Introducing BIM to Construction Management Students: A Case Study of Using Lego Blocks as Instructional Tool

As the construction industry is transitioning into the building information modeling (BIM) era, many construction management (CM) programs are actively integrating BIM into their curriculum. For new CM students who are unfamiliar with the BIM concept, a connection is desired to link 2D drawings with 3D models. This paper presents a case study that uses Lego blocks as an innovative instructional tool to introduce BIM to new CM students. The approach employs a physical Lego model house as the connection between the 2D and 3D worlds in an introductory BIM course and aims to demonstrate the benefits of BIM over 2D CAD through a hands-on session. CM students are instructed to build a Lego house first with a set of typical 2D construction drawings, including plan, elevation, and section sheets, and then with a 3D model in a BIM program. Students are guided to navigate the model and then use it as a 3D reference to complete the Lego house. Through the hands-on session, students will naturally establish the connection between 2D drawings and 3D models. In addition, by comparing the efforts needed to complete the Lego house with both methods, students can easily recognize the benefits of using BIM in CM. This case study demonstrates the procedures of using Lego blocks as an instructional tool in a hands-on session of an introductory BIM course.