14
COMMENT COMMENT
BIM is part of hard business strategy, not just software
Too many fi rms still think of BIM as a mere modelling tool, argues Miklos Magyar at chapmanbdsp, when it is capable of adding far more value for designers.
F
rom its fi rst appearance in built environment parlance in the early 1990s to its widespread adoption in the 2000s, and the Government’s push towards its usage in the public sector in
the 2010s, BIM has now been around for decades. While for many fi rms across the construction and engineering
sectors, BIM came onto the scene via the software procurement route; today it can and should mean more than keeping an up-to- date Revit licence and employing a handful of trained modellers. There’s a real opportunity to use it across the wider business. Properly understood and deployed, it moves beyond a drafting tool and into the realm of a data and decision-making platform. Firms that treat it purely as a modelling exercise are leaving a lot of value on the table.
The business case for BIM can most clearly be seen in two key areas: risk and speed. The logic on risk is pretty simple. In traditional workfl ows, construction issues tend to show up onsite, which is just about the worst place to fi nd them. By that point you’re already looking at delays, rework, possible contractual disputes, and the kind of reputational damage that’s hard to shake. BIM shifts that risk to the left of the plan. By recreating the building
virtually before a single piece of steel is lifted, design teams can catch and resolve those issues early, when changes are still relatively painless and inexpensive. And when it comes to speed, the gains come through better collaboration. Fewer handoffs between parties mean faster project turnaround, and contractors get a richer, more reliable foundation from which to kick off procurement and planning. BIM has the potential to put collaboration front and centre in the built environment. Few can argue that there can still be an element of silo working when it comes to the stakeholders involved in the construction programme. With this in mind, one of the most valuable things an experienced digital design manager can do is bring the different disciplines together through their usage of BIM. The common data environment tools available today, like ACC
Design teams can catch and resolve issues early, when changes are still relatively painless and inexpensive
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
ADF JUNE 2026
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