Building Information Modeling (BIM) is having a profound affect on construction industry project delivery and processes. Previous McGraw-Hill Construction research has shown that within the commercial building sector, the use of BIM is rising rapidly especially among the contractor community.
The new SmartMarket Report, The Business Value of BIM for Infrastructure, examines how BIM is being used on infrastructure projects including roads, bridges, dams, water treatment facilities, power plants and transportation facilities. The report examines the use of BIM on these projects, the drivers and obstacles to future use and the impact that BIM is having on infrastructure project teams as well as internal and external collaboration
With almost half (46 percent) of the organizations surveyed reporting the use of BIM on their infrastructure projects, adoption is already up from just 27 percent two years ago.Once these organizations adopt BIM, the level of use rises rapidly — more than half of the organizations currently using BIM for infrastructure expect to be using it on more than 50 percent of their infrastructure projects by 2014.A key finding of the report is that exposure to the benefits of BIM on vertical building projects increases the likelihood of the use of BIM for infrastructure projects as well. This finding is important because it indicates that there is a correlation between the increasing penetration of BIM use overall and the rise in BIM use for infrastructure.
Other significant findings include: • 67 percent of current users of BIM for infrastructure report a positive ROI on their BIM investments. Greater experience contributes to higher ROI — over 40 percent of the users who identify themselves as experts in BIM use for infrastructure report an ROI of 50 percent or greater. • Among the companies not currently using BIM on their infrastructure work, 79 percent are open to considering it or are already evaluating it. Competitive pressure is helping drive adoption — over 70 percent of non-users perceive that their competitors and clients are using BIM. • Most current users already enjoy reduced conflicts and changes, and improved project quality, and believe that the emerging benefits of lower project risk and greater predictability of project outcomes will motivate them to increase their use of BIM in the future.
The study also looks at BIM’s impact on building processes including the increased use of prefabrication and modularization as well as the overall affect that BIM and these processes have on improving productivity factors including schedule, cost, quality, sustainability and safety.
The 60-page report contains new market research data as well as several cases studies highlighting the use of BIM on different infrastructure projects and thought leader interviews that demonstrate the differing perspectives around infrastructure BIM. Download your free copy here.