Bim Business Value of Bim For Infrastructure Wpaper en

SmartMarket Report
The Business Value of

BIM for Infrastructure
Addressing America’s Infrastructure Challenges with
Collaboration and Technology
Premier Corporate Partner: Premier Association Partner:
American Society of Civil Engineers

■ Design and Construction Intelligence
SmartMarket Report
McGraw-Hill Construction The Business Value of

BIM for Infrastructure:
President Addressing America’s
Keith Fox Infrastructure Challenges with
Vice President, Product Development Collaboration and Technology About McGraw-Hill
SmartMarket Report
Kathryn E. Cassino Construction
Executive Editor McGraw-Hill Construction
McGraw-Hill Construction Harvey M. Bernstein, F.ASCE, LEED AP (MHC), part of The McGraw-Hill
Research & Analytics/
Industry Insights & Alliances Editorial Advisor and Companies, connects people,
Contributor—BIM projects and products across the
Vice President, Industry Stephen A. Jones design and construction industry,
Insights & Alliances
Harvey M. Bernstein, F.ASCE, LEED AP Editorial Director serving owners, architects,
Michele A. Russo, LEED AP engineers, general contractors,
Senior Director, Research & Analytics
subcontractors, building product
Burleigh Morton Managing Editor
manufacturers, suppliers, dealers,
Director, Green Content & Donna Laquidara-Carr, LEED AP
distributors and adjacent markets.
Research Communications Director, A reliable and trusted source
Michele A. Russo, LEED AP Design & Production
for more than a century, MHC
William Taylor
has remained North America’s
Reproduction or dissemination Manager, Content Operations leading provider of construction
of any information contained Juan Ramos project and product information,
herein is granted only by contract
Art Directors plans and specifications, industry
or prior written permission from
Matthew Healy news, market research, and
McGraw-Hill Construction. Alison Lorenz industry trends and forecasts. In
Contributing Art Director recent years, MHC has emerged
Copyright © 2012, McGraw-Hill
AD-BOUTIQUE, INC. as an industry leader in the
Construction, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Hisako Fujishima critical areas of sustainability and
Editor interoperability as well.
Enver Fitch, LEED Green Associate In print, online and through
events, MHC offers a variety of
Contributor
tools, applications and resources
Bruce Buckley
that embed in the workflow of our
Research Project Manager customers, providing them with
Dana Gilmore, MRA, PRC
the information and intelligence
For further information on this they need to be more productive,
SmartMarket Report or for any successful, and competitive.
in the series, please contact: Backed by the power of Dodge,
McGraw-Hill Construction Sweets, Architectural Record,
Research & Analytics Engineering News-Record (ENR),
34 Crosby Drive, Suite 201 GreenSource and SNAP,
Bedford, MA 01730
McGraw-Hill Construction serves
1-800-591-4462 more than one million customers
MHC_Analytics@mcgraw-hill.com within the global construction
community. To learn more, visit
us at construction.com.
SmartMarket Report
Introduction
H
orizontal BIM”… “Heavy BIM”… UTLOOK: 79% of current non-users feel
O
■■
THE BUSINESS VALUE OF BIM FOR INFRASTRUCTURE
”VDC” … “Civil Information positively about future adoption, with only

Modeling” …“BIM on its side” 4% actually opposed. Therefore, education
… all of these phrases, and and best practices should be effective at
more, are being used in the construction accelerating adoption.
industry to describe the way companies are
ALUE: 67% of all users report a positive
V
■■
deploying model-based technologies and
ROI on their BIM investments, even higher
processes to non-building projects. Stephen A. Jones
than the 63% of BIM users for buildings who
This ground-breaking SmartMarket Senior Director
reported the same in 2009, demonstrating McGraw-Hill Construction
Report reveals the way in which BIM is
that the value achieved will drive growth in
poised to transform the infrastructure
infrastructure as it has in the buildings sector.
marketplace in the future. One of the most
important findings of the research is that BENEFITS: Top benefits achieved now
■■
exposure to BIM on vertical building include reduced conflicts and changes

projects increases the likelihood of the (58%) and improved project quality (48%).
use of BIM for infrastructure as well. This In addition, achieving lower project risk and
finding is important because it reveals a better predictability of project outcomes is
correlation between penetration of BIM also perceived by 60% as a top benefit in the
use overall and BIM use for infrastructure, next five years, helping to drive wider BIM use
and, as a result, BIM use in infrastructure for infrastructure.
will be adopted at faster rates than when
The need for innovative and cost-effective
BIM was first introduced for vertical Harvey M. Bernstein
approaches to both new and reconstructed
building projects. F.ASCE, LEED AP
infrastructure has never been greater or Vice President
Some other key findings:
more urgent. This report not only demon- Industry Insights & Alliances
■■ DOPTION: Almost half (46%) of the firms
A strates what is being achieved through McGraw-Hill Construction
report using BIM on their infrastructure proj- BIM in infrastructure today, but it provides
ects, up from 27% two years ago. a critical baseline for the transition to new
digitally-based collaborative processes for
■■ EVEL OF USE: Organizations currently
L
infrastructure in the future.
using BIM for infrastructure plan to use it on
We are excited to release the findings on
more of their infrastructure projects in the
this important topic and would like to thank
future. The percentage of those using BIM
Autodesk, the American Society of Civil
on more than 50% of their projects will grow
Engineers and all our other project partners
from 30% now to 52% in just two years.
for helping bring it to the industry.
Stephen A. Jones leads 19 years in creative, marketing MHC’s market research group, serves as a member of the
McGraw-Hill Construction’s and management roles with including MHC’s thought Princeton University Civil and
(MHC) initiatives in BIM and design firms, most recently as a leadership initiatives in areas Environmental Engineering
integrated project delivery as Principal and Board of Directors such as green building, BIM, Advisory Council. He is a
well as developing alliance member with Burt Hill (now interoperability, innovation visiting professor with the
relationships for technology and Stantec), a large, global and global construction University of Reading’s School
content. Active in numerous architectural and engineering markets. Bernstein was of Construction Management
industry organizations, he firm. Jones holds an M.B.A. one of the team members and Engineering in England,
frequently speaks at events from Wharton and a B.A. from involved in launching MHC’s where he also serves on their
around the world about the Johns Hopkins. GreenSource magazine. Innovative Construction
business impact of emerging Previously, Bernstein served Research Centre Advisory
technologies and trends. Before Harvey M. Bernstein, as President and CEO Board. Bernstein has an M.B.A.
joining MHC, Jones was a F.ASCE, LEED AP has been of the Civil Engineering from Loyola College, an M.S.
vice president with Primavera a leader in the engineering Research Foundation. He has in engineering from Princeton
Systems (now Oracle), a leading and construction industry for written numerous papers University and a B.S. in civil
provider of project management over 30 years. Currently, he covering innovation and engineering from the New
software. Prior to that, he spent has lead responsibilities for sustainability and currently Jersey Institute of Technology.
McGraw-Hill Construction 1 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

SmartMarket Report
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
04 Executive Summary
04 Executive Summary
06 Recommendations
07 Data
8 BIM Usage
8 BIM Usage on Infrastructure Compared to All Projects
9 BIM Expertise
10 Current Implementation of BIM in Infrastructure
11 BIM Implementation Trends for Infrastructure
12 BIM Implementation by Project Type
13 BIM Implementation by Organization Size
20 Business Benefits
20 Assigning Value to BIM Benefits
Front Cover: Image courtesy of MWH Global. Opposite Page Left: Image courtesy of Mortenson Construction. Opposite Page Right: Image courtesy of EllisDon
21 Top Internal Benefits for A/E Firms and Contractors

22 Top Business Benefits for Owners
23 sidebar BIM Capabilities that Benefit Infrastructure Projects
24 Top Benefits by Phase
25 Top Benefits by Project Process
26 Impact of Project Factors on Benefits
27 Top Current Benefits
28 Top Benefits in Five Years
31 Investment and ROI

31 Top Investments in BIM for Infrastructure
32 Return on Investments in BIM for Infrastructure
33 Measuring ROI of BIM for Infrastructure
34 Length of Time Measuring ROI
34 Future Plans to Measure ROI
35 How to Improve ROI
35 sidebar Green Infrastructure
36 How to Improve Value of BIM
39 Non-Users
39 Non-User Profile: Organization Type
40 sidebar Comments by Users: Converting Non-Users to Adopt BIM for Infrastructure
41 Non-User Profile: Organization Size and Location
42 Non-User Profile: Project Type
43 Non-User Attitude Toward BIM for Infrastructure
44 Non-User Forecast: Importance of BIM to the Infrastructure Industry in Five Years
45 AEC Perception: BIM Use by Competitors for Infrastructure
SmartMarket Report McGraw-Hill Construction 2 www.construction.com

Front Cover:
The Panama Canal team is using
BIM for design currently and will
soon use it for scheduling.
This page:
Left: Mortenson Construction’s
Renewable Energy Group models
its wind farm projects.
Right: VivaNext Bus Rapid
Transit System project in
Toronto is using BIM.
CONTENTS
46 AEC Perception: BIM Usage for Infrastructure by Clients

47 Owner Perceptions of BIM Usage for Infrastructure
48 Why BIM is Not Being Adopted for Infrastructure
49 Factors Influencing Lack of BIM Adoption for Infrastructure
50 Benefits that Would Encourage BIM Adoption for Infrastructure
53 Looking Ahead
53 BIM Value for Infrastructure Projects in the Future
54 Where Help Is Needed
Case Studies
14 Use of BIM on Road and Highway Projects
16 Use of BIM on Airports
18 Use of BIM on Transit Projects
29 Use of BIM on Dams, Canals and Levees
37 Use of BIM on Water and Wastewater Facilities
38 Use of BIM on Energy Projects
51 Use of BIM on Park and Recreation Projects
55 Thought Leader Perspective

55 Owner Perspective: Robert A. Bank, Army Corps of Engineers
56 Technology Industry Perspective: Richard Humphrey, AutoDesk, Inc.
57 Industry Association Perspective: Dana Kennish “Deke” Smith, Building Seismic Safety
Council and BuildingSMART Alliance, National Institute of Building Sciences
58 Engineer Perspective: Cory Dippold, Hatch, Mott, MacDonald
59 General Contractor Perspective: Joseph H. Jarboe, Clark Construction Group, LLC
60 Methodology
61 Resources
Executive Summary
BIM Adoption and Level of Use Will Increase
at a Rapid Pace for Infrastructure Projects
The level of BIM adoption and use in the infrastructure sector is a few years
behind vertical construction, but infrastructure projects are well-suited to

benefit from a model-driven approach to design and construction, which bodes
well for accelerating usage and broad acceptance of BIM in this sector.
Business Value of BIM for educed rework is a top project-oriented benefit

R
■■
Infrastructure identified by owners.

