Mandatory BIM is ‘only way forward’
The adoption of BIM can be accelerated if policy-makers and regulatory bodies incorporate mandatory prerequisites into key documents, says TAHIR SHARIF, buildingSmart ME president.
01 November 2011
THE impact of the global economic crisis on the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) has changed attitudes in the construction industry, with the focus being on the need to eliminate waste and inefficiency, improve productivity and quality, while taking on board the requirements of new legislation for eco-friendly construction.
In terms of the downturn, experts say the worst is now over for the industry – the announcement of new projects and the completion of major developments support this view. To sustain this momentum, the region will have to take some key steps that include:
• Raising competitiveness/productivity;
• Improving the efficiency of the labour market;
• Developing relevant education/training;
• Raising skill levels in the current and future workforce;
• Introducing new business processes/technologies; and
• Embracing sustainability.
There is also plenty of scope for improving efficiency and quality, simply by taking waste out of construction. Recent studies in the US, Scandinavia and the UK substantiate this: up to 30 per cent of construction is rework, labour is used at only 40 to 60 per cent of potential efficiency and at least 10 per cent of materials are wasted.
Within the construction industry, building information modelling (BIM) has been shown to facilitate reductions in waste and costs, positively impacting profitability. However, the path to widespread adoption of BIM is littered with obstacles. But what is important is that key industry experts believe in BIM. A recent McGraw Hill Construction survey found that ‘three-quarters of Western European BIM users (74 per cent) report a positive perceived return on their overall investment in BIM, versus 63 per cent of BIM users in North America’.
The survey also revealed the main reason why companies do not use BIM is that they have not been asked to do so. Respondents indicated that their companies are most likely to use BIM in the future if it was mandated for the project.
Getting BIM mandated
Making BIM mandatory is seen to be the way forward by a number of countries.
BIM is being promoted by the Singapore government, as well as government agencies in the US such as the General Services Administration (GSA), the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Coast Guard, Department of Veterans Affairs and others, along with several state governments and quite a few corporations.
The Norwegian government has adopted both BIM and buildingSmart as its preferred methodology for federal construction projects. There is also an agreement to use open BIM standards between GSA, Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority (Deca) in Denmark, Senaatti-Kiinteisist in Finland, and Statsbygg in Norway.
In October 2010, Paul Morrell, the UK government’s chief construction adviser indicated that publicly procured building projects will be required to adopt BIM.
Mandating openBIM is likely to happen first in organisations with large portfolios of facilities that they are responsible for from inception. This is because they have the most to gain by understanding the cost of operations for the life of the facility.
Closing the skills gap
According to a buildingSmart ME 2010 BIM survey, the main obstacle to the adoption of BIM “was the (lack of) availability of skilled staff”.
The skills deficit manifests itself in both skills ‘gaps’: lack of skills in existing workforce) and skills ‘shortages’ due to problems recruiting suitably qualified staff.
The integration of BIM into education programmes ensures that in the future new entrants into the workforce have the required skills, thus helping to alleviate skills shortages.
Many educational institutions have already started incorporating BIM into their curriculum. For example, in the UK, the University of Salford is exploring new avenues via its Thinklab. In the US, Georgia Institute of Technology has included BIM as a key part of its curriculum for several years. In Australia, BIM is an integral part of many university courses, including RMIT in Melbourne, the University of Technology in Sydney and the University of New South Wales. Regionally, the American University in Dubai (AUD), began teaching BIM in the Autumn of 2009 as a requirement of its professional architecture programme.
The benefits of BIM can be derived and enhanced by establishing industry standards, which are needed to ensure delivery of consistent and high quality work in the construction industry. Also, training and certification programmes will provide the necessary skills to prove competency and ensure consistency.
Role of buildingSmart ME
As an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation, buildingSmart ME is taking positive steps towards providing a solution to meet current skills requirements. These include:
• Helping to facilitate a link between industry and academia through its membership programmes. It is also working with academia to define a curriculum that can best serve market needs;
• Developing a comprehensive programme to train and accredit individuals already working in key industry disciplines; and
• Providing BIM Support Bureau, a mechanism to deliver training programmes.
