A Case Study of the Application of BIM in China: Tianjin Chow Tai Fook Financial Center

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is widely used in the AEC industry. With BIM, project stakeholders can coordinate and manage the information using 3-dimentional models throughout the project lifecycle. To apply BIM, innovative measures need to be implemented at the company and project level, and such measures may include the reengineering of the process and business structure, the establishment of hardware and software infrastructure, and training of their employees. China’s construction market has continued to grow and its construction industry accounts for a large portion of China’s gross domestic product (GDP). There are currently no BIM application standards or regulations for Chinese construction companies, however, the Chinese construction industry and the government have realized the benefits of BIM and are actively promoting the application of this technology. This research aims to gather data from the construction management team of the Tianjin Chou Tai Fook Finical Center project, standing 530 m tall as the eighth tallest building in the world in Tianjin, China, to identify the benefits, challenges, and experience for implementation of BIM in the project.