Virtual Construction + Collaboration Lab: Setting a New Paradigm for BIM Education

Building Information Modeling has been embraced and determined to be a core component of the undergraduate construction management program at several major universities across the United States. Currently, in some programs, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is being taught in a lecture lab setting in Project Management courses. Industry involvement has continued to improve the course offering by including relevant areas of information and skills needed to enter the workforce. However, it is critical to capitalize on both the intra and interdisciplinary collaborative aspect of BIM to set higher standards for research and development, education and practice. It is essential to grow and build upon these aspects to remain current with the changing trends in the Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. This paper summarizes the research to develop a curriculum progression involving the use of BIM tools at every relevant stage of a student’s academic career, culminating in a capstone project as a Virtual Construction and Collaboration Lab. The Virtual Construction and Collaboration Lab (VC 2 L) is a pod based collaborative learning environment at the Del Webb School of Construction (DEWSC), Arizona State University, wherein interdisciplinary groups of students can investigate real-world projects from the viewpoint of industry representatives in their own particular field of study. Collaboration is a team assignment, modeling the project life cycle, concentrating on the pre-construction phases as this is when major decisions regarding contract schedule and cost are confirmed. At this stage, students are engaged in not just learning the tools that constitute BIM, but in applying these tools to add and extract information to better aid the construction process. Lab time is preceded and supported by a Project Management lecture; then VC 2 L provides the environment to test and execute BIM on real life projects. In order to provide this level of expertise in students as they progress through the undergraduate level, it is essential they are well versed with the software applications ahead in their academic coursework. As a result, students are introduced to digital modeling through Autodesk® Revit®, at the 200 (sophomore) level, along with reading blueprints through a Construction Working Drawing Analysis course. To further increase the knowledge for future applications, at the 300 (junior) level a class is offered in a variety of software applications such as Autodesk® Revit®, Navisworks®, and SketchUp. This class provides the basic application of these tools in a construction setting. A capstone elective course will provide students with an extensive BIM experience for those wanting to be immersed in construction applications beyond the basic quantity take-off, scheduling, and site layout. As the industry grows and adapts to the latest trends, it is essential that students follow suit and go one step further. Academia must mirror the permeability of BIM in all the levels of courses offered in a Construction Management program.