Current State of Building Information Modelling in the Nigerian Construction Industry

Abstract

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.

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

“…In sub-Saharan Nigeria (as an exemplar of a developing country), Anifowose, et al [39] indicated the adoption level of BIM as 50% while Ogunmakinde and Umeh [40] recorded a 58% level of awareness. Olanrewaju, et al [26] also reported a high level of BIM awareness at the design stage which concurs with the findings of Onungwa and Uduma-Olugu [41] where client satisfaction and drawing improvement were identified as the major reasons for BIM usage at the design stage. However, Olapade and Ekemode [42] reported that there is very low awareness of BIM implementation for facility management practices in Nigeria.…”

“…Conclusively, construction professionals in developing countries are becoming aware of the benefits BIM offers, and the major problem lies in implementing BIM for construction projects. For instance, Olanrewaju, et al [26] stated that only the Eko Atlantic City project has fully implemented BIM (i.e., from design to operation stage) in Nigeria.…”

“…Raouf et al [48] proffered that BIM has transformed traditional construction-projectmanagement practices which in turn impact the project lifecycle. BIM usage varies across this lifecycle which is periodically punctuated by inputs from diverse professionals at various stages of development-defined for brevity as design (e.g., designers and architects), construction (e.g., contractors) and operation stages (e.g., facility managers) [26,49]. The BIM usage at different project lifecycle stages is shown in Table 1…”

“…During the construction stage, the "as-designed" BIM model produced is used by the contractor and consultant to ensure appropriate cost and time management and track the project progress; however, changes will be needed to reflect the final "as-built" structure to cater to client variations [49]. Olanrewaju, et al [26] also highlighted construction monitoring, maintenance scheduling and fabrication as the main uses of BIM during the construction stage. Similarly, Eastman, et al [55] mentioned monitoring, modelling and fabrication as the major uses of BIM.…”

“…However, BIM's full potential is arguably yet to be realised despite the many palpable benefits inherent within this software. Many related studies that have sought to disentangle a Gordian knot of barriers to BIM adoption have focused on identifying the current state of adoption [26], defining and delineating the barriers (Babatunde, et al [27]) and identifying the drivers (Olanrewaju,et al [2], Eadie, et al [28], Olawumi and Chan [29]) in both developed and developing countries. Consequently, there is also a lack of systematic attempts to examine the drivers for BIM implementation in the construction industry.…”