Has BIM taken over the Construction Industry?

BIM is making huge news with its grip on the construction industry that is predicted to soon reach record new highs.

A decade ago, when the UK was recognized as a global BIM leader, nearly half of the AEC companies had not even heard of the technology. Today, the latest BIM report which reflects the views of more than 1,000 industry professionals says that about 73% of the AEC companies are using BIM.

Increased recognition for BIM

Even though the UK led the way for BIM; the growth was not confined to these shores. A report at the beginning of 2021 revealed that due to rapid urbanization, growth in infrastructural projects, and increased recognition for BIM, the global BIM market is expected to reach an estimated $9bn by 2025. BIM helps the professional to plan, design, and manage building projects more efficiently.

The key area to be focused on here is, how does BIM enable the construction trade to operate more efficiently?

Reduced Wastage

BIM models help architects, designers, and contractors to reduce waste by showing how much material is needed for a construction project. This not only saves clients money but also reduces the environmental impact of projects.

Real-time Collaboration

In a construction project, all the parties involved can view the model at the same time. This leads to clearer communication and lesser opportunities for misunderstandings. The automated process helps to overcome one of the biggest challenges i.e., lack of coordination and communication. This drives down building costs, provides increased safety, easier monitoring, more time for human workers to focus on other aspects and, allows for real-time collaboration between parties.

Saves Time

BIM technology helps the contractors to assign tasks to workers more efficiently and the software scans the entire model for a mistake which, in turn, reduces the amount of time spent resolving outstanding problems on site.

So, does this mean BIM is on the threshold of taking over the entire construction industry?

Most likely!

We, the BIM service providers, are keen to shout out the benefits and use them as a shred of evidence to shape the future of the entire construction industry. However, technology alone cannot prove that BIM’s reach will soon be all-encompassing.

The rising demand

Since BIM has become embedded in the industry as a whole, the entire market is moving in that direction. Clients must be educated about how BIM can potentially help them save money and visualize their projects. However, before this happens, businesses themselves would need to be educated about how to use the technology - from the architects designing the plans to the contractors executing it.

With the current trend, it seems obvious that along with future designers and architects, even contractors will have knowledge about BIM. Effectively, we will see the entire industry being trained on how to use BIM and make the most of it. BIM is soon going to be the norm in the construction industry in the near future.