Almost half (46%) of the infrastructure organizations
Improved productivity is the BIM project benefit
■■
surveyed are currently using BIM technologies
expected to increase in importance the most over the
and processes on some part of their infrastructure
next five years.
portfolio. Only 27% report using it two years ago, so
the recent growth rate is impressive. The vast majority
INTERNAL BUSINESS BENEFITS
(89%) of these companies that currently use BIM for
infrastructure report they are receiving value from it. arketing BIM capability to win new work is the leading
M
■■
They experience benefits that impact their projects internally-focused benefit for A/E firms and contractors.
as well as benefits that improve the internal business
functions of their organizations. BIM for Infrastructure Has a Positive
Return on Investment (ROI)
PROJECT BENEFITS 67% of all BIM users report a positive ROI for BIM use on
infrastructure projects.
■■ educed conflicts and changes during construction is
R
unanimously cited as the number one project benefit OI has a powerful correlation with BIM expertise.
R
■■
for all participants, both currently and five years out. Those characterized as BIM experts comprise 43% of
the group that reports high ROI (50% or greater).
t 77%, more contractors report a positive ROI than

A
■■
Business Value of BIM for Infrastructure
any other industry player.
Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
Metrics for the benefits and ROI of BIM are increasingly
A/E Firms Contractors Owners important to spur the investments required for adoption
and greater implementation. Most current users (56%)
No Value Receiving Some are formally measuring the ROI of BIM, and over half of
11% Level of Value 89% those that currently are not measuring it expect to do so
in the future.
53%
51%
Implementation Trends of BIM
42% 42%
40% for Infrastructure
The implementation trends track the frequency of
use, as BIM users evolve from using it on a few
26%
select projects to using it on the majority of projects
in their portfolio.
16%
14%
Implementation Forecasts Predict Strong Growth
6% 5%
2% 3% 79% of current users expect to be using BIM on more
■■
than 25% of their infrastructure projects by 2013—a

We’re getting We’re just We’re getting We’re getting dramatic increase from the 43% reporting that level
no meaningful scratching the a lot of everything in 2011.
value surface value out of BIM

Executive Summary CONTINUED
Level of BIM Implementation for Infrastructure Projects

Over Time
2009 2011 2013 4 Year Change

>25% of Projects 27% 43% 79% 2.9x
>50% of Projects 16% 29% 52% 3.2x
>75% of Projects 7% 16% 31% 4.5x
he group of companies implementing BIM for

T Level of BIM Implementation for Infrastructure
■■
infrastructure at a very high level (employing it on Over Time (for Users)

over three quarters of their infrastructure projects) Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
increases most dramatically, rising from only 7% in

More Than 75% of Projects
2009 to almost a third (31%) by 2013. This rapid increase
50%-75% of Projects
in heavy users demonstrates the value BIM is bringing
25%-50% of Projects
to projects.
Less Than 25% of Projects
VARIATION BY INDUSTRY PLAYER 100%

7%
/E firms and owners report the fastest adoption
A
■■ 16%
9%
growth rates. 31%
80% 11%
• Two years ago, 73% of current A/E users were either 13%
not using BIM for infrastructure or using it at a low level.
By 2013, that trend is reversed, with 78% expecting to 14%
60% 21%
use it on more than 25% of their projects.
• Owners go from 74% with low/no levels of use in
2009 to 84% using it on 25% or more of their projects 40% 73%
by 2013. 57%
27%
Non-Users Offer Strong 20%

Market Potential 21%
Most Non-Users’ Perspectives on BIM Are Positive
Among the companies not currently using BIM on their 0%
infrastructure work: 2009 2011 2013
79% are open to considering it or already evaluating it.

■■
Only 4% report having tried it and then rejected it.

■■
Most non-users perceive that BIM is being actively deployed

among their competitors and peers. Over 70% of design
and construction non-users believe their competitors and ES_ImpTrends2
clients are using BIM. A similar percentage of owners report
the same perception of their peers.
DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES TO ADOPTION

■■ wners: At 55%, poor internal understanding of BIM is
O
The top benefits that non-users identify as critical
the top reason for delaying use of BIM on projects.
to encourage them to adopt include more accurate
construction documents, reduced construction costs In an industry known for valuing previous experience in
and schedule and improved communication—all well- forming project teams, an additional adoption driver will
documented benefits by BIM users. come from A/E firms’ changing view on who they want to
Concern about BIM’s applicability to smaller projects work with.
and lack of time to evaluate it are identified by all • 64% of A/E respondents currently using BIM for
non-users as leading obstacles to adoption. Other key infrastructure place a high importance on having BIM-
challenges vary by player type: knowledgeable design professionals on the project,
as opposed to only 41% that cite previous experience
esign and construction firms: At 67%, lack of demand
D
■■
working with other companies on a project as equally
by clients is the top concern.
critical to get the most of BIM.

Recommendations
Each company needs to develop a tailored approach to advancing its BIM

objectives in order to meet its particular needs in the design and construction
ecosystem. Below are insights drawn from the report for different players.
Architects and the depth, accuracy and experience. Join local BIM break down when authorities
Engineers consistency of the data user groups and attend having jurisdiction (AHJs)
Embrace collaborative now available to generate national events where you require traditional 2D
modeling as the new kinds of documents for will meet a wide variety documents for review. Some
most effective way to daily use at the site. Often of BIM users, almost all AHJs are accepting models
unambiguously convey your incorporating information of whom will gladly share in addition to 2D documents
team’s design intent and help from several sources (e.g., advice and perspectives as a way to clarify intent in
keep unscrupulous bidders GIS, laser scans, BIM), with you. the process of evaluating
from taking advantage of the reflecting existing conditions compliance. This is a good
discrepancies, errors and and providing a shop- Advanced and way to start moving up the
omissions that are inevitable drawing level of detail, Expert Users learning curve of dealing
in 2D drawings. Also, these are true “construction Don’t get complacent. As with modeled data, and your
leverage BIM’s powerful documents,” meant for more companies adopt feedback will help to create
visualization capabilities to precise implementation by and implementation an appropriate deliverable.
engage your clients more craft practitioners in the field. accelerates, innovation will
deeply in the solution-finding Infrastructure projects can distinguish the leaders. Your Non-Users
process, and align their benefit just as greatly. current capabilities may be Lack of demand is a leading
expectations more closely unique and successful, but reason for non-adoption,
with realistic outcomes. Fabricators competitors will be actively but marketing BIM capability
How much more can trying to surpass you. to win new work (rather
Owners you make offsite? How than waiting to be asked)
Demand more from your much more can you Technology is the top internal benefit
teams and drive out preassemble prior to final Companies being enjoyed by users. This
ambivalence. Even for installation? The accuracy Invest the time to understand indicates that the longer you
public projects, where of models is enabling an the characteristics of wait to adopt BIM, the greater
you must take the lowest offsite manufacturing and infrastructure work that the gap will grow between
responsive bid, you can prefabrication revolution differ from buildings and you and these competitors.
still require modeled in the vertical construction don’t assume your solution Start small, stay focused and
deliverables in your scope industry, especially with will apply equally well to any commit to the process of
throughout the process, ever-larger structural and project. Seek out direct input change. It should pay off.
as several federal and MEP assemblies. Cost, from the firms currently
state entities are currently safety, quality and timeliness engaged in this field and All BIM Users
doing. The project-related all benefit. Help extend tailor your tools to meet Support data standards
benefits of model-based this innovative trend to the their needs. and demand data
design and construction infrastructure sector. interoperability. The
accrue directly to owners Regulatory more quickly we can
and are compelling. BIM Beginners Authorities create a cohesive, data-
Keep the faith. Although Every day, more companies rich environment without
Contractors initial projects may be upstream from you are technology barriers, the
Get BIM to the field. Vertical challenging, the data show developing and working faster the entire industry
project users have made that benefits and ROI accrue with data-rich models. The will enjoy the benefits of
huge strides in leveraging in relation to increasing process and the benefits digital transformation. ■

