Building Information Modeling Awareness Research Articles

Assessing Awareness of Building Information Modeling (BIM) among AEC Professionals in Nepal

The advent of Building Information Modeling (BIM) has led to a revolutionary transformation in the construction sector on a global scale. The implementation of BIM has resulted in a multitude of benefits, including enhanced project outcomes, cost savings, and improved collaboration. However, in Nepal, the adoption of BIM in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry presents a distinctive set of challenges and opportunities. A survey of architects and engineers in both construction and academia indicates a moderate level of awareness of BIM, with 59% of respondents reporting familiarity with the technology. Of these, 69% employ BIM primarily during the design phase, thereby underscoring its utility in project planning. Nevertheless, practical applications remain constrained, as a considerable proportion of users have less than two years of experience with BIM. Despite its potential, 41% of professionals remain unaware of BIM, indicating a significant knowledge gap. This suggests the need for increased education and training to fully leverage BIM's benefits. While the current focus is on design, broader integration across all project stages is essential to maximize its impact. Expanding awareness and developing skills in BIM will be key to advancing its implementation in Nepal's AEC sector, driving efficiency and innovation in construction practices.

The Awareness and Knowledge Levels of Building Information Modeling Among Architecture Students: A Survey-Based Study

The present study aims to investigate the awareness of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Turkey from students' perspectives. While numerous studies in the literature have explored BIM awareness in the industry, research specifically focused on students is scarce. Thus, this study aims to contribute a new and current perspective to the existing literature by measuring student awareness based on empirical evidence. By doing so, it intends to provide valuable insights for future research and curriculum development. The research utilized the results of a survey conducted in 2022 involving the participation of 34 fourth-year students in the architecture program. The findings indicate that students have heard about and even utilized the concept of Building Information Modeling, but their knowledge of this technological development needs to be more comprehensive. The survey was designed to assess the students' BIM awareness level to explore their understanding and proficiency in using BIM. The results revealed that students need to learn more about the technological elements and components that constitute BIM. This limitation hampers their potential to utilize BIM in practice effectively. The outcomes of this study underscore the necessity for architecture education programs to adopt a more comprehensive approach to BIM. Developing educational and informational strategies that enhance students' knowledge of BIM is imperative. The findings of this study serve as a valuable resource for increasing BIM awareness in architectural education and facilitating students' adaptation to this technology.

Optimized Integration of Lean Construction, Building Information Modeling, and Facilities Management in Developing Countries: A Case of Qatar

Over the past decades, the construction industry has benefited from implementing Lean Construction (LC) principles, extensive usage of Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools, and application of advanced Facilities Management (FM) theories as standalone packages. Recently, integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM have attracted a lot of attention. While progress has been made, few researchers have attempted to develop a method for optimizing integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM in developing countries. In addition, relatively little is known about the hindrances and challenges in integrating LC, BIM, and FM at various levels of inquiry. The current study contributes to these gaps by examining the challenges that hinder developing countries from adopting integrated applications of LC, BIM, and FM. Qatar, a rapidly developing economy, was used as a case illustration. In the present study, drivers for enabling optimized integration of LC, BIM, and FM were identified. A closed-ended survey was conducted to investigate and understand contextual and organizational factors that hinder the integration of LC, BIM, and FM at three levels of inquiry. Findings displayed that lack of communication skills, language barriers, and inappropriate training provided to low-level skilled workers were the most prominent hindrances. To this end, an integrated communication and collaborative environment for bridging the communication gap was outlined. Furthermore, the wide disparity in the levels of awareness, readiness, and implementation of LC, BIM, and FM across construction companies was identified as a major challenge in deploying and disseminating succinct knowledge on how to optimize the integration of LC, BIM, and FM. To resolve challenges, an integrated collaborative platform for disseminating differentiated knowledge and information on how to seamlessly integrate LC, BIM, and FM was developed. This integrated collaborative platform can be used by authorities to monitor progress and productivity in the construction industry. The significance of this study lies in providing a basis for organizations that intend to implement LC, BIM, and FM in an integrated manner.

