BIM for Fast-track Construction under COVID-19 Circumstances: A Comparative Case Study in the African Context

Under COVID-19 circumstances, the majority of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) contractors around the world found themselves handcuffed, facing the sudden restrictive measures to be mandatorily applied in worksites imposing a necessary shift in the typical practices for building. Building Information Modeling (BIM) technologies associated with fast-track construction were found to be an efficient solution for several countries to quickly build health care facilities to meet the rising number of COVID-19 cases. Based on a comparative study, this paper explores the applicability of BIM-based building operation for fast-track construction in the African context and discusses the associated challenges as well as needed elements for its implementation. The study reveals that to reach the full performances of BIM, the African AEC industry has to mainly handle the aspects related to skills, bidding, payment, infrastructure, and availability of local construction materials and technologies.