Overcoming Barriers to Industrialized Building System (IBS) Adoption Through BIM-Enabled Cost Optimization in Malaysian Construction Projects

Abstract

The integration of Industrialized Building Systems (IBS) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) represents a pivotal advancement in transforming conventional construction practices towards industrialization. Despite the increasing promotion of IBS under Malaysia’s Construction Industry Transformation Programme (CITP 2016–2020), its implementation continues to face challenges arising from fragmented project delivery methods, limited coordination, and poor planning. Concurrently, BIM offers significant capabilities to address these issues through digital collaboration, real-time information management, and design visualization. This paper explores the development of an IBS–BIM integrated framework aimed at enhancing productivity, efficiency, and sustainability in the Malaysian construction industry. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify the impacts of IBS–BIM integration, followed by a quantitative survey using structured questionnaires among key industry stakeholders—including architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, and project managers—supplemented by qualitative validation through expert focus group discussions. The findings reveal that the synergy between IBS and BIM mitigates major industry barriers, such as coordination gaps, rework, and design inconsistencies, while fostering collaboration, accuracy, and cost efficiency across project stages.