Hatami, N and Rashidi, A (2025) Enhancing the adoption of building information modeling in the Iranian AEC sector: Insights from a Delphi study. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 32(2), pp. 847-869. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: Architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) is an important industry worldwide and one of the largest economic sectors in several developing countries, particularly in Iran. The Iranian AEC sector suffers from low productivity and needs to adopt building information modeling (BIM) to reduce inefficiencies. Therefore, this paper was conducted to identify the BIM barriers and propose practical solutions to overcome them in Iran. Design/methodology/approach: A comprehensive literature review, two rounds of the Delphi technique and semi-structured interviews with 12 Iranian experts in the AEC sector were conducted. The data were analyzed using the mean score, standard deviation and nonparametric tests. Findings: The present study identified 26 BIM barriers in the Iranian AEC community and provided practical strategies for improving BIM adoption. The identified barriers were categorized into six main groups including source barriers, financial barriers, unawareness barriers, organizational barriers, regulatory barriers and market-demand barriers. The main three BIM barriers in Iran were the lack of government intervention, change-resistant and the gap between industry and academia. Kruskal–Wallis tests revealed that there are no statistically significant differences in perceptions of BIM barriers between respondents. The Mann–Whitney test indicated that there is no statistically significant difference in perceptions between engineers and architects except for one. Originality/value: There are few studies on BIM adoption across developing countries, particularly in Iran. Moreover, the results can also be used in other developing nations with similar conditions.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building information modeling; construction management; Delphi method; integrated design; workforce upskilling |
| Index terms: | deviation, engineer, productivity, building information modelling, Delphi method, architect, academia, developing nation, strategy, literature review, interview, developing country, Delphi technique, methodology |
| Subjects: | financial and cost management, data analysis and analytics, data collection methods, profession, information systems, educational institutions, management, development economics, research methods |
| Topics: | Education, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Cost Management, International Construction, Digital Applications |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here