AUTCON-01774; No of Pages 10

Automation in Construction xxx (2014) xxx–xxx

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Automation in Construction
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon

A BIM-based construction quality management model and

its applications
LiJuan Chen, Hanbin Luo ⁎
School of Civil Engineering & Mechanics, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan 430074, China

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The potential of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to support a transformation of the processes of design and
Received 24 September 2013 construction has been evident in the construction industry. Although BIM is considered helpful in improving de-
Received in revised form 4 May 2014 sign quality by eliminating conflicts and reducing rework, there has been little research into using BIM through-
Accepted 13 May 2014
out the project for construction quality control and efficient information utilization. Due to the consistency of
Available online xxxx
design data with quality data and construction process with quality control process, the potential of BIM imple-
Keywords:
mentation in quality management lies in its ability to present multi-dimensional data including design data and
Construction quality management time sequence. This paper explores and discusses the advantages of 4D BIM for a quality application based on
4D BIM construction codes, by constructing the model in a product, organization and process (POP) data definition
Construction codes and specifications structure. A case study is provided to validate the use of the proposed 4D BIM application for quality control
Product during the construction phase of the Wuhan International EXPO Center.
Organization and process modeling © 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Collaboration

1. Introduction problems. Project-site accidents due to poor quality are significantly

worse in China [6].
The quality of a product is reflected in its ability to satisfy stated or Due to the uncertainty and complexity of construction management
implied needs and internal characteristics of a finished product in addi- and variability within project environments, quality should be closely
tion to its external design [1]. Therefore, construction product quality scrutinized and controlled throughout each stage of construction [7].
can be defined as: the degree to which the stated or implied needs Based on experience from construction experts and extensive literature
and the internal characteristics are guaranteed during the process of review, there are three factors which contribute to difficulties in quality
construction [2]. This research defines quality as compliance with management. First, the quality control criteria for individual compo-
construction codes and specifications. nents are scattered in different national, industrial and local quality con-
trol codes for construction. It is also common for these specifications to
cross-reference each other, creating complex dependencies between
1.1. Research background specifications [37]. For example, during jet grouting, there are more
than 3 codes for the requirements of size, shape, and mechanical prop-
In official records, there were 882 cases of construction quality and erties. Second, it's difficult to identify the responsibility for an accident
safety incidents in China in 2006 [3]. During 2007–2008, at least 37 because project participants form a complex web of relationships [14].
fatal accidents were due to quality failures on projects. During the first Third, the current focus of quality control is on the final component
half of 2009 there were 257 cases of construction quality and safety with much less attention given to quality control during the process of
production accidents in which 306 people died [4]. According to the sta- construction. These problems greatly increase the difficulties of con-
tistics, of the 147 engineering accidents collected by researchers, about struction management and contribute to quality defects. Because of
1/3 of low-rise building collapses were caused by improper construction these scattered and conflicting codes, highly mobile project participants
methods or materials. Most building quality accidents during the con- follow only a subset of quality codes, without full understanding.
struction phase occur in multi-story projects [5]. 29% of the construction Therefore, hidden quality dangers are buried deep in the system
project accidents in Germany are directly due to construction quality which can create the potential for future construction disasters.
Other researchers have used computer-based information technolo-
gy to develop quality management programs for quality assurance [8],
⁎ Corresponding author. Tel./fax: +86 27 87557124. to construct a web-based quality management system for effective
E-mail address: [email protected] (H. Luo). information sharing [9] and to integrate scheduling with inspection

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2014.05.009
0926-5805/© 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Please cite this article as: L. Chen, H. Luo, A BIM-based construction quality management model and its applications, Automation in Construction
(2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2014.05.009
2 L. Chen, H. Luo / Automation in Construction xxx (2014) xxx–xxx

