What hinders the BIM adoption in Singapore: An empirical study

Building information modelling (BIM) has been seen as one of the most promising recent developments in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry as well as a revolutionary change for managing a project from beginning to end. The Singaporean government has promoted the use of BIM in the AEC industry to help firms improve their productivity. The objectives of this study are to investigate the BIM adoption status and to identify the hindrances to BIM adoption in Singapore. To achieve the objectives, a preliminary questionnaire survey was performed with 34 professionals. A BIM adoption index (BIMAI) was proposed to measure the extent of BIM adoption. The low average BIMAI implied that the BIM adoption in the Singaporean AEC industry was still immature. Consultants were found to have a higher level of BIM adoption than contractors. Additionally, three-dimensional presentation, clash detection, design coordination, and construction system design were found to be the functions that were significantly applied in practice. Furthermore, the statistical analysis results showed that the mean scores of hindrances ranged from 3.79 to 2.65. Nine of the 20 hindrances were statistically significant, and thus were considered as critical hindrances to BIM adoption in the Singaporean AEC industry. “Lack of subcontractors who can use BIM technology”, “cost of investment”, and “lack of demand for BIM use” were the top three hindrances. This study provides an understanding of the BIM adoption status in Singapore and allows the practitioners to take measures to reduce the critical hindrances.