Implementation of building information modelling in the Dominican Republic construction industry

The Dominican Republic (DR) is a Caribbean nation whose construction industry is key in the economic growth and development of the country; however, the productivity of the sector is being affected by inefficient traditional practices. The increased use and proven benefits of building information modelling (BIM) worldwide suggest that its implementation could be of great help in decreasing current issues in the Dominican construction industry. Nonetheless, there is no empirical work that sets the scene of the implementation of BIM in the country to make suggestions for its implementation. Therefore, this research aimed to bridge this gap by investigating the status of BIM in DR and developing a framework to facilitate its implementation. For this purpose, a review of literature on BIM and emerging concepts, processes and technologies was undertaken. Furthermore, the initiatives and key players of BIM implementation worldwide were studied, which allowed the identification of the critical enabling factors for country-wide BIM implementation. A qualitative approach was adopted to carry out this research. The qualitative inquiry involved semi-structured interviews and was divided into two phases: the preliminary and the main study. In the preliminary study, eleven interviews were conducted with construction organisations to appraise and document BIM awareness and BIM implementation in the Dominican construction industry. In the main study, twenty-eight interviews directed to construction organisations were conducted to attain the same objective. This phase of the study also included interviews directed to professionals involved with the diffusion of BIM knowledge to explore and document the presence of BIM Education in the country, from which eight interviews were carried out. The data was analysed with the method of content analysis. The research concluded that the Dominican Republic is a BIM infant country. Most organisations are not implementing BIM, and current BIM approaches are mainly single-disciplinary, principally in Architecture. Implementation strategies are incomplete, primarily focusing on the provision of training to selected staff. Drivers to implement BIM in the country include BIM benefits, competitive advantage and pressure from external partners. Hitherto, there is only BIM training and different modes of dissemination of BIM knowledge in the country. Nonetheless, efforts to integrate BIM into university curricula were identified. Challenges hindering the implementation of BIM in the country were explored, and initiatives to propel the implementation were proposed. A framework for implementing BIM in the Dominican construction industry was developed and validated to confirm its suitability for the Dominican construction industry. Recommendations for industry practitioners, government, and academics have been put forward. This research contributes to the body of knowledge in the area of country-wide BIM implementation, BIM education, and the implementation of BIM at an organisational level.