and testing, nonconformance reporting, and with corrective actions viewed in the BIM application [30]. Therefore, quality inspections can be
during the construction phase [10]. Previous studies have been conduct- scheduled immediately after the completion of one task, before the next
ed to facilitate information sharing and to link scattered information. task begins, making the quality inspection process timely and consistent
However, these studies failed to fully utilize digital information in the with the construction process; (3) collaboration between participants.
design documents by automatically passing quality related information The use of BIM technology on construction projects has the potential
to the construction phrase, and to sufficiently consider the interrelation- to improve the process by allowing all team members to collaborate
ship between the three main factors in quality management: product, more accurately and efficiently than when using traditional processes
organization and process. Because change orders and inspection sched- [15,16]; (4) unlimited extension of the use of BIM information when
ules change continuously throughout the process of construction, the combined with other advanced technologies. These advanced technolo-
quality control plan should be adjusted based on both spatial and gies link the digital to the physical entities [31]. Research has already
temporal data. The complex nature of these factors indicates that a 4D been conducted to investigate the combination of BIM and other tech-
(3D model plus time) visualization technology would be advantageous nologies such as AR (augmented reality) for quality defect management
for quality assessment during construction. The use of Building Informa- [32].
tion Modeling (BIM) technology on construction projects has the poten- Considering the above advantages of utilizing BIM in construction
tial to improve not only the construction process but also the quality quality management, this paper explores the implementation of
control process by changing the way project participants interact with BIM for construction quality management and proposes to integrate
each other [13]. BIM with the existing POP data structure to improve current quality
management process.
1.2. BIM and its applications in project quality management
2. Research objective and methodology
BIM is most frequently perceived as a tool for visualizing and coordi-
nating AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) work, avoiding The objective of this research was to develop a comprehensive, in-
errors and omissions, improving productivity, and supporting schedul- formative and practical 4D BIM-based application for the purpose of
ing, safety, cost and quality management on construction projects. It in- construction quality management and to investigate how it can fit into
corporates all the building components, including geometry, spatial the current construction practice. Also, the research identified potential
relationships, properties and quantities [11]. BIM can also generate problems with using BIM technology with current quality management
and maintain information produced during the whole life cycle of a methods, and proposes solutions. During the research, quality models
building project—from design to maintenance—and can be applied to that contained process, organization, and product (POP) information
various fields [12]. Examples of this research are BIM-based: cost plan- were built using national, industrial and local quality standards and
ning and estimating, safety checking integration for dynamic safety codes. Then, a scheduling model and the quality model were integrated
analysis [17–19], and dynamic construction site safety management into a virtualized 4D BIM-based application to identify quality control
[20]. Research indicates that BIM is beneficial in the preparation of criteria and responsibility assignments in the construction process.
schedules and estimates, tracking and managing changes, and manag- This application includes inspection and testing, analysis during the
ing site logistics [21]. More informed decisions by a project's stake- construction phase, and feedback of inspection results.
holders can be made due to the, now feasible, open communication A case study approach was adopted to explain the dynamic quality
and exchange of data after easily verifying design requirements [15] control model that was developed from a comprehensive review of
and performance can be analyzed through BIM [16]. However, there the literature and site investigation. The inspection template is derived
are no best practice studies that demonstrate implementation of a 4D of Construction Quality Integration System® and the CQIS is the founda-
BIM application to increase the quality of construction projects [28]. tion of this research. In the case study, the inspection data was acquired
The use of BIM has provided a means of increasing total project qual- from the project general contractor and CAD drawings and the
ity [22]. It improves design quality in the following ways: 1) Increases construction schedule were obtained from the project owner and from
efficiency and precision and improves design evaluation and communi- contractors.
cation [16,23]; 2) reduces errors due to better coordination between The research consists of four major sections: (1) Investigation of
documents and the entire team, thus minimizes conflicts [24,25]; quality control strategies in large infrastructure construction through
3) simulation and optimization can be conducted for better performance, site survey; (2) creation of the 4D BIM model by Autodesk Revit® and
lower costs, and shorter lead times [26]; 4) automatic generation of en- Navisworks®; (3) formulation of the method to match the quality
gineering documents produces precise and consistent information [24]; data structure with BIM based on theoretical research; (4) development
5) reduces maintenance costs and time by providing timely and relevant of a 4D BIM application workflow for quality management. Validation of
information to facility management (FM) as early as the design the proposed model is obtained through a case study of the foundation
stage [27]. construction at the Wuhan International Expo Center. The foundation
Researchers agree that BIM can be helpful to improve project quality work was completed with no delay due to major quality defects. A
and that more projects are likely to use BIM in the future to pass infor- brief explanation and application of the four-step approach of this
mation from the design phase to the construction trades. However, research is presented in the following sections.
there is no clear guidance about the use of BIM to improve quality
[28]. In view of this, this paper proposes a 4D BIM-based application 3. Quality management plan in large infrastructure construction
for quality management in the construction phrase, which can benefit
the project in following ways: (1) Ensure information consistency Quality control covers inspection and testing, nonconformance
from the design through the construction phase. BIM is a parametric reporting, and corrective action taken during the construction phase
modeling effort that provides tabular views of components and charac- [10]. The quality control process begins with making quality manage-
teristic interactions with their elements such as: name, type, attributes, ment plans based on the design drawings and specifications, which
relationships and metadata [15,29]. The extensive data for each con- establish the quality of the material and equipment, the acceptance
struction product can be used as the basis to automatically assess the criteria for the work in place, and the inspection and testing to be per-
significance of deviations between the design and as-built conditions in- formed. Then, through coordination between material engineers and
stead of manually evaluating individual drawings and change orders. project engineers, all the technical and quality data in the procurement
(2) Process control consistency during construction. The percent com- requisition for material and equipment have been transmitted for
pletion of each activity in the construction schedule can be continuously procurement. During construction work, the subcontracted work is

