Build Magazine May 2016

Build Magazine 30 hina is one of the fastest-growing Building Information Modelling (BIM) countries and has an increasing number of construction projects adopting BIM technology. Although BIM in China is still in its early development, available BIM technology in the past decade has been generating considerable value for enterprises in the construction industry. The BIM technology has also been addressed on a nationwide scale. For instance, China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued the “Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Application of Building Information Modelling” in 2015. With the occurrence of successful BIM applications in a host of high-profile projects such as the Z15 Tower in Beijing, the Disneyland Resort in Shanghai and the Ping An International Finance Centre in Shenzhen, members of the construction industry are shifting their attention to this hot topic. Up to around ten years ago, only 2D design was used by civil designers and a single change in one work sheet could trigger a chain of revisions to a multitude of related drawings. With the introduction of Computer Aided Design (CAD) software, 3D design gained popularity in the civil engineering sector. However, projects that had already been designed or commenced in the 2D era, complicated and significantly slowed the acceptance of BIM technology which involves modelling in a completely integrated 3D-to-4D environment with intelligent data running through the whole process. Hence the lack of experience, less mature technology and insufficient funding to support such massive system implementation remains the prevailing obstacles to BIM’s development in China today. Furthermore, in the China construction context where complex multi-level contracting and handshake agreements between contractors are not uncommon, to fully implement an all-in-one project from initial planning to completion, requires a long term, transparent and highly structured view. On a positive note, a wave of regulatory mandates and industry rules in recent years have helped draw a clearer picture to support BIM in China. The Ministry of Science and Technology has included BIM into its key research topics in the “Twelfth Five-year Plan.” Also large developed cities are endorsing BIM, such as Shenzhen which has implemented its own standards for BIM management and Shanghai which is establishing a Model Contract for the tendering of consultancy services for BIM technology. The list goes on and BIM’s vigorous expansion throughout all phases in China’s construction is gradually taking shape. Still, there is an urgent need for cooperation from many parties. Of the greatest importance, corresponding legislative actions are called upon to support BIM’s implementation in construction projects and to ensure information security as well. Apart from the legal environment, technical resources such as advanced databases to manage large amounts of data and platforms to facilitate information sharing are essential foundations to allow BIM projects to operate. Last but not the least is the training of professionals to master BIM software, which is already a well-recognized trend among construction practitioners and engineering students. A final point worth mentioning is the advanced achievements in BIM made in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Institute of Building Information Modelling (HKIBIM) was established in 2009. Consequently, BIM took off earlier in Hong Kong and benefits from complimentary technological advantages. The combination of potential business opportunities in Mainland China’s construction sector, the advances already achieved supporting BIM in China along with Hong Kong’s competent personnel and experience in executing BIM points to future success. We do expect that 2016 will be a promising year for BIM in China. Gilbert Kwok, a partner at Clyde & Co. Implications for BIM in China C