Data:Introduction
Section Hed1
BIM for Infrastructure on the Rise
I
n recent years, Building Information Modeling (BIM) has become
THE BUSINESS VALUE OF BIM FOR INFRASTRUCTURE DATA
an important strategy in vertical (building) construction to improve Note About

productivity and profitability. As the industry has struggled to emerge from the Data
the Great Recession, the business advantages of BIM and its collaborative Most of the charts in
tools have become even more pronounced and highly valued. this report and much
However, in the horizontal world of infrastructure construction, use of BIM of the analysis focus on
is just beginning. In fact, even the term BIM presumes vertical buildings being the differences among
constructed. A plethora of terms have been created for BIM for infrastructure, three groups: A/E
firms, contractors
such as Civil BIM or CIM, virtual design and construction (VDC) and Heavy BIM,
and owners.
but all refer to the same capability to create data-rich models in three or more
dimensions that facilitate better design, enhance construction efficiency and ■■ /E firms include all
A
enable collaboration. These features hold equally strong benefits to horizontal, firms that primarily do
infrastructure construction, and the industry has begun to take notice. design and engineering
This report provides the results of a groundbreaking study to measure the work on infrastructure
use of BIM in infrastructure design and construction. The results reveal an projects. If architects
industry in the early stages of adoption, but they also demonstrate an even or engineers are
more exciting picture of expected growth in the next few years. In fact, the mentioned separately
level of use and adoption rate closely mirror those for commercial construction in the analysis, it is in
originally reported by McGraw-Hill Construction in 2009—a prediction that has reference to a subset
been borne out by the rise in BIM use for buildings over the last few years. of the data just for
The forecasted growth of BIM use for infrastructure is no surprise given those professions. (51%
the expertise available from vertical construction, the high level of complexity of total)
involved in large infrastructure projects, the increased use of prefabrication in
■■ ontractors include
C
infrastructure, and the growing need for greater efficiency and effectiveness
general contractors,
on all aspects of infrastructure projects. In fact, according to McGraw-Hill
construction managers,
Construction’s annual construction forecast, vertical construction activity
specialty contractors
is forecasted to improve over the next three years while the volume of
and fabricators. (36%
infrastructure work is expected to shrink. This is in contrast to the start of the
of total)
recession, when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act made a major
investment in infrastructure in many sectors, from transportation to water, wners include project
O
■■
leading to its slight growth through 2010 while the other segments of the owners and a few other
industry declined dramatically. Now, however, as commercial construction respondents that do not
improves, increased austerity in the public sector and funding uncertainty fall into the other two
due to partisan politics during an election year are driving the volume of categories listed above,
infrastructure work down. such as consultants
In addition, as infrastructure financing becomes scarcer and the need and educators. (13%
for infrastructure improvements continues to grow, the industry has begun of total)
to explore alternative financing and delivery methods for infrastructure
For a fuller description of
construction, such as public-private partnerships. Collaboration is often a
the study participants and
critical part of these strategies, and BIM is well recognized in the construction
details on when the survey
industry as a process that enables collaboration.
was conducted, please
In order for organizations doing infrastructure work to remain competitive,
see the Methodology on
they will need to increase the efficiency and the profitability of their projects.
page 60.
Many of these organizations are also involved in vertical construction and have
seen the benefits of BIM firsthand, and they are just beginning to recognize its
value for infrastructure. This period of early adoption of BIM for infrastructure
offers an extraordinary opportunity for organizations to become adept at using
BIM and reap the rewards ahead of other industry players.

Data:BIM Usage
BIM Use on Infrastructure Compared to All Projects
While many organizations have been using BIM on Length of Time Using BIM
vertical building projects for a number of years, its

application to infrastructure projects has been slower to
gain traction. The use of BIM for infrastructure, in fact,
All Project Types Infrastructure Projects
appears to be about three years behind its use on other
project types, a conclusion supported when comparing
the length of time using BIM for infrastructure to that for 50%
building projects reported in McGraw-Hill Construction’s
2009 The Business Value of BIM SmartMarket Report: 43%
1–2 Years
■■
• 2012 Infrastructure: 50%

• 2009 Buildings: 48% 28% 29%
27%
3–4 Years
■■ 23%
• 2009 Buildings: 28%
5 Plus Years
■■

• 2009 Buildings: 24%
To establish a baseline of comparison among the respondents

to this survey, companies that indicated they are using BIM 1-2 Years 3-4 Years 5+ Years
for infrastructure work were also asked about their BIM
experience on all project types.
alf of the companies using BIM for infrastructure have

H
■■
only one to two years of experience doing so, versus

only 28% with that limited track record working on all
project types.
hile 43% have five or more years of BIM experience

W
■■
on all project types, only about half that number (23%)

have an equivalent length of experience using it on
infrastructure work.
Variation by Player
Among the most highly experienced (five or more years) BIM
user group, architects show the greatest disparity between
those using BIM on all projects (45%) and on infrastructure
(18%). This is likely due to longer-standing BIM use by
architects on vertical projects. This conclusion is further USE_Q13Q13A
supported by the finding that only 3% of architects reported
one year of BIM experience on all projects, compared to 29%
that are novices in using BIM for infrastructure work.
The lag in experience with BIM for infrastructure
among the group having the greatest overall experience
with BIM again supports the conclusion that BIM for
infrastructure is lagging a couple of years behind its
adoption in vertical construction.

BIM Usage CONTINUED
BIM Expertise
In lieu of an industry standard for BIM expertise—and BIM Expertise: All Project Types
consistent with previous McGraw-Hill Construction

SmartMarket Reports about BIM—survey respon-
dents who use BIM for infrastructure were asked to A/E Firms Contractors Owners
self-describe their level of BIM expertise as beginner,
moderate, advanced or expert. In addition, they were
asked to rate their expertise on all project types and, Beginner 20% Advanced/Expert 44%
separately, more specifically on infrastructure work. 37% 37% 37%
44% of BIM users self-describe as advanced or expert on
all projects, but only 33% are at that level for infrastructure. 31%
Variation by Player 26%

23%
A/E FIRMS 21%
20% 20%
Architects report an especially dramatic difference
16% 16% 16%
between their expertise with BIM for all project types and
for infrastructure projects.
BIM expertise on all project types: 55%

■■
BIM expertise on infrastructure projects: 35%

■■
In addition, only 16% of architects and engineers self-

describe as beginners for all projects, but that percentage Beginner Moderate Advanced Expert
jumps to 34% on infrastructure work.
OWNERS
Owners report the lowest expertise across both project BIM Expertise: Infrastructure Projects
categories. This is consistent with the findings of the 2009 Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
BIM SmartMarket Report in which owners of buildings
also reported the lowest expertise across all player types. A/E Firms Contractors Owners
Beginner 34% Advanced/Expert 33%
42%
38%
34%
31% 32%
26%
21%
Use_Q16 20%20%
14%
11%11%
Beginner Moderate Advanced Expert

BIM Usage CONTINUED
Current Implementation of BIM in Infrastructure
Consistent with previous McGraw-Hill Construction addition, the findings are again comparable to the 2009
SmartMarket Reports about BIM, the term implementation Business Value of BIM SmartMarket Report, which reported
refers to the percentage of a company’s projects that are BIM implementation for buildings. In that report, 27% report
done using BIM technologies and processes. doing high/very high implementation, defined as more than
60% of projects using BIM.
Comparing Implementation on All
Project Types to Infrastructure Variation by Player
Respondents that reported using BIM for infrastructure
■■ /E firms have a steep differential in the level of BIM use,
A
were first asked to baseline their level of BIM
with 49% reporting high/very high implementation on all
implementation on all project types, then asked separately
project types, but only 30% reporting that advanced level
about their implementation on infrastructure work. (Note:
for infrastructure.
Some respondents indicate “none” for their current BIM
usage because, even though they have used BIM in the past ■■ wners report a consistent 42% high/very high level
O
and plan to do so in the future, they had no BIM projects of implementation across both project categories,
currently underway at the time of the survey.) indicating a predominant focus on infrastructure by those
The findings confirm the trend that BIM use in owners, versus the A/E firms, which generally practice
infrastructure, and the extent of that use, lags several years on a wider variety of project types and may have more
behind vertical construction. Only 37% of respondents experience using BIM on vertical projects.
report low or no current BIM implementation on all projects,
but that percentage jumps to 53% for infrastructure. In
Current Implementation of BIM:

Current Implementation of BIM: INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
ALL PROJECTS Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012

A/E Firms Contractors Owners
Low/No Use 53% High/Very High
Low/No Use 37% High/Very High Use 30%
Use 44% 53%
49%
44%
42% 42% 42%
41%
37%
31% 32%
30%29%
18%19% 17% 16%

16%
14%
11%
9%
3% 4%
2%
Low (<25% of Medium (25%- High/Very High Low (<25% of Medium (25%- High/Very High
None Projects) 50% of Projects) (>51% of Projects) None Projects) 50% of Projects) (>51% of Projects)

