Barriers and enablers to BIM-enabled energy efficiency optimisation in the Sri Lankan building sector

Abstract

This paper examines the barriers and enablers shaping Building Information Modelling (BIM) enabled energy-efficiency optimisation in Sri Lanka’s building sector. Although BIM is widely associated with digital mod-elling, coordination, and visualisation, its value for energy performance depends on whether project teams can generate, exchange, interpret, and act on reliable information across the building lifecycle. The study adopts a conceptual research design that synthesises the literature on BIM-based energy analysis, Levels of Development (LOD), interoperability, stakeholder readiness, and implementation conditions in developing countries. The an-alytical procedure organises the evidence around lifecycle decision points, phase-specific capacity demands, information-handover requirements, and the quality conditions required for dependable simulation outputs. The results identify BIM information maturity, information quality, interoperability, stakeholder capacity, and gov-ernance as the principal determinants of decision readiness for energy optimisation. They also show that barriers and enablers vary by project phase, requiring differentiated interventions rather than generic BIM training. Based on this synthesis, the paper presents the conceptual framework developed for the study and operation-alises its constructs for later empirical application. The paper contributes an energy-first, lifecycle-oriented ex-planation of how digital adoption can enable more dependable energy-related decision-making and building performance improvement in Sri Lanka and comparable developing-country contexts.