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What BIM is and how it is being used

NBS surveyed over 6,500 construction professionals in the UK with over a 6% response rate. Those asked said they believed a quarter of the industry will use BIM for the majority of projects in one year's time and a half will use BIM for the majority of projects in three years' time.

In research presented by Dr Stephen Hamil of NBS at the CIBSE BIM: who benefits? conference in December 2010, it was revealed that over 30% of respondents use BIM for all or some projects, while almost 90% believe that they will be using BIM for at least a minority of projects by 2015.

BIM survey - who is using and intends to use BIM

Other aspects of the research looked into the CAD tools used, when practices intend to use BIM, and what they think of BIM as a tool.

Commenting on the survey, Dr Hamil, Head of BIM at NBS, explains, “The survey shows a clear split in the industry. Almost half admit they are not even aware of BIM. This is worrying, especially following the comments of Paul Morrell and others indicating it is going to be central to the future of public procurement. However, the other half of the industry are aware of BIM and are making preparations to adopt it on a majority of their projects. What this may leave us with is a two tier construction industry, where there is a real chance of many companies being left behind.”

A Building Information Model (BIM) is a rich information model, consisting of potentially multiple data sources, elements of which can be shared across all stakeholders and be maintained across the life of a building from inception to recycling (cradle to cradle). This integrated format offers significant benefits, such as cost reductions, entire carbon impact analysis, early clash identification, compliance checking, better project management and simpler procurement to name a few.

The importance of the “Information” in BIM should be stressed. Dr Hamil continues, “The industry must not fall into the trap of seeing 3D CAD as BIM – it is much more than 3D modelling. The key here is rich information. This is more than geometric information from a CAD model. The information model might include contract and specification properties, personnel, programming, quantities, cost, spaces and geometry to achieve the real benefits a BIM has to offer. Software is the interface to a building information model, rich content is what populates it.”

At NBS, we're continuing to undertake research projects and promote debate on this subject in order to guide the industry in its understanding and adoption of BIM, with the goal of convincing the entire community of construction professionals to benefit from the use an integrated information model.