Adoption of BIM Technologies for Facilities Management Roles in Nigeria: An Empirical Investigation

摘要

Building information modelling (BIM) has been established as an emerging area of research based on the proposition that the BIM process of digitally generating, presenting and managing building information throughout the lifecycle of a facility can improve efficiency and effectiveness of its management. However, although research has identified several BIM for facilities management (FM) technologies, it is argued that the facilities manager is only beginning to explore the full benefits and challenges of BIM for FM, while most of the standards and software are in early stages of development. Within the context of emerging economies like Nigeria, research efforts in the past have mainly focused on BIM at the design and construction stages ignoring the very crucial operational stage, while most of them have relied on anecdotal evidence to draw conclusion. The aim of this paper is to assess the current state of adoption of BIM for FM roles in Nigeria with a view towards generating a proper understanding of the current state of use and its effectiveness in FM service delivery. The specific objectives are to (1) examine the level of use and effectiveness of BIM for FM applications in the Nigerian FM industry; and (2) explore impact of these applications on FM service delivery. Findings reveal among others, that (1) BIM for FM technologies especially CAFM and CMMS are the most effective tool for asset management, energy and safety management, and inventory management, while (2) the use of BIM for FM applications had significant influence on lifecycle cost reduction and timely delivery of service. The study concludes with a reflection on the implications of research findings both from theoretical and practical points of view.