Study: BIM use picking up steam for infrastructure projects

Dive Brief:

The use of BIM for infrastructure projects is on the rise, with 52% of horizontal construction companies surveyed reporting that they used the technology on more than half of their projects, according to a SmartMarket report from Dodge Data & Analytics.
That figure is a big jump from the mark two years ago, when only 20% of infrastructure companies said they used BIM on a majority of projects.
The study — which surveyed engineers, contractors and owners in the U.S., U.K., Germany and France — found that 87% of respondents saw a positive return on investment from BIM. While the technology is relatively new in Germany and France, those countries still saw positive ROI from BIM.

Dive Insight:

BIM has become a dominating force in the vertical building sector, but it has been slow to pick up steam in horizontal construction. Proponents of the technology say its capabilities go beyond modeling, as it encourages collaboration among project stakeholders and can aid in all steps of the construction process, from planning to maintenance.

BIM is expected to continue expanding across the industry. An April MarketsandMarkets report found the BIM market will grow to $7.64 billion in the next five years, and a July 2016 survey from Timetric Construction Intelligence Center found that a majority of global construction industry representatives said BIM is the "future of the industry."

Governments are also playing a role in the proliferation of BIM. In April 2016, the U.K. enacted a Level 2 BIM requirement for contractors, which — though it doesn’t mandate any modeling — requires that architects, contractors and suppliers be able to exchange project data through common file formats. Russia then announced in September 2016 that, starting in 2019, it will require contractors working on government-funded projects to use BIM.

Despite the emergence of BIM mandates in other countries, most experts don't foresee a similar requirement coming to the U.S., due largely to the splintered nature of its construction industry. However, even without a mandate, BIM is more advanced in the U.S. and is considered more of an everyday type of business practice than in other countries.