Here’s why Indian real estate cannot harness the power of BIM

By: Arnab Ghosh, Director, Synergy Property Development Services Indian BIM Association has steered a widespread survey to understand the road blocks for BIM implementation in the market to realize the hurdles that the Indian Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operation (AECO) industry stakeholders are facing for diffusing BIM technologies and workflows in AECO projects. Sometimes, even those who want to embrace BIM-friendly processes can’t, because of company policies. According to Construction Intelligence Center (CIC) survey, which surveyed 100 global construction industries, found that the majority of respondents believe BIM is the future of the industry, with 49% already using BIM. Unfortunately, despite the several benefits of BIM, various industry agents are still clinging to the old ways of working. In addition, there is quite a deficiency of project management expertise, which hampers with project deliveries and increases cost over runs. Builders, architects and engineers around the world are rapidly using technology to create innovation that has changed the way construction sector works. One such innovation is Building Information Modeling (BIM). It enables smarter and faster design process, intricate planning and and visualization, to simulation and construction. This software helps teams to collaborate, innovate, and connect with clients in more productive ways than ever before. One of the most widely used BIM software is Autodesk Revit. It allows users to design a building and structure and its components in 3D, annotate the model with 2D drafting elements, and access building statistics from the building model's database. India’s construction market is rapidly growing at a steady speed of 7-8% every year, thus making it one of the fastest growing markets in the world. According to estimates, India’s construction industry will reach to be the third largest in the world, with a size of $1 trillion by 2025. The need of the hour is to use it effectively in a few large scaled landmark projects and make it a benchmark for BIM practice for future Projects. The Principal Architectural  firmscreate inhouse BIM specialists which is integrated in their design deliverable SOPs. Appointing a third party BIM agency, which is the norm today, is not able to harness the maximum potential of a BIM driven preconstruction process. As per a research report, international BIM market — with the Asia-Pacific region showing the most growth — should hit $11.7 billion by 2022, growing 21.6% between 2016 and 2022. It’s a promising future wherein buildings, design and construction will be cheaper, safer, more efficient, and more responsive to end-users.