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Journal of Innovation Management
JIM 7, 4 (2019) 106-130
Bahrami, Atkin, Landin
Enabling the diffusion of sustainable product
innovations in BIM library platforms
Soheila Bahrami
soheila.bahrami@construction.lth.se | Division of Construction Management, Faculty of Engineering,
Lund University, Box 118, 22100, Lund, Sweden
Brian Atkin
brian.atkin@construction.lth.se | Division of Construction Management, Faculty of Engineering, Lund
University, Box 118, 22100, Lund, Sweden
Anne Landin
anne.landin@construction.lth.se | Division of Construction Management, Faculty of Engineering, Lund
University, Box 118, 22100, Lund, Sweden
Abstract. Building Information Modelling (BIM) objects represent building products in design, simula-
tion, and procurement processes. This paper explores how BIM objects could be created and exchanged
to enable the diffusion of innovative products with enhanced sustainability performance. Two BIM li-
brary platforms were examined by taking a new approach that integrates the concepts of sustainable
value, diffusion of innovations, information, software usability, and platform ecosystems. The findings
show that the diffusion of sustainable products can be inhibited due to problems with the mechanisms
for creating and exchanging BIM objects, quality of BIM objects, the usability of BIM library platforms,
and participation on the platforms. This study deepens an understanding of the problems by focusing on
ventilation products in Sweden. Identified shortcomings in the current practices of BIM platform owners
and participants could be reduced by effective platform strategies, certification schemes for BIM objects,
and BIM object creation processes integrated with product lifecycle management.
Keywords. Innovation diffusion; BIM object; BIM library platform; sustainable value; product infor-
mation management; software usability.
Cite paper as: Bahrami, S., Atkin, B., Landin, A., (2019). Enabling the diffusion of sustainable product inno-
vations in BIM library platforms, Journal of Innovation Management, www.open-jim.org, 7(4), 106-130.
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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 106
HANDLE: https://hdl.handle.net/10216/125076
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24840/2183-0606_007.004_0006
SM: Sep/2019 AM: Dec/2019
Journal of Innovation Management
JIM 7, 4 (2019) 106-130
Bahrami, Atkin, Landin
1 Introduction
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is widely considered as the main tool for the exchange
of digital information about buildings throughout their lifecycles. On BIM library platforms,
BIM objects represent products such as ventilation system components within applications in-
cluding design, simulation, and purchasing processes. Thus, BIM libraries have a central role in
disseminating information about innovative products.
In Sweden, some heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) manufacturers have attemp-
ted to create value through sustainable innovations such as patented solutions for controlling
airflow and noise in their ventilation products (World Intellectual Property Organization, 2015,
2018). Diffusion of such innovations can enhance the indoor environmental quality and the sus-
tainability performance of buildings. However, the retrieval of accurate information (Gao et
al., 2017) and valid comparisons between building products is limited due to the heterogeneous
methods by which building product information is provided (Bahrami et al., 2019) and BIM
objects are created (Gao et al., 2017).
In the context of innovation diffusion, researchers have studied BIM as a process innovation
(Bosch-Sijtsema et al., 2017; Gholizadeh et al., 2018; Gledson, 2017) in relation to standardi-
zation (Hooper, 2015) and its evolution as a digital infrastructure (Holmström et al., 2014).
However, previous studies have overlooked the role of BIM in creating sustainable value through
the diffusion of product innovations. In the context of information, studies on BIM objects have
focused on one aspect, such as software structure (e.g. McGlinn et al., 2017), product infor-
mation management (e.g. Palos et al., 2014), or information retrieval (e.g. Gao et al., 2017).
There is still a need for a holistic approach in studying the creation and exchange of BIM objects
in relation to the diffusion of sustainable innovations. This need is critical for BIM objects of
HVAC products due to their major impact on the sustainability performance of buildings. Hence,
efficient BIM object library platforms are required to direct HVAC design and simulation proces-
ses towards selecting products with enhanced sustainability performance. The growing number
of BIM applications (Gao et al., 2017; Pasini et al., 2017) offers a pivotal role to BIM library
platforms as ecosystems in which BIM objects are created and exchanged. However, research to
date has not investigated platform business strategies adopted in BIM libraries.
The study presented here aims to explore the creation and exchange of BIM objects on BIM
library platforms for supporting the diffusion of sustainable HVAC innovations. The focus is on
the ventilation BIM objects on two BIM library platforms used in Sweden. The BIM objects are
manufacturers’ objects based on products available on the market. In this paper, sustainable
innovations are ventilation products with enhanced sustainability attributes. The sustainability
attributes are energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality performance, and carbon footprint
of the products. A new approach has been developed by modifying and integrating elements and
methods from related research fields. The conceptual framework is broad in order to address the
areas neglected in previous studies. On the other hand, this work deepens the understanding
about BIM objects by focusing on ventilation products with enhanced sustainability attributes.
The implications of these findings concern the stakeholders involved in creating and exchanging
BIM objects.