Case study
BuildingSmart ME undertook the 2010 Middle East Building Information Modelling Market Survey to assist in the planning and development of BIM programmes and infrastructure across the region. The survey findings provide a unique insight into the current state of BIM usage, as well as providing valuable indicators of how the industry can prepare for and facilitate increased BIM activity.
The survey included respondents from key construction industry sectors operating in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. The findings are reflective of the opinions of industry professionals with prior exposure to and/or experience with BIM.
The findings suggested that BIM penetration in the industry is moderate (around 25 per cent); however, the level of competency is underdeveloped compared to regions such as Western Europe and the US. Face-to-face interviews conducted as part of the survey process indicated that most firms engaged with BIM were in an ‘early adoption’ phase and were typically using BIM in its most basic capacity – as a tool for visualisation, coordination, drawing extraction and, in a few cases, for construction planning.
BIM awareness
Despite this inexperience, the recognition of the value of BIM is strong, with respondents identifying ‘reduction in design errors’ (66 per cent), ‘improved quality control’ (64 per cent) and ‘improved productivity’ (64 per cent) as the primary benefits.
These responses are consistent with benefits identified by more mature markets, such as Europe and the US. A 2010 survey of BIM usage in Western Europe, conducted by McGraw Hill Construction, listed the BIM benefits contributing the most value as:
• Improved collective understanding of design intent (69 per cent);
• Improved overall project quality (62 per cent);
• Reduced conflicts during construction (59 per cent); and
• Reduced changes during construction (56 per cent).
The Middle East findings are largely aligned with these, indicating a market that is well informed. Although the level of competency is low, having a good understanding of the real value of BIM promises a strong base from which future capabilities can be honed.
Drivers & obstacles
The survey uncovered concerns that the (lack of) availability of skilled staff and training may hinder the adoption of BIM in the future. Among the main perceived obstacles to the adoption of BIM for users and non-users alike were ‘availability of skilled staff’ (51 per cent), and availability of training (34 per cent). This was consistent across all organisation types. Such concerns are supported by the findings on current capabilities and skills level.
Of the respondents who had received BIM training, 46 per cent indicated that they were self-taught. Those that were self-taught were less likely to be regular BIM users than that those with formal training (64 per cent compared to 84 per cent respectively).
There was a significant call for industry leaders to support the adoption of BIM, and provide expert guidance and infrastructure. Respondents wanted to see BIM mandated on projects (cited as the number one driver for future deployment) as well as the establishment of industry standards and certified training and implementation programmes.
A push for BIM
Much of the industry appears to be waiting for a tipping point to nudge them into BIM operation. A significant 62 per cent of non-BIM user respondents identified ‘having not been asked to’ as a reason why their company had not adopted BIM. This correlates to the 59 per cent of respondents (including BIM-users) who agreed that mandating projects would make their company more likely to use BIM in the future.
If the industry is serious about BIM adoption, the push must come from top down. Governments, regulatory bodies and policy-makers can accelerate the adoption of BIM by establishing BIM requirements in tender and prequalification documents, and possibly even as part of planning approval, as has been done in the US and Singapore.
Conclusions
Overall, the findings represent a market that is optimistic and aware, but inexperienced in BIM. Real benefits are recognised, but not necessarily seen as achievable, while return on investment (ROI) was one of the least recognised benefits. Concerns regarding the need for training and skilled staff are well-founded and there is a clear call to industry bodies and decision-makers to bridge the divide and lead the industry forward.
The region is an early adoption phase of BIM compared to the US and Western European construction industries. However, there is a good interest and awareness in the region to learn and adopt BIM. This interest and awareness is hampered by the lack of proper information, training, accreditation and support from developers and governments.
Governments in the region need to encourage the industry to adopt BIM by making it mandatory on their projects so that they can benefit from the global BIM revolution.