SLOW ADOPTION OF BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING: COMPARING VIEWPOINTS OF DESIGNERS AND CONTRACTORS

The slow adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology poses significant problems for the construction industry in the Middle East. The root causes of this issue are purported to include a lack of understanding of its benefits and the existence of barriers to its adoption. This study investigates the slow adoption of BIM technology in the Middle East to identify solutions to facilitate BIM adoption and approaches by which stakeholders can transform to utilizing BIM. The main objectives of this research are to: (1) examine the attitudes and readiness of construction stakeholders for BIM, (2) investigate the extent to which there is a lack of understanding of BIM benefits, (3) explore the barriers that hinder BIM adoption, and (4) identify the solutions recommended by the industry experts to promote BIM utilization. The study also compares the viewpoints of designers and contractors to identify potential differences. A questionnaire survey has been devised to gather data from stakeholder firms and experienced BIM professionals. The results revealed that the viewpoints of designers and contractors generally align, except when it comes to recognizing a few benefits such as the generation of accurate and consistent 2D drawings, achieving greater predictability in project time, enhancing communication among project stakeholders, minimizing change orders, and mitigating redesign issues. Similarly, there was a difference in recognizing a few barriers, namely, the lack of skilled personnel and the cost of training existing staff. Furthermore, the analysis led to the conclusion that the most notable advantage of BIM is improved conflict detection, and the most significant barrier is the lack of BIM training. The research culminated in offering recommendations for addressing the industry's BIM-related challenges. These suggestions encompassed raising awareness of BIM as a robust design and construction tool, supporting construction firms for adopting BIM techniques, and identifying methods to streamline the implementation process within these firms.

Overview of BIM contributions in the construction phase: review and bibliometric analysis

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a revolutionary invention within the construction industry that essentially aids the design, construction and management of construction projects throughout their lifespan. Globally, the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry has for decades progressively adopted and implemented BIM. While there are several papers in this context, none have tried to extensively document BIM’s comprehensive contributions and uses in the construction phase. Therefore, this paper aims to identify BIM’s various contributions and uses in the construction phase and analyze publication trends, co-occurring keywords, contributing authors and countries. A systematic overview approach was used to review published articles on state-of-the-art of BIM in construction, supported by bibliometric network mapping analysis. A total of 409 documents were extracted and analyzed. The study’s findings document BIM’s various uses and contributions to the AEC industry, such as simulation of each stage of the construction process, virtual presentation of the building and site, visualization of progress, management of construction work, enhancement of safety, communication and collaboration, quick generation of reliable and accurate cost estimates, assistance in the fast realization of return on investment (ROI), and serving as a platform that hosts and documents various technological tools used during the construction phase. The bibliometric analysis reveals the most contributing scholars, countries, document sources, trend network mapping of co-occurring keywords, and publication trends. The primary practical implications of this study’s discoveries can be exploited as a basis for further research and to influence the future direction of BIM in the AEC industry. The findings will enhance the wider spread, application and understanding of BIM in the AEC industry, thereby increasing BIM awareness and knowledge globally.

Government Initiatives for Enhancing Building Information Modeling Adoption in Saudi Arabia

Despite its numerous benefits, many countries are slow in adopting building information modeling (BIM). As a result, policymakers are implementing different government initiatives (GIs) for enhancing BIM adoption globally. However, it is critical to exercise caution when implementing GIs due to each country’s specific requirements and rules. Having country-specific GIs can ensure that BIM is appropriately adopted and fits a country’s needs and problems. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the GIs in enhancing BIM adoption in Saudi Arabia. Data from 101 industry professionals were analyzed using a mean ranking analysis, normalization method, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE). Five critical GIs for enhancing BIM adoption were identified: developing programs for improving BIM competencies, developing programs to increase BIM awareness and understanding, developing programs to integrate BIM into education curricula and academia, developing BIM-related contractual frameworks, and providing financial aid to reduce the cost of BIM adoption. The EFA results indicate that the GIs can be grouped into two underlying constructs: national policies and organizational strategies. The FSE results confirmed that all GIs are effective. The study findings can serve as a significant reference for industry practitioners and policymakers in assuring successful BIM adoption.

