1) Obstacles from Property Owners: BIM technology offers significant benefits to all project participants, with property owners being the primary beneficiaries. By leveraging BIM, owners can enhance decision-making through more accurate resource analysis during the project planning phase. During design, BIM visualization enables owners to actively participate, resulting in more practical and efficient project designs. In the construction phase, BIM helps monitor project progress, manage engineering changes, control project fund payments, and improve investment efficiency. However, many owners remain unaware of these advantages. Early-stage economic and technical decisions made by owners set the tone for the entire project’s execution. This lack of awareness among property owners, who are key decision-makers, limits the driving force behind BIM adoption.
2) Obstacles from the Design Team: As a new technology, BIM requires substantial upfront investment in software acquisition and hardware upgrades. Additionally, significant time and cost are needed to train professionals to master BIM and adapt to new workflows. Designers must transition from traditional 2D drawings to 3D modeling, and collaborate effectively with other specialists. This shift in mindset and working methods demands time to adjust. Furthermore, BIM software often lacks compatibility with traditional 2D data, increasing the workload for transferring design drawings. These challenges have dampened designers’ enthusiasm for BIM adoption.
3) Obstacles from the Construction Sector: Construction teams face similar resource challenges when implementing BIM, requiring considerable funds and time to acquire necessary equipment and train skilled personnel. Moreover, as BIM is designed for full lifecycle application, its benefits cannot be fully realized if only the construction unit adopts it. Partial usage limits economic returns and operational advantages for users. Consequently, BIM’s widespread use in construction remains limited, typically confined to specific aspects of large and complex projects.
4) Limitations of BIM Software: BIM technology originated overseas, and China’s development of BIM-related software mainly focuses on calculation tools, lacking the maturity and comprehensiveness of foreign solutions. Consequently, Chinese BIM applications often rely on imported software. Due to differing national drafting standards, localization efforts are necessary but often incomplete, restricting software functionality and practical application.
5) Limitations of BIM Standards: Effective BIM application requires multiple software tools to exchange information seamlessly, which depends on unified data exchange standards. The internationally recognized standard is IFC. Based on IFC, the US established NBIMS as the national BIM standard in 2004. Other countries such as the UK and Canada have also developed BIM standards. In contrast, China’s research on BIM standards is mainly conducted by university groups and large research institutes, with no comprehensive national BIM standard yet. This immature standardization environment hinders the promotion and adoption of BIM within China’s construction industry.
6) Challenges in Application Models: The most widely used procurement method supporting BIM implementation is Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). IPD fosters collaboration among all project participants, optimizing each stage of construction and maximizing benefits through BIM technology. While IPD has been refined and adopted abroad after extensive development of supporting systems and contracts, China’s incomplete institutional framework and developing construction market pose challenges. As a result, IPD’s adoption and promotion in China will require time to overcome these obstacles.
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