Digitizing the construction industry: Building Information Modeling (BIM)
Whether it is tracking systems for construction machinery, digital construction files, or drones flying above a building site to control the construction status – digitization has arrived in the German construction industry. The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) has developed a “Road Map for Digital Design and Construction”, which promotes the development and utilization of Building Information Modeling (BIM) as a standard planning tool for all federal infrastructure projects as of 2020. The goal is to clarify legal and technical requirements and develop standards for BIM.
The technology promises an integrated planning process, efficient and sustainable use of resources in buildings, and the immediate transfer of information between all stakeholders in the planning and construction process. However, a study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering found that 41% of the construction firms and planners surveyed had never used BIM. To change this, architects, engineers, construction companies, scientists, and other stakeholders are collaborating and exchanging knowledge in 16 BIM clusters (as of May 2017) across Germany. Innovative foreign companies are invited to join the process of turning integrated digital planning and construction from a vision of the future into a standard in construction.
Road Map for Digital Design and Construction | © Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure 2016