A Multivariate Analysis of the Variables Impacting the Level of BIM Expertise of Professionals in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industries of the Developing World Using Nonparametric Tests

Building information modeling (BIM) mandates are becoming more widespread because BIM allows design and construction teams to operate more productively and also enables them to collect the data they generate during the process for use in operations and maintenance tasks. As a result, professionals in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries are expected to possess excellent BIM expertise. Despite the fact that the developing world has largely not adopted BIM, many studies have been conducted on BIM usage, awareness, drivers and barriers with a focus on the developing world. Numerous studies have pointed to the professionals’ lack of BIM expertise in the developing world’s AEC sector as a major barrier to BIM deployment. Nevertheless, no research has been conducted to assess the variables impacting the level of BIM expertise among professionals. After a detailed review of the literature, the study developed five study hypotheses and created a conceptual model to help assess the variables impacting the level of BIM expertise of professionals in the AEC industry in the developing world. After that, a questionnaire survey was carried out to collect data from 103 seasoned professionals in the Ghanaian construction industry. Nonparametric tests, such as the Kruskal–Wallis, pairwise post hoc Dunn, Mann–Whitney, Pearson’s correlation and the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS SEM) tests, were adopted to assess the relationships between the level of BIM expertise of professionals (BE) and the following variables: (1) profession (P), (2) the frequency of BIM use by professionals (BF), (3) the highest dimension of BIM adopted by AEC firms and companies (BD), (4) professionals’ perception of BIM (PB) and (5) the BIM implementation barriers (BIMIBs). P, BF, BD and PB were found to have a substantial impact on the level of BIM expertise acquired by professionals. With regards to professionals’ perception of the BIM software and process, only one (PB3–BIM is not useful to our company at the moment) out of ten of them was found to have a significant impact on BE, highlighting the impact of employers on the level of BIM expertise of professionals. In addition, the study discovered that any resolution made in an attempt to tackle the lack of/insufficient level of BIM expertise among professionals would prove futile without significant effort from the higher education sector (HES) of the developing world and the entire world at large. The study’s conceptual, empirical, managerial and theoretical implications and findings would serve as a roadmap for researchers, professionals and academics in developing nations as they endeavor to seek more ways of increasing BIM expertise among their professionals and to encourage BIM usage throughout the project lifecycle.

A Qualitative Investigation of the Obstacles Inherent in the Implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM)

The Middle East construction industry is fragmented, which makes project data inaccessible and underutilized. Building information modeling (BIM) provides innovative solutions to the AEC industry. Due to a lack of awareness of BIM’s successful processes, protocols, and workflows, some Middle Eastern organizations have tried to create their own systems but have not always chosen BIM. Some users did not comprehend BIM’s benefits, and the construction business was not ready for BIM technology. Furthermore, BIM’s benefits were not well known. This study intends to investigate construction practitioners’ awareness of the BIM field, the BIM adoption situation, and procedures in Middle Eastern design companies, by identifying and assessing construction professionals’ perceptions of impediments to BIM implementation in Middle Eastern construction. This research conducted a semi-structured interview to collect data and information from design teams currently adopting BIM at the project design stage. Thirteen of thirty-nine accepted to participate, with four invalid samples. Data collection reached a saturation point after the fifth interview. The descriptive and empirical analysis showed few BIM studies, lack of knowledge, insufficient government policies, high implementation costs, inadequate contractual coordination, lack of specified standards, cost of data and information sharing, technological availability issues, stakeholder reluctance, business and cultural changes, data and intellectual property issues, and interoperability issues. The factor analysis identified three main BIM implementation difficulties in Middle Eastern construction. These factors are training, cost, and economic constraints.

