## 3 Research Methodology and Approach  
This research aims to explore BIM implementation challenges in complex renovation projects based on an expansion project conducted on the Bioenergy Research Demonstration Facility (BRDF) on the Vancouver campus of the University of British Columbia (UBC). This study entails a mixed-method, multilevel longitudinal case study to obtain further in-depth knowledge on the BIM implementation process. Case-study-based research investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are inextricably linked [46]. The case study method can be a suitable strategy when the research questions posed are about investigating \"how\" or \"why\" a phenomenon occurs or is experienced, and the research inquiry involves contemporary events where the researcher cannot tightly control for the behaviors of interest [47]. Nevertheless, the researcher should be aware that the findings of case studies are not always valid for all other projects and cannot always be generalized. The data collection in this research involved an ethnographic qualitative study method that allowed the research team to be immersed in the project activities and communications. This enabled direct observation of many processes and valuable access to project information. This was supported by a series of semistructured interviews and surveys with the project team. More specifically, the research team conducted two rounds of surveys with various project team members. The first round had 15 respondents, and in the second round, there were 11 respondents (all 11 participated for the second round). Following these surveys, postsurvey, semistructured interviews were held with 7 project team members individually, all of whom also contributed to the surveys previously. Furthermore, the research team was given access to the communications between the project stakeholders, including emails, meeting minutes, and reports to support their analysis. As mentioned, this research aims to understand the use of BIM and related challenges in complex renovation projects. This requires obtaining a better understanding of the decision making, information exchange, and data integration processes, which was realized by analyzing the collected project data in a systematic and structured way. Figure 1 shows the specific research activities (RAs) conducted by the research team to conduct this analysis, followed by a brief introduction of each RA. The designed research activities in this research were divided into 8 major steps, which are as follows:  
1. **Understand current BIM practices for renovation projects via literature review:** In the initial stage of the research, a comprehensive literature review was conducted on academic and industry resources to better understand the current status and trends in BIM utilization in existing buildings and renovation projects. This research activity is discussed in more detail in Section 2. 2. **Understand the project background and current status of the project:** This RA included understanding the project's specific constraints and challenges that led to the use of BIM. The majority of the project information was investigated through project document analysis, project meeting attendance, and semistructured interviews with the project team. The research team was given access to the project document repositories by both the owner and the general contract. This research activity is discussed in more detail in Section 4. 3. **Investigate the project organizational context associated with BIM implementation:** Once the project background, constraints, and challenges were investigated, the project's BIM implementation context was examined in this RA. This included the organizational relationships between project stakeholders, as well as their BIM experience and capabilities. Furthermore, this RA involved understanding the project's BIM goals and expectations (Section 5). 4.