BIM Usage CONTINUED
BIM Implementation Trends for Infrastructure
Comparing the past implementation of BIM for Variation by Player

infrastructure with the expected implementation in Owners show the most growth, going from 42% not
two years reveals a striking increase in implementation using BIM for infrastructure two years ago to 100% saying
expected. Again, the predicted growth parallels the they will be doing some amount of BIM for infrastructure
results of the 2009 BIM SmartMarket Report, in which in two years. Over a quarter (26%) plan to be at a very
52% of those using BIM for buildings report that they high level of implementation at that time.
expect to use BIM on more than 60% of their projects. Because owner demand is cited as a top factor that
will encourage adoption among non-users, this trend has
■■ ow/no usage, which dominates the past (73%)
L
the potential to be the biggest driver of BIM adoption for
and current (53%) responses, decreases sharply
infrastructure. As more owners increase the number of
in two years, with only 21% expecting low usage
projects they commit to this approach, implementation
and no respondents expecting not to use BIM for
levels will increase across the board for design
infrastructure.
professionals and contractors.
■■ ery high usage will grow dramatically, from only 7%
V
two years ago to 30% two years from now, more than
four times greater.
2013 Implementation of BIM

for Infrastructure
2009 Implementation of BIM A/E Firms Contractors Owners

for Infrastructure Low Use 21%/ High/Very High
No Use 0% Use 52%
A/E Firms Contractors Owners 54%

53%
Low/No Use 73% High/Very High
Use 16%
42% 41% 42% 42%
36% 37%
34%
32%
27%
25%
22%
19%
17%
16% 16% 16%
13%
10%
6%
Low (<25% of Medium (25%- High/Very High Low (<25% of Medium (25%- High/Very High
None Projects) 50% of Projects) (>51% of Projects) Projects) 50% of Projects) (>51% of Projects)

BIM Usage CONTINUED
BIM Implementation by Project Type
All project types show substantial growth over the four-

year period, more than doubling, on average. Much of the

growth for these project types will derive from increas-
ingly sophisticated civil design tools for BIM, which allow
users to more accurately capture existing conditions, as
well as greater latitude in exploring alternate design solu-
tions and robust analysis of project performance.
In fact, every project category is anticipated to have
well over half of its practitioners using BIM on more than
50% of projects within two years.
Variation by Project Type

The greatest expansion over the four-year period is
predicted for water projects and public parks and recre-
ation. Only 15% of respondents in these sectors report a
high use of BIM two years ago, but 57% and 56%, respec-
tively, forecast that they will be using a high level of BIM
two years from now, almost quadrupling.
BIM Implementation on More than 50% of

Infrastructure Projects by Project Type
2009 2011 2013
59% 58% 59% 58%

56% 56% 57%
44%
39% 38%
35%
32%
30%
23% 24%
20% 20% 19% 20%
15% 15%
Rail, Transit & Public Parks & Bridges, Roads &

Dams and Other Waste Aviation Energy Recreation Highways Water

BIM Usage CONTINUED
BIM Implementation by Organization Size
Organizations of all sizes foresee increasing their BIM Implementation on More than 50% of
implementation of BIM to more than 50% of their infra- Infrastructure Projects by Size of Organization
structure projects, but the size of the organization has Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
implications for the pattern of high infrastructure BIM

usage over the five year span. (Refer to the Methodology 2009 2011 2013
section on page 60 for organization size definitions.)
65%
idsize organizations show the pattern of greatest
M
■■
growth, more than quadrupling the percentage of 58%

54%
high-level implementers from 2009 to 2013, with the
small-medium group expanding from 11% to 47%, 47%
and medium-large organizations expanding from 39%
37%
13% to 58%.
y 2013, small organizations will lead the way in high-

B
■■
25%
level implementation, when almost two thirds (65%)
19% 18% 19%
predict they will be practicing at that level.
13%
11%
Although small organizations express concerns about
BIM’s cost and applicability to small projects, once they
have adopted BIM, their size actually provides an advan-
tage in driving higher levels of implementation. Small
projects have shorter durations, thereby creating more Small Small-Medium Medium-Large Large
opportunities to start them off using BIM. Larger orga-
nizations, which tend to work on larger projects with
longer durations, are unlikely to introduce BIM during
the course of an existing project and therefore will take
longer to get the majority of their projects using BIM.
Once a small organization has become a user, its higher
rate of project turnover will tend to accelerate its level of
BIM implementation.
Use_FirmSize

y
ud
st
se
ca
Use of BIM on Road and Highway Projects
F
rom complex megaprojects
to standard roadway work,

designers, contractors and
owners are seeking ways to
merge BIM into their workflows.
Wisconsin DOT Projects

The Wisconsin Department of Trans-
portation (WisDOT) is taking a lead
role in testing the application of BIM
on state roadway projects. Within its
design methods group, the state is
seeking the best ways to maximize
return on investment in BIM, says
Lance Parve, senior project engineer
in the Southeast Region of WisDOT
Wisconsin Department of Transportation is taking a lead role in testing the application
and co-chair for the Transportation
of BIM on state roadway projects, including the $1.7 billion Zoo Interchange.
Research Board’s Virtual Design and
Construction Joint Subcommittee. more than avoiding a few incidents, its models but does not require
Parve says he sees value in the and you’ve paid for a whole boatload it. “There’s a lot of room for the
collaborative aspects of BIM, but, of BIM software.” contracting side to develop models
because the state mandates design- WisDOT is testing its approach further and recognize this as a design-
bid-build procurement, early on two current projects—the $162.5 level issuing of the model that could
integration of teams is not possible. million Mitchell Interchange Project have further enhancements,” he
WisDOT is testing a hybrid approach and the $1.7 billion Zoo Interchange. says. “If they find a shorter way to
that uses its in-house design and On the Mitchell project, modeling do something, that saves us money
construction departments to was done after design was complete. and saves them time. On a lump sum
collaborate on design models to gain Still, the team was able to use the contract, there’s a lot to be gained.”
many of the benefits of working in an model for visualization and clash
alternative delivery method, such detection that reaped savings, says Fore River Bridge
as design-build. Parve. In addition, the team used Replacement
“Pure design plans can have that model for 4D scheduling of the Regardless of an owner’s outlook
issues,” Parve says. “There’s a lot construction phase. on BIM, some firms see big benefits
of coordination and design reviews On the Zoo Interchange project, the in modeling on their own. STV has
between different disciplines, but team was able to start earlier, creating a been using BIM on vertical buildings
that’s not enough. We’re taking a robust model that could be provided for since 2006 but decided to test its
construction-oriented approach contractor bidding. Both 4D schedule application on the Fore River Bridge
Image courtesy of Wisconsin Department of Transportation
that really impacts the design in a simulation and 5D cost estimation are Replacement in Quincy, Mass., for
beneficial way.” possible with the model. The models Massachusetts DOT. The design calls
Parve says the process gives the include mobile, static and aerial light for a vertical-lift bridge with towers
team a greater likelihood of fixing detection and ranging. In total, the team that are nearly 300 feet high.
issues virtually, rather than in the field. expects to scale up to a 20,000-page set After starting the design in CAD,
“We’ve found that on projects, there of design plans using models created STV decided that the bridge’s
can be 5% to 10% of costs coming by more than 200 designers. complexity required modeling, says
from [change orders],” he says. “On Under the state’s design-bid- Greg Spears, a designer at STV.
some of these projects, that is more build method, Parve says, WisDOT “The coordination of the different
than adequate payback. It doesn’t take encourages contractors to use disciplines was a huge part of this
CONTINUED

y
ud
Use of BIM on Road and Highway Projects
st
ED
se
U
N
ca
TI
N
CO
project,” he says. “We have a lot of its applicability on small projects as A plan to integrate the model with
equipment that requires electrical well. Clark Nexsen used modeling on the city’s GIS (global information
conduit that had to be designed for two intersection projects for the City system) was considered, but was
extremely tight places. By designing of Chesapeake, Va., with combined shelved for future consideration
in 3D, we’re able to see what our design and engineering fees of less because the city was updating its
electrical engineers are doing and than $100,000. GIS system at the time.
have immediate feedback over the The roadway project, which Kyle Jacocks, a civil engineer at
placement of their components.” began in 2009, aimed to realign an Clark Nexsen involved in integrating
In addition to MEP, STV created a intersection. Drainage improvements BIM into the firm’s infrastructure-
structural model and architectural and stormwater management were related disciplines, says modeling
components of the bridge. However, no included in the scope. Clark Nexsen the project improved visualization,
analysis was done in the models. was contracted the following year to enabled faster design reviews,
Although BIM was not required design a new mast arm traffic signal enhanced coordination, ensured
by the owner and the owner was not at the intersection. better constructability and
charged extra fees for the models, The team modeled the roadway increased collaboration.
Spears says, the effort paid off. “It and performed stormwater design Jacocks says that while BIM
streamlined our process,” he says. analysis based on the model. Quantity provided considerable benefits,
“There is a tight schedule for this takeoffs were performed for engineer’s it did add time to the process.
project, and modeling is one way estimates for inclusion in a bid package. However, he believes it proved
we were able to speed up the With the roadway model in place, Clark valuable on the project. “We know
process internally.” The client also Nexsen added its traffic signal study. some things took extra time, but
gained direct benefits through better The city commissioned a laser scan to it’s hard to measure what didn’t
over-the-shoulder reviews of the identify existing above-ground utilities happen,” he adds. “There was
models as they progressed. and other features, such as trees. The probably an additional cost, but
Still, the benefits were limited to model, laser scan and additional digital down the road, as we get more
the designer. Although the project is drawings were integrated to create experienced and faster [with
being delivered using design-build, the a virtual project “drive-through” for modeling], I anticipate that will be
contractor is not creating construction visualization and analysis. less of an issue.” ■
models. “That was not part of the initial
contract,” Spears adds.
Spears says he expects STV to
incorporate BIM into future heavy
civil projects, particularly on complex
facilities. “We’ve learned that this
is really effective at the intersection
between infrastructure and [vertical]
buildings,” he says. “If there are
minimal building elements, we can still
do it, but we don’t get the same kind
of benefits as when there are many
disciplines to coordinate.”
Chesapeake Roadway
Image courtesy of Clark Nexsen
Projects
While large, complex roadway
projects seem a more likely candidate
for BIM use, some firms are testing Clark Nexsen found value in modeling a $100,000 intersection in Chesapeake, Va.

