Don’t bin BIM, construction sector told
THE West Midlands Centre for Constructing Excellence (WMCCE) is backing the Government’s drive to get more companies to adopt a new virtual system of constructing buildings.
The organisation, which represents the region’s construction industry and is committed to promoting best practice within the sector, said construction businesses needed to get on board with Building Information Modelling (BIM) or risk being left behind.
Phil Wilson, executive director at WMCCE, said: “Some companies are ahead of the curve and are already using BIM on construction projects but there are still a lot of companies that are either not aware of it or have yet to adopt it. If they don’t get on board soon they will be playing catch up with the rest of the industry.”
BIM is the latest technology in the construction industry. Buildings can be built ‘virtually’ using 3D modelling, with information such as plans, material specifications, structural performance, manufacturers’ details and maintenance requirements stored so that it can be shared between all those involved in the project, rather than each party preparing its own set of drawings and information.
Last year the Cabinet Office published the Government’s new construction strategy. The report stated the Government’s intention to require collaborative 3D BIM, with all project and asset information, documentation and data being electronic, on its projects by 2016.
“The Government has firmly set its stall out with regard to BIM and it’s now up to the construction industry to adopt and implement the system into standard practices and procedures,” said Wilson.
