Smart Technology Integration: SHM and BIM for Preventing Building Collapses

Abstract

Building collapse is arguably one of the most devastating disasters faced by many African countries. Nigeria has experienced a number of building collapses that have posed serious threat to human life and properties. As such, this alarming trend calls for innovative and sustainable solutions to safeguard the built environment. This paper examines how Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) can be integrated as a remedy for such disasters. The data from 175 respondents including construction professionals, policy makers and other stakeholders were collected through internet-based questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data, and the results showed trends in people's perceptions and awareness of various technologies. To investigate the variations in perceptions among the different stakeholder groups, an ANOVA single factor test was also performed. According to the data, 45.14 percent of respondents said that building collapses in Nigeria occur frequently and that poor construction techniques are the main reason for these failures. Additionally, the fact that 75.43% and 69.71% of them had never utilised SHM and BIM, respectively, before suggests that they have little understanding of the two technologies. However, 85.14% of respondents were sufficiently certain that integrating these technologies would lower the number of building failures since it would be feasible to identify structural issues sooner and make better constructions. Therefore, capacity building programs, better collaboration between government and industry and supportive regulations should be put in place in order to promote SHM and BIM adoption.