The BIM Implementation Journey: Lessons Learned for Developing and Disseminating City Information Modelling (CIM)
This article details the evolution of BIM in the UK, emerging from 2010 onwards, and leading to the mandate for all publicly funded projects to implement BIM Level 2 by April 2016. It draws on the evidence base which has supported the development, in principle, of managing information through the whole lifecycle of buildings and infrastructure – as a vital first step in the progression of the built environment sector towards digital transformation. It reflects on what has happened since then, and the realization that this activity was simply – if fundamentally – the first step on the journey to wider digital transformation. It reflects on how standards can be developed within a rapidly changing context, and the advantages of taking a global rather than purely national stance. It also reflects on how the landscape is now evolving to break down the silos between disciplines and industries to realize the ambition of a federated digital twin, or national information framework – and how this can enable operation of smarter cities and smarter communities. It explores how to move from standards development to engagement and implementation – and how this is being done in the UK, through the collaborative effort of organizations such as UK BIM Alliance, BSI and CDBB – and reflects on what could have been done better. Finally, it reflects on how information could and should be delivered to facilitate smarter decision-making which can realize the opportunities – but also reflects on the pitfalls – of relying and/or interfacing with AI. It draws a picture of what a merging of our virtual and physical worlds could look like to ensure the optimum balance between human and machine intelligence.