BIM-based idea bank for managing value engineering ideas

Abstract Value engineering is a proven management technique for generating benefits and improving the value of construction projects. However, due to kludgy and inconvenient past data and free-thinking techniques, idea generation during VE workshop is time-consuming and often relies on VE participants' experience. Although various studies have developed technical systems related to database management to overcome these limitations, the idea generation process is still recognized as an area to be improved. This study suggests a BIM-based VE Idea Bank to enable the systematic retrieval of past VE data, and efficient generation of new ideas. The system development includes: 1) Data model based on VE Idea Bank; 2) creating BIM objects; and 3) integrating BIM and VE Idea Bank. A prototype is developed and its effectiveness is assessed through system trials, interviews and questionnaires with 23 industry professionals. Interim results show that the proposed system has great potential to improve VE study efficiency.