Synergistic Integration of BIM and Prefabrication for Enhanced Architectural Excellence

Abstract

The construction industry faces escalating costs and inefficiencies driven by challenges including affordability barriers for sustainable practices, limited scalability of green technologies, and gaps in integrating sustainability metrics into architectural design. This research proposes a strategic approach harnessing Building Information Modelling (BIM) and prefabrication to overcome these challenges while enhancing architectural outcomes. Through a mixed-methods approach combining literature review, expert interviews, and simulation of a case study project in New Zealand, this study explores the collaborative potential of these technologies to elevate architectural excellence in sustainable construction. Architectural excellence is examined through four dimensions: project costs, building safety, project scheduling, and energy efficiency. Expert interviews with nine industry professionals revealed construction projects face material waste (15-30%), cost increases (10-20%), and suboptimal completion timeframes. The simulation validated integration benefits through clash detection and design coordination capabilities at LOD 350.The research demonstrates that effective integration of BIM and prefabrication can streamline project schedules and enhance architectural design processes. The triangulation of expert knowledge with simulation results provides compelling evidence that integrating prefabrication and BIM can reduce construction costs, prevent material wastage and excessive energy consumption, reduce project execution time, prevent rework, increase safety, and ultimately improve architectural excellence.