by Shane Henson — February 6, 2013—According to a new report produced by McGraw-Hill Construction, The Business Value of BIM in North America: Multi-Year Trend Analysis and User Ratings (2007—2012), business information modeling (BIM) adoption expanded from 17 percent in 2007 to 71 percent in 2012, demonstrating impressive growth despite the recent economic pressures.
“Though it may seem counterintuitive to increase spending during a recession, the research indicates that the industry is continuing to invest in a more efficient and productive future by embracing technologies and processes of BIM,” explained Stephen Jones, senior director at McGraw-Hill Construction and research director of the report.
The report states that owners are becoming an important driving force to this increased adoption.
Patrick MacLeamy, CEO of HOK and chairman of buildingSMART International, predicted, “Over the next 10 years, building owners will demand ever-increasing usage of BIM as a precondition, ushering in a new era of accuracy, quality and sophistication for the building industry.”
As a way to quantify users’ level of commitment to BIM, McGraw-Hill Construction says it developed a BIM Engagement Index, calculated from each BIM user’s skill level, years of BIM experience, and percentage of their projects that use BIM. McGraw-Hill Construction found that:
- Thirteen percent of BIM users demonstrate a very high BIM engagement level (e-level), requiring expert skill level, five or more years of experience, and implementation of BIM on more than 60% of their projects.
- Sixty-seven percent of the very high e-level users report a very positive return on investment on BIM (25% or higher) versus only 20% of low e-level BIM users, two-thirds of whom are at negative of break-even return on investment.
- Fifty-two percent of very high e-level users experience increased profits from their use of BIM compared to the 36% average for all users.
