A leading international firm of designers, planners, engineers, and consultants has launched a new tool to help assess the maturity and success of Building Information Modelling (BIM) implementation within projects.
Arup developed the Building Information Modelling Maturity Measure to assess the use of BIM across its different projects around the world and is now making it freely available for wider industry use, with the aim of demystifying BIM, raising awareness of what BIM best practice looks like and helping to raise BIM capability in design and engineering disciplines.
The tool, which can be accessed here, enables users to assess BIM’s use in 25 areas to generate a comprehensive view of its use in a project. This can then be used to identify gaps in BIM implementation strategy.
Users complete a short series of multiple-choice questions and numerical rankings and different project teams can take part in completing the assessment.
Arup describes BIM as providing a virtual prototype of anything from a single building to an entire city, allowing any aspect of a design’s performance to be simulated and assessed before it is built, driving better construction.
From next year, Level 2 BIM will become mandatory on all government projects. Level 2 involves the parties involved using their own BIM models and then sharing and coordinating information, with the aim of increasing productivity in the design and construction stages.
Launching the tool on 10 March, Arup director Michael Stych said: “Our BIM Maturity Measure tool aims to democratise assessment, enabling comparisons to be made across all projects quickly and easily. This will allow us to recognise where BIM has been used effectively, creating a code of best practice and helping to identify trends and training needs.”
Meanwhile, a BIM conference hosted by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in February included a panel of expert speakers discussing the question: Are we BIM-ready?
Alan Muse, director of built environment groups at RICS, said: “The conclusion was mixed. It was clear that there is still a large discrepancy in people’s capabilities and competencies when it comes to using and implementing BIM.
“However, there is no doubt as to the huge benefits it could have, and the practical focus of the day demonstrated how these are already being achieved by those already implementing and using BIM in their business practices. It will be interesting to see whether the looming 2016 deadline prompts a dramatic acceleration in the use of BIM across the industry, and what impact this might have.”
The government’s support for BIM suggests that this approach will become standard within the construction and related sectors, with implications for legal issues including commercial agreements and contracts. For more information on how Palmers can help, please contact our BIM specialist contact Adam Davis.