A hierarchical definition of BIM application scales reveals three essential levels:
L1: Personal level (individual workstation operation);
L2: Enterprise level (software deployment, collaboration, management innovation, and service innovation);
L3: Industry level (large-scale solution implementation and cross-enterprise collaboration).
1. Personal Level Applications
At this stage, BIM essentially equals drawings. Applications are limited to producing construction drawings, regardless of the operator’s proficiency with the software. This category also includes single-item analyses or using project software solely to generate plan diagrams.
2. Enterprise Level Applications (Team Level)
Here, BIM transforms into a new management model. A design institute can be compared to a shotgun exchange: to handle larger “cannons,” a team is required to operate them, supported by systems for transportation and accessories. All of these resources—including technology and software—fall under management control. Innovation in management at this level is crucial to fully unlocking BIM’s potential.
Some teams remain focused only on construction drawings. Although this may seem like a team-level application, its graphical nature places it closer to level 1.5. Most design institutes’ attempts at team collaboration remain nominally at the secondary level; in reality, these efforts are just enhanced versions of level 1, as they have yet to penetrate the core of the institute’s management system.
3. Industry Level Applications
At this scale, BIM represents an industrial revolution and full lifecycle solutions. This transformation is already well underway in the United States. Despite economic challenges, the U.S. construction industry output value slightly exceeds that of China, with BIM contributing an even larger share (though software sales have temporarily declined). The ongoing green building revolution in the U.S. is a profound movement that persists despite financial crises, with BIM playing a pivotal role second only to facility management (FM) as an integrated management approach.
Progression through these levels requires evolving perspectives:
From 0 to 1: Learn the software;
From 1 to 2: Embrace management and innovate from multiple angles;
From 2 to 3: Undergo self-reinvention, embracing radical change and renewal.
At the enterprise level (L2), BIM demands new business models (see research group 7), or even multiple models and service offerings within one framework. By expanding the lifecycle perspective, numerous application types emerge. Experience shows that when design genuinely considers operation, new business models are essential for sustainable development.
If L1 represents the individual work business model, L2 corresponds to the enterprise business model, and L3 embodies innovation across the entire industry’s business model.
It is also insightful to apply this scale across different contexts, such as:
- How design and construction differ across these three levels;
- What each level looks like for architecture, structural, mechanical and electrical engineering, cost estimation, and other disciplines;
- Where various BIM/CAD software products from different vendors fit within this hierarchy.
Finally, it’s important to emphasize that this perspective looks at BIM from the second party’s viewpoint. From the first party’s perspective, the scenario changes significantly. The first party is less concerned with the level at which you operate; what matters most are results, efficiency, and performance. Additionally, the unique characteristics of the Chinese market might inspire innovative approaches that do not necessarily align with Western conventions.
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