Review of the use and development of Building Information Modelling software in the Architectural and Engineering industry - an Australian Perspective

Review of the use and development of Building Information Modelling software in the Architectural and Engineering industry - an Australian Perspective

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has the potential to significantly improve design, construction and asset management in the Architectural and Engineering (AE) industry, including optimising the life cycle of constructed facilities, and improving their ongoing sustainable development and operation. While the main focus to date of BIM development has been on its dimensional characteristics and its maturity levels, a greater understanding is required of how well industry is using this software in design.

Research has accordingly been undertaken into the use of BIM as a management tool in the AE industry in South East Queensland, Australia, focusing primarily on SME businesses, with the purpose of identifying the extent of BIM use in design software, better understanding how BIM modelling software is used in the design process, and better aiding the discovery of improved pathways for its implementation. Achieving these goals can assist government and BIM enablers to facilitate the development of a common standard to aid industry participants to improve information sharing, collaboration and improved performance, thus impacting on positive built environment life cycle aspects like interoperability, design consistency, and improving sustainable development and management.

The results of a mixed methods questionnaire, which consisted of a number of Likert scale questions, plus a number of short answer qualitative questions, which was sent to industry respondents on the use of BIM in the AE industry in South East Queensland suggest that while BIM has been quite widely adopted in the industry, SME businesses in the AE industry demonstrate relatively slow development in their use of BIM software. In addition, its functionality can be better utilized, and BIM can be diversified to include a greater range of users. While Government mandates of BIM would be likely to increase the use of BIM across the industry, respondents felt that such mandates should be implemented cautiously and with industry guidance, so as to not force unachievable goals which could be damage the increased adoption and use of BIM in the industry.

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