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The remainder of the paper has the following structure. First, it gives a review of related previous
research conducted on the concepts of sustainable value, diffusion of innovations, quality of
information, usability of BIM libraries, and platform ecosystems. Next, it describes the research
method, which has been developed by integrating these concepts and designing a multiple case
study, consisting of two BIM library platforms. The subsequent section discusses the findings
in relation to the conceptual framework and the implications for BIM platform owners, HVAC
manufacturers, and researchers. The final section summarizes the main findings of this study
and identifies areas for further research.
2 Literature review
The literature on sustainable value, diffusion of innovations, information quality, usability and
platform ecosystems are reviewed to construct a conceptual framework for this study. Sustainable
value is defined as mutual benefits for society, the environment, and a firm, which can be co-
created through collaborative relationships between stakeholders (Sulkowski et al., 2018). Firms
can benefit from developing new business models and sustainable offerings through sustainable
value chains (Nidumolu et al., 2009). To capture sustainable value from their innovations, firms
must effectively communicate the advantages of their offerings. For ventilation products, the
common sustainability indicators are energy efficiency and indoor environmental performance,
including indoor air quality, thermal comfort, and acoustic performance (Sweden Green Building
Council, 2019). Manufacturers can also quantify and communicate the sustainability impacts of
their products by reporting the carbon footprint of their products. This indicator is defined as
the net sum of greenhouse gas emissions and removals in a product system, expressed as carbon
dioxide equivalents based on a life cycle assessment (ISO, 2018).
The process in which an innovation is communicated over time among members of a social system
is referred to as the diffusion of innovations (Rogers, 2003). Research has shown that as suggested
by epidemic (Bass, 2004) and bandwagon theories (Rogers, 2003), the diffusion of innovations
is driven by information dissemination (Frattini et al., 2014). It begins with communicating
the information about the existence of an innovation, while its success depends on the user’s
perception of the following characteristics of the innovation (Rogers, 2003).
•Relative advantage: the degree to which an innovation is perceived as better than other
offerings
•Compatibility: the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being consistent with user
values
•Complexity: the degree to which an innovation is perceived as difficult to understand and
use
•Trialability: the degree to which an innovation can be assessed
•Observability: the degree to which the performance of an innovation is visible
Information serves to influence the receiver’s perception of something (Davenport & Prusak,
2000). Firms can provide information on the relative advantages of their offerings by persuasive
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value propositions (Anderson et al., 2009). They can utilize value propositions as strategic tools
to communicate (Payne et al. Eggert, 2017) the benefits customers can gain from their offerings
(Osterwalder et al., 2014) when compared with the alternatives offered by their competitors
(Lindic & Silva, 2011). To communicate the relative advantage of their sustainable innovations,
firms must employ sustainable value propositions. A sustainable value proposition is defined as
“a promise on the economic, environmental, and social benefits that a firm’s offering delivers to
customers and society at large, considering both short-term profits and long-term sustainability”
(Patala et al., 2016). The compatibility of an innovation accelerates its diffusion (Olson, 2013;
Rogers, 2003); whereas, complexity decelerates the diffusion (Grimpe et al., 2017; Rogers, 2003).
Trialability and observability are characteristics influencing the level of uncertainty about an
innovation faced by potential adopters (Hall, 2006). Various sources and types of information
about an innovation enable its diffusion by reducing uncertainty about its attributes, use, and
impacts (Rice, 2017).
The growing application of BIM has made BIM libraries significant sources of product informa-
tion, which is presented in the form of BIM objects (Gao et al., 2017; Pasini et al., 2017). A
BIM object is a data file detailing information about the identity, dimensions, appearance, and
performance of a product (BSI, 2018). It can facilitate the trialability and observability of an
innovative product in a virtual environment, and consequently foster its diffusion. Nonetheless,
this cannot be achieved if BIM objects lack sufficient quality; of particular concern are the tech-
nical data and features required for HVAC design calculations and performance simulations, due
to their impact on the perceived sustainability performance of products. Therefore, in order to
enable the diffusion of sustainable HVAC innovations, BIM objects representing such products
must contain high-quality information.
Information quality is defined as “desirable characteristics of the (information) system outputs”
(Peter et al., 2013). It can be assessed by indicators such as relevance (Holliman & Rowley,
2014; Myrelid & Jonsson, 2019; Pazeraite & Repoviene, 2016; Peter et al., 2013), accuracy,
currency, usefulness (Holliman & Rowley, 2014; Peter et al., 2013), sufficiency, comprehensibility
(Myrelid & Jonsson, 2019; Peter et al., 2013), accessibility (Myrelid & Jonsson, 2019), and
reliability (Myrelid & Jonsson, 2019; Pazeraite & Repoviene, 2016). An attempt to assess the
quality of BIM objects is the BSI Kitemark for BIM objects, a third-party certification scheme
to validate the accuracy and functionality of BIM objects (BSI, 2018). A shortcoming of the
existing BIM libraries is that they provide different names (Chen et al., 2017) and types of
information for products in the same category made by different manufacturers (Gao et al.,
2017; Pasini et al., 2017). Dissimilarities between two distinct methods of representing data
stem from different types of data, value differences, semantic differences, and missing values
(Anumba et al., 2008). A recent study has identified the problem of dissimilarities in product
information provided by HVAC manufacturers in Sweden as a potential barrier to the diffusion
of innovations (Bahrami et al., 2019). Product lifecycle management (PLM) is a system for
the integrated management of product information and processes through the product lifecycle
(Schuh et al., 2008), which can be applied to facilitate the diffusion of innovations (Stark, 2015).
