The construction industry is adopting Building Information Modeling (BIM) as a standard. The benefits of switching to BIM methodology keep becoming more and more tangible. Not using BIM is now a barrier to entry into the construction market. ¿it is time for your company to take the leap? This article gives an overview of the state of adoption of BIM in the world and what is driving the phenomenon.
WHAT IS BIM?
BIM is a visual database used by construction, architecture, and engineering firms. It combines 3D modeling (already an improvement from 2D blueprints) with the information required in every phase of construction and has been around since the 1980s when the first software tools entered the market. Motivated by the efficiency and the reduction of project costs, companies have adopted BIM methodology. If you want to know more, we covered in detail what BIM is and its benefits in a previous article.
WHO IS USING IT?
Global BIM market size was valued at $5,205 million in 2019 by Allied Market Research and by 2027 is expected to have grown to $15,892 million. In 2022 countries leading BIM adoption are the UK, the US, Canada, and Scandinavian countries where the technology is reaching maturity, meaning the users have a deep knowledge of the software and have integrated it into most of their practices. That pattern will likely be followed by the rest of the world in the coming years. On a survey done by PlanRadar it is evident that BIM reached full awareness in its market, as only 2% claimed to not know about it.
The next graph compares the percentage of construction companies that use BIM in leading countries
(BIM adoption by country, data provided by: PlanRadar,and the University of Toronto)
Besides, many reports mention that over 80% of the construction companies that had not used BIM yet in the countries mentioned, expect to become BIM users in the next 5 years. Countries with lower levels of adoption as Australia, which is at a 42.2% level according to Construction Economics and Building and Brasil, have mandates in place that help us predict that BIM use is going to increase.
WHY ARE THEY USING IT?
Not only was BIM’s potential noticed by the private sector, but also by the governments. The ability to integrate, increase speed, boost collaboration, and improve the quality of the data makes them drawn to it. As one of the main clients of the construction industry, the government influences industry behaviors. Many countries have chosen to issue BIM mandates to make their budgets more efficient. An example of this is the Chilean government with a plan in place that aims for 100% of BIM adoption on public projects by 2025, and it estimates it will drop costs by 20%. Some countries have more strict mandates in place than others; the more flexible ones will only require BIM after the project passes a certain budget while others require it for all government projects.
Here’s an overview of how some countries and regions have decided to adopt BIM:
European Union
The EU has always looked to create standardized practices to make collaboration easier between its members. Because of that, the EU is leading the transition to BIM in the near future. Many governments have plans in place to adopt BIM in all their projects by the end of this decade, while others have already implemented the mandates (Scandinavian countries). Currently, there are several BIM mandates in place with conditions, the most usual one being the budget of the project. Countries like France have programs to promote BIM in both the public and the private sectors in place.
United Kingdom
Not only was the UK the first country to use BIM, but also is the world leader in the field. Since 2016 is mandatory to use BIM for public projects. That has boosted BIM adoption and although it is not compulsory in private infrastructure projects, it is the standard rule.
United States
The US does not have a national BIM mandate, but that is easily explained by the fact that there does not exist a federal agency that is in a position to implement it. Even so, the country was a pioneer in BIM adoption since the early 1990s and has remained a leader in BIM adoption. Many states, such as Wisconsin, issued BIM mandates for public projects. On a national level, the US Navy was the first government agency to adopt BIM, closely followed by the US Army.
SHOULD MY COMPANY IMPLEMENT BIM?
While BIM adoption is uneven around the world, the fact that BIM is being requested by governments is key to understanding what is coming in the future. A report from the University of Toronto found that 87% of BIM not users believe they will get left behind, moreover more than half of the participants of the survey agreed that government agencies would continue insisting on BIM implementation. BIM has become a barrier to entering the market. For your company to stay relevant, it is strongly advised to adopt BIM and Biminglabs can help you in this process.
Dedicated to BIM modeling, Biminglabs is an American-based BIM Services company with offices in Uruguay. Its team is composed of architects and engineers specialized in providing services to the precast concrete industry. The team’s experience adds up to more than 20 years focused on offering BIM solutions in Australia, the US, and Canada. Their work is based around BIM modeling, but the company goes beyond this by delivering general arrangement & shop drawings, as well as every other data demanded by the client while adapting to their standards. Some of their clients are Austral Precast, Westkon Precast o XL Precast.