y
ud
st
se
ca
Use of BIM on Airports
M
ultibillion-dollar airport Scalamandre & Sons was awarded logistics and other aspects of
expansion programs a separate taxiway package. Several project execution.

often include a mix stakeholders are involved as well, S&P broke out its model in
of complex vertical including Delta, JFK International Air accordance with how the project
and horizontal projects split among Terminal and the Port Authority of would be built, enabling 4D scheduling
numerous bid packages. To better New York and New Jersey. Numerous capabilities. S&P also can conduct
manage projects, many airport businesses housed within the rough 5D cost estimates. Through 4D,
authorities encourage designers and concourses are also affected by Kelly says, the team can better track
contractors to collaborate in BIM. the program. production. “We track early, late and
Since many of these programs are split To better monitor all contracts and actual finish of tasks in the model,” he
into multiple phases, some build teams keep stakeholders informed, S&P says. “We then analyze it to show how
are crossing competitive lines for the is modeling the project, providing things are tracking going forward.”
greater good of the program. estimating and scheduling analysis If the schedule starts to slip, the team
and cost controls. When S&P joined can react quickly to recover. Frank
Delta Air Lines the project, the design was already Roetzel, senior vice president at S&P,
Redevelopment at JFK complete, but S&P was able to work says that kind of knowledge yields
Satterfield & Pontikes (S&P) is from the design team’s models to significant benefits. “When you’re on a
providing project-control services build its own, says Tim Kelly, technical big project, you can lose control and not
for the $1.2 billion Delta Air Lines services manager at S&P. S&P also even know it,” he says. “It’s too much
Redevelopment project at John F. incorporated models generated by to handle in the traditional way with 2D
Kennedy International Airport (JFK) contractors and some of their subs. blueprints. Once you’ve modeled and
in New York City. The program is The teams conduct coordination you can tie these other applications to
split into multiple packages. Turner and constructability reviews. the model, then you have incredible
Construction and Lend Lease Visualization is another major real-time knowledge about where your
each oversee separate concourse component. Team members work project is. That allows managers to
packages. Turner’s scope also collaboratively in an on-site virtual focus on issues, and you can filter out
includes significant civil work. Peter studio on schedule planning, site the background noise.”
Photo courtesy of Sundt Construction
On San Diego International Airport’s Green Build, the team that handles the main roadway and parking aspects of the project
coordinates in BIM with a team under a separate contract that is building a terminal expansion, new gates and a new taxiway.
CONTINUED

y
ud
Use of BIM on Airports
st
ED
se
U
N
ca
TI
N
CO
The Green Build at San On the civil side, Rob Foster, BIM also crossing competitive lines
Diego International manager for the Kiewit/Sundt/URS to work together. Dwain Brown,
On the $1.2 billion Green Build project at team, says a major initiative for his team TRIP implementation director and
San Diego International Airport, major was to model utilities and create highly program manager at Freese and
contractors on separate contracts work accurate as-built drawings. When the Nichols, says the airport authority
in harmony through BIM. The program team began its work, Foster says the wanted teams to work in common
is split primarily between the team of provided as-builts were very unreliable. platforms to enable high-value BIM
Kiewit, Sundt Construction and URS, “Like any good utility contractor, we use and consistent communication.
which handles the main roadway and tossed those aside and started drilling The airport also had a separate
parking aspects of the project, and the potholes [to locate utilities],” he says. sustainability goal to go paperless
team of Turner Construction, Flatiron “They cost about $1,000 each, and we on the project, necessitating greater
Construction, PCL Construction did more than 500 of them. We kept use of BIM and related tools. The
Services and HNTB, which is building track and modeled the existing and joint venture of Balfour Beatty
a terminal expansion, new gates and a new utilities so that when the as-builts Construction, Azteca Enterprises,
new taxiway. are sent to the next contractor, you’re H.J. Russell & Company and
From the outset of the program, saving another half million dollars.” CARCON Industries was the
the airport authority envisioned An overarching goal is to produce first team in, so Brown worked
a fully integrated program from a data-rich deliverable model for with those firms to establish an
design through construction with future facilities management, Hughes implementation plan.
modeled content that was created says. “Currently, for every dollar we Recognizing the potential
as a deliverable for the facilities spend in design, we spend $50 to $60 savings, the airport agreed to pay
management side, says AECOM’s Mark in maintenance,” he says. “If we can for items such as software and
Hughes, who serves as BIM manager spend an extra dollar in design and plan rooms with large computer
for the airport authority. save $10 in maintenance costs, that’s displays. The airport also purchased
When the teams were selected significant savings for us.” hundreds of iPads to allow
in 2007, both were contractually Hughes says that the process managers, superintendents and
obligated to collaborate in BIM and significantly accelerated the program, subcontractors digital access to
create data-rich models, Hughes trimming costs and keeping more all plans. WiFi throughout the site
says. “We entered a 90-day validation of the airport open for business. He enabled access to a cloud server for
period, where the three parties locked estimates that between hard and updated models and plans. “These
ourselves in a room and came up with soft costs, the $1.2 billion program are tools to achieve our goals,” he
a game plan,” he adds. might have cost nearly $2 billion using says. “We would pay for them one
Hughes says the team had very open traditional means. “We were able to way or another.”
dialogue about technology options and start foundations at 30% construction When a second joint venture of
expectations of deliverables. Although documents,” he says. “If we waited Manhattan Construction Co., Thos.
a plan was set in place, Hughes says the for the design to be done, we’d still be S. Byrne, James R. Thompson and
team understood that BIM technology waiting today, and we’re two years into 3i Construction came on board,
was still evolving. “We all recognized construction now. That’s a lot of lost Brown asked the Balfour Beatty
that this was really only a starting airport revenue.” team to get all parties on the
point,” he says. “We left the door open same platforms.
for exploration along the path. If we Terminal Renewal and Brown estimates that its
found a better solution, the opportunity Improvement at Dallas/ paperless initiative alone could
was brought to the table to discuss. Fort Worth save the airport more than $8
Simple things like platform changes Joint ventures on the Dallas/Fort million in printing costs and
and platform products had to be Worth International Airport’s added efficiencies. ■
discussed. New products came online $2.3 billion Terminal Renewal and
that we couldn’t even dream of initially.” Improvement Program (TRIP) are

y
ud
st
se
ca
Use of BIM on Transit Projects
T
he intersection of vertical
and horizontal building

is often referenced by
BIM users as an ideal
opportunity to use the technology
in infrastructure. Many transit
projects, which combine stations
with roadways and rail lines, fit that
description perfectly.
Use of BIM on Transit

Projects
Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), an early
adopter of BIM in vertical building sec-
tors, has seen a interest in BIM slowly
increasing within the transit world.
Seven kilometers of roadways, 22 stations and two new pedestrian bridges were
Starting in 2006, the firm used BIM to modeled for a section of the VivaNext Bus Rapid Transit system project in Toronto.
deliver the 4th Street Bus Station in
Reno, Nev. an interest in things like modeling work on a 6.7-kilometer tunnel segment
Tom Brooks-Pilling, vice president underground utilities. Knowing where of the project. Given the tight spatial
and architectural practice leader at those are would be very useful for a restriction, the model was used for
PB, says the firm used modeling early long-term facilities owner.” coordination of various disciplines.
in the project for conceptual design Jay Mezher, manager of virtual “The clearances were very tight,”
to identify the best site concepts. design and construction at PB, says says Chris Tattersall, vice president of
Architecture, MEP and structural the firm’s use of BIM on its transit jobs, transportation in central Canada for
elements were modeled by PB, but regardless of owner requirements, HMM. “One area had a tight curve with
electrical and plumbing were not is garnering interest from transit utilities and a fire main running through
because the functions were not well authorities. In places like New York City, it. We had no confidence we were clear
developed at the time, he says. Civil where the firm has worked extensively in there until we modeled it.”
engineering was also not modeled. on the city’s subway system, use of Although HMM made good use of
The model was used for systems BIM is proving its value. its model, the information was siloed.
coordination and cost estimating. “We weren’t required to use it, but “The real value for BIM on these
Since then, the firm has seen they have been really supportive of it, projects is the downstream usage,”
expanded use of BIM on transit especially on the trickier issues that he says. “The problem is that public
projects, including the Fulton Street help with scheduling, RFI or anything procurement models tend to silo the
Transit Project in Manhattan, on that makes project controls easier,” he disciplines. The only way to span
which PB served as the construction says. “The Port Authority [of New York across the silos is for the authorities
manager. The firm is also currently and New Jersey] now has a published to get involved. We’re seeing some
using BIM on mass transit stations in BIM standard. That tells you a lot.” heading that way.”
Mumbai and Los Angeles. BIM is being used extensively for
Brooks-Pilling says he expects use transit projects in Toronto, Canada. VivaNext Bus Rapid
of BIM on mass transit work to gain Multiple firms working on the $730 Transit System
momentum as more owners request it. million Toronto-York Spadina Subway Also in the Toronto area, extensive
“Once owners request it for facility Extension Project are modeling modeling is being used on the
Image courtesy of EllisDon
management, then there is a lot of segments with the encouragement of VivaNext Bus Rapid Transit system
value to be gained,” he says. “We the Toronto Transit Commission. Hatch project. A partnership of Kiewit
see more sophisticated clients taking Mott MacDonald (HMM) modeled its and EllisDon is modeling much of
CONTINUED

