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BIM is an approach to building life-cycle information management that streamlines data sharing in a collaborative work environment and provides a reliable basis for decision making (Morris et al., 2011). BIM standards are being adopted by many countries across the world in order to to promote efficiency (Howard & Björk, 2008) and enhance both lean productivity (Arayici et al., 2011) and transparent management of project resources (McAuley et al., 2012). The growing trend towards offsite construction adoption has also highlighted the need to have a platform like BIM which can facilitate communication and transparency in the process (Goulding & Arif, 2013)
The proposal to introduce BIM standards in Qatar results from pressure felt by the Qatari construction industry in its effort to support the Government’s 2030 vision, which aims to deliver constructed facilities in keeping with demands of a 21st century lifestyle. Estimated expenditure on construction projects in Qatar for the period 2011-2022 is $170 billion (US) (BNC Network, 2011). Planned major infrastructure projects over the next 10 years include the Qatar Railway Network, the Doha Metro, new Doha Port, new Doha International Airport, 55,000 new hotel rooms in 140 new properties, and 12 stadiums with a capacity of 605,000 (MEED, 2012). Timely delivery of such major projects is paramount; any failure would dent the “Qatar branding” strategy which aims to develop postmodern infrastructure that could facilitate greater economic prosperity and competitive leverage for the country internationally (Peterson 2006). It is envisaged that, with a world class built environment, Qatar can participate effectively in attracting visitors to the country through tourism and hosting international sporting events (MEED, 2012).
Despite the availability of financial resources from the government and various investors, the Qatari construction industry has recently struggled to meet cost, time, quality, and performance targets. Like construction industries across the world, delays, disputes, procurement, communication and contractual problems typify the Qatari construction industry and pose a threat to achieving the Qatar Vision 2030 goals (GSDP, 2008). Review of various recent major construction projects (e.g. infrastructure development for 2006 Asian Soccer Cup) reveals that project delivery was strained. Prudence suggests that without a paradigm shift in the project delivery mechanism, the Qatari construction industry will struggle to deliver the post-modern built environment facilities envisioned in the 2030 strategy.
The purpose of this research was to assess the significance of using Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology and processes as a means to enhance efficiency in the Qatari construction industry.