Status of BIM implementation in the Dominican Republic construction industry- an empirical study

Abstract

Purpose: The increased use and proven benefits of Building Information Modelling (BIM) worldwide suggest that its implementation could greatly help diminish inefficient, traditional practices in the Dominican Republic (DR) construction industry. However, there is no empirical work about the implementation of BIM in the country. Therefore, this study aims to critically appraise and document the status of BIM implementation in the DR to raise awareness and understand how BIM can be successfully implemented in the country. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was adopted in which data was collected through semi-structured interviews, with the participation of 53 professionals from 36 construction organisations. The data collected was analysed with the method of content analysis. Findings: The results confirmed that the DR is a BIM infant country. There are low levels of BIM implementation. The reasons why BIM is not implemented are explored, and a significant interest in implementing BIM in the future is also reported. Drivers to implement BIM include BIM benefits, competitive advantage and pressure from external partners. Current BIM approaches are mainly single-disciplinary, principally in Architecture, and the effectiveness and scope of implementation are highly affected by intra-organisational and inter-organisational barriers. Originality/value: There is a lack of research about BIM in the DR. This study bridges this research gap by collecting primary data from Dominican construction organisations and construction professionals to report findings related to BIM implementation.