y
ud
Use of BIM on Transit Project
st
ED
se
U
N
ca
TI
N
CO
a 7-kilometer section of the project design was well underway, so it had The point clouds are also used for
that will include road-widening for to build its model from scratch. For quantity takeoffs and estimating. Erlich
dedicated bus lanes, 22 stations, the second phase, Erlich says, the says the scans are accurate to “within a
two pedestrian bridges and five team got designers to work in 3D to couple of millimeters.”
new bridges built for environmental speed up the modeling process. The team is also scanning the
protection along the corridor. Perhaps the most robust tool roadways, using an outside firm with
The team converted 2D drawings used in its modeling effort is a vehicular scanner. Again, getting
into 3D models to help analyze road laser scanning. The team, which accurate measurements is a major
structures, corridors, intersections purchased its own scanner, is benefit. “A centimeter difference
and culverts for constructability. regularly scanning all conditions as over seven kilometers adds up to a
The team also generated quantity construction progresses. Kiewit/ lot in quantities.”
takeoffs and earthwork calculations EllisDon sees multiple benefits from During construction, the point
from the model. For the stations and the process. Erlich says the team clouds allow the owner and other
bridges, the team modeled structural uses the point clouds produced team members to monitor progress of
elements; coordinated existing and by the scanners to ensure quality, the project.
proposed utilities; and performed particularly at the interfaces Potentially, one of the most valuable
quantity takeoffs. The model was between the civil works aspects aspects of scanning will be realized after
also used for 4D scheduling with of the project and the vertical completion. Because the project is being
site superintendents to help them construction. Those point clouds scanned regularly, the point clouds can
visualize the process. can be pulled into the 3D model to be combined after completion to create
Denis Erlich, senior BIM compare site conditions with the highly accurate as-built models, Erlich
coordinator with EllisDon, says the design. When discrepancies are says. “You can see the station peeled like
team came in after the first phase of found, they can be addressed quickly. an onion,” he says. ■
Image courtesy of EllisDon
The VivaNext project is scanned regularly, creating a series of point clouds that are added to the model.

Data:Business Benefits
Assigning Value to BIM Benefits
The benefits of BIM manifest in a variety of ways. In some

cases they accrue directly to the individual company

that is deploying it in the form of improved productivity,
profitability or efficiency. In other cases, the benefits are
enjoyed by the entire team and often contribute directly
to better overall projects.
In addition to this variety of benefits, each type of
player involved in a project experiences the value of
BIM from its own perspective of needs, risks, rewards
and objectives. One common thread running through
the findings of this study is the positive impact on
the business aspects of running organizations and
designing, building and operating projects.
To determine the relative value of BIM benefits across
these dynamic dimensions, respondents were asked
to assign one of five levels of importance (none, low,
medium, high or very high) to:
variety of specific benefits that result from using BIM

A
■■
technologies and processes
roject phases and project processes which benefit

P
■■
from BIM to varying degrees
roject factors that most affect the ability to generate

P
■■
benefits from BIM
Current versus future benefits

■■
To focus on the aspects with the most impact, the graphs

in this section of the report show just the percentage of
respondents that assigned high or very high levels of
importance to any choice offered.

Business Benefits CONTINUED
Top Internal Benefits for A/E Firms and Contractors
The top four benefits noted by users of BIM for Top Internal Business Benefits of Using BIM for
infrastructure are the same as the top benefits noted Infrastructure Projects for A/E Firms and Contractors
for buildings in MHC’s 2009 Business Benefits of Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
BIM SmartMarket Report, and they are ranked in the A/E Firms
same order. This demonstrates the consistent results Contractors
experienced from BIM across project types, especially to
create new business and improve project outcomes. Marketing New Business
Several of the most critical benefits of using BIM for 45%
infrastructure hold equally strong appeal to A/E firms 45%
and contractors. Overall Better Project Outcomes
■■Marketing New Business 38%
An equally high percentage (45%) of A/E firms and 51%
contractors rank the ability to leverage BIM capabilities Reduce Errors in Documents
and experience to win new work as a top benefit, making 42%
it the most universally important among all internal
41%
benefits. This competitive advantage aspect has scored
well consistently in previous BIM research conducted by Offer New Services
McGraw-Hill Construction. 39%
Other factors related directly to business concerns 42%
were also selected as important by over one third of A/E Maintain Repeat Business
firms and contractors: 38%
• Offer New Services
38%
• Maintain Repeat Business
Reduce Rework
■■Reduce Errors in Construction Documents 31%
A/E firms and contractors also agree (42% and 41%,
44%
respectively) on the high importance of BIM’s ability to
reduce construction document errors. Improve Learning for Younger Staff
34%
Improve Learning for Younger Staff
■■
38%
A/E firms and contractors also highly regard BIM’s
usefulness for working with younger staff, an important
aspect of attracting and retaining the emerging tech-
savvy workforce in the construction industry.
Benefits_Q21_AEC
Benefits scoring lower among A/E firms and contractors Variation by Player
include reduced claims/litigation and increased profits. There are a few benefits that appear to carry greater
This result does not suggest that these are unimportant weight with contractors than with A/E firms.
benefits, but that they are not yet demonstrated to the
■■ ver half (51%) of the contractors report overall better
O
extent that many firms can report experiencing them.
project outcomes as a top internal benefit from using
BIM. This benefit allow respondents to assign an
internal value to the sum of all of the project-oriented
benefits they experience, which is of particular concern
to contractors.
■■ educing rework is rated more highly by contractors
R
(44%) than A/E firms (31%), likely because they are
affected most directly by this issue.

Top Business Benefits for Owners
As the entities ultimately responsible for project Top Internal Business Benefits of Using BIM
outcomes, owners have their own unique perspective for Infrastructure Projects for Owners
on what constitutes an internal benefit of BIM on Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
infrastructure projects. Overall Better Project Outcomes

ied for first place at 44%, overall better project
T
■■ 44%
outcomes and reduced rework are significant benefits Reduce Rework
of BIM. 44%
This is understandable because both are highly visible
Fewer Claims / Litigation
on projects in an owner organization and reflect directly
38%
on the individuals responsible. This is especially the
case with reduced rework because unbudgeted changes Reduce Errors in Documents
on projects that result in rework are, in many cases, 33%
avoidable and indicate gaps in the project delivery Reduce Workflow Cycle Time
process. A process enhancement, such as BIM, that can 33%
positively impact this perennial problem will be highly
Reduce Project Duration
valued. Not surprisingly, a large percentage of owners
33%
of vertical projects in MHC’s 2009 Business Value of BIM
SmartMarket Report also find these benefits important. Reduce Construction Cost
22%
■■ ewer claims/litigation is owners’ next most important
F
internal benefit.
Claims and litigation may rank highly with owners
because of their visibility and the potential financial risk
they involve.
Benefits_Q21_O
ied for third place at 33% are reduced errors in
T
■■
documents, reduced workflow cycle time and reduced

project duration.
These specific benefits are critical because they impact
aspects of project processes that owners believe
contribute to better project outcomes.
■■ educed construction cost rates least important of
R
these benefits.
As with several other low-ranking factors, the challenge
of attributing this benefit reliably to BIM use is more likely
the cause of its low rank than its lack of importance.

Sidebar: Business Benefits
BIM Capabilities that Benefit

Infrastructure Projects
T
he specialized nature of Simulation parties. By modeling the existing
infrastructure projects Once surface and subsurface surface and subsurface conditions
creates the opportunity conditions are modeled, engineers of the entire downtown, PB could
for a number of benefits can simulate the impact of their produce numerous highly descriptive
resulting from BIM technologies and proposed design solutions. For and compelling animations that
processes. Even clash detection, a example, by using computational definitely accelerated the complex
staple of vertical BIM, has special flow analysis, an engineer can assess evaluation and approval process.
significance on infrastructure the downstream impact of a dam on See an example at <youtube.com/
projects. According to Dan Klancnik, the existing natural water system. watch?v=mWfwnkEbc4Q>.
VDC manager at the Walsh Group It is also possible to simulate the
in Chicago, “Conflicts tend to be effect of a natural disaster on the Visualization for
much more expensive in treatment built environment. This was done Business Development
plants and heavy construction than in in Seattle to assess the impact Marketing BIM capability is one of the
commercial work, so the benefits [of of an earthquake to an elevated top internal business benefits of BIM
BIM] are easily realized.” highway and the surrounding for infrastructure reported by current
grade level improvements. To see users in this SmartMarket Report (see
Civil Conditions the video, go to <youtube.com/ page 21). Combining that goal with
A building has a defined footprint watch?v=hos_uIKwC-c>. the power of visualization for highly
where it touches the earth, and complex engineering solutions,
once the foundation is in place, the Engaging Community many firms are modeling proposed
complex realities of the geophysical Stakeholders approaches to projects during the
environment that surrounds it have Large roadway and tunnel projects marketing phase. This allows them
minimal impact on construction. in urban areas are complex and to demonstrate their BIM prowess at
Horizontal projects, by contrast, can require choices between many the same time they impress the client
are subject to every nuance of the alternative approaches before with their understanding of the unique
extensive amount of terra firma with the final engineering solution is aspects of the project. ■
which they engage. “No two feet of approved for implementation. This
a roadway is like any other two feet,” process is further complicated
says Eric Cylwik, BIM engineer for by required involvement from
the Heavy and Civil Group of Sundt numerous stakeholder groups whose
Construction in Tempe, Ariz. members are often non-technical
Many firms putting BIM to work and have difficulty understanding the
on civil projects believe in using a differences between options based
variety of inputs including GIS data, on the handful of design documents
underground radar, laser scanning, and renderings that are typically
test borings, and any other source produced for these purposes.
of reliable information to develop a The Alaskan Way Viaduct and
complete-as-possible model of the Seawall Replacement project in
existing civil conditions with which Seattle, Wash., is just such a project.
they will be working. Once that model Coursing through the heart of the
is in place, engineers can leverage it city’s downtown business area, its
for nearly endless types of analysis, impact is enormous. The project’s
simulation and visualization to engineering firm, PB, developed 98
optimize design solutions. Says Jay different alternatives, from elevated
Mezher, VDC Manager for Parsons highways to tunnels, which had to be
Brinckerhoff (PB), “You can model and comparatively evaluated and then
analyze as many issues in horizontal narrowed down to a final plan with
projects as you can in buildings.” the involvement of a large array of

