From Awareness to Transformation: The Future Trajectory of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the Nigerian Construction Industry

As the construction industry moves toward optimizing processes, adopting BIM requires changes to current operational workflows. While previous research mainly focused on industry awareness and the technical aspects of BIM adoption, it is argued that BIM represents not just technological change but also shifts in management processes. Therefore, this study adopts a socio-technical perspective on digitizing business processes and the adoption of BIM in AEC organizations. A systematic research approach was used, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methods. Descriptive and inferential statistical tools, such as ANOVA and one-sample T-tests, were used to analyze the quantitative data. Additionally, the PRISMA methodology for Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was employed to identify changes in organizational processes from construction environments worldwide, which were then compared with those observed in Nigeria. Content analysis was performed to synthesize common themes and generate insights from the reviewed studies. The findings show persistent low levels of BIM adoption in Nigeria, with most AEC organizations only reaching Level 1 BIM maturity. It was also observed that BIM adoption leads to significant organizational changes, although the extent and nature of these changes differ across various aspects of organizational functioning. The ANOVA results suggest that reaching higher BIM maturity levels in Nigeria will ultimately improve design accuracy, enhance understanding of project interfaces, and increase responsiveness to inquiries and requests, thereby leading to smoother workflows and better project outcomes.Originality