BIM utilization across the globe:

BIM Utilization across the globe?

Building Information Modeling was first introduced in the 1970s and since then it has been metamorphosing the construction industry. Initially, BIM was simply conceptualized as an object based parametric design tool that is linked to a database. Later the technology evolved with the addition of BIM Coordination Services, Revit family creation etc. wherein virtual designing and construction became an integral part of any building or a structure’s construction process.  Today BIM can be utilized for approximately 80% of the construction processes right from the conceptual design to onsite construction management to facility management.

Even though the advantages of BIM are pretty obvious it is still not mandatory to use BIM for construction projects across many countries. Even a lot of firms till date are hesitant in using comprehensive BIM solutions across projects of all sizes. It could be due to lack of available resources, difficulty in migrating to a different software, initial cost of BIM adaptation etc. That being said BIM increases the speed, reduces rework, waste of materials and the time. It also goes a long way in increasing the safety of onsite workers.

In the current article we will be looking at the status of BIM adoption in USA, UK, Europe and Australia.

• USA:

BIM has been in use in USA since 1970 but even though it was amongst the first countries to adopt BIM over the years, the rate of implementation of BIM has in fact, been lower than some other developed countries. Till date there has been no mandate from the US government regarding the use of BIM for any project size or type. A lot of governmental departments have however have made their own policies and standards for example, The US General Services Administration (GSA) came up with the National 3D-4D-BIM Program in 2003 which mandates BIM adoption for all Public Buildings Service projects. In Wisconsin it is mandatory to use BIM for publicly-funded projects with a budget of over $5 million. One of the main reason why BIM is not centrally mandated is because there is no single agency in the Federal government who has the power to do this. US is one of the biggest markets for the construction industry and BIM is significantly popular amongst most projects. According a report by Allied Market Research the industry from 2016 to 2022 is expected to achieve a compound annual growth rate of 21.6 percent and earn $11.7 billion during that time.

• United Kingdom:

The United Kingdom has been a global leader when it comes to the implementation of BIM. In fact, the British Government has mandated the use of BIM, and in a study it was found that by 2019 almost 70% of all the construction industry professionals in UK were using BIM. It was in the year 2011 that the new policy was implemented by the UK government which stated that BIM level 2 had to be used on projects as a minimum by 2016. This was the first step which lead to an increase in adoption of BIM in both public and private sector. It was followed by another mandate in 2016 where the government announced that they now expected the construction sector to move up from BIM Level 2 to BIM Level 3 by 2020. The UK construction sector which had historically suffered with productivity and efficiency has been positively impacted by BIM.

• European Union:

When it comes to BIM adoption the rest of the EU is not very far behind of UK. In 2016, the EU BIM Task Group was established with the aim of figuring out a common aligned European approach to improve the construction sector in Europe. With the formation of this group there are exciting developments taking place in the adoption of BIM in the continent. However, each country has its own pace; for instance in 2014, the French government launched an initiative to conduct research before developing BIM standards. This was followed by a budget of €20 million to digitize the construction sector in 2015. Similarly, in the same year German government created the Digital Building Platform which is basically a BIM task group that has played in instrumental role in the promotion of BIM. BIM Services are also extremely popular in the Netherlands and it has in fact has one of the highest BIM adoption rates in the world. From Austria to Denmark to Spain and Italy, most countries in Europe are understanding the importance of BIM and choosing to implement it.

• Australia:

BIM adoption in Australia has been considerably widespread between 2010 and 2018. As a member of the commonwealth, Australia has always been influenced by England and this is no different in the construction sector. When it thus, comes to the adoption of BIM Australia has quite closely looked at the British example. BIM has benefited the Australians by enabling them to overcome the shortage of skills and labour. The Australian government in the recent years has demanded BIM as a requirement in all major project, especially those which are complex or expensive.