The first ever SmartMarket report on Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been released, focusing on the business value of BIM in Australia and New Zealand. 

The findings of the report show that although new to the concept, Architecture firms in Australia have acknowledged the value of BIM and plan to deepen their investments in the concept.

According to the report, 51 per cent of firms are engaged in BIM on more than 30 per cent of projects today and these numbers are expected to increase dramatically in the coming years—74 percent of surveyed firms suggested they will engage in BIM in over 30 per cent of their projects in the next two years.

Consult Australia—the host at the report’s launch, has been quick to highlight the importance of industry innovation in 21st century infrastructure and see’s the adoption of technologies such as BIM as a good place for this to occur.

The Association’s Chief Executive, Megan Motto said that whilst some Australian infrastructure design firms are already well advanced in their adoption of BIM, on a global scale and as a whole, Australia is still lagging behind.

 

“Whilst internally we are going well, in comparison to other regions Australia is still behind the mark in terms of commitment to, and use of BIM. This means we have an opportunity to learn from elsewhere in the world, adopt best practice and deliver value for money solutions for all parties.”

 

According to Rob Malkin, director of Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Infrastructure for Asia Pacific at Autodesk, the report’s findings don’t just indicate there will be an upswing in the amount of firms utilizing BIM in the future; they also indicate that those already engaging with BIM will increase their use of it.

 

“Within two years, 77 per cent of the [architects, engineers and multidisciplinary design] firms and 66 per cent of the contractors currently using BIM in Australia and New Zealand will be doing so at high or very high implementation levels,” Said Malkin.

 

Stephen A. Jones, senior director of McGraw Hill Construction is in agreement, suggesting that now is a great time for companies in Australia and New Zealand to deepen their implementation of BIM.

 

“These firms can learn from the successes of users in more experienced countries, and still maintain an edge over non-users in other parts of the world,” Jones explained.

 

The McGraw Hill Construction SmartMarket Report, titled “The Business Value of BIM in Australia and New Zealand: How Building Information Modeling is Transforming the Design and Construction Industry”, was sponsored by Premium Partner Autodesk and Corporate Partner AECOM, as well as aconex, A.G. Coombs, AMCA, Consult Australia, CSI Global Services, Laing O’Rourke and Zuuse.