A team of researchers from the UK and Australia is using an advanced BIM benchmarking system to assess the BIM maturity of more than 20 international markets.
Dr Mohamad Kassem, from Teesside University’s Technology Futures Institute, and Dr Bilal Succar from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Built Environment Research at the University of Newcastle in Australia, have spent three years developing the research-based method for assessing BIM maturity and BIM diffusion across markets.
The system is based on five distinct assessment “models”, which can be used to assist policy makers in developing country-specific BIM policies.
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The models were also recently employed by Brazil’s construction industry to draft its BIM roadmap.
The researchers used the five-model methodology to inform a comprehensive survey sent out to BIM policy makers and research experts in each country to assess local levels of BIM practice, technological expertise, standardisation and more.
Responses from more than 100 experts have been received so far and preliminary results on BIM maturity will be presented at the European BIM Summit in Barcelona in February.
The final results paper will be peer reviewed and published by mid-2016.
The countries included in the survey were: Australia, Brazil, China, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, UAE, UK and USA.
Dr Kassem commented: “Our study rates eight distinct and complementary components of BIM maturity. Some countries might have, for example, a low maturity in three components, and a medium-high maturity in the remaining five.
“From responses received so far, countries are generally split into three tiers, based on the number of greater relative scores in the eight components. The top tier includes Finland, the Netherlands, the UK and Singapore, followed by the US, Germany, Canada and Brazil in the middle tier, and by the southern EU, such as Portugal and Italy, and Middle Eastern countries, such as Qatar and the UAE, in the bottom tier.”
“It is a novel way of assessing the BIM diffusion and BIM maturity of markets, which is closely linked with promoting learning among countires and supporting policy makers in developing their BIM policies,” he added.
The intention is for different countries to learn from each other, based on their different areas of BIM knowledge and expertise, he added.
The eight areas of BIM maturity identifed are: objectives, stages and milestones; champions and drivers; regulatory framework; noteworthy publications; learning and education; measurements and benchmarks; standardised parts and deliverables; and technology infrastructure. Each is rated on a scale of 1 to 5.
They are included in the first of five assessment models developed by the researchers, while the second model was developed to help policy makers identify the activities needed to encourage BIM adoption.
The third model identifies the roles of different stakeholders, and how each must play a role in BIM diffusion. Another establishes the metrics to assess the extent of BIM diffusion within organisations and across markets.
“We measure BIM diffusion according to a more realistic definition of BIM than surveys previously carried out by other organisations, which typically do not include specific data from organisations to gauge BIM maturity in a market,” said Dr Kassem.
The models offer benefits to countries considering how to implement BIM, which involves significant changes to individual behaviour, institutional culture and collaboration dynamics, said Dr Bilal Succar.
He said: “There are currently no established methods for policy makers to tailor their BIM adoption strategies or to benchmark their BIM initiatives. The five models, and a forthcoming macro BIM adoption guide, are the first research-based method for assessing BIM diffusion across markets, and for developing comprehensive, country-specific BIM adoption policies.”
We measure BIM diffusion according to a more realistic definition of BIM than surveys previously carried out by other organisations, which typically do not include specific data from organisations to gauge BIM maturity in a market.
– Dr Mohamad Kassem, Teesside University
