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The paper clarifies research gaps and future directions in building information modeling (BIM) research by analyzing research trends and publication patterns. It aims to (1) systematically categorize the vast array of BIM literature into coherent main topics, (2) identify the most and least explored areas and (3) propose directions for future research based on identified research gaps.

This study uses the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) method to manage large datasets and uncover hidden patterns in academic journals and conference articles. To clarify the scholarly focus, the main topics in BIM research are categorized into three groups: (1) primary areas of focus, (2) moderately explored topics and (3) least investigated topics.

The findings revealed 10 main topics (MTs) and 57 subtopics (STs), identifying key areas such as project design and management (20%), innovative construction technology (14%) and sustainable construction/life cycle management (14%). Conversely, it also highlighted underexplored areas like Facility/safety management and urban data development, suitable for future research.

While this work provides a structured overview of the BIM domain, it reveals opportunities for further exploring the complexity of the interrelation among interdisciplinary topics.

The novelty of this study is its extensive scope, analyzing over fifteen thousand BIM articles from 2013 to 2023, which significantly expands the literature scale previously reviewed. This comprehensive approach maps BIM research trends and gaps and also shows the hierarchical trend line of publications in each main topic, setting a benchmark for future studies.

Drawing motivation from the greater exposure to uncertainty and condition changes that affect large projects due to their long lifecycle, this paper aims to investigate how the time factor affects the use of governance mechanisms to pursue the success of these projects.

To pursue its aim, the article applies the dichotomization between the hard and soft mechanisms of project governance to the analysis of a historical case study, whose findings are organized over the short, medium and long periods. The case selected is referred to the peculiar water system, made up of tunnels named “bottini,” that was in use in Siena (Italy) as the old aqueduct. Specifically, the study focuses on the project of expansion of this water system that was realized during the 14th century for the construction of the “Bottino maestro di Fontegaia.”

This article highlights the different relevance that, during the lifecycle of large projects, is assumed by hard and soft governance mechanisms, with the former having main relevance in a short and medium period, and the latter usually emerging in the medium period and, subsequently, playing a growing role for the project success in the long period.

The article contributes to the literature on large projects by providing novel insights about how the time factor impacts the governance of these projects. Furthermore, the case study, with its unique history, highlights the relevance of combining effectively the hard and the soft dimensions of project governance to pursue success.