Study of the Adoption of Building Information Modelling in Construction Firms in Lagos State

Building Information Modelling (BIM) represents a transformative digital construction technology, and its adoption by construction firms in Lagos State, South West Nigeria, the country's largest construction market, is an important indicator of sector modernisation. This study examined the current level of BIM adoption, enabling factors, and barriers among construction firms in Lagos State. Questionnaires were administered to 80 construction professionals (architects, engineers, and project managers) from 40 firms of varying sizes in Lagos. BIM awareness, current use level, and organisational readiness were assessed using a structured questionnaire. BIM adoption barriers and enablers were ranked using the Relative Importance Index. Results showed that BIM awareness was high (87% of respondents), but active BIM use was limited to 31% of respondents, primarily in large firms. The most commonly cited barriers to BIM adoption were high software cost (RII = 0.88), lack of trained personnel (RII = 0.85), and absence of client demand (RII = 0.81). The most significant enablers were perceived time savings (RII = 0.84) and error reduction benefits (RII = 0.79). Small and medium-sized firms showed significantly lower adoption rates than large firms. The study concludes that BIM adoption in Lagos construction firms is nascent and primarily limited to larger organisations, and recommends government-led BIM mandates for public projects and subsidised BIM training programmes through the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria.

Keywords: Building Information Modelling, BIM adoption, construction firms, Lagos State, digital construction