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The future of BIM: Digital transformation in the UK construction and
infrastructure sector
RICS insight paper, July 2020
The influence that technology has had on the surveying profession has
been the subject of much debate. Recently, this debate has centred on
building information modelling (BIM) and the potential benefits it can
bring to a project and asset life cycle. Traditionally, surveyors have
employed technology to design and manage the construction process but,
now, asset surveyors are increasingly realising BIM’s potential to
create efficiencies throughout the project life cycle. BIM not only
allows the sector to offer innovative solutions to small- and
large-scale problems, but also supports stakeholders in creating an
efficient method of working that is capable of creating and adding
value.
BIM has evolved into a much bigger paradigm, and what this means for
chartered surveyors is constantly shifting. This has been brought into
stark focus during the global COVID-19 pandemic where the industry has
had to adjust to a new working environment. Nevertheless solace can be
taken in the Chinese proverb ‘in a crisis be aware of the danger but
recognise the opportunities’. The digital transformation of the industry
has taken immense steps forward both in mitigating the working
restrictions and bringing forward new ways working that may have
previously been seen as future adoption possibilities – indeed
it has been estimated the advancements over the last 2 to 4
months have taken a 5-year leap forward.
The industry is now on the verge of the fourth industrial revolution:
digitalisation is having a profound impact on the work itself and the
way the industry works together.7 As clients increasingly look to
technology for solutions that create efficiencies, the profession needs
to gain a better-informed understanding of:
- what BIM has to offer in terms of technology and
- how the narrative surrounding BIM is changing.
Surveyors need to be more proficient in the use of these technologies
so that data, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things
(IoT) are at the core of service provision.
However, BIM is not only about technology but also about processes,
protocol and standards. The publication of the BS EN ISO 19650 series
has introduced a collaborative framework for managing information
through BIM throughout the whole life cycle of an asset, irrespective of
its type or size. BS EN ISO 19650 identifies BIM as methodologies that
offer a solution to store and exchange information (BIM technology), and
as a method to manage information through these internationally agreed
standards. BIM maturity is described in terms of stages and information
management, not around BIM levels 1, 2 or 3.
Therefore, it is essential that surveyors understand the current BIM
framework within which they operate and the technologies that can not
only support them in their role but also provide the client and end user
with the information they need in order to efficiently manage the asset.