Return on Investment of Building Information Modeling Adoption in the Construction Industry in Developing Countries

The present paper focuses on the business value or more specifically return on investment of adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the construction industry in developing countries. The research area forms a gap in the knowledge of the research as well as practicing communities. Hence, there is a genuine need to fill the missing knowledge. It is a valid question why such concern about the ROI of adoption has not been raised as far as other tools which represented a paradigm shift in the construction industry such as AutoCAD, by which a complete and rapid switch from manual drawing to digital drawing, still in 2D format but with attributes. Such attributes have been used for material take-off and vendor lists among others. However, BIM was introduced as a revolutionary technology at least thirty years ago, the concern or doubts regarding its overall business value still hanging over, and not a single research paper or report out of the voluminous corpus of literature, has managed to resolve this issue. If we add the element of most studies talk about developed countries, while the situation and numbers are completely different in developing countries which are still struggling with the awareness or adoption of BIM in the construction industry. Among the factors commonly mentioned to adversely affect the diffusion of BIM in developing countries, lack of government support, and more closely related to the present study, concern over the business value of BIM adoption. Research methodology in the present paper has been set after reviewing the voluminous corpus of literature and finding that there exist a large number of questionnaires and/or workshops dealing with the same question in different approaches. Such existent studies processed respondents’ answers to reach some conclusions depicted statistically or graphically. Based on this, the author has decided to review such extant studies rather than perform an independent questionnaire which at the end of the day will add to questions rather than to answers. The main finding of the study is no quantitative formulation of ROI can be adopted and the only way to deal with such a question is to rely on qualitative studies asserting there exists a high potential of adopting BIM to generate direct as well as indirect revenues. All attempts found in the literature to quantify the ROI of BIM cannot be generalized due to disputed involved assumptions.

Institutional isomorphism and adoption of building information modelling (BIM) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of the Nigerian Construction Industry

PurposeAlthough there has been a surge in the adoption of building information modelling (BIM) in the construction industry, the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are still struggling and perceive its adoption as risky. The SMEs in developing economies are especially on the disadvantaged side of the digital divide. Extant studies have focused on large firms and there are scanty studies on the influence of the external environments on BIM adoption in SMEs. Thus, this study espouses institutional theory (INT) to examine the influence of coercive, mimetic, and normative pressures on BIM awareness and adoption in SMEs.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach was employed, and data were collected from the Nigerian construction SMEs via an empirical questionnaire survey using a sequential stratified and convenient sampling method. Hypothesized relationships between the coercive, mimetic, and normative pressure and BIM in SMEs were empirically tested using the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique and the model was validated with the “PLSpredict” procedure.FindingsThe results revealed that coercive and mimetic pressures significantly influence BIM adoption in SMEs while normative pressures have the strongest influence on BIM in SMEs. Also, BIM awareness is an important predictor of BIM adoption. The findings also shed light on the influence of firmographics on BIM awareness and adoption in Nigerian SMEs.Originality/valueThe study empirically validates the applicability of INT and highlights that BIM adoption is not only influenced by internal responses to the need for efficiency but also by external pressures. It implies a clear need for intentional isomorphic pressures in driving BIM adoption in SMEs. The study employs the INT to explain a phenomenon that has not been theoretically explored in the context of SMEs in developing economies. Lastly, the study provided valuable insights into driving BIM adoption, together with the effective practical implications for implementation and potential research areas for further studies.

Awareness, Adoption, and implementation of Building Information Modelling in Small and Medium Enterprises in the Moroccan AEC Industry

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has gained widespread popularity over the past decade, mainly in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. The adoption of BIM in developed countries is already regulated as opposed to developing and underdeveloped countries. This study aims at filling the knowledge gap as to the adoption and implementation of BIM practices in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with a focus on the Moroccan AEC industry. The main goals of this study are 1. to determine the BIM awareness level and adoption rate, 2. to assess the familiarity level, 3. to establish the benefits, challenges, and prospects of BIM. The results of this study have shown that BIM awareness is high, but its adoption and implementation are not, though promising as it is exponentially gaining the attention of AEC practitioners.