PLM tools enable integrating business information with engineering information (Ferreira et al.,
2017). So far, however, integrating the creation of BIM objects with the PLM tools has not been
investigated.
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Unlike the cost of information which is determined by the producer, the value of information
is determined by the user (Feather, 2013). The value of information is not inherent in infor-
mation itself, but rather dependent on its availability, suitability (Feather, 2013), context, and
use (Rowley, 2008). Therefore, providing valuable information for users depends not only on the
quality of information, but also on how the information can be used. On BIM library platforms,
users access the product information through the BIM library interfaces. This shows how the
usability of BIM library interfaces is a significant factor in the value of their information. The
ISO/IEC 25062 standard defines usability as “the extent to which a product can be used by spe-
cified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified
context of use” (ISO, 2019). For example, the usability of a software tool for improving energy
efficiency in buildings has been evaluated by investigating whether the data can be accessed
and comprehended by facility managers (McGlinn et al., 2017). Software usability can also be
evaluated by investigations on searching, differentiating, and selecting behavior at the resource,
source, document, and content levels (Makri et al., 2008). However, previous studies have over-
looked this approach in investigating the usability of BIM library interfaces. Factors affecting
the usability of an interface include informativeness, reachability of desired content, density,
readability, and comprehensibility of the information (Speicher et al., 2015), and credibility of
the website (Holliman & Rowley, 2014). Some usability problems are primarily system issues
arising when information or functionality is missing, inadequate, misplaced, unnecessary, or mi-
saligned (Tarkkanen et al., 2015). In this paper, the term usability is defined as the functionality
and applicability of a BIM library interface in promoting innovative products with enhanced
sustainability performance.
The most common BIM libraries are provided on digital platforms; for example, SmartBIM
library (SmartBIM, 2018), Bimobject platform (Bimobject, 2019), NBS National BIM library
(National Building Specification, 2019), and MagiCloud (MagiCAD, 2019). The platform busi-
ness model enables external producers and consumers to create value in an interactive ecosystem
(Parker et al., 2017b), and is used as an effective strategy for delivering innovations (Kim, 2016).
Information technology platforms, in particular, can reform innovation ecosystems (Parker et al.,
2017). In a platform ecosystem, value is co-created through iterative and reciprocal processes of
shaping institutional arrangements (Fehrer et al., 2018) by all participants in a complex value
matrix instead of the traditional linear value chain (Parker et al. 2017b). In innovation ecosys-
tems, innovative firms must collaborate with other actors to achieve a complex value proposition
(Talmar et al., 2018). Every platform has a core interaction defined by three key elements: the
participants, the value unit, and the algorithmic software tool (filter) for delivering the value
unit to the users (Parker et al., 2017a). Information and interactions are the principal assets
in platform businesses (Van Alstyne et al., 2016), and because every interaction starts with the
exchange of information, even platforms intended to exchange physical goods must facilitate the
exchange of information (Parker et al., 2017a). In addition, platform owners need to define and
adjust the optimum level of openness of their platforms continuously (Van Alstyne & Parker,
2017). Openness enables access to user creativity (Kohler & Chesbrough, 2019) and third-party
developers’ innovations (Parker & Van Alstyne, 2018); however, open platforms are more frag-
mented and more difficult to monetize and control (Parker et al., 2017), which can result in poor
quality contributions (Van Alstyne & Parker, 2017). Platforms can develop a culture of quality
control to create value units which are relevant, useful, and accurate (Parker et al., 2017a).
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Although platform is the common business strategy for BIM libraries, the effects of different
platform structures on the creation and exchange of BIM objects has yet to be understood.
Previous research has investigated the role of information, promotion (Song & Parry, 2009), social
media (Bhimani et al., 2019), and early adopters in the diffusion of innovative products (Bianchi
et al., 2017). However, the role of BIM library platforms in disseminating information about
innovative building products for sustainability, and supporting the diffusion of such innovation,
has not been studied thus far. In the fields of information and software usability, there is
still a need for a holistic approach to study product information and software structure, while
considering the needs of specific BIM users (e.g. the HVAC sector); particularly, with a focus on
the sustainability attributes of BIM objects as user requirements. Limited understanding about
these issues runs the risk of restricting the diffusion of sustainable innovations.
3 Methodology
The literature review has revealed that a holistic approach needs to be developed for investigating
the creation and exchange of BIM objects on BIM library platforms in support of the diffusion
of sustainable innovations. To address this need, the conceptual framework of this study (Figure
1) has been established by integrating the concepts of sustainable value, diffusion of innovations,
information quality, software usability, and platform ecosystems.
Fig. 1. The conceptual framework for studying the role of BIM object library platforms in the
diffusion of sustainable innovations
The methodology of this study is qualitative, characterized by selecting and juxtaposing an
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assortment of relevant information to develop an in-depth understanding of interconnected phe-
nomena (Young & Munksgaard, 2018). A qualitative approach is an effective way of conducting
research in the field of management (Singh, 2015). It allows researchers to use various sources
of information (Yin, 2016) to establish the basis for retroductive reasoning through inferring
patterns and causation from different data sources (Kessler & Bach, 2014). Moreover, in quali-
tative research, the emphasis is on words rather than quantifications (Bryman & Bell, 2015) as
this enables the study of textual information in BIM objects especially when the information is
limited.
