Case study on BIM in the construction sector (DISCUS Project- Digital transformation in the construction sector: challenges and opportunities)

This case study addresses the impact of BIM technologies on work organization, labor force and working conditions as well as on social dialogue and industrial relations. By focusing on the “tram of Liège project” – conducted a consortium of two companies: COLAS and CAF – we would like to show how the BIM technologies were used in the project and changed several work habits.
BIM is often restrictively seen as a modelling tool, which functionalities are limited to designing through 3D models. The purpose of this study is to show that BIM’s impacts on work are cross-cutting. One of our objectives is to show that BIM’ effects are not limited to the Colas group but also concern its partners and clients, as it changes the interactions between stakeholders. Although BIM affects many aspects of work, we will show that the technology is poorly known and receives little attention from trade unions.