Building Information Modeling (BIM) is no longer just for architects or builders. It’s changing the way structural engineers, detailers and fabricators are working together. These BIM pointers are put together by Autodesk.
Reason 1 – Stay Relevant In The Industry
If you don’t make the move to 3D BIM Modelling soon you are in danger of being left behind. From 2007 to 2017 BIM adoption exploded by a whopping 71% and now 56% of general contractors expect high BIM skills to carry out projects.
The 2016 NBS annual BIM survey saw a sharp rise in BIM adoption from the previous year, showing 54% of respondents to the survey were now using BIM on their projects. There was also a greater understanding that BIM is proven to improve cost efficiency and team co-ordination.
BIM has become significantly more important in the UK due to the government mandate coming into place in early 2016, which requires the use of BIM on all centrally-funded projects. This has also persuaded governments across the world to assess the success of the BIM mandate and look at introducing BIM into their own strategies.
67% of Engineers in North America have adopted BIM*
54% of Construction companies in the UK are using BIM on their projects**
56% of general contractors expect high BIM skills*
The Global BIM Market was worth $1.8 Billion in 2012. It’s now expected to grow to $8.3 Billion by 2020!***
Owners and governments across the globe are adopting BIM policies* including the United States, United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Germany, France, Spain, Dubai, China and New Zealand.
Ultimately moving to BIM for detailing will help firms stay relevant and future-proof in a fast-paced market that is requiring flawless and lean construction policies.
In 2015, the National Institute of Steel Detailing (NISD) launched the Certificate of Development in BIM specifically for steel detailers.****
Reason 2 – Work Smarter and Faster
With BIM, working faster doesn’t have to come at the cost of quality.
“If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine the value of a live 3D model.” – Bart Rohal, Founder and President, Steel Detailing Online, Inc.
5 BIM Benefits
- Reduce Schedule Times by up to 20%
- Reduction of Duplicated Tasks
- Fewer Errors, RFIs and Change Orders
- Clash Detection Prior to Construction
- Collaborate Across Different Geographies
Reason 3 – Improve The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, the bottom line is the most compelling reason to move to BIM. Everybody wants to save money and increase efficiency!
“We used model-based collaboration with the structural engineers to streamline their approvals and help us quickly and efficiently manage their changes. The main contractor commented to us what a well-coordinated and managed project this was.” – Adrian Betts, Drawing Office Manager, TSI Structures.
7 out of 10 users report a positive ROI with BIM, with experienced users it’s even higher at 9 out of 10!***
BIM Improves ROI for Steel Detailers by:
- Producing More Accurate Steel Deliverables
- Reducing Costly Field Errors
- Improving Speed to Fabrication
- Taking Advantage of Improved Interoperability to Increase Efficiency
- Winning More Bids Through Compliancy
Statistics found from:
*Smart Market Report, “The Business Value of BIM for Construction in Major Global Markets,” McGraw Hill Construction, 2014.
**Five trends to watch in the NBS National BIM Survey 2017
*** Building Information Modeling Research Report, Pike Research, 2012
**** http://www.nisd.org/content/certificate-development-bim The assessment based certificate credential helps establish a knowledge base of BIM concepts related to BIM and detailing practices that are important for project teams to know
