Juridiske aspekter forbundet med anvendelsen af BIM i den danske byggebranche

Abstract

Udgangspunktet for dette speciale er det potentiale, som Bygnings Informations Modellering {(BIM)} har til at forbedre byggebranchens produktivitet og kvalitet. I disse år oplever byggeriets parter en vækst i antallet af byggeprojekter, der gennemføres vha. IKT og BIM-relaterede metoder, ikke mindst på grund af regeringens skærpede krav i de netop reviderede IKT-bekendtgørelser. På trods af de dokumenterede fordele forbundet med BIM, står det klart, at mulighederne for at indfri værdiskabelse med BIM er udfordret af flere juridiske aspekter. Gældende juridiske rammebetingelser og standardaftalevilkår er individualistiske, mens BIM-tankegangen er kollektivistisk. BIM giver derfor anledning til flere byggejuridiske tvivlsspørgsmål i forhold til den nuværende aftalemodel, bl.a. hvad angår forskydning af traditionelle ansvarsområde og risici, berettiget tiltro til bygningsmodeller samt ejerforhold over digitale data. På baggrund af et casestudie af et større dansk hospitalsbyggeri og ni eksplorative interviews identificerer specialet flere potentielle barrierer i de nuværende rammebetingelser og standardaftalevilkår for anvendelsen af BIM. Juridiske usikkerheder forbundet med brugen af BIM samt manglen på retspraksis afholder entreprenøren fra at opnå BIM-fordelene i fuldt omfang. Udledt af analysen opstiller specialet en række retningslinjer, der kan være med til at forbedre vilkårene for anvendelsen af BIM på den konkrete byggesag og i den danske byggebranche generelt.

This thesis analyzes the legal issues associated with the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the construction industry. In recent years, the use of ICT and BIM has increased in the Danish construction sector, especially due to governmental initiatives that mandate the use of ICT and BIM-related methods in public sector construction projects. The basis for this study is that BIM contains large opportunities for increasing the overall productivity and quality by integrating the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industries. Despite the proven benefits associated with BIM, it is clear that the advantages are challenged by a number of legal issues as well as legal uncertainty. These legal obstacles are barriers for a widespread implementation of BIM and for realizing the full potential of BIM. Through an extensive literature review it is concluded that there are significant legal challenges with respect to shifting liability and responsibilities of the project parties, reliance on the information in the building models and ownership of digital data. The present legal framework conditions and standard contract terms within the construction industry focus on individual rights and responsibilities. In contrast, BIM is essentially a collaborative framework that has a blurred division of liability between the parties. This had led to the following research question with the objective of making better informed decisions in future construction projects: How do existing Danish framework conditions and standard contract terms interact with the utilization of BIM in construction projects? And do they represent a potential barrier for the value creation with BIM? It is found that there is a positive correlation between the number of legally disputed points and the BIM maturity level of parties as illustrated in figure. It is also found that there is a gap between the existing legal framework conditions' and standard contract terms' ability to support the most value-creating utilization of BIM. The thesis performs a longitudinal case study of a Danish hospital construction project where BIM has been used on a high maturity level and nine explorative interviews with professionals representing different entities in the construction industry. An in-depth analysis provides an overview of the most important legal issues associated with BIM. It is concluded that there are both direct and indirect barriers in the present Danish framework conditions and standard contract terms. For the general contractor this implies that potential applications of BIM are impeded by legal risks and uncertainties. The legal frameworks lacks a treatment of the legal status of the building models, liability regarding tendering with quantities, liability regarding mistaken interoperability, responsibility for ICT-coordination and intellectual property of digital data. In addition to these barriers, the studies have revealed that missing case law in relation to BIM is creating further uncertainty and reluctance, partly because it makes it difficult to carry out an adequate risk assessment of the tender conditions and the ICT-specifications. If the requirements regarding the use of BIM are not unequivocally described in the tendering terms, the project parties face the risk of litigation. Therefore, the research presents legal guidelines that should be followed in order to improve BIM utilization in the specific construction project and in construction industry in general. For any further information in English, do not hesitate to contact the author.

A master thesis from Aalborg University

Juridiske aspekter forbundet med anvendelsen af BIM i den danske byggebranche

[Legal issues inherent in the application of BIM in the Danish construction industry]