Please cite this article as: L. Chen, H. Luo, A BIM-based construction quality management model and its applications, Automation in Construction
(2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2014.05.009
 L. Chen, H. Luo / Automation in Construction xxx (2014) xxx–xxx 3

monitored for conformance by the general superintendent and the field and the process of construction activities, when requested by a contrac-
engineer. They also monitor all work and identity deficiencies beyond tor. Third, the inspection is conducted by recording the field measure-
tolerable limits. Upon completion of the work, acceptance inspection ments and test results required in the checklist. Fourth, an objective
and validation testing are conducted to verify conformance with the re- comparison between design requirements and construction results is
quirements of the approved construction documents [35]. In general, automatically generated. Fifth, decisions are made whether to accept
the control of quality on a construction project consists of field inspec- and proceed to next process or to reject this lot and issue a nonconfor-
tions which guarantee that workmanship, physical properties, equip- mance report (NCR) with specific requirements from the BIM-based
ment, and material supplied by the contractor conform to the design quality model. Finally, the inspection work results in feedback, and it
plans and specifications [36]. is reflected in the model. Subsequently the model and the inspection
In the current practice in China, checklists in the form of electronic plan are updated.
templates are used for quality inspections. Each checklist contains qual- Quality management is a precise and complex process which re-
ity control criteria categorized based on national, industry and locally- quires knowledge and work experience. The mobility of construction
based quality control codebooks for each inspection lot. Each inspection practitioners and the lack of accurate understanding of quality codes
lot can be considered as a product. The responsibilities of each organiza- lead to negligence or failure to conform to quality requirements. There-
tion that participates in constructing the final product are identified and fore, research and development of a construction quality management
recorded along with the lot checklist. Construction quality acceptance is model are necessary for barrier-free quality data circulation between
divided into the unit (sub-units) project, the segment (sub-segment) different trades at all stages of the project. The integration of 4D BIM
project, the sub-project and the inspection lot. An inspection lot is com- and construction quality codes provide accurate and consistent data
posed of a certain number of samples that are reproduced in the same for the whole process, allowing the participants to fully understand
conditions and pooled in a prescribed manner for testing. The sequence the quality requirements.
of acceptance is in the opposite direction from traditional acceptance
methods — from the bottom lot to the whole project. The inspection 4. Architecture of BIM-based construction quality model
lot is the smallest unit and can be considered as a construction product
equal to a component in a BIM model. In a standard BIM, each element is only defined with geometry
Fig. 1 shows the overall process of quality inspection plan utilizing a attributes; this does not include the detailed information necessary for
BIM quality model. First, the quality control plan is developed based on quality management such as construction process, method, material,
the work plan, the inspection plan and project characteristics. Second, and participants. In order to contain all available information elements,
the corresponding quality checklist is retrieved from the 4D BIM- evaluation criteria and relationships, the quality model consists of a
based construction quality model, according to work classifications standard BIM, scheduling and the standard POP model.

Quality management plan

Inspection Lot Quality Parameters

Construction Activities Pile Shape

link Curtain wall Location

Inspection plan link

Mechanical
3D model Steel structure
attributes

4D model
Pipe installation Material amount

…… ……

Product template

Update Organization template

Inspection execution Support Corresponding 3D entity object link

Process template

POP modeing

Design requirement Construction Measurement

Rework report

Inspection result Report Specifications Verification

Proceed order

Fig. 1. The execution of construction quality management inspection plan using BIM quality model.

