India has set out on an extensive development path to cater to massive population growth by 2025. The need to build quick, efficient, and green is a need of the hour through faster project execution. With a wave of the population to reach more than 1.3 billion by 2025, it calls for the adoption of BIM or Building Information Modeling. Apart from building new buildings, facilities, and infrastructure, there is a dire need to renovate or refurbish existing ones to be sustainable for longer periods of time.

Advanced and developed countries like the US, UK, France, UAE, etc. have made it mandatory for project owners to implement BIM processes for every project. As mentioned earlier, the need for more housing, transportation facilities, and food is extremely important, and thus BIM serves as the necessary process, technology, and tool to reap significant project benefits like cost reduction, enhanced efficiency, reduced rework, quicker turnaround times, greater sustainability, green building, etc.

If projects in India need to adopt BIM, then AEC organizations need to train engineering students and existing personnel on Advanced BIM Training. This training comprises of individuals learning the art and skills of using Primary & Secondary software like Autodesk Revit, Navisworks, Bluebeam, etc. Revit is used as a BIM authoring tool to build 3D models based on real-time objects and information, whilst Navisworks is used for clash detection, walkthroughs, cost-estimation, scheduling, and more.

BIM uses these software tools to build accurate 3D models so that AEC MNC’s can build accurate bidding proposals to win projects. BIM helps every project stakeholder to communicate and collaborate on a single integrated model based on various trades viz. Architecture, Structure, MEP, and FP. Whilst Indian AEC companies put greater focus on leveraging the full potential and benefits of BIM, the Indian Government will look forward to providing various benefits for AEC companies, as it has the ability to save more than 20% of the total project cost based on reduced time, and modern workflows.

Higher authorities in India have acknowledged the benefits of BIM, wherein it has the ability to fix problems through informed decision-making capabilities. The adoption of BIM in India transcends greater toward horizontal BIM rather than vertical BIM. The need to build thousands of miles of highways, transportation infrastructure, etc. requires the full potential of BIM to save on billions of dollars.

Projects need to be built on digital processes, tools, and automation. This is where drones, robotics, AR/VR, AI, etc. can help AEC firms augment the power of BIM to deliver projects efficiently. With more than 95 airports, more than 15 million homes, and about 8000 railway stations to be modernized, the need of the Government and AEC firms to implement BIM needs to be obligatory at higher BIM levels viz. level 2 and level 3.

In the present scenario, there is a lack of communication and collaboration between project stakeholders. Perpetual urbanization will require the full potential of BIM to connect various infrastructure efficiently. BIM Technology can be used to drive & simulate projects efficiently, as it is the taxpayer’s money that goes into building infrastructure for the country.