A Framework to Integrate Building Information Modelling to the Curriculum of the Quantity Surveying Undergraduate Degree Programme in Sri Lanka

Abstract

One of the primary sectors that contributes to the national economy of the country is the construction industry. The Quantity Surveyors (QS), offer specific expertise in project management and cost estimation. A revolutionary change is occurring in Sri Lanka (SL)’s construction industry due to the increasing demand for innovative technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM). But the Sri Lankan construction industry has been remarkably lagging in adopting these cutting-edge techniques. According to past SL research findings, one of the main obstacles in BIM integration among QS professionals is a severe knowledge gap. By involving BIM approaches into QS education this research aims to develop a framework to implement BIM within the curriculum of quantity surveying undergraduates according to the industrial demand in SL. This paper focuses on the potential difficulties of integrating BIM into SL’s QS curriculum, where graduates may fulfill industry expectations. This research used questionnaire survey, semi- structured interviews for both academic and industrial QS professionals separately, and conducted existing university QS curriculum review to gather data. Purposive sampling is used as the sampling technique and this study uses a mixed-method approach to research, combining qualitative and quantitative evaluations, and analyzes data using descriptive statistics and content analysis. According to data gathered from industrial professionals, it was proved that SL construction industry does not widely use BIM and have a huge demand on knowledgeable BIM of QS in the current industry. Most of the knowledgeable BIM personnel gain knowledge from self-learning and by following some extra courses. Professionals with an academic background proved, that the current QS curriculums are outdated. As a solution, this research develops the framework to integrate BIM to the QS curriculum of the undergraduate degree programmes in SL. A framework suggestion is to be incorporated into the curriculum was the outcome of the researcher's reflections on the interview results. These results contribute to the growth and development of the Sri Lankan construction industry by knowledgeable QS professionals, thereby fostering the advancement of the Sri Lankan construction industry.