Please cite this article as: L. Chen, H. Luo, A BIM-based construction quality management model and its applications, Automation in Construction
(2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2014.05.009
4 L. Chen, H. Luo / Automation in Construction xxx (2014) xxx–xxx

4.1. POP modeling method geometry size, mechanical properties, and construction methods. Qual-
ity control criteria are quantitative and qualitative indexes in construc-
In order to better construct the full data interrelationships for quality tion codes that are integrated, categorized and standardized based on
management purposes in BIM, the data from BIM should be carefully or- national, industrial and local quality control codes. There are clear
ganized and enriched. The product, organization, and process (POP) deviation limits between design and construction.
modeling method to complement 3D product models with process
and organization models to support design and construction was pro- 4.1.2. Organization template
posed [34]. 4D modeling is an example of product–process modeling The contactor queries the BIM-based construction model to identify
and organization–process modeling. The latter is used to construct the work that needs inspection and then issues an inspection request.
and simulate the interaction among teams and/or organizations, and After confirmation of the inspection request, the project manager, con-
their associated responsibilities, in different phases of a project [33]. tractor, superintendent, full-time quality inspector, and job foreman
The prior work of constructing an electronic checklist database is ac- assigned to these activities are identified in the template. The quality
complished to structuralize codes and will be used as the foundation inspector evaluates the quality level for the inspection report. Finally,
of this research. The quality model includes more than 300 types of the inspection lot must be accepted by the superintendent and relevant
control items and more than 1000 control templates, covering control architect/engineers, so that the next construction procedure can begin.
codes and standards for the whole quality control process in the In the construction stage, accurate and efficient coordination between
construction industry. construction participants is needed. In order to implement quality man-
agement in the construction phase, when quality defects happen, the
relevant person can be identified for responsibility by searching inspec-
4.1.1. Product template
tion lot records and engineering survey data.
Product control is a branch of statistical quality control; it consists of
various inspection procedures to help make decisions about the disposi-
tion of individual lots of finished products. The inspection lot is a certain 4.1.3. Process template
quantity of a particular item chosen at random for quality testing. It In order to facilitate quality management processes with BIM, so that
should consist of material produced under similar conditions and the inspection plan can be arranged and adjusted dynamically along
using similar materials, personnel and methods. The lot will be accepted with the actual construction process, scheduling information should
or rejected by inspectors according to a quality checklist template, as be integrated with the 3D model. In addition, the construction process
shown in Fig. 3. The lot checklist contains quality control criteria defin- can be virtually presented in time sequence by attaching start and finish
ing the permissible deviation between design parameters and construc- times to each construction activity. Fig. 4 shows the relationship
tion results for each construction product. Because organization chart between construction activities and construction products, and that
names and responsibilities are contained in the existing POP which construction activities are defined with sequential start and finish
has been integrated into the BIM application, the lot checklist also iden- times. This provides the basis for logical analysis as uninspected prod-
tifies the party responsible for each item. The spaces in the form that are ucts can be identified virtually to avoid the negligence so common on
marked as DGXXX are numbered and left blank for deviation results construction sites. For construction process control, inspection criteria
generated by comparing as-built construction data with as-designed are identified by order in the construction process. Then, the quality
data from the BIM model. acceptance time is forecast according to the schedule for each control
The product template consists of three parts: entity object, quality item in a construction period.
properties, and corresponding inspection criteria based on construction
codes. Although a normal BIM can provide basic design and construc- 4.2. BIM-based construction quality model
tion information, the information must be structurally organized and
enriched to be detailed enough for effective decision making. A BIM-based construction quality model is constructed with combi-
The quality properties include critical inspection criteria which nation of a POP model method and a BIM model, where the construction
play an important part in safety, health, environmental protection and product from POP model is constructed to match the BIM component
public interests. Also included are common inspection criteria such as from BIM as shown in Fig. 5. Components in the BIM model are