Yapı Bilgi Modellemesi’nin Türkiye için Uygulanabilirliğinin Araştırılması

Her geçen gün daha karmaşık hale gelen yapıların, her anlamda verimli bir şekilde inşa edilebilmeleri, teknolojiden faydalanma derecesiyle yakından ilgilidir. Her türlü ön çalışma ve analizlerin yapılabilmesine olanak sağlamak suretiyle bina tasarımlarını sürdürülebilir, sağlıklı ve düşük maliyetlerle projelendirebilen Yapı Bilgi Modelleme (YBM) sisteminin kullanımı bu anlamda önemlidir. Bu anket çalışması ile YBM'nin sektör çalışanları tarafından bilinirliği, sağlayabileceği avantajların farkındalığı, daha yaygın kullanımının sağlanmasında engel olarak görülen hususları ve bu hususların giderilmesi noktasındaki düşüncelerinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmadan elde edilen verilere göre YBM sistemi, ülkemizde henüz yeterince bilinmemekte (%50) ve kullanılmamaktadır (% 67). Çalışmaya katılanların % 70’i ise YBM sisteminin nasıl kullanıldığını bilmemektedir. YBM sisteminin farkındalığı ve kullanımı henüz emekleme safhasındadır. Diğer yandan YBM sisteminin sektöre katkı sağlayabileceği fikrinin katılımcılarca büyük oranda kabul görmesi, ilerleyen zamanlarda sistemin daha fazla kullanılacağı şeklinde yorumlanabilir. Ankete katılanların % 41’i YBM’nin proje maliyetlerini kesinlikle azaltacağı ve %31’i de azaltacağı fikrindedir. YBM ile inşaat aşamasından önce olası problemlerin tespitinin yapılabileceği fikri, katılımcılar tarafından % 58 oranında destek bulmuştur. YBM sisteminin kullanımının yaygınlaştırılmasında en büyük katkının devlet tarafından verilebileceği görüşü % 61, sektördeki rekabet baskısının kullanımı yaygınlaştıracağı fikri ise % 41 oranla kabul görmüştür. Büyük ölçüde kabul gördüğü üzere, sistem hakkında eğitim imkânlarının geliştirilmesi faydalı olabilecektir. Akademik çalışmalar ve tecrübeli olan kişi veya kurumlardan YBM’e geçiş konusunda destek alınabilir. YBM kullanımına geçişin gecikmesindeki en önemli sebeplerden biri olarak görülen yasal düzenlemelerin yapılması da bu anlamda faydalı olacaktır.

Barriers to the Implementation of Building Information Modeling among Jordanian AEC Companies

Building Information Modeling (BIM) offers significant opportunities for construction management as it provides an effective method for design and documentation, supports communication and collaboration, and enhances the most important factors of a project (time, cost, and quality). The aim of this study is to investigate the barriers to BIM implementation at AEC (architecture, management, construction, and quantity survey) companies in Jordan, and to look at the similarities and differences in perceptions on the significance of these barriers between respondents from different AEC companies. To accomplish these objectives, a questionnaire survey was created to gather feedback on the 20 major barriers to BIM implementation identified through a comprehensive literature review. The top significant barriers were identified using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and Mean value; and to assess variances between respondents in the four AEC firms, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. From this, it was concluded that the “cost of training”, “cost of BIM software”, “insufficient BIM technical knowledge and awareness”, “lack of adequate BIM guidelines”, and “huge BIM up frontal investment” are the key barriers affecting the BIM implementation in Jordanian AEC companies. Considering this, this study provides an important step towards better understanding the implementation of BIM in Jordan.

The BIM-Based Building Permit Process: Factors Affecting Adoption

Public organizations responsible for building permits are increasingly considering the potential applications of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in their workflows, but BIM adoption still remains a complex challenge. This research aims to investigate the factors affecting BIM adoption for building permits through a case study of a public organization currently developing and piloting a BIM-based building permit process. A thematic analysis of semi-structured interview data revealed ten factors that influence BIM adoption for building permits: complexity (in both development and use) of a BIM-based building permit system; relative advantages/disadvantages of BIM for building permits; the existing building permit system; management support for a BIM-based building permit process; organizational culture; BIM awareness; training and learning; available expertise for a BIM-based building permit process; external pressure; and legal context. The findings are important for public authorities’ understanding of both the enablers and challenges of the BIM-based building permit process, and have practical implications for professionals in public authorities in particular, and also the Architecture Engineering Construction/Facilities Management (AEC/FM) industry in general, to guide their steps towards adopting BIM. This research also highlights the potential benefits of BIM adoption for the building permit process.

