CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 2BIM and Construction IntegrationConstruction Project Management and PerformancePublic-Private Partnership Projects

The DOI matches its Crossref record; the references it cites are not checked yet.

Enabling BIM Innovation Through Knowledge-Driven Legal–Contractual Risk Management: A Novel Strategic Risk Breakdown Structure

Open access
Dogonyaro, Ibrahim, Elnokaly, Amira·2025·Applied Sciences
DOI 10.3390/app152413038
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

Building Information Modelling (BIM) represents a technological and organisational innovation transforming the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry by embedding data-rich collaboration into project delivery. However, the diffusion of this innovation is constrained by unresolved legal–contractual complexities, where conventional frameworks often fail to manage BIM-specific risks, such as unclear responsibilities, intellectual property, and dispute resolution. This study advances knowledge by conceptualising a novel legal–contractual analytical dimension that systematically links risk factors to tailored management strategies, enabling BIM innovation to be more effectively embedded into organisational and contractual processes. A mixed-methods design was adopted. An integrative review of Scopus- and Google Scholar-indexed studies, supported by thematic analysis in NVivo, generated a comprehensive legal–contractual Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS) that organises fragmented knowledge of legal–contractual risks. Qualitative content analysis, combined with survey and expert interview data, enabled triangulated validation and the development of the BIM-RBS Matrix and BIM-RBS–MS Nexus. These tools operationalise risk knowledge by quantifying risk severity (SPSS Version 29.0.1.0 (171)) and systematically aligning management strategies with specific risk categories. The results highlight actionable innovations, such as enhanced cybersecurity protocols (e.g., QR-based traceability) to strengthen cyber/data security and collaborative risk–reward mechanisms to address contractual design ambiguities. The study makes three primary contributions: (1) conceptualising a structured legal–contractual knowledge spectrum for BIM innovation, (2) advancing mixed-methods integration for legal–contractual risk knowledge creation and validation, and (3) providing actionable frameworks that support industry, policymakers, and researchers in embedding BIM innovation more reliably. This study frames legal–contractual risk knowledge as a critical enabler of innovation that extends theoretical understanding and offers globally relevant pathways for the knowledge-based transformation of the AEC sector.

