The individual perceptions of BIM practice in Algeria between practitioners and academics: Implementation barriers and strategic solutions

Few efforts have been conducted to compare the opinions of academics and practitioners regarding the Building Information Modelling (BIM) perceptions. This research was conducted to fill this gap and to explore the different understanding of BIM implementation between academics and practitioners in terms of BIM critical barriers, and strategic solutions in Algeria. The research approach is based on literature review and empirical analysis of academics and practitioners’ perception. This research utilized a questionnaire survey, which was followed by statistical analysis. The entire survey sample was categorized into subgroups based on respondents’ profile type, graduation, work type, and CAD and BIM knowledge. A subgroup analysis using a statistical approach was conducted to examine the differences in individual perceptions among the various groups mentioned. The subgroup analysis revealed that there was a gap in the BIM awareness between the academics and the practitioners. It was inferred that the top BIM implementation barriers were within people and policy factors. The ranking of BIM strategic solutions revealed that the implementation of BIM in Algeria is only possible through the involvement of local authorities, and the engagement of the academic sector in professional training. Scholarly, this research will contribute to the body of knowledge in BIM implementation by extending BIM adoption research, previously limited to practitioners, by proposing multiple factors. Practically, it illustrates the gap between academics and practitioners’ perception in BIM implementation, and provides suggestions for Construction Industry-Academics-Partnership as an influential key for promoting the BIM adoption in Algeria.