Building Information Modeling (BIM) and related technologies are transforming our industry beyond recognition. Seamlessly, efficiently, consistently, reliably, and creating value for all stakeholders in the process, especially property owners and operators-our clients.
While this may seem far removed from the current state of our industry, this is still what we are striving for. Many people are already on this journey, and more are beginning it every day. A few years ago, in 2011, the UK government embarked on a bold program. The idea was to move our industry forward to achieve digital management of assets in the public sector.
The goal was set to reach BIM Level 2 (UK) by 2016. For the main UK government sector this has been achieved, but the reality at the local authority level and in the private sector has proven to be very different. Skilling up SMEs is a particularly difficult challenge. Our industry is notorious for having along tail and it will be several years before we can confidently say that we have reached Level 2 across the board.
But Level 2 is only away station on the road to Level 3 and beyond. The recently released Level 3 strategy document, Digital Built Britain, points the way to a world where the Internet of Things, the Internet of Everything, smart cities, big data, and everything else, including the built environment, are joined together.
About the Book
The purpose of the Construction Manager’s BIM Handbook is to provide basic guidance and provide a plat form for progress for CIOB members and the broader industry, regardless of concept. It is intended to be intentionally concise, topical, and a bit basic. With the help of prominent contributors, it sheds light on various aspects of BIM, unpacks UK BIM Level 2, and explores its implications.
This is not necessarily for the “experts”, as we believe that the number of people just trying to understand “which way is up” will far outnumber the early adopters and major protagonists for a few years yet. Our challenge is to transform the entire industry and pull it into the 21stcentury and beyond.
The handbook is intended as a jumping off point for your own BIM journey and learning. We have provided some thoughts, comments, basic explanations, and further resources.