An overview of BIM adoption barriers in the Middle East and North Africa developing countries

PurposeIn an attempt to attain a better understanding of the research work on building information modeling (BIM) adoption, this study aims to examine the criticality of BIM adoption barriers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) developing countries from the lens of the sociotechnical theory. Further, the study investigates the differences in the perceptions of various constructions players (owners, contractors and designers) to BIM barriers, as well as possible discrepancies in the perception of BIM users and non-BIM users to the significance of the perceived constraints.Design/methodology/approachTo reach this aim, the study starts with a systematic evaluation and a critical review of the literature on BIM barriers. A set of 22 BIM adoption limitations was drawn from the literature which was used to design the survey. To capture a broad perception, a mixed approach was used, and data were collected through an interview study and a survey involving Architecture, Engineering and Construction professionals in the MENA construction sector. The collected data were analyzed using the mean score, standard deviation and nonparametric tests. The further principal component analysis (PCA) grouped the barriers to uncover the latent factors of BIM barriers.FindingsThe actors ranked the barriers as follows: lack of knowledge and BIM awareness, commercial issues and investment cost, lack of skills and BIM specialist, interoperability and lack of client demand. The examination of the PCA resulted in four underlying BIM limitation factors namely: human, technological, structural and financial. The analysis of the ranking indicated that 16 of the 22 barriers are considered critical in the MENA area. The results of the Mann–Whitney test indicated that there is a statistically significant difference in perceptions of BIM users and nonuser for seven barriers, pointing out that users care most about the financial barriers; however, nonusers are mostly concerned with structural and technological barriers. However, the results of the Kruskal–Wallis test indicated that there is no statistically significant difference in the perceptions of the three categories of stakeholders in ranking all BIM barriers.Practical implicationsThe outcomes will back policymakers and construction participants with the knowledge to develop policy propositions that can positively affect BIM adoption in the construction industry. The significance of this study lies in being one of the very first explorative investigations that comparatively and empirically explored BIM adoption barriers across the whole MENA developing countries.Originality/valueWhile several research studies have examined BIM adoption barriers in various countries, none to the best of the authors' knowledge have attempted to study the whole MENA region as one entity, and none highlighted the impact of user's roles on their perception of adoption barriers within their community. The results contribute to the discussion of the relationship among practitioners' level of involvement in BIM projects and their perception of adoption barriers which is underrepresented in extant studies. The above can assist with prioritizing the barriers that are considered to be more significant given the characteristics of the community under study. The result revealed the value of the structural and human attributes in prioritizing BIM adoption barriers within the MENA construction industry.

Modelling the Impact of Building Information Modelling (BIM) Implementation Drivers and Awareness on Project Lifecycle

The Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations (AECO) industry is generally slow in adopting emerging technologies, and such hesitance invariably restricts performance improvements. A plethora of studies have focused on the barriers, Critical Success Factors (CSFs), lifecycle and drivers independently, but none have explored the impact of BIM drivers and awareness on the project lifecycle. This study empirically explored the impact of BIM drivers and awareness on the project lifecycle using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Initially, a conceptual model was developed from an extensive literature review. Thereafter, the model was tested using primary questionnaire data obtained from 90 construction professionals in Lagos, Nigeria. Emergent findings indicate that Building Information Modelling (BIM) drivers have a high impact on BIM awareness at the operation stage of the project lifecycle. The SEM model has an average R2 value of 23% which is moderate. Consequently, this research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing invaluable insight into the impact of BIM drivers on BIM awareness in the project lifecycle. Knowledge acquired will help industry stakeholders and government to develop appropriate policies to increase BIM uptake within contemporary practice.