Top Benefits by Phase
BIM is still maturing in its applicability throughout the High/Very High BIM Value for
lifecycle of a project. As a result, benefits are not being Infrastructure by Project Phase
experienced at equal levels across all phases by every Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
player type. Respondents were asked to report on the

A/E Firms
level of value they are currently receiving, by phase, from
Contractors
the use of BIM on infrastructure projects.
Design and construction documentation are Owners
assigned the highest values by the most respondents Programming
(53% and 51%, respectively). Predictably strong rating 25%
from A/E firms (59% and 53%, respectively) contribute to
19%
this high valuation, which align with the results of MHC’s
24%
2009 Business Value of BIM SmartMarket Report on
vertical construction. Planning
However, design and construction documentation 34%
also have high value to contractors and owners. In fact, 32%
the strong recognition of this benefit by contractors
44%
highlights broad acknowledgement of the growing
importance of collaboration between A/E firms and Design
contractors during these phases. These are also the 59%
phases for which BIM has been implemented the longest 45%
and on the most projects, so it is not surprising that more 44%
people are familiar with those benefits.
Construction Documentation
The high levels of importance assigned to other
phases point to a few emerging trends. 53%
46%
■■ 44% of the owners assign high value to the use of
47%
BIM for the planning phase, where its ability to
visually convey complex engineering solutions is Bid Letting
proving increasingly valuable for review and approval 21%
processes with nontechnical stakeholder groups. 26%
9% of the owners also assign high value to BIM’s
2
■■ 6%
contribution to the maintenance phase, an aspect Construction
of rapidly growing interest in operations and 37%
maintenance throughout the industry.
55%
here is increased interest in using BIM for closeout
T
■■ 41%
and operations throughout the industry. This is
Project Closeout
supported by comparison with the results of MHC’s
25%
2009 Business Value of BIM SmartMarket Report,
which examined BIM adoption in building construction. 25%
While a comparable percentage perceived the value of 24%
BIM during the design and construction phases, only Maintenance
16% from the earlier survey found BIM added value in
24%
project closeout and 15% during the operations and
17%
maintenance phase, compared to roughly one quarter
of the current respondents. 29%
SmartMarket Report McGraw-Hill Construction 24 Benefits_Q27

www.construction.com
Top Benefits by Project Process
BIM generates varying degrees of value for each player High/Very High BIM Value for
type across different project processes: Infrastructure by Project Process

patial coordination is identified by the largest number
S
■■
of contractors (65%) and A/E firms (56%) as a process A/E Firms

where BIM provides high value. Contractors
Owners view it with less enthusiasm (25%), probably Owners
because the process is not as visible to them, and in most
Spatial Coordination
cases they already expect a fully coordinated project.
56%
tructural analysis is valued at the second highest for
S
■■
65%
A/E firms (41%). 25%
Not surprisingly, it lags with contractors (23%) and
owners (25%), again likely because of their relative lack of Structural Analysis
direct involvement with that activity. 41%
23%
■■ urprisingly, more A/E firms cite the high contribution
S
of BIM to quantity takeoff (38%) and cost estimating 25%
(31%) than contractors (22% and 17%, respectively). Greater Client Engagement
This is likely a result of contractors’ long-standing 35%
reliance on traditional methods and the fact that reliable, 28%
detailed quantity takeoff and estimating directly from
0%
BIM is still an emerging practice, whereas it provides a
newfound capability for design firms. Quantity Take-Off
38%
■■ 5% of A/E firms consider BIM’s ability to foster greater
3
22%
client engagement important.
This result spotlights the important contribution of 0%
enhanced visualization to that process. Almost as many A/E Less Time Documenting
firms (33%) value spending less time on documentation, 33%
a benefit of the front-end loaded BIM process.
23%
Lower-scoring processes include submittals, 0%
4D scheduling, automated machine guidance,
Cost Estimation
environmental impact/feasibility studies, and operation
31%
and maintenance of an asset (which no player rate as
high or very high). As BIM usage matures and technology 17%
advances, the value of BIM to each of these important, but 25%
currently low-scoring, processes is expected to increase. Submittals Process
Certainly, the importance that 29% of the owners and 21%
24% of the A/E firms place on the value of BIM during the
31%
maintenance phase of a project (see page 24 for more
38%
information) indicates that the industry believes that BIM
offers great potential in these areas.
Benefits_Q28

Impact of Project Factors on Benefits
While there is much variability among the value of project Most Important Infrastructure Project Factors
factors by player, one factor, project complexity, rates that Add Value to BIM Use
equally high (total of 61%) among all respondent types. Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
This strong result for infrastructure projects emphasizes

A/E Firms
the perceived value of BIM for managing large amounts
Contractors
of information among multiple participants more Owners
effectively than traditional approaches, a benefit that
impacts all users equally. Project Complexity
Project complexity is also one of the few top factors 61%
for which an equivalent percentage (63%) found value in 63%
vertical construction in MHC’s 2009 Business Value of BIM 63%
SmartMarket Report; however, for buildings, this was the BIM-Knowledgeable Design Professionals on the Project
third highest rated factor rather than the first. In fact, all the
64%
other top five factors were selected by a larger percentage
54%
of organizations using BIM in buildings in 2009 compared
50%
to those using it for infrastruture in 2011. One of the few
exceptions is project size, which was only selected by 41% Interoperability between Team Members' Softwares
of the 2009 respondents. This combination of size and 56%
complexity reveals that it is the complexity of large projects 48%
that is perceived to offer the greatest opportunity in the 57%
infrastructure sector.
Number of BIM-Knowledgeable Firms on the Project
49%
Variation by Player
44%
A/E FIRMS 63%
A surprising 64% of A/E firms place high importance on
BIM-Knowledgeable Construction Firms on the Project
having BIM-knowledgeable design professionals on the
45%
project. This result is particularly striking when compared
to the 41% who cite previous experience working with 51%
the other companies on a project as critical. In an industry 38%
known for valuing long-term relationships, this signals a Project Size
very important cultural change driven by the perception of 46%
tangible value. 44%
CONTRACTORS 50%
Interestingly, a relatively small number (27%) of contractors Contract Form that Supports BIM/Collaboration
assign a similarly high importance to project budget. This 47%
may indicate a belief that projects of any budget can benefit 43%
from BIM, not just the most expensive ones.
25%
OWNERS BIM-Knowledgeable Client
The most popular choice (75%) among owners is project 44%
budget, probably closely linked in their minds to project
39%
complexity, to which 63% of them assign top importance.
0%
Owners also place strong value on working with
firms with BIM experience. 63% consider the number Project Budget
of BIM-knowledgeable firms on a project important, 49%
the same percentage that recognize the importance of 27%
project complexity. 75%
SmartMarket Report McGraw-Hill Construction 26 Benefits_Q29

Top Current Benefits
Not surprisingly, each player has a very different view of Most Important BIM Benefits that Contribute
the top current benefits of using BIM for infrastructure. Value to Infrastructure Projects
Variation by Player
A/E Firms
A/E FIRMS Contractors
The A/E responses are largely in agreement with the owner’s Owners
responses. The only area selected by significantly more A/E
Reduced Conflicts & Changes During Construction
respondents than owners is reduced conflicts and changes
during construction. One factor that may make this benefit 55%
particularly appealing to A/E firms is BIM’s ability to convey 65%
design intent, which reduces the likelihood that the contractor 47%
will make major changes to the project during construction. Improved Overall Project Quality
CONTRACTORS 44%
69% of contractors cite reduced conflicts and changes 50%
during construction as important, the highest percentage 59%
of any group for any of the benefits. It also has the highest
combined total percentage (58%) across all player types. Lower Risk & Better Predictability of Outcomes
46% of contractors also give high marks to prefabrication 37%
of larger and more complex parts of projects, a BIM trend 43%
that is well established and growing. Among the company 35%
types that comprise the contractor category, specialty
Prefabrication of Larger, More Complex Parts
contractors are especially enthusiastic regarding this benefit,
35%
with 38% reporting it as having very high importance and
none rating it with low or no importance. 46%
31%
OWNERS
The highest percentage of owners (59%) select improved Better-Performing Completed Infrastructure
overall project quality as an important BIM benefit, making 38%
this the second most important benefit overall, with a 34%
combined total of 48%. 40%
The benefits of reduced total project cost and reduced
Improved Review & Approval Cycles
overall project schedule are also selected by a significant
percentage of owners (44% and 38%, respectively), but their 36%
relatively low level of selection by design and construction 32%
respondents keep them out of the top group of BIM benefits 38%
as shown in the chart at right.
Other Benefits
Falling short of the top group of current BIM benefits are
improved individual participant productivity and improved
profitability of participating companies. While certainly
desirable outcomes, these benefits are likely selected by Benefits_Q30
fewer respondents as important due to a lack of reliable track
record of achieving them, a persistent trend throughout all
the lower-ranked data. As more data are collected from BIM
teams across the industry, these benefits are sure to rise
in perceived value.

