Perspective sought for Canadian national BIM survey

by | February 3, 2015 4:48 pm

A new Canadian building information modelling (BIM) survey is looking for input as part of an international research project. Photo © BigStockPhoto[1]
A new Canadian building information modelling (BIM) survey is looking for input as part of an international research project. Photo © BigStockPhoto

A new survey about the use of building information modelling (BIM) in this country has been prepared by the Institute for BIM in Canada (IBC[2]) and Digicon Information[3], in collaboration with the United Kingdom’s National Building Specification (NBS[4]), a division of Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Results from this survey are intended to paint an accurate picture of the “state of adoption” of BIM in Canada—similar national surveys are being simultaneously held in the United Kingdom, Finland, Denmark, Czech Republic, and Australia. Shortly after completion, an international analysis will be released, with direct comparisons between the various countries.

The lessons learned from the study will be critical, Digicon’s David Watson, CET, FCSC, CSP, told Construction Canada Online.

“BIM is considered to be an excellent tool for delivering projects efficiently and accurately. This study can indicate to Canadian businesses whether we can claim to be delivering projects efficiently and accurately, compared to the global marketplace,” he explained. “This is important to know if we expect to compete with foreign companies that enter the Canadian market. Likewise, it could be considered a good measure of how competitive a Canadian company might be on an international project, competing with foreign companies.”

In this respect, BIM is expected to continue to gain in importance for architects and specifiers.

“Design professionals may risk losing projects to more efficient competitors or they risk being left out of projects where BIM deliverables are mandatory—another global phenomenon enforced by foreign governments,” Watson said. “There is also this idea of risk, which should be greatly reduced if parties identify and rectify problems much earlier in the process.”

“In an ideal world, the project should be fully designed and constructed virtually with input from every participant,” he continued. “If that were true, there would never be a change order, waste would be minimized to near zero, and construction lawyers go out of business from lack of disputes. We’ll likely never get there, but BIM offers the most promise for improvement over any technology we’ve seen in the history of construction.”

To take part in the survey, click here[5] before March 15. All participants are entered in a draw to win an iPad, and the survey takes less than 10 minutes.

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: https://www.constructioncanada.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/bigstock_Total_City_968690.jpg
  2. IBC: https://www.ibc-bim.ca/
  3. Digicon Information: http://www.digicon.ab.ca/
  4. NBS: http://www.thenbs.com/
  5. here: http://surveys.ribaenterprises.com/wh/s.asp?k=141881859352

Source URL: https://www.constructioncanada.net/perspective-sought-for-canadian-national-bim-survey/