Overview

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.3390/app152413038

Cites

Statistics

Verification

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Citations

The citation lists haven’t been fetched yet

References 36 · Cited by 2

Research works printed but not linked: 52

  1. Ahmadian, E., Bingham, C., Elnokaly, A., Sodagar, B., and Verhaert, I. (2022). Impact of Climate Change and Technological Innovation on the Energy Performance and Built form of Future Cities. Energies, 15. · DOI
  2. Alotaibi, 2024, Building information modelling (BIM) adoption for enhanced legal and contractual management in construction projects, Ain Shams Eng. J., 15, 102822, 10.1016/j.asej.2024.102822 · DOI
  3. Dao, 2021, Critical success factors and a contractual framework for construction projects adopting building information modelling in Vietnam, Int. J. Civ. Eng., 19, 85, 10.1007/s40999-020-00542-3 · DOI
  4. El Hajj, C., Montes, G.M., and Sleiman, S. (2023, January 5–7). Investigation of BIM Contractual Perspective in the MENA Construction Industry. Proceedings of the 2023 Fifth International Conference on Advances in Computational Tools for Engineering Applications (ACTEA), Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon. · DOI
  5. Mahdian, 2023, Contractual risks of BIM implementation and the proposed contract form for DBB and DB projects, J. Leg. Aff. Disput. Resolut. Eng. Constr., 15, 06522003, 10.1061/(ASCE)LA.1943-4170.0000561 · DOI
  6. Mohammadi, 2024, Risk Allocation and Mitigation Practices for Building Information Modeling: Addressing Legal and Contractual Risks Associated with Contract Documentation, J. Leg. Aff. Disput. Resolut. Eng. Constr., 16, 04524005, 10.1061/JLADAH.LADR-1039 · DOI
  7. Dogonyaro, I., and Elnokaly, A. (2025). Strategies to Mitigate Risks in Building Information Modelling Implementation: A Techno-Organizational Perspective. Intell. Infrastruct. Constr., 1. · DOI
  8. Baharom, 2021, Building information modelling (BIM): Contractual issues of intellectual property rights (IPR) in construction projects, Int. J. Sustain. Constr. Eng. Technol., 12, 170
  9. Berema, 2021, Comparative analysis of existing contracts for building information modelling (BIM) projects in Malaysia and selected common law countries, Int. J. Sustain. Constr. Eng. Technol., 12, 9
  10. Erpay, 2021, Preliminary checklist proposal for enhancing BIM-based construction project contracts, J. Inf. Technol. Constr., 26, 341
  11. Muhammad, R., and Nasir, A.R. (2022). Integrating BIM in construction dispute resolution: Development of a contractual framework. Buildings, 12. · DOI
  12. Duran, 2023, Collaborative approach to design: Case-study of future-proofing a Paragraph 80 house, Build. Simul. 2023, 18, 1491
  13. Nilchian, 2021, The Study of the Contracts of Building Information Model (BIM) and the Approach to its Contractual Framework Codification, Amirkabir J. Civ. Eng., 53, 3239
  14. Taghizadeh, 2022, Liability in BIM projects—Preliminary review results, Int. J. Archit. Comput., 20, 476
  15. Bensalah, 2019, Overview: The opportunity of BIM in railway, Smart Sustain. Built Environ., 8, 103, 10.1108/SASBE-11-2017-0060 · DOI
  16. Ganbat, 2019, A cross-systematic review of addressing risks in building information modelling-enabled international construction projects, Arch. Comput. Methods Eng., 26, 899, 10.1007/s11831-018-9265-4 · DOI
  17. Georgiadou, 2019, An overview of benefits and challenges of building information modelling (BIM) adoption in UK residential projects, Constr. Innov., 19, 298, 10.1108/CI-04-2017-0030 · DOI
  18. Lindblad, 2019, Black boxing BIM: The public client’s strategy in BIM implementation, Constr. Manag. Econ., 37, 1, 10.1080/01446193.2018.1472385 · DOI
  19. Chong, 2017, Preliminary contractual framework for BIM-enabled projects, J. Constr. Eng. Manag., 143, 04017025, 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001278 · DOI
  20. Weber, B., and Achenbach, M. (2023). Legal governance for BIM–Rights management and lawful data Use. Life-Cycle of Structures and Infrastructure Systems, CRC Press. · DOI
  21. Feist, S., Ferreira, B., and Leitão, A. (2017). Collaborative algorithmic-based building information modelling. Protocols, Flows and Glitches: 22nd International Conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA), The Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA). · DOI
  22. Lin, Y.C., Chen, Y.P., Huang, W.T., and Hong, C.C. (2016). Development of BIM execution plan for BIM model management during the pre-operation phase: A case study. Buildings, 6. · DOI
  23. Lu, 2013, Generic model for measuring benefits of BIM as a learning tool in construction tasks, J. Constr. Eng. Manag., 139, 195, 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000585 · DOI
  24. Schwartz, 2003, Contract Theory and the Limits of Contract Law, Yale Law J., 113, 541, 10.2307/3657531 · DOI
  25. Elnokaly, 2024, Framework to assess connection of risk factors and management strategies in Building Information Modelling, Acad. Eng., 1, 1
  26. Cooper, W.W., Leavitt, H.J., and Shelly, M.W. (1964). Applied organization change in industry: Structural, technical and human approaches. New Perspectives in Organizational Research, John Wiley.
