Construction Educational Interdisciplinary Project-Work as an Antecedent for Improved Intergration in BIM

Abstract

If effective participation is sought in multi-disciplinary building design-teams, increased identification with disparate colleagues need to compliment expert technical input, given that fulfilment of professional potential often occurs by combining particular skills efficiently in participative design-teams. This paper examines the extent to which the culture and attitude of the disparate professions who make-up short-term project-specific interdisciplinary design teams, influence the building design process and the final built product. Research is presented that explores the variables that may impact upon professional perceptions held about other disciplines, and the extent to which these are open to influence at a tertiary educational stage. Findings from an attitude-scale of construction professions show how inter-disciplinary educational projects do influence attitudes towards disparate-discipline peers, but that such interdisciplinary project work must acknowledge key factors such as staging and content. Results are discussed in terms of the extent to which the realisation of a client’s brief in the construction industry requires the interaction of a range of specialist architectural, engineering and building professionals, and how interdisciplinary projects at the tertiary educational stage may provide an antecedent for effective interdisciplinary working.