BIM usage benefits and challenges for site safety application in Indian construction sector

Construction industry is highly exposed to accidents than other industries. Due to the multi-disciplinary nature of the construction industry, more than one task is required to be performed at the same time. If safety planning is improper, it may lead to serious accidents on-site, directly affecting overall productivity. Recent technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) have the potential to manage safety on the construction site. This study deals with the status check of the awareness of BIM in Indian construction along with benefits, barriers faced in Indian construction. This study also presents the benefits that BIM implementation can bring for safety management. In this study, a questionnaire was designed to ascertain the level of awareness of BIM in the Indian construction industry. The questionnaire was distributed to construction professionals from all over India. A total of 171 valid responses were received from all the corners of India. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences analysis (SPSS) has been used for data analysis. The survey concludes that the Indian construction sector needs to work on the three main aspects that include awareness of BIM and its benefits for organizations, accumulation of BIM in the tertiary education system, and delivering corporate training in construction organizations for a successful realization of benefits by the implementation of BIM.

Implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) for Social Heritage Buildings in Kuala Lumpur

Heritage buildings offer a sense of identity in every country. Preserving heritage buildings is important to ensure that bona fide aesthetic values are well maintained. However, the conservation and preservation of heritage buildings during operation and maintenance (O&M) has been taken lightly which can cause buildings to be abandoned due to the tedious work involved for the Facility Managers. Therefore, a need for advanced technology, such as Historic Building Information Modeling (HBIM), is important to enhance the efficiency of O&M for heritage buildings in Malaysia. Even though BIM has many benefits, yet it is not widely adopted in Malaysia especially for heritage buildings. Therefore, this research highlights the awareness of BIM for social heritage buildings in Kuala Lumpur. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with various construction professionals that have experience in BIM projects and managing heritage buildings. These interviews prove that the current facility management practices for heritage buildings do not use advanced technology for upkeep and maintenance, particularly when producing dilapidation reports and measured drawings. Findings also show the challenges that restrict the implementation of BIM in heritage buildings and how to overcome the problems which have been categorized into three (3) elements: people, process, and technology. This research is expected to fill the gap in the implementation of BIM by supporting the initiatives by the Malaysian government for increasing productivity in construction projects through the adoption of new technology, like BIM, especially for heritage buildings.

Building information modelling (BIM) readiness of construction professionals: the context of the Seychelles construction industry

PurposeAlthough building information modelling (BIM) adoption in developed countries has largely been incentivised by government, in developing countries, adoption is often driven by desires of industry professionals, which is dependent on awareness of BIM and availability of skills among the professionals. Thus, BIM awareness and competence among professionals have become useful baseline measures of BIM readiness. To ascertain BIM readiness within the Seychelles construction industry, this study aims to investigate the level of BIM awareness and level of BIM competence among construction professionals.Design/methodology/approachThe study involved a questionnaire survey of construction professionals (n = 96) and data analysis using both descriptive statistics and association analysis.FindingsThe results indicate a moderate level of BIM awareness, but a low level of engagement in BIM education/training. Also, the professionals have very low BIM technical skills, notably the ability to use BIM-related tools and to perform BIM-related task. Furthermore, this study suggests that the experience of working on collaborative projects could be a useful premise for BIM implementation among construction professionals.Originality/valueThe implication is that construction professionals in the Seychelles need to start readying themselves for greater BIM adoption by taking steps to address the BIM technical skills deficiencies and the low engagement in BIM education/training.

Current State of Building Information Modelling in the Nigerian Construction Industry

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been applied to various aspects of construction processes in developed countries but Nigeria is yet to realize the full potentials of BIM. It has greater relevance for the commercial and public subsectors as it enhances construction productivity. This study examines current state of BIM in the Nigerian construction industry. The study adopted quantitative research approach by eliciting primary data through questionnaire which was administered to 150 respondents, of which 90 were returned and considered valid for further analysis. The data were analysed using mean item score and correlation. It was revealed that BIM awareness level is only high at the design stage of a building life cycle while it is extremely low at the construction and facility management stages. Also, the commonly used BIM compliant software packages in the Nigerian construction industry were identified to be: Autodesk Quantity Takeoff, Revit Architecture, and SketchUp. The study however recommends that: stakeholders of the construction industry should be educated on how to use BIM complaint software packages throughout the life cycle of a building and its benefits; Government should invest heavily on BIM related research so as to enhance the body of knowledge of BIM in Nigeria and develop a suitable framework for BIM implementation; federal Government should enact policies that will encourage the implementation of BIM in Nigeria.