Barriers to implement Building Information Modeling (BIM) in public projects in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The construction sector is a major contributor to the Saudi Arabia Gross Domestic Product (GDP). According to the Deloitte 2015, the total construction activities last year reach to $24bn ranked second after oil industry [1]. However, the current methods project are follow generates much waste and are not efficient. The recent 2030 vision plan that announced by the government of Saudi Arabia in 2016 encourages all sectors to be creative, efficient, and environmentally responsible. Technology such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) could help transform the construction industry in Saudi Arabia and improve the final outcomes. This study develops and administrates a questionnaire to identify the barriers of implementing the BIM technology in Saudi Arabia. Additional barriers are also identified through a case study for a public project after implementing BIM trough the feasibility and the design phase. The barriers are fallen under tow categories including; process implementing which comes first and technology and resources that come second.