Adoption of Building Information Modelling in the Saudi Construction Industry: An Interpretive Structural Modelling

Abstract

The Saudi Vision 2030 is a program of change management on a national level driven mostly by the use of digital technology. The implementation of building information modelling (BIM) is part of this change, and there is general agreement that its use improves the productivity and quality of the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries. Despite its extensive construction projects, Saudi Arabia has only recently planned for BIM. Several conditions must apply before it is successfully implemented. While the literature has identified the factors critical to its success and the barriers to its adoption, few studies have rated these factors in terms of their importance and their contingent impact. Furthermore, the interactional relationship between the factors has rarely been investigated. As a result, an interpretative structural model (ISM) was conducted to establish a hierarchy of variables, while accounting for the dynamic interaction between each. For factor selection, the matrix-based multiplication applied to a classification (MICMAC) method was utilized. Therefore, awareness of BIM and sustainability benefits are expected to be the most important variables in acceptance. Furthermore, the dynamic method is gradually shifting from bottom-down to a combined effect of top-down and bottom-up leadership.