Impact of organization size and project type on BIM adoption in the Chinese construction market

Abstract

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is perceived as an effective tool for improving the delivery and coordination of construction projects. The Chinese construction sector has demonstrated significant interest in implementing the 3-dimensional modelling-based process. BIM adoption is influenced by several factors which can either be operational or strategic related. Factors which can have a significant impact include the size of the construction organization and the type of projects that the organization has to deliver (i.e. building vs infrastructure projects). This study aims to evaluate the effect of project type and size on BIM adoption in the Chinese market, via an adoption model which analyses factors impacting the adoption decision. The study examines 200 samples collected from the Chinese construction industry, split equally between infrastructure and building construction data groups, as well as SMEs and large organizations. The collected data are first analyzed by principal component analysis and then through a Structural Equation Modelling-based multiple group analysis. Results demonstrate that essential factors such as operational risks are considered by small organization, whereas large organizations focus on implementation challenges. Implementation benefits and challenges are significant on the adoption decision in infrastructure organizations, but not in building organizations. In addition, the study reveals that “technical support” is an important factor when it comes to BIM adoption among all types of organizations, regardless of the organization’s size and project type delivered.