Product Inspection
Inspection Lot: Jet Grouting Foundation
Inspection Lot: Lot: Jet Grouting
Jet Grouting Foundation
Foundation
Quality
Quality control
control items items Permissible
Permissible Deviations
Deviations
Quality control items Permissible Deviations
Mechanical Foundation
Foundation Capacity
Capacity designdesign requirements
requirements
Foundation Capacity design requirements
properties Grouting Pressure
Grouting Pressure designdesign requirements
requirements
Grouting Pressure design requirements
Material Cement
Cement Amount Amount design requirement
design requirement s s
Cement Amount design requirements
Drilling Location
Drilling Location mm mm ≤ 50 ≤ 50
Shape Drilling Location mm ≤ 50
Drilling
Drilling DepthDepth mm mm ± 200± 200
Drilling Depth mm ± 200
Size Pile Diameter
Pile Diameter mm mm ≤ 50 ≤ 50
Pile Diameter mm ≤ 50
Pile Center
Pile Center Location
Location mm mm ≤ 0.2D≤ 0.2D
Pile Center Location mm ≤ 0.2D

Engineer Process
Locating Drilling Grouting ...

Contractor

Superintendent

Project Manager

Organization

Fig. 2. Interrelationship of product, organization and process model for jet grouting foundation inspection lot.

Please cite this article as: L. Chen, H. Luo, A BIM-based construction quality management model and its applications, Automation in Construction
(2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2014.05.009
 L. Chen, H. Luo / Automation in Construction xxx (2014) xxx–xxx 5

Fig. 3. Quality inspection checklist for jet grouting foundation.

reorganized into inspection lots that establish a correspondence be- Therefore, it is best to extend the quality attributes when creating and
tween inspection lots and BIM elements. Considering the uniqueness updating the model information with the construction method and ma-
of each engineering project, the rules for dividing inspection lots and terial requirements that are usually specified in the design of overall in-
the creation of the BIM model would be different for each project. Nor- struction in a 2D design environment. Therefore, the BIM model must be
mally the parameters in a BIM only cover geometric attributes which is created with significant quality attributes for each building element,
not enough information to connect the component to an inspection lot. such as material and construction method. So that the BIM elements

Construction schedule Inspection lot

Construction activities

Start and finish time

Fig. 4. Relationship between construction activities and BIM components.

Please cite this article as: L. Chen, H. Luo, A BIM-based construction quality management model and its applications, Automation in Construction
(2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2014.05.009
6 L. Chen, H. Luo / Automation in Construction xxx (2014) xxx–xxx

Fig. 5. Framework of BIM-based construction quality model.

can be identified and match with corresponding inspection lot. Take integrity analysis, deviation analysis and compliance analysis. Finally,
cast-in-place reinforced concrete beam as an example, with the infor- if the inspection lot passes the acceptance inspection, the project pro-
mation of material and construction method, the quality checklist for ceeds to the next task; if the inspection lot fails, a NCR report with cor-
cast-in-place reinforced concrete is located and pulled out for use. rective actions will be issued. After the corrective actions are completed,
All quality control criteria are fully covered in a hierarchical informa- the whole process will cycle again. The result is visually displayed in the
tion structure in the quality model that reflects both the dependency BIM for enhanced readability and ease of use for quality managers.
and interaction among relationships during the quality control process Because data input is from the BIM-based quality model and shared
and between organizations. The model is computable and compatible among construction participants throughout the construction process,
with multimedia data applications (engineering drawings, photographs the need to repeat the input of data in different forms for data analysis,
and images) to better present quality related information. data sharing and communication is greatly reduced.
The framework and interrelationships are generally described in The information collected onsite is also entered into the BIM-based
Fig. 5: (1) Choosing the appropriate product template for inspection quality model and processed. Quality analysis is illustrated along with
according to the actual progress in the 4D BIM-based construction; construction progress, as follows:
(2) completing the template with on-site data required by the template;
(3) analyzing of data integrity and deviation are carried out for compli- (1) Logic analysis. The construction quality inspection process in the
ance analysis; (4) providing quality inspection results for the 3D BIM quality model is nested in successive stages according to
virtualized model feedback as well as the schedule adjustment required the sequence of construction in the same construction set. Each
by the inspection results. sub-unit inspection must be completed before proceeding to
the next unit. The first level of acceptance testing is at the inspec-
tion lot level and each entry is completed by personnel with the
5. Workflow when using a BIM-based construction quality model necessary professional background and responsibility.
(2) Integrity analysis. Data integrity is maintained because the BIM
After the construction of a BIM-based construction quality model, quality model verifies input data with established data validity
the workflow order is developed, as shown in the flowchart in Fig. 6. rules to prevent input errors. The data validity rules contain
The quality control process starts with the request for acceptance after reasonable data expectations and will cause the model to reject
the completion of an inspection lot for the last task completed but be- wrong data or not to continue until the data is complete.
fore the next one begins. Then the data collected from the construction (3) Deviation analysis. The actual quality control data is compared
site is inputted into the template for continuous and real time data with the design data in this process. The BIM-based application

Fig. 6. Workflow of BIM-based construction quality model.

