Malaysia infrastructure projects were mainly contributed by the restrictive regulatory environment and industry point of view. For example, the privacy issues and guidelines on autonomous UAV and the industry lack of confidence in the adoption of UAV and education on the adoption of the UAV. In addition, it offers some solutions for the issues that have been revealed in the preliminary conceptual framework for the challenges on UAV adoption in Malaysia infrastructure projects. For instance, amaze the contractor with the final data from the UAV. Lastly, the identify solution served as a reference for other Malaysian construction stakeholders that have not used UAVs before. The recommendations for future scholarly research include the roles of UAV technology with other technologies such as Artificial Intelligent (AI) or integration of data with other software.
SOURCE: Malaysian Construction Research Journal (MCRJ)
AUTHORS: Muhammad Tarique Lakhiar, Shalini Sanmargaraja, AbdulLateef Olanrewaju, Chong Hooi Lim, Vignes Ponniah, Anselm Dass Mathalamuthu
SDG: 7, 11
CITATION:
ABSTRACT:
The escalating global environmental crisis has intensified the focus on sustainable building practices. In response, numerous nations have developed green building rating systems to evaluate and certify environmentally friendly structures. Green Building Information Modelling (Green BIM) has emerged as a promising approach to integrating sustainability principles throughout the building lifecycle. By providing a digital representation of the building and its performance, Green BIM enables comprehensive analysis, optimization, and decision-making to achieve sustainable outcomes. However, the full potential of Green BIM has not yet been realized due to challenges in integrating sustainability measures within the BIM design process. This research aims to explore the application of Green BIM across the entire building lifecycle, from design to operation. By investigating its capabilities, limitations, and opportunities, this study contributes to advancing the knowledge and practice of sustainable building through the effective utilization of Green BIM.
SOURCE: International Journal of Business and Technology Management
AUTHORS: Ng Zhi Xin, Wong Foo Yeu, Lee Yee Lin
SDG: 9
CITATION: ZHI XIN, Ng; FOO YEU, Wong; YEE LIN, Lee. Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Towards the Quantity Surveying (QS) Professions: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Business and Technology Management, [S.l.], v. 6, n. S2, p. 212-226, nov. 2024. ISSN 2682-7646. Available at: <https://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ijbtm/article/view/27928>. Date accessed: 01 mar. 2025.
ABSTRACT:
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a key driving force of the fourth technology revolution, and it has become a trend in a variety of professional industries, including the construction sector like BIM. The emergence of ChatGPT has led to numerous research investigating the possibility that using AI chatbots in the workplace will be more productive. Nevertheless, there have been limited studies and no holistic understanding of the feasibility of the new and emerging AI technology in the Quantity surveying (QS) industry. With an assistance of AI chatbot, the role of QS will have significant changes. This research aims to review the existing research on the impacts of AI on QS and if it will eliminate the need for QS. Eighteen (18) relevant journal papers were carefully selected using the PRISMA statement. A thematic analysis was carried out to determine the relevant topic's themes and sub-themes. This study presents three (3) major themes: types, limitations, and impacts, followed by twenty-one (21) sub-themes. The research findings suggest that while AI chatbots have the potential to influence the QS professions, the specific nature and significance of these impacts remain uncertain, warranting further investigation.
SOURCE: International Journal of Business and Technology Management
AUTHORS: Huang Shin Fui, Sia Mal Kong Wong Foo Yeu
SDG: 9
CITATION: SHIN FUI, Huang; MAL KONG, Sia; FOO YEU, Wong. Understanding Personality Typologies in the Built Environment Through a Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Business and Technology Management, [S.l.], v. 6, n. S2, p. 397-412, nov. 2024. ISSN 2682-7646. Available at: <https://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ijbtm/article/view/27947>. Date accessed: 01 mar. 2025.
ABSTRACT:
Numerous studies have revealed the personality impacts on career development variables, including career choices, vocational interests, career decision-making and work satisfaction. Despite these advancements, a gap remains in understanding how personality differences impact the construction industry. This paper aims to synthesise research on personality typologies in the built environment by utilising Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as a framework. A systematic literature review, guided by the PRISMA 2020 flowchart, analysed 14 scholarly articles. This paper identified a composite profile of effective personality preferences across various built environment roles, including architects, interior designers, project managers, engineers, general construction workers and built environment undergraduates. The findings indicated that individuals in built environment predominantly exhibit Extroversion (E), Thinking (T) and Judging (J) traits. Certain personality types, such as ISTJ and ESTJ were the most frequently observed personality types across the built environment, while ENTP, INFP, ESFJ, ISFJ and ISFP were less common. The greatest difference across construction disciplines were found in their preferences for information-gathering, namely the Sensing/Intuition (S/N) dimension. The implications of these similarities and differences are discussed in both organisational and academic settings. The review also examined how these personality preferences affect teamwork and leadership, project management success, academic performance, work productivity, safety behaviour and risk preferences, creativity and career decision-making. Assuming that certain personality types can be attracted to a certain field or profession, the implications of these findings extend to practical applications for employers in retaining individuals with specific personality types. This paper contributes significantly to the temporal development of personality research by elucidating the personality distribution in the built environment over the past decade (2013-2023). This paper also demonstrates the utility of MBTI as a personality assessment tool in guiding undergraduates seeking alignment with their professional interests.
2023
SOURCE: Journal of Advanced Research in Applied
Sciences and Engineering Technology
AUTHORS: Lee Yee Lin, Khoo Terh Jing, Ha Chin Yee, Lee Ray Re
SDG: 9
CITATION: https://doi.org/10.37934/araset.34.2.169186
ABSTRACT:
Inefficiencies and ineffectiveness in delivering construction projects had negatively impacted the industry for decades. However, the emergence of building information modeling (BIM) technology had influenced the construction process with its many benefits toward project success. BIM benefits included reduced project time and cost, improved team collaboration and communication, and improved project quality and performance. Consequently, BIM applications were claimed to provide more reliable working practices for quantity surveyors (QS), especially in establishing their cost estimates. Despite the well-known benefits that spurred BIM employment around the world, the usage of BIM software in Malaysia was still in its infancy, requiring greater deployment by the QS. Furthermore, the literature was scarce in comparing the use of BIM software by large organizations and Small-and-Medium Enterprises (SMEs). As a result, the primary goal of this study was to identify the numerous challenges associated with the adoption of BIM software in both large and SME quantity surveying consultancy firms. Apart from that, this paper identified the availability of BIM software in the construction sector as well as the use of BIM software in those consultancy businesses. A quantitative technique was used, with 393 questionnaire survey forms issued to Malaysian QUANTITY SURVEYING consultant businesses. The data was then analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to generate a reliable and valid result. According to the findings, Cubicost software was the most popular software used by QS specialists. Notably, the results revealed that SMEs face greater challenges than large organizations, particularly those connected to professional help, finance, and time, as well as technical issues. Because large corporations and SMEs differed in nature, this study could provide new insights to policymakers in aiding companies of various sizes in their BIM transformation process. The findings called for more policymakers to work together to improve practitioners' understanding of BIM-based technology. The difficulties of SMEs must be recognized, and policymakers must bridge the gap between large and SMEs to bring Malaysia's construction industry one step closer to a new era of digitalization.