As one of the approaches in qualitative research (Creswell & Poth, 2018), this study has adopted
a multiple-case study approach. It is an effective empirical approach for investigating a contem-
porary phenomenon in depth and within its real-world context (Yin, 2018), and has been applied
in studies on BIM in the contexts of the diffusion of innovations (Gledson, 2017), usability (Mc-
Glinn et al., 2017), and standardization (Hooper, 2015). Figure 2 illustrates the multiple-case
design for this study, which covers two cases in the context of the diffusion of sustainable product
innovations. The cases are two BIM library platforms referred to as platform A and platform B
in this paper, details of which are provided in the next section. Based on the key elements of the
core interaction on a platform suggested by Parker et al. (2017a), the embedded units of analysis
in each case are participants, BIM library platform, and BIM objects. The platforms have been
selected based on the results of an initial survey on the BIM libraries commonly used by HVAC
design engineers in Sweden. The respondents were from seven major and three medium-sized ar-
chitecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) companies in the country. The cases have been
selected-to-difference (Kessler & Bach, 2014) that enables investigating how different aspects of
the platforms affect the creation and exchange of BIM objects and the diffusion of sustainable in-
novations. An initial review of the platforms’ websites revealed a considerable difference between
the platforms regarding the number of BIM objects and their offerings.
Fig. 2. Multiple-case study design
Next, based on abductive re-description and re-contextualization of the conceptual framework
components (Bhaskar, 2014; Danermark et al., 2002), a tool for data collection and analysis
was developed in three stages. First, the matrix shown in figure 3 was developed by integrating
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the concepts of platform ecosystems, software usability, and information quality in order to
reconceptualize the BIM library platforms. The creation and exchange of BIM objects has
been determined as the core interaction on BIM library platforms. The key elements of this
core interaction are BIM object producers and users, BIM library interface, and BIM objects.
The criteria determined for assessing the key elements are participation quality, usability, and
information quality. The indicators have been selected and modified from the literature reviewed
in previous section.
Fig. 3. Matrix for the qualitative analysis of BIM library platforms
Table 1. The characteristics of a sustainable innovative product represented by its BIM object
to enable its diffusion (After Rogers, 2003)
Relative advantage The superiority of the sustainability attributes of an innovative
product over other brands
Compatibility The degree to which the sustainability attributes of an
innovative product comply with the users’ requirements
Complexity The difficulty of understanding the information about the
sustainability performance of an innovative product
Trialability The possibility of using a BIM object to perform more
accurate design and sustainability performance calculations
Observability The accuracy of the simulated sustainability performance of an
innovative product compared to its actual performance
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Second, the characteristics of an innovation suggested by Rogers (2003) were redefined by inte-
grating the concepts of sustainable value and the diffusion of innovations and re-contextualizing
BIM library platforms in the setting of the diffusion of sustainable innovations (table 1). Third,
the questions listed in table 2 were formulated to integrate the indicators shown in figure 3 with
the definitions in table 1. The questions enabled the retroduction of possible explanatory me-
chanisms or structures as a necessity in interdisciplinary research (Bhaskar et al., 2010) and the
implementation of a holistic approach in data collection and analysis.
In qualitative research, data collection and analysis, and report writing are interrelated and often
concurrent (Creswell & Poth, 2018)). In this study, those processes took place concurrently from
September 2018 to September 2019. Case study research relies on multiple sources of evidence
(Yin, 2018) including observations, audio-visual material, documents, reports, and interviews
(Creswell & Poth, 2018). The data regarding the structure of the platforms was collected from
the platforms’ websites, YouTube channels and LinkedIn pages. This study has focused on
HVAC professionals in AEC companies as the users of BIM libraries. Thus, the data regarding
the usability of the BIM library interfaces and the quality of BIM objects was collected and
analyzed by one of the co-authors proficient in HVAC design software and an HVAC design
expert. As suggested by Creswell and Poth (2018) data was collected in natural settings sensitive
to the objects under study. The data was collected through critically studying approximately
seven hours of webinars, tutorial, and demonstration videos on the platforms’ websites and their
YouTube channels as well as studying six hours of tutorial videos made by HVAC designers and
shared on YouTube. The latter has served as a valuable source of data in natural settings that
allows the researcher to observe different ways of using the BIM libraries and objects by HVAC
professionals.
In addition, the participant observation method (Bryman & Bell, 2015) was followed through
which the abovementioned members of the research team used the BIM platform libraries and
their BIM objects in common HVAC design software. The aim was to answer the questions listed
in table 2 regarding the usability of the interface as well as the compatibility and functionality of
the BIM objects. In total, 80 ventilation BIM objects composed of 50 objects from platform A and
30 objects from platform B were selected for analysis. The reason for selecting fewer objects from
platform B was the number of available objects on the platform. Content and semantic analysis
(Young & Munksgaard, 2018) was applied to explore the quality of BIM objects. The keywords
were selected based on the sustainability attributes (i.e. energy efficiency, indoor environmental
quality performance, and carbon footprint of products). The keywords were completed by adding
units and different terms adopted in the industry. For example, “db”, “sound”, “noise”, and
“acoustic” for searching information about the acoustic performance as one of the aspects of
indoor environmental quality.
