If the number of conferences is the measure of the importance of a topic, then BIM (Building Information Modelling) must be very, very important indeed.
Recent research carried out on behalf of the Government’s BIM Working Group suggests that almost everyone in the building engineering sector will be using it, to some extent, in five years’ time.
A survey of 1,000 professionals, carried out by the software consultancy NBS, found that three quarters of people, who were aware of it, expected to be using BIM by the end of 2012.
Almost one third of construction professionals (31%) said they were using BIM at the end of last year. Only a fifth (21%) said they were unaware of the technology, but lots of people are confused about what it actually is. Many still refer to it simply as ‘3D CAD’.
You often hear people saying: “Well, of course, BIM will have an impact”; and we all nod sagely and wonder what that impact might be.
Well, I'll be honest and say that I don't know. What I do know is that it will bring about profound change in the industry or rather the wider digitisation of the construction sector will.
Why?
Digitisation of industries turns business models on their heads - think Kodak. Yes, whatever happened to film?
Their will be new entrants that we have yet to hear about. Facebook is now worth billions, but was just a twinkle in Mark Zuckerberg’s eye eight years ago.
Incumbents do of course have market advantage and there will be many success stories from companies, who are already at the forefront, but incumbents often tell you why things cannot be done. New entrants by and large will just do it because they have no history or culture to deal with.
What will we do about turning all the data we collect in the building models into information of strategic (monetary) value? New companies will spring up to take advantage of this opportunity.
I think it was the Vulcan bomber that was described as 20,000 spare parts flying in close formation. This perfectly describes our buildings - a number of the cheapest installed systems we can find operating in an uncoordinated envelope. BIM offers the opportunity to right that wrong …possibly.
If you can predict exactly how that comes about, bet your house on it.
Me I'm still thinking about it and am reading Ray Crotty's excellent book
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