Please cite this article as: L. Chen, H. Luo, A BIM-based construction quality management model and its applications, Automation in Construction
(2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2014.05.009
 L. Chen, H. Luo / Automation in Construction xxx (2014) xxx–xxx 7

Table 1 the next procedure can start; if the lot fails an inspection, the
Color metaphor of quality status in BIM-based quality model.
lot will be marked red and then a nonconformance report that
Quality state Color coded metaphor states the violation of codes that fail to deliver the consistency
Before Before construction of design intent and construction results will be issued for correc-
inspection Under construction tive action.
After construction
6. Implementation
After Failed
inspection Passed
Wuhan International Exhibition Center is the largest facility of this
type in the Midwest China and the third largest exhibition venue na-
tionally with an exhibition area of 130,000 m2. The total cost for this
contains the design and construction parameters and official project was approximately 3 billion dollars. The exhibition venue has
construction codes as reference data. The BIM-based quality 12 single halls which are designed without columns. Due to the large in-
model compares the actual quality testing data to these stan- vestment, tight schedule, complexity of construction and large amount
dards. The BIM-based application displays value deviations and of participants, the project quality had to be closely scrutinized and
the degree of deviation by using different warning symbols strictly controlled according to relevant construction codes throughout
(triangle, circle, etc.) so unacceptable inspection results are obvi- the construction phase to prevent the value of the end product from
ous. For example, the location of the grouting foundation should being compromised and off schedule.
deviate less than 1.5% from the design parameter based on The proposed BIM-based quality model of this paper was applied to
construction codes. the construction process for the foundation of work. After one month of
(4) Compliance analysis. The BIM-based quality model provides high pressure jet grouting foundation work, 156 jet grouting piles were
management for the whole construction project quality process completed in accordance with the schedule as shown in Fig. 7. The con-
in a multi-level acceptance sequence. The model provides analy- tractor requested inspection since 28 days of completion according to
sis for every quality control item and displays whether the actual the code for acceptance of construction quality of building foundations
quality testing results meet the requirement of corresponding (GB50202-2009).
codes in the quality model. Take interior decoration as an exam- When the inspection request for specific objects in the model was
ple, eligibility criteria of inspection lot is listed as follow: 1) Each accepted, the corresponding checklist template for high pressure jet
dominant item should be quality tested by sampling inspection; grouting foundation was identified based on the information about
2) general items should each be qualified by sampling inspection, construction method and material from BIM model. The professional
during the counting inspection. Allowable defect items are less quality inspector completes the checklist with the organization infor-
than 80% of total samples and the maximum deviation must be mation and inspection data obtained from the construction site. Then,
no more than 1.5 times the permissible deviation; 3) quality site data was analyzed, and compared with the design parameters in
inspection records must be completed during construction the BIM-based quality model. Any data with a deviation beyond tolerat-
operations. The lot will be accepted if the selected samples ed variance will be identified and marked with symbols. Then an accep-
meet the system defined requirements. tance rate for each row of quality control items in the checklist will be
(5) Quality status feedback. As schedule information is integrated in generated and compared with the codes, as shown in Fig. 8. The tem-
the model, a status for the construction product is defined as: plate in Chinese in English refers to the same template in Fig. 3. Finally,
before construction or under construction before inspection. the decision is made whether the inspection results are in accordance
After the inspection is performed, the results are displayed in with construction codes, then reflected in 3D model. The next construc-
the model with color metaphors and NCRs or rework orders are tion activities in this area may proceed, if the lots are accepted. Other-
generated if necessary. The 3D BIM describes quality status in wise, the lots that failed inspection would be displayed in red, and a
different colors as shown in Table 1. When the lot is accepted, nonconformance report or rework order will be issue to provide the

View of construction activities

status in BIM model

Construction activities

Fig. 7. Color-coded inspection lot of high-pressure jet grouting foundation and corresponding time schedule in BIM.

