Modeling the Hindrances to Building Information Modeling Adoption on Construction Projects in Nigeria

Abstract

This study was motivated by the need to deploy building information modeling (BIM) and its technologies to improve the realization of construction projects. Prior to the introduction of BIM, the construction industry was confronted with obstacles and was sluggish in adopting change. Until recently, existing BIM research has mostly focused on large enterprises, and there has been an apparent pattern of underrepresentation of medium-sized firms in BIM-related studies. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the major hindrances to BIM’s adoption in construction projects as well as the dynamics of these hindrances in a developing country like Nigeria, using the total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) approach. The TISM displayed an eleven-level hierarchy of hindrances made up of independent, dependent, and linkage categories. Based on the MICMAC analysis, "lack of skilled BIM personnel" had the highest driving and the lowest dependence (independent) power, thus indicating its importance in the adoption of BIM. The findings further showed that "lack of awareness of BIM" and "resistance to change" are critical for the adoption of BIM in construction projects. The drivers (dependents) for the ease of adoption of BIM by policymakers and practitioners within the built industry are thus defined in this study. This study contributes to the early studies of BIM adoption from a developing country’s perspective.