For each platform, a within-case analysis was performed through the analysis of each embedded
unit (figure 2) followed by a process-tracing method (Beach & Pedersen, 2013; Goertz & Mahoney,
2012) to conduct an analysis across the three embedded units. Furthermore, a cross-case analysis
of the platforms was conducted in order to externally validate the findings from the analysis of
each platform by cross-case comparison (Frattini et al., 2014). It was conducted by exploring
patterns, themes, differences, and similarities across the cases (Creswell & Poth, 2018; Mathison,
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Table 2. Questions for data collection and analysis
Indicators Questions
Participation quality
Access to BIM
objects
How open is the access to the BIM objects published on the
platform?
Participant
categories and
roles
Who are the BIM object creators and users?
Attraction How does the platform attract the participants to the platform?
Facilitation How does the platform facilitate the creation and exchange of
BIM objects on the platform?
Control How does the platform control and assure the quality and
reliability of the BIM objects?
Interface usability
Availability of
desired content
Does the library have BIM objects for all ventilation products
available on the market?
Searchability of
desired content
Do the search criteria include the sustainability attributes of
products?
Comparability of
products
Does the interface enable its users to compare the sustainability
attributes of different brands?
BIM object quality
Compatibility Is the object compatible with common design and calculation
software?
Functionality Is the object sufficient for performing accurate calculations and
simulations?
Accessibility Can users easily access the information about the sustainability
attributes of the product in the content of a selected object?
Accuracy Is the information on the sustainability attributes of the products
accurate?
Adequacy Is sufficient information on the sustainability attributes of the
products included in the BIM objects?
Comprehensibility Does the information give a clear understanding of the
sustainability attributes of the product?
Currency Is the information up to date?
Applicability of
the content
Does the information enable the user to compare different brands
and choose the products with better sustainability attributes?
Reliability Has the information on the sustainability attributes been verified
or certified?
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2005). As proposed by Creswell and Poth (2018), both inductive and deductive reasoning were
used to analyze the data.
The researcher’s professional experience is considered to be an important analytical tool in quali-
tative data analysis (Mauthner & Doucet, 2003), which utilizes personal reflection to seek insights
in research on business relationships, networks, and markets (Young & Munksgaard, 2018). In
this study, the authors’ long experience of AEC management as well as HVAC and IT engineering
and management was applied to analyze the data and identify the problems. In addition, di-
verse sources of data helped the authors to cross-check and verify (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill,
2009) the identified problems and minimize the risk of researcher bias. Furthermore, to ensure
the interpretative validity (Huberman & Miles, 2002) of findings, eight semi-structured intervi-
ews were conducted. The interviews were conversational in order to answer questions listed in
table 2, complete and verify the findings, and include the aspects that could possibly be neglected
by the authors. Regarding the usability of platforms and the quality of the BIM objects, six
semi-structured interviews were conducted with IT, product, and marketing managers in three
major HVAC manufacturing companies, and three HVAC design engineers in three major AEC
companies. As mentioned, regarding the information quality and usability, this study focuses on
the characteristics of the BIM objects and the BIM library interfaces. Therefore, experienced
HVAC designers were selected as interviewees in order to exclude the probable problems caused
by insufficient knowledge of users. The industry validation (Leising, Quist, & Bocken, 2018) was
continued by two semi-structured in-depth interviews with the area and technical managers in
the platform companies. The interviews were conversational and based on the questions listed
in table 2. They were recorded, transcribed, and coded based on the indicators mentioned in
figure 3 and the characteristics defined in table 1. After analyzing the final results, the fin-
dings were visualized and are described in relation to the conceptual framework in the following
section.
4 Findings and discussion
This study set out to assess the creation and exchange of ventilation BIM objects as the core
interaction on two BIM library platforms in Sweden. The findings indicate that both platforms
have problems with participation, the usability of the BIM libraries, and the quality of BIM
objects.
4.1 Participation on the platforms
Spreading the information on products with enhanced sustainability performance is the first
step in the diffusion of such innovations. However, this study found that limited participation on
the platforms has reduced the access to information about the existence of innovative products.
Platform A targets the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) sector (including HVAC) as
a niche market. Figure 4 demonstrates the interactions among the participants on the platform.
The platform company offers a BIM library platform and BIM software for MEP design and
energy modelling of buildings that complement AutoCAD and Revit. It also creates BIM objects
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Fig. 4. Interactions on platform A
and plugins; the latter connect the manufacturers’ product selection and calculation software
to the MEP design software. Manufacturers must pay the platform owner for creating BIM
objects and plugins and maintaining BIM objects in the library. According to the interviewees
in manufacturing companies, these services are expensive. For ventilation products in Sweden,
93 brands have BIM objects on this platform, while the number of objects is very limited in
comparison with the number of products available in the market. More than 50% of the available
BIM objects belong to five main brands in the country.
