BIM adoption rocketing, survey finds

Industry take up of BIM has rocketed in the past two years with almost a third of construction professionals now using it, a new survey has shown.

The annual survey, from National Building Specification (NBS) and due to be published in full later this week, found that 31% of professionals are now using BIM compared with 13% in 2010, with three quarters of those aware of BIM predicting they will be using it in 2012.

However, the survey also indicated that BIM remains poorly defined and understood with four out of five of those questioned agreeing that the industry is not yet clear on what BIM is.

Dr Stephen Hamil, RIBA Enterprises head of BIM, said: “The survey clearly shows that in the UK the question is no longer will BIM be adopted but how quickly?

“The fact that three quarters of those aware of BIM predict they will be using it on projects by the end of the year shows the speed with which things are moving.”

The survey also found that the perceived expense and time commitments involved in BIM remain problematic, particularly for smaller businesses with almost two-thirds of respondents agreeing that BIM is too expensive to consider at the moment.

Building and BD Present BIM Show Live, a 2 day conference and exhibition taking place on the 9 and 10 May 2012 at the Business Design Centre, London. Visit www.bimshowlive.co.uk to register.