Please cite this article as: L. Chen, H. Luo, A BIM-based construction quality management model and its applications, Automation in Construction
(2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2014.05.009
8 L. Chen, H. Luo / Automation in Construction xxx (2014) xxx–xxx

Organization information

Product quality criteria

Design parameters in
BIM model

Field data collected

Fig. 8. Quality data analysis screenshot of high pressure jet grouting foundation inspection lot.

basic information of lots, description of violation in material, workman- management process. Second, the fully standardized and structured
ship or procedure as well as plans for corrective action as is shown in construction codes are integrated in the model to provide clear
Fig. 9. The coding method of blank space in the rework order in Fig. 9 construction task requirements for instruction and verification. Typical
is consistent with the original checklist in Fig. 2. Then, the result of the errors caused by misunderstanding of cross-reference codes can be
corrective action is reviewed and approval is given to proceed with avoided. Third, 4D application ensures the timely inspection and
successive activities. virtualization of the whole process, which helps the project participants
In this way, design information in the BIM is fully utilized in data to better understand the quality requirements acceptance, and to
analysis and report generation. The field photos and model images collaborate in a visualized manner.
are attached in the report to better illustrate the defects and the It can be concluded that the BIM-based construction quality applica-
new schedule is defined. Therefore, the BIM-based construction tion is suitable and helpful in quality compliance management. First,
quality model is effective and reliable for participants to understand due to data consistency, it is possible and feasible to apply BIM for qual-
problems of the quality defects or non-conforming works and track ity management and to fully utilize design information through
the corrective action. This is especially important for concealed virtualization of the construction process. Second, BIM can be fit into
works before it is concealed. There was a case on the project which the current industry standard practices in quality management and val-
was not covered in this research. The internal structures of the sup- idated through a case study. Although quantitative results are not given
port columns were completed and proceeded to the external form- due to the limitation of this research project, comparisons are made be-
work without completing the required quality inspection. When tween BIM-based and non BIM-based projects. Traditional quality man-
the consultant discovered that the formwork was completed, he agement failed to dynamically interact with scattered design drawings
filed to suspend work and remove the formwork. Utilizing a BIM and the quality management process. In this case study, with the appli-
quality model prevents such mistakes or negligence because tasks cation of BIM-based construction quality model, the information is ac-
are arranged in time sequence and the uninspected zone is flagged cumulated and abstracted from the same data source to fully
in green for easy identification. coordinate and communicate between the design and the construction
phase. As complete construction requirements are clarified in a 3D for-
7. Conclusions and recommendations mat for better understanding, the project was delivered on time related
to foundation works.
The presented findings contribute to the understanding of the po- However, the BIM-based quality model does have the following lim-
tential use of BIM in construction quality management and fill an itations: (1) A BIM model developed for design purposes does not con-
existing gap in the knowledge on the use of BIM for construction quality tain temporary structures, such as external formwork, and scaffolding.
management. This paper explored the implementation of BIM in quality Therefore, temporary structures must be added to the original BIM
management and proposed integrated solutions to improve current design-oriented model. (2) The use of computers onsite is not conve-
quality management processes with assistance of a BIM working envi- nient at this time with the proposed method and mobile devices should
ronment. A BIM-based quality model has been proposed to combine be used in the future for improvement in recording field data and direct
BIM and the existing quality POP model. Also this paper discusses how data transfer to BIM.
these two models will work together to facilitate construction quality
management. It helps the project participants to better understand the
quality progress and to collaborate more effectively thanks to a visual- Acknowledgments
ized data format.
The key benefits of the construction quality model proposed in We would like to express our gratitude to Wuhan New City Interna-
this paper lie in the following aspects: First, the utilization of design tional Expo Center Co. Ltd. as well as to site engineers in our research
information ensures information consistency and facilitates quality group for their contributions to this research project.

Please cite this article as: L. Chen, H. Luo, A BIM-based construction quality management model and its applications, Automation in Construction
(2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2014.05.009
 L. Chen, H. Luo / Automation in Construction xxx (2014) xxx–xxx 9

Fig. 9. BIM-based construction quality model.

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Please cite this article as: L. Chen, H. Luo, A BIM-based construction quality management model and its applications, Automation in Construction
(2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2014.05.009