As shown, the manufacturers send their product data sheets to the platform owner for creating
the BIM objects. The users of BIM objects at AEC companies access the BIM objects and install
plugins through either the design software offered by the platform owner or the library interface.
According to the platform A’s area manager, more than 95% of HVAC designers in Sweden use
the design software offered by the platform. The designers using Revit instead of the software
have free access to a mere 20% of BIM objects. That can be increased to 70% by purchasing the
premium version of the connection tool while they must purchase the software in order to gain
full access. This represents a closed strategy where the platform owner uses its products and
services to control the interactions on its BIM library platform.
Figure 5 shows the interactions among participants on platform B. This platform has a wider
range of participants including architects, MEP designers, those involved in purchasing buil-
ding products in AEC companies, and third-party software developers. The platform owner has
opened the development of BIM objects to building product manufacturers and third-party de-
velopers by providing them with required application programming interface (API) and software
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Fig. 5. Interactions on platform B
solutions. Thus, manufacturers can create and publish BIM objects on the platform’s cloud
database. They can also outsource the creation of the BIM objects to the platform owner or
third-party developers. The software solutions supplied to manufacturers include tools for using
the BIM object cloud database in business analytics and marketing applications. However, for
ventilation products in Sweden, merely 26 brands have BIM objects on platform B, which is
3.4 times fewer than the brands on platform A. Another interesting finding is that the main
HVAC brands in the country are not active on platform B. As a new strategy for motivating
interactions on their platforms, both platform owners approach facility owners, i.e. the AEC
companies’ clients, to increase their awareness of BIM and its impacts on facility management.
In other words, they encourage the facility owners to demand BIM-based workflows and create
a demand-pull mechanism for creating high quality BIM objects.
4.2 The usability of the BIM libraries
None of the platforms have sufficient number of BIM objects to represent the market for venti-
lation products in Sweden. According to the interviewees at HVAC manufacturing companies,
creating BIM objects for every product is impossible due to technical limitations of the platforms,
existing methods of creating BIM objects, required resources, and associated costs. Another im-
portant finding is that the usability of BIM libraries in supporting the diffusion of innovative
products has been impeded by inadequacy of information and improper architecture of the web-
sites. On platform A, BIM objects can be searched by product type (e.g. ventilation), BIM
application (Revit or AutoCAD), and country. It is also possible to search by keywords to find
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a specific product or manufacturer. A search for ventilation BIM objects in Sweden resulted in
16270 product families across 93 brands. The search results could not be filtered by the sustaina-
bility attributes of products. Clicking on an object opens a window with brief information about
the product and a link to the manufacturer’s websites. The user might find the information
about the sustainability attributes of products through links to the manufacturers’ websites or
requests sent to the manufacturers. That means the user has to select an object randomly and
search for the information outside the platform. Downloading plugins enables users to access
manufacturers’ product selection and calculation tools; however, the number of available plugins
is very limited.
On platform B, BIM objects can be searched by brand, category, file type, country, and object
type. Ventilation objects are classified as subcategories of HVAC which is one of the 22 categories
of the BIM objects. Searching for ventilation BIM objects in Sweden resulted in 428 product
families across 26 brands, which means that in the scope of the search, platform A had 38
times more BIM objects and around 3.4 times more brands than platform B. The most likely
explanation is that targeting the MEP sector as a niche market has helped platform A to allocate
professional resources and satisfy the specific needs of its users. Similar to platform A, searching
for BIM objects on platform B by the sustainability attributes was impossible and the only
way to access such information was random selection of an object and through links to the
manufacturers’ websites. Therefore, neither platform A nor platform B enables users to apply
the sustainability attributes of products as a basis for comparison between different brands.
4.3 The quality of BIM objects
The quality and reliability of BIM objects on the platforms is not assured through any third-
party certification schemes. The BIM objects on platform A are compatible with Revit and the
design and calculation software offered by the platform. As noted, the latter is used by over
95% of HVAC designers in Sweden. However, the objects are not sufficient to perform accurate
calculations; users need access to manufacturers’ selection and calculation tools through plugins.
The information about the sustainability attributes was missing in 12% of the selected objects
and it was inadequate in the other ones. Regarding the currency of information, the date of
the edition is provided, but that does not necessarily mean the BIM object has up-to-date
information.
On platform B, Revit and AutoCAD are among 53 available file formats. Despite that, the avai-
lable BIM objects cannot be used to perform calculations required in HVAC design or to predict
the sustainability performance of HVAC products. By selecting a BIM object from the search
results, users access an internal page with the product information including identification data
and menus for descriptions, classifications, properties, and links to the manufacturers’ technical
data sheets and websites. Only 10% of selected objects had statements about sustainability
attributes and certifications. The information architecture of BIM objects on platform B facili-
tates access to categorized information. However, both missing and misplaced information were
detected as problems with the content of the objects. For each object, information about the
date of publication and the edition number is provided. Users can access the latest version of an
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object by clicking on the “update” button in a downloaded object. It is not yet clear whether
the manufacturer has updated its product information.
