Identifying Critical Barriers to BIM-Driven Design–Construction Integration in Xi’an Building Projects: A Questionnaire Study

Building information modelling (BIM) can provide a common digital basis for coordinating design decisions and construction activities, yet the presence of modelling software does not ensure that information, authority and workflows remain aligned across the design–construction interface. This study identifies and prioritises perceived barriers to BIM-driven design–construction integration in building projects in Xi’an, China. A literature-informed questionnaire covered 42 barrier statements allocated in advance to eight candidate domains. Of 280 returned questionnaires, 262 were retained after screening. Descriptive statistics, internal-consistency analysis, item-level severity ranking and comparisons of pre-established domain scores were undertaken. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.802 for the complete 42-item scale. Using the study-specific criterion of a mean severity rating of at least 3.50, 22 items were classified as critical. These items occurred exclusively within four candidate domains: information management, process, responsibility and governance, and collaboration and relational conditions. Information management had the highest domain mean (4.003), followed by process (3.883), responsibility and governance (3.783), and collaboration and relational conditions (3.624). The highest-ranked individual issue concerned the absence of clear rules for BIM naming, classification, information exchange and delivery (mean 4.084). Inconsistent versions and the absence of a standardised issue-closure process followed. The findings suggest that the main perceived impediments in this sample lie in the controlled use and cross-stage coordination of digital information rather than solely in software capability. This paper provides an empirically bounded diagnosis for Xi’an building projects; it does not test causal relationships, identify latent statistical factors or validate a management intervention.