Exploring Cultivation Path of Building Information Modelling in China: An Analysis from the Perspective of an Innovation Ecosystem

Yingnan Yang, Yidan Zhang and Hongming Xie
Additional contact information
Yingnan Yang: College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Yidan Zhang: College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Hongming Xie: School of Management, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 17, 1-16

Abstract: Ecosystem theory provides a new perspective for studying the development of the architecture engineering and construction (AEC) industry in the age of information and communication technology (ICT). As an extremely ICT innovation, building information modelling (BIM) not only brings technical benefits to the AEC industry, but changes the innovation paradigm of the AEC industry towards an innovation ecosystem, which improve productivity and sustainability throughout the project life cycle. This article contributes to innovation ecosystem theory by exploring the structure of the BIM ecosystem and deriving its cultivation path. Then, as the leading city in China for developing BIM technologies, Shanghai was selected as the case study to elaborate on the cultivation path of the BIM ecosystem. The results indicate that three layers identified in the structure contribute to the understanding of the boundaries, units, and analytical focus of the BIM ecosystem, with the BIM platform being the core layer. This topology structure, with the BIM platform as the hub, promotes interdependency and symbiosis among participants in the cultivation of the BIM ecosystem, supporting the birth, expansion, maturity, re-innovation (or extinction), and sustainable development of the BIM ecosystem. This research complements and extends literature on the BIM ecosystem, and provides implications as to the construction, cultivation, and sustainability of BIM ecosystems for emerging economy firms.

Keywords: architecture engineering and construction (AEC) industry; building information modelling (BIM); ecosystem; cultivation; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/17/6902/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/17/6902/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:17:p:6902-:d:403727

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().