As inferred from the interviews, the functionality of BIM objects in design and calculation
software is critical for manufacturers in order to differentiate their products. This appears not to
be a major concern for AEC companies, unless their clients (e.g. facility owners) demand it. The
accuracy of product information is not controlled in any of the platforms. Therefore, if there is an
error, as found in some acoustic information provided by manufacturers, it remains in the content
of the BIM object. Both platforms are faced with the same problem of inadequate information
about the sustainability attributes of products. Comprehensibility of the information is another
neglected issue on both platforms. Although some information in manufacturers’ technical data
sheets is confusing (e.g. the terms, notations, and units used for representing the acoustic
performance of the products), it forms the content of the BIM objects. Product information
provided by manufacturers is the sole source of information about the sustainability attributes of
BIM objects. Thus, the problem of heterogeneous methods used by manufacturers for presenting
sustainability performance of their products (Bahrami et al., 2019) hinders comparisons between
different brands.
5 Implications
5.1 Implications for BIM platform owners
This study found that users in AEC companies cannot select sustainability attributes as the
search criteria for finding products on the studied platforms. Consequently, BIM libraries are
unable to provide manufacturers with the opportunity of differentiating their sustainable pro-
ducts and creating sustainable value through the diffusion of their innovations. Adopting an
effective business strategy is a major challenge for platform owners (Van Alstyne et al., 2016).
Platform A is limited to the MEP sector and generates profit by selling MEP design and calcu-
lation software as well as creating BIM objects and plugins. The platform owner creates BIM
objects in a closed system which is easier to control and monetize; however, increasing the friction
through strict controls can reduce participation and impede value creation in a platform (Parker
et al. 2017a). In contrast, platform B is open to various BIM users and generates profit by selling
software solutions for creating BIM objects and BIM-based supply and marketing solutions. This
strategy might enable the platform owner to absorb innovative solutions (Parker & Van Alstyne,
2018) for creating BIM objects in the future.
The large difference between the BIM object for HVAC products on platform A and platform
B shows the significance of allocating professional resources by platform A to satisfy user requi-
rements for HVAC applications. Another contributory factor is that more than 95% of HVAC
designers at AEC companies in Sweden use the design software offered by platform A. Therefore,
HVAC manufacturers in the country prefer BIM library platform A as the database for their BIM
objects. Nonetheless, even on this platform, BIM objects are not available for a large number
of available products in the market. As confirmed by our interviewees in manufacturing compa-
nies, this problem is caused by current methods of creating and maintaining BIM objects on the
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libraries and the associated costs. Thus, BIM library platform owners need efficient methods for
creating BIM objects to increase the interactions on their platforms.
Increasing the facility owners’ awareness of BIM is a viable strategy adopted by both platforms
to generate demand for BIM objects and increasing the interactions on the platforms. Moreover,
platform B’s BIM-based marketing and supply solutions have a great potential to stimulate de-
mand for high-quality BIM objects. Such objects can increase the accuracy of design calculations
and performance simulations and enable the users to select the innovative products with enhan-
ced sustainability performance. To create high-quality BIM objects for HVAC products and
satisfy the specific needs of HVAC professionals, platform owners must acquire proper expertise.
Nonetheless, creating high-quality BIM objects in supporting the diffusion of innovations needs
high quality product information to be provided by HVAC manufacturers.
5.2 Implications for manufacturers
To trigger the diffusion of their sustainable innovations through BIM library platforms, manufac-
turers must effectively communicate the information about their products by high-quality BIM
objects. This study identified that manufacturers have not provided high-quality product infor-
mation for the content of BIM objects. As a result, BIM library owners are unable to provide
BIM library interfaces which include sustainability attributes of the products in their search
criteria. Consequently, the users at AEC companies cannot search for products with superior
sustainability attributes on BIM library platforms. For example, they cannot search for BIM ob-
jects for energy efficient fans and find a fan which is more energy efficient than the other brands.
Supporting the diffusion of innovations with enhanced sustainability performance through BIM
libraries requires affecting the user’s perception by communicating high-quality information em-
bedded in BIM objects. Moreover, high-quality BIM objects enable designers to perform more
realistic designs and simulations that can affect the user’s perception of a product by virtual
trialability and observability. Creating high-quality BIM objects needs product information that
is accurate, adequate, comprehensible, applicable, and reliable. This study suggests that ma-
nufacturers must implement effective product information management systems and consider
integrating the creation of BIM objects into the PLM tools. This could facilitate the creation
of BIM objects for all products and provide platform owners with the information they need to
improve the architecture and enhance the usability of their BIM library interfaces.
5.3 Implications for research
This study has developed an interdisciplinary approach to explore the functionality of two BIM
object platforms as the enablers for the diffusion of innovations with enhanced sustainability per-
formance. The broad conceptual framework enables a holistic approach in investigating various
factors and stakeholders involved, while the focus on the specific case of ventilation products in
the Swedish market deepens the understanding about related problems. Figure 6 illustrates the
proposed model for presenting the theoretical effects of a BIM library platform on communica-
ting the information about an innovation, influencing the user’s perception of its characteristics,
and consequently its diffusion. As shown, a BIM library platform influences the diffusion of
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Fig. 6. The role of the BIM library platforms in the diffusion of sustainable innovative products
sustainable innovative products through its core interaction of which three key elements are the
quality of participation, the usability of its interface, and the quality of its BIM objects. The
sustainability attributes can be defined based on each case study e.g. energy efficiency, indoor
environmental quality performance, and carbon footprint of the products.The characteristics are
defined in the methodology section (table 1).
