BIM and its benefits explained

A high-level look at Building Information Modelling’s key benefits, the potential pitfalls, and the priorities for successful implementation, in the wake of the recent Government mandate that all centrally procured public sector construction projects commenced after 4 April this year be implementing BIM Level 2, was given by Chartered Quantity Surveyor, Gary Allen, of IDCConsult, at the first in a series of planned IHEEM/HefmA joint seminars on the topic held recently at the headquarters of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in London. HEJ editor, Jonathan Baillie, reports.

In welcoming delegates to the seminar, entitled ‘BIM4Health, Past, Present, and Future’, IHEEM’s CEO, Julian Amey, noted that it was no coincidence that the event was being held at the London headquarters of the RICS in Great George Street, directly opposite HM Treasury. He explained: “As some of you may know, in the 18th and 19th centuries, when our big professional bodies were being established, they got together with the Treasury to work out how to develop national infrastructure. Now, in the 21st century, we have an even more important role – to use that basis of technology and infrastructure and take it to the next level. As the professional institutes, we have a responsibility, and I am delighted to be working with our colleagues at HefmA, and of course the RICS today, to make sure that the information that is relevant to our sector today is out there and understood.” 

While BIM had been ‘around for some time’, Julian Amey said his experience was that not only was it not yet fully understood, but also that the BIM process and ‘landscape’ were ‘changing all the time’. He said: “Today’s event is a very important moment for the Institute, working with others, to examine the status quo, and look at the past, the present, and, most importantly, the future. We have an outstanding line-up of speakers from the Institutions, academia, and industry, and will be really pleased to feed the outcomes of this meeting into discussions around the Carter Report. Our deliberations today will all be reported and taken forward, and I thank you all for participating.”