A Study of Prospective Barriers, Benefits and Measures for Building Information Modeling (BIM) Adoption in Nepalese AEC Industry

Abstract

The construction industry needs modern construction methodology and technology to improve sustainability and production performance. Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology supports improving the quality of products by reducing design and construction defects, risks to the health and safety of workers, and reduce overall project cost and delivery time. The BIM has capabilities, but it is still undiscovered and unable to exploit the full scale of its benefits in the Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. There is a trend to adopt the BIM level 1, which is limited to 2D and only in a few cases 3D models uses in the design and construction of residential and commercial buildings, particularly in Nepal. Hence, this paper focuses on providing insight into the BIM benefits and identifies the potential barriers while adopting BIM Level 3 in Nepal. This was accomplished by developing a 4DBIM model of a multi-story residential building in Nepal and conducting the industry survey via focus group with the AEC professionals based on the developed 4DBIM model. A comprehensive literature review was conducted and presented the findings of the BIM benefits and barriers while adopting BIM. The study found that commercial and governmental projects can immediately be adopted BIM technology. It is concluded that the unavailability of skilled BIM users and the lack of proper policies for BIM adoption are key barriers in Nepal. Hence, the new policy is required to achieve and exploit the full scale of the BIM benefits and improve the project delivery in terms of quality, cost and time including the health and safety of workers and the sustainability of the AEC industry.