Top Benefits in Five Years
All players believe that reduced conflicts and changes Areas of Greatest Value to BIM Practitioners for
during construction will be their top future benefit of Infrastructure Projects in 5 Years
using BIM for infrastructure. This finding corresponds Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
to the top current benefit of using BIM (see page 27).

A/E Firms
Reducing conflicts and changes during construction can
Contractors
have the greatest impact on improving project schedule
and productivity and reducing the risk of cost and Owners
schedule overruns. Reduced Conflicts & Changes during Construction
Lower risks and better predictability of outcomes is 75%
also an important benefit for all of the players. A similar
69%
percentage (64%) considered this to be an important
76%
benefit of BIM for buildings in the future in MHC’s 2009
Business Value of BIM SmartMarket Report, which Lower Risk & Better Predictability of Outcomes
demonstrates how valuable it is across project sectors. 60%
60%
The owners outpace the A/E firms and contractors in
their selection of improved productivity (71%) as a highly Higher Quality, Better-Performing Completed Infrastructure
valued future benefit of using BIM for infrastructure. This 61%
result is striking because it indicates an understanding 59%
that although this benefit accrues first to the companies 50%
providing the labor, it ultimately controls cost on a
Improved Productivity
project—always a critical concern for owners.
Reflecting their unique perspective on what 58%
constitutes a benefit of BIM, the group also shows the 54%
strongest level of support for: 71%
■■Improved review and approval cycles (63%) Improved Review & Approval Cycles
This result demonstrates an awareness of the value that 52%
streamlining decision making provides for everyone. 50%
■■ ower risk and better predictability of outcomes (61%)
L 63%
and reduced total project cost (59%) Reduced Total Project Cost
The importance of these areas reinforces the owners’ 52%
focus on the elements by which their performance
47%
ultimately will be measured.
59%
Interestingly, the fewest owners place high value on
the future benefit of higher-quality, better-performing
completed infrastructure, which should accrue the most
relative benefit to them. This may be because there
currently is not enough evidence of the ability to achieve
that result, and their opinion may shift once data are
collected to establish that potential. Benefits_Q31

ca
se
st
ud
y
Use of BIM on Dams, Canals and Levees
The Panama Canal Authority added BIM to the workflow at its ongoing $6 billion expansion project, primarily for use by the
design team; however future plans call for use of BIM in other tasks, including scheduling.
B
uilding information modeling Seattle District, says that unlike the dam. Woods notes that the facility had
(BIM) is beginning to pique the “top-down” approach that the Corps relatively complex geometries, such as
interest of public entities that used to implement BIM on vertical a horn modeled as an elliptical curve,
own, operate and maintain building projects, the adoption of traction water conduit modeled as
dams, canals and levees. Such critical BIM on civil projects is starting in an ogee parabolic curve, and a flood
infrastructure is generally expected to the trenches. “We have engineers control tunnel modeled as a helical
remain in operation for many decades, interested in trying to get [BIM] into horseshoe. Additionally, a pedestrian
and some owners recognize the long- the workflow, and we are helping to bridge comes in on an angle and has
term benefits of creating models for support that,” he says. a slope.
ongoing analysis and improvement Woods says that a handful of Multiple disciplines worked on the
of facilities. districts are starting to test the model, including structural, mechanical,
technology’s applications in civil civil and geotechnical. Through its
U.S. Army Corps of projects, including recent work on coordination efforts, the team discovered
Engineers the Howard Hanson Dam through its that a planned drilling location for
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District. Initially, engineers reinforcement of the fish ladder would
released its BIM Roadmap in 2006, and chose to model the dam as a way to have clipped the existing structure.
since then it has made great strides by monitor a depression that appeared on “That was an interesting exercise in cost
requiring use of the technology on its an abutment. The team used terrestrial avoidance,” Woods says.
vertical building projects. Recently, the and aerial LIDAR data to build a 3D The team was also able to pull
Image courtesy of MWH Global
Corps started implementing 3D modeling site model. quantities from the model, such as
and BIM on civil works projects as well. The team has since built models on volume of concrete, rebar and structural
Van Woods, CAD/BIM manager top of that data, including a BIM model steel; volume of rock and soil excavation;
in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of a new fish passage facility at the and vertical and horizontal surface areas.
CONTINUED

y
ud
Use of BIM on Dams, Canals and Levees
st
ED
se
U
N
ca
TI
N
CO
Although the Corps’ use of BIM on earth dam components. Other modeled Pansic notes that the biggest
civil projects is years behind its efforts elements include filling and emptying challenge has been getting up to speed
in vertical building, Steve Hutsell, components, large fixed-wheel gate on how BIM can be applied in civil
geospatial section chief in the Seattle valves, and 60 control buildings per lock projects while sticking to the project’s
District, says it will be part of the Corps’ complex. All mechanical systems and aggressive schedule. “We are coming
future workflows. “You’ll see more electrical controls for the complex are up the learning curve, so there have
civil projects with 3D as a requirement also modeled, as well as supporting been situations where we had to go
for design and construction,” he adds. utilities. Additional civil works and back to the conventional approach and
“Within the Corps, there’s recognition earthwork models were created by then come back later to catch up in the
of its value in the vertical world. The outside consultants. BIM model. It hasn’t been 100 percent
question we’re trying to answer is: Can Although the authority left the according to the grand plan.”
we not achieve those same results in implementation plan up to the Although the project is designed in
civil works?” consortium, Pansic says having all BIM, the build team is not required to
parties on the same platforms aided with use BIM. All construction documents
The Panama Canal coordination of models from the different will be provided in 2D. Still, Pansic sees
In recent years, the Panama Canal disciplines. “We had to resolve a conflict greater use of BIM on the project in the
Authority added BIM to the workflow at recently with the high-mast lighting future. He says the authority plans to
its ongoing $6 billion expansion project. required for operation of the locks,” contract a BIM consultant to develop
Nick Pansic, deputy design manager for he says. “The locations of those light a 4D schedule for the project. The
the project with MWH Global, has been poles are interfering with some access authority may also consider using the
involved with the project for more than roadways needed for equipment. The model for facilities management in the
a decade, and recently was asked by the BIM tool is an easy way to quickly identify future, but those plans have not been
authority to implement BIM. where we have those conflicts and finalized, he says.
Pansic says the initiative provided present that to the contractor and owner.” Beyond the benefits for the project,
MWH with an entrée into BIM for The team designed the project to Pansic says MWH is gaining a critical
civil works. “I was excited to see Level of Development 300 standards, understanding of the technology.
it requested,” he says. “I knew it which enables the team to create “They have been looking for ways
would challenge us to up our game construction documents and provide to introduce this technology and
and figure out a new way to design rough quantity takeoffs for estimating. understand what is needed to make this
projects versus traditional delivery of Pansic says the team didn’t link structural a standard approach going forward,”
something like this.” or hydraulic intelligence for analysis he says. “Having a real project with real
The master plan includes several purposes to the model, since that would challenges and lessons learned will
dredging projects, but the BIM initiative require a higher level of development. help with other projects in the future.” ■
is focused on the Third Set of Locks
project. MWH is part of a design
joint venture with Tetra Tech and the
Dutch firm Iv-Infra. The joint venture is
subcontracted under the design-build
consortium Grupo Unidos por el Canal.
Image courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The authority specified the BIM

platform that would be used for the
project, but left the implementation plan
largely up to the design consortium,
Pansic says.
The team’s primary focus for modeling
is the reinforced concrete structures The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is testing the use of BIM on infrastructure
that retain the water, as well as some projects, including a new fish ladder at Howard Hanson Dam in Washington State.

Data:Investment and ROI
Top Investments in BIM for Infrastructure
Marketing BIM capability is the leading focus for both Focus of BIM Infrastructure Investments
current (38%) and future (51%) investment across all (Current and Future)
respondents. This result is not surprising because A/E Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
firms and contractors report that the ability to market new

2011
capabilities is currently one of the top benefits from BIM
2016
for infrastructure (see page 21). This also contributes to
why few owners indicate that this is a focus for their BIM Marketing BIM Capability
investments. Among the different player types, architects 38%
show a slightly greater degree of current (40%) and 51%
significantly more future (62%) commitment to a high or
very high level of investment. Software that Supports BIM
The next most important current and future 35%
investment for all respondents is software that supports 50%
BIM. Among the players, architects (subset of the A/E
Developing Collaborative BIM Processes
firms) have the lowest current percentage (29%) of firms
investing at high or very high levels, but they