  27. Merschbrock, 2018, Collaborative Role of Sociotechnical Components in BIM-Based Construction Networks in Two Hospitals, Am. Soc. Civ. Eng., 34, 05018006
  28. Oraee, 2017, Collaboration in BIM-based construction networks: A bibliometric-qualitative literature review, Int. J. Proj. Manag., 35, 1288, 10.1016/j.ijproman.2017.07.001 · DOI
  29. 2018, Big Data as a Project Risk Management Tool, Risk Manag. Treatise Eng. Pract., 787, 788
  30. Rahim, 2018, Risk in implementing building information modelling (BIM) in Malaysia construction industry: A review, E3S Web of Conferences, 65, 03002, 10.1051/e3sconf/20186503002 · DOI
  31. Azhar, 2011, Building information modelling (BIM): Trends, benefits, risks, and challenges for the AEC industry, Leadersh. Manag. Eng., 11, 241, 10.1061/(ASCE)LM.1943-5630.0000127 · DOI
  32. Chang, 2015, Risk-bearing capacity as a new dimension to the analysis of project governance, Int. J. Proj. Manag., 33, 1195, 10.1016/j.ijproman.2015.02.003 · DOI
  33. Kivits, 2013, BIM: Enabling sustainability and asset management through knowledge management, Sci. World J., 2013, 983721, 10.1155/2013/983721 · DOI
  34. Jamil, 2018, Contractual challenges for BIM-based construction projects: A systematic review, Built Environ. Proj. Asset Manag., 8, 372, 10.1108/BEPAM-12-2017-0131 · DOI
  35. Beach, 2017, Management of collaborative BIM data by federating distributed BIM models, J. Comput. Civ. Eng., 31, 04017009, 10.1061/(ASCE)CP.1943-5487.0000657 · DOI · Paper page
  36. Chien, 2014, Identifying and assessing critical risk factors for BIM projects: Empirical study, Autom. Constr., 45, 1, 10.1016/j.autcon.2014.04.012 · DOI
  37. Circo, 2006, Contract theory and contract practice: Allocating design responsibility in the construction industry, Fla. Law Rev., 58, 561
  38. Butler, 1989, The contractual theory of the corporation, Geo. Mason UL Rev., 11, 99
  39. Sackey, 2014, Sociotechnical Systems Approach to BIM Implementation in a Multidisciplinary Construction Context, Am. Soc. Civ. Eng., 31, 1
  40. Akhtar, D.M.I. (2022, August 28). Research Design. Research in Social Science: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Available online: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Research+Design+Md.+Inaam+Akhtar+Deptt.+of+Political+Science%2C+Faculty+of+Social+Sciences%2C+Jamia+Millia+Islamia%2C+New+Delhi&btnG=.
  41. Zhao, 2017, Modelling paths of risks associated with BIM implementation in architectural, engineering and construction projects, Archit. Sci. Rev., 60, 472, 10.1080/00038628.2017.1373628 · DOI
  42. Aksenova, 2019, From Finnish AEC knowledge ecosystem to business ecosystem: Lessons learned from the national deployment of BIM, Constr. Manag. Econ., 37, 317, 10.1080/01446193.2018.1481985 · DOI
  43. Dhakal, 2022, NVivo, J. Med. Libr. Assoc., 110, 270, 10.5195/jmla.2022.1271 · DOI
  44. Zou, 2017, A review of risk management through BIM and BIM-related technologies, Saf. Sci., 97, 88, 10.1016/j.ssci.2015.12.027 · DOI
  45. Ding, 2016, Construction risk knowledge management in BIM using ontology and semantic web technology, Saf. Sci., 87, 202, 10.1016/j.ssci.2016.04.008 · DOI
  46. Enegbuma, 2014, Preliminary building information modelling adoption model in Malaysia: A strategic information technology perspective, Constr. Innov., 14, 408, 10.1108/CI-01-2014-0012 · DOI
  47. Oyedele, 2013, Reducing waste to landfill in the UK: Identifying impediments and critical solutions, World J. Sci. Technol. Sustain. Dev., 10, 131, 10.1108/20425941311323136 · DOI
  48. Sabo, 2005, Building information modelling and legal issues, Constr. Specif., 58, 18
  49. Darabseh, M., and Joo, M. (2021, January 11–15). Protecting BIM design intellectual property with blockchain: Review and framework. Proceedings of the Conference CIB W78, Luxembourg.
  50. Almarri, 2019, Emerging contractual and legal risks from the application of building information modelling, Eng. Constr. Archit. Manag., 26, 2307, 10.1108/ECAM-06-2018-0224 · DOI
  51. Nilchian, S., Sardroud, J.M., Darabpour, M., and Tafreshi, S.T. (2022). Features and conditions of building information modelling contracts. Buildings, 12. · DOI
  52. Cohen, L., Manion, L., and Morrison, K. (2018). Research Methods in Education, Routledge. · DOI · Paper page

Metadata

Authors
Dogonyaro, I., & Elnokaly, A.
Affiliations
University of Lincoln (GB)
Corresponding author
Dogonyaro, Ibrahim
ORCID
Venue
Applied Sciences
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2025-12-11
Volume
15
Issue
24
Pages
13038
ISSN
2076-3417 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/app152413038
OpenAlex
W4417224617
Cited by
2
References
36
Citations by year
2026: 2
FWCI
0.72
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Applied Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Preprints.org (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › BIM and Construction Integration
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Construction Project Management and Performance
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Public-Private Partnership Projects
Keywords
building information modeling, risk breakdown structure, AEC industry, intellectual property, dispute resolution, risk management strategies, knowledge innovation

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review