6 Conclusions
The present study was designed to investigate the creation and exchange of BIM objects on
two BIM library platforms in supporting the diffusion of sustainable HVAC innovations. BIM
platform library platforms have a pivotal role to play in the exchange of information about inno-
vative HVAC products with enhanced sustainability attributes, and consequently the diffusion
of such innovations. Nevertheless, the findings of this study indicate that this role has not been
served by the platforms studied. On both platforms, access to information about the existence of
products is very limited. In addition, poor quality of BIM objects prevents virtual trialability of
products and observability of their sustainability performance. Thus, manufacturers cannot show
the sustainability attributes of their products and affect the user perception of their sustainable
innovations. This in turn, hinders the diffusion of their sustainable innovations through BIM
platforms. The causal factors are low-quality product information provided by manufacturers,
ineffective mechanisms for creating BIM objects, ineffective strategies for attracting participants
to the platforms, and usability problems of BIM library interfaces.
These findings suggest that HVAC manufacturers need effective mechanisms for creating BIM
objects. Integrating BIM object creation into the PLM systems is recommended as a solution.
This could facilitate providing high-quality product information that enables platform owners
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to improve the information architecture and usability of their BIM libraries in supporting the
diffusion of sustainable innovations. Platform owners must consider the technical requirements
for the HVAC applications in order to attract HVAC professionals at AEC companies to the
BIM libraries. The growing application of BIM makes the BIM object quality as significant as
the product quality. Therefore, quality assurance and certification schemes such as the BSI Ki-
temark for BIM objects are recommended to be developed according to the national regulations
in order to ensure the quality of BIM objects by third party certification bodies. Addressing
these issues requires active collaboration among BIM platform owners, HVAC product manufac-
turers, AEC companies, and facility owners. The generalization of the findings is limited due
to the study being constrained to the use of just two BIM library platforms in Sweden. Ne-
vertheless, we believe that our study could be a framework for future studies on the use of BIM
libraries in supporting sustainable innovations. Another significant area of further research is
the feasibility of integrating BIM object creation into the PLM systems. Moreover, this study
was not specifically designed to evaluate the monetization strategies adopted by the platform
owners. Therefore, further research is needed to investigate the effects of platform monetization
strategies on the exchange of information through the platforms and the diffusion of sustainable
innovations.
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Biographies
Soheila Bahrami. Soheila Bahrami received her Licentiate degree in construction and ar-
chitectural engineering from Lund University, Sweden in 2019. She holds an MEng degree in
mechanical engineering-HVAC systems from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, an
MSc degree in environmental management from Lund University in Sweden, and a BSc degree
in technical inspection engineering from the Petroleum University of Technology in Iran. She
has work experience in process engineering, industrial marketing, and technical training in pe-
trochemical and natural gas industries. Since 2008, she has been involved in research projects
on innovative building ventilation systems, energy efficiency, and thermal comfort at Lund
University. In 2015, she conducted research and worked as a consultant on energy manage-
ment solutions for building HVAC systems in Canada. She is currently pursuing a PhD degree in construction
management at Lund University. Her research interests include innovative ventilation systems for sustainability,
exchanging product information in BIM platforms and HVAC engineering education for sustainability.
Brian Atkin. Brian Atkin gained his doctorate from the University of Reading in the UK.
He holds a master’s degree by research into the costs of major engineering infrastructure. Pre-
sently, he is Professor in the Division of Construction Management at Lund University, Lund,
Sweden and Adjunct Professor in the School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment,
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Brian has also held professorial
and visiting fellow positions in the UK, Hong Kong, Finland and Iceland. As a member of
the British Standards Institution (BSI) Facilities Management Strategy Group and Technical
Committee, he has been closely involved in the drafting of all national standards in facilities
management. In addition, he represents BSI on the International Standards Organization
Technical Committee for Facility Management where he has also been involved in drafting. Brian is co-author of
the standard textbook on Total Facility Management and the author of numerous research papers and reports.
His work as an examiner covers all levels, including higher doctorates.
Anne Landin. Anne Landin gained her Doctorate from Lund University, where she is Pro-
fessor and Head of the Department of Construction Management. In 2007, she received the
award of Excellent Teaching Practitioner of the Faculty of Engineering. Landin has been
involved in several academic positions and commissions. Anne has a great interest in many
issues related to Lund University and its students and as a consequence, she has been engaged
in several contexts such as having responsibility for faculty-shared (Science & Engineering)
postgraduate courses in project management, Chairman of the Board for the Collegium Mi-
chael Hansen, a residential centre for 350 students. Anne recognises the importance of having
a healthy dialogue with industry and society and has undertaken various assignments. Anne is
a certified teacher for quality issues in the construction industry and has secured various consultancy commissions
covering quality, environmental and management issues. During her years in academia, Anne has published many
articles and has been a constant supervisor of doctoral students. Anne has also been responsible for a number of
research projects both nationally and in cooperation with other countries.
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