An Analysis of the Qualitative Impacts of Building Information Modelling (BIM) on Life Cycle Cost (LCC): A Qualitative Case Study of the KSA

Abstract

Building information modelling (BIM) continues gaining popularity in engineering construction as it helps lower the life cycle cost and ensure sustainability. The primary aim of this study was to delve into the effectiveness of BIM implementation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) construction industry and understand the benefits, challenges, and risks associated with it. The present study has incorporated a qualitative and case study research design to investigate the effectiveness of BIM implementation. To this end, information was gathered through interviews involving BIM experts in the KSA, from which a thematic analysis was derived with the help of NVivo software. The results obtained highlight various benefits, challenges, and risks associated with the implementation of BIM tools, also covering the life cycle cost (LCC) and the procurement and type of contracts, initially referred to during the interviews, indicating that the importance of estimating the LCC in a project is crucial in the design phase, which also informs the decision making. In this case, 96.7% of the participants agreed with this view. Moreover, two case studies were analysed to further demonstrate the effectiveness of BIM adoption. The outcomes of this study have the potential to add significant value to various aspects of engineering practice in the KSA.