Confidence in BIM
but no confidence in its enforcement is one of the sentiments to come out of
the eighth National BIM Report from NBS.
For the first time
less than a majority (47%) feel that the Government is ‘on the right track’
with BIM.
There’s no
suggestion that the mandate was a mistake, or that the industry doesn’t agree
with the ambitions to further embed BIM as ‘business as usual’, but it is the
speed of this direction of travel that is increasingly the frustration.
“There’s no doubt
that our industry needs to find better ways of working and the move to digital
will be a major factor in how we get this right,” said NBS CEO Richard
Waterhouse.
“BIM Level 2 is the
foundation of this digital transformation, providing data structures,
responsibilities and process and whilst this report looks at the industry’s
current attitude to BIM, the industry will not stand still. Digital
transformation will continue.”
Positives from the
report show the biggest year-on-year growth on BIM usage and awareness since 2014,
with a 12 per cent increase on last year’s results, helping other stakeholders
to trust the BIM process.
And there are signs
that those with the influence to help drive this activity are listening as
industry has seen the revision of the CIC BIM Protocol based on industry
feedback, the BIM Level 2 suite of standards and tools is being revised and the
Centre for Digital Built Britain has now been created.
Although 70 percent
of respondents call for more standardisation of BIM the report does indicate
that an increasing number of respondents are using PAS 1192-2:2013 (44%) and
Uniclass is gaining strong traction with just over a third now using the
classification system.
“Adhering to
standards is one way to demonstrate good BIM practice,” continued Richard.
“One example of how
the UK is helping to shape the global BIM world is the development of ISO
19650, Parts One and Two, which are being developed in partnership with the
global community to ingrain a standard method of working internationally – a
great example of how the UK is pushing ahead internationally and more examples
are highlighted in the report.”
BIM is more than the
production of 3D models and collaboration is more than reducing coordination
problems on-site through clash detection at design time.
The next stage of
the BIM journey must focus on both the information generated from the models
and the information linked to the models. For this standardised information,
structures must be followed in terms of the objects in the model and linked
data sources such as project specifications.
NBS will continue to
work with partners in the industry to help set these standards.
Dr Stephen Hamil,
Director of Research and Innovation at NBS, said: “Emerging technologies are
continuing to provide new opportunities. The move from desktop to cloud
computing will be a game changer in terms of collaboration, performance and
transparency of decision making.
“Future
transformative technology will build upon this this foundation, helping us to
create a step-change in productivity and quality within the industry and NBS
can and will play a part in this journey.”
The 2018 report had
808 responses from a range of large to small practices and organisations
carrying out a range of project types. The largest group to respond were
architects (33%) with architectural technologists, BIM managers and
technicians, clients, contractors, civil, structural and service engineers,
surveyors and landscape architects all represented.
