Building Information Modeling (BIM) Benefits and Challenges: Malaysian Construction Organization Experience

Abstract

Building Information Modeling is an innovative technology coupled with process and human interactions. BIM has been used by the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry in developed and developing countries including Malaysia. This paper aims to explore the BIM implementation in Malaysian Construction Industry. This paper begins with a literature review and then reports on the findings of case studies of selected Malaysian construction organizations, carried out with the aim to explore on existing BIM implementation establishing on the BIM applications, BIM benefits, and BIM future challenges. The review highlights on several BIM benefits regarding financial, better information, communication and coordination, respond to complexity, improved visual, improved sustainability, improved safety and also create service’s or business’s opportunities. Case study findings indicate that the BIM implementation in projects are still limited and requires more efforts to be made if the construction industry wants to gain BIM benefits. The results also indicate that although BIM implementation is considered low in the Malaysian construction industry, the participants are in a consensus of the benefits from BIM implementation, similar to those found in the literature. These benefits agreed by the participants that BIM implementation is a positive way to enhance the task efficiency in project delivery and also contribute to the higher visibility of the project, together with time and cost optimization. Furthermore, in the meantime, the organization that has the knowledge and skills in implementing BIM could benefit the opportunity in getting the new job or projects as well as being hired as the service provider in the construction industry. Nevertheless, implementing BIM is not without challenges. The data analysis had identified several challenges in regards to the implementation of BIM, which are non-technical (human and organizational culture) challenges and technical (technology) challenges. Thus, based on many future challenges for BIM, the Malaysian government and construction industry players need to collaborate and play their roles in supporting BIM development in Malaysia.