Building information modelling adoption in Jordanian architectural practice

Abstract

Building information modeling (BIM) has been a global evolution of building technology due to its advantages and performance in the architecture industry. BIM can assist in achieving performance optimization: improving quality, saving time and cost, as well as sustaining architecture projects. In Jordan, in line with the industry‘s initiatives and requirements to deal with sustainability and performance, architectural firms in Jordan need to adopt innovative methods of design, cooperation, and documentation. Particularly, with the use of BIM and sustainable design tools, these firms can perform better and thus gain more credibility in the industry. However, BIM is a recent and newly emerging technology in Jordan, whereby very few studies on its adoption are available and the factors affecting this adoption by architects have not yet been explored. Investigating the current status, acceptance, and aptitude for BIM adoption in architectural firms is critical to effective implementation. An essential step is undertaken towards the effective use of BIM and facilitating its implementation, with the aim of studying the current status and the prospects for using BIM technology and its integration with sustainability in the architectural community in Jordan. Ultimately, this leads to the research objective of providing recommendations to boost BIM intake into the Jordanian architecture industry. To this end, this study used a quantitative approach for data collection technique and analysis procedure. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted targeting architects in Amman, the capital of Jordan. A web-based questionnaire was distributed by emails to a total of 249 registered Jordanian engineering and consulting enterprises. Then, an empirical statistics and analyses with a comparison between BIM users and non-BIM users were applied. Results showed that firms are progressing slightly in adopting the BIM system with a slow pace spreading. About 52% of respondents knew and used BIM software for at least some of their projects. However, only 14% of enterprises were familiar with BIM and used it in a large number of their projects. There is no resistance on the part of users. Four factors control the widespread of BIM in architectural firms in Jordan, and they were discussed sufficiently in the study. The users‘ attitude lies largely in three factors; drivers, i.e. personal and external motivation, management support, and BIM capability. The research also concluded that there are many barriers to the adoption of BIM among design firms, i.e. a lack of knowledge about the utility and sustainable integration of BIM, firms‘ preparedness, BIM promotions, management support, and resistance to change. Subsequently, the study identified the most prominent obstacles to integrating BIM and sustainability, and the results suggested improvements to their integration. It is also deduced that there is a critical relationship between sustainability and BIM, i.e. Green BIM practitioners use BIM in their projects more than non-Green BIM firms, so the strong growth of the green building market can boost BIM adoption. Finally, the research suggested some recommended strategies to enhance BIM adoption in Jordan. This examination is expected to give a more solidified status of BIM among architects in Jordan, to enable and motivate stakeholders to focus on addressing the critical barriers investigated in this study and to reach to a more effective BIM implementation.