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BIM ROUNDTABLE AT TECH SUMMIT
THE TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT TOOK PLACE IN TEXAS, US
At the 2024 Construction Technology Summit (ConTech) in March, three sector experts – Dr William O’Brien from the University of Texas, Adam Cisler of Hexagon Geosystems and Corey Johnson of Bentley Systems – discussed what BIM is and what to expect from the process in the future.
The Summit’s BIM roundtable talk centred on the question of whether the latest iterations of BIM help to maintain its relevance on today’s infrastructure projects. O’Brien, also the associate director of technology for the Construction Industry Institute, said, “I think when people hear the [acronym] BIM, they immediately think of a 3D model. But really, we’re talking about a digital representation of the project.”
He noted that as BIM adoption moves forward, so too will companion technology like digital twins. For infrastructure projects, he says that BIM and digital twins provide ‘the correct attributes, structure, but also the geospatial connections to utilities’.
Johnson says that the benefits go beyond just engineering and structural needs. “We have historical data, and you can actually make better decisions even earlier on in design,” he said.
Cisler adds that BIM is ‘not just a model’ and says, “It’s not necessarily all about the technology, it’s really about the people and the processes.”
With nearly 40 years of development, the uptake of BIM is no longer held back by technology. It is not a niche technology in its infancy any longer, added the panel. O’Brien added that, “It’s really not the technology anymore. It’s the people, the training… the contracts, and, frankly, the expectation of deliverables in our environment.”