Although BIM has been implemented in China for over a decade, significant promotional efforts have only gained momentum in recent years. During this process, several key issues require attention. Today, we will discuss what should be included in the promotion of BIM applications and which challenges need to be addressed.
1. Establish Government-Led Promotion
In advanced countries abroad, BIM application is often driven by strong organizational leadership. Based on our experience, sustaining BIM momentum in China requires creating a dedicated and powerful body to guide and balance both demand and support. On one side, it is important to generate demand within the construction industry that drives BIM adoption. On the other, appropriate support must be provided to enhance BIM capabilities.
This organization should oversee the development and application of BIM in public projects, responding to societal needs and enabling the industry to build relevant competencies. The most effective approach is to establish a new, independent, professional agency under the supervision of public sector owners. This body would guide the entire construction industry, including public projects, through authoritative procurement policies, phased goal setting, and alignment with domestic BIM trends. It should also coordinate talent training and standardization efforts to gradually foster BIM adoption and cultural change within the industry.
Currently, major cities in mainland China such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are actively promoting BIM. Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Taiwan benefit from more standardized BIM development due to regional advantages. Countries like South Korea, Japan, and Singapore have invested heavily in policies and technologies to promote BIM, aiming to integrate Asia-Pacific strengths and establish regional leadership comparable to Europe and the US.
Clearly, BIM is recognized globally as a vital trend. China should leverage combined efforts from central and local governments to boost BIM development and application, strengthen dialogue and implementation, align with international trends, and enhance the technological leadership of China’s construction industry in Asia-Pacific. Collaborating with other economies will further drive regional growth through BIM.
2. Align BIM with Smart City Visions
Countries like the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Singapore are integrating BIM goals with Smart City initiatives. Notably, the UK’s Digital Built Britain policy aims to combine BIM with information technologies such as GIS, IoT, Big Data, and Open Data, extending BIM applications from buildings to broader civil infrastructure projects.
This integration allows for the creation of highly realistic digital models of artificially built environments from the planning and design stages, including energy-saving and sustainable design analysis. It also facilitates comprehensive management throughout the building lifecycle, including delivery of completion records, synchronized facility maintenance, and geographic information system (GIS) applications to manage clustered facility data.
These digital environment datasets can support disaster prevention, spatial management, asset management, and sustainable green building practices. The development of BIM is closely linked with ICT advancements like cloud computing, point cloud technology, augmented reality (AR), and game engine modeling, each influencing BIM technologies either directly or indirectly.
3. Support Small and Medium-Sized Construction Enterprises
The majority of domestic construction enterprises are small and medium-sized, similar to those in Europe (EU, UK, France). Therefore, promotional strategies used in these regions can serve as references. The focus should be on cultivating BIM capabilities for innovation and collaborative clusters among small and medium enterprises, ultimately enhancing the industry’s technological level.
4. Provide Continuous Talent and Technical Support
More construction companies in China should collaborate with architectural research institutes to utilize BIM guidelines and standard drafts. Combining these with real-world case studies and thorough local application surveys will help document successful examples.
This effort will enable the development of comprehensive resources such as training programs, textbooks, reference materials, and success stories, supporting industry-wide skill enhancement and concentration.
In conclusion, BIM involves the exchange and sharing of information throughout a building’s entire lifecycle, touching on regulations, systems, workflows, and talent development. Such adjustments cannot be achieved overnight.
That’s all on what should be included in the promotion of BIM applications and the key issues to consider. I hope this article proves helpful to everyone!
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