BIM: Building Information Management (not Modelling)

Being aware of something is not the same as having knowledge of or ability in the selected subject matter. Much of the Irish Architecture Engineering & Construction (AEC) industry is now aware of Building Information Modelling (BIM) as highlighted in a national survey from an Academic Industry Body (2016) which shows that a total of 90% of respondents reported that their awareness of BIM has improved to some degree in recent years. However, it is a legitimate question to ask if the industry does have knowledge and understanding of the processes? Defining these processes would be: knowing the difference in maturity levels; adhering to associated standards of that level; producing the associated documentation in accordance with those standards; and managing and sharing the information correctly. BIM software is being utilised throughout industry. One of the key findings of this paper concluded that 100% of respondents of a survey conducted by the author have a stated use of 3D BIM Modelling Software with 86% of respondents using Revit. However, it is important to realise that this is not doing BIM, as Donoghue (2015) highlights that Revit is a tool that merely enables the BIM process. These figures would highlight that the use of software is not a major issue when it comes to BIM implementation. The literature review outlines these BIM processes. Surveys have been conducted to date that highlight the level of adoption of BIM within the industry, however, some conflicting information has materialised. The author will critically analyse these national surveys and outline the results of a targeted survey that was aimed at industry to identify the level of these processes being implemented. Some of the key findings of this paper concluded that the level of BIM that companies say they are operating at conflicts with the procedures followed and documents produced within that company in alignment with that level. The results of this targeted survey shown a lack of knowledge and ability to implement these processes within their BIM operational level. This research paper set out to investigate levels of knowledge of BIM process in the Architecture & Engineering industry in Ireland by breaking down BIM into technologies and process and breaking down process in accordance with PAS 1192-2:2013 to achieve a more specific understanding of the current state of BIM implementation in Ireland. A quantitative research methodology was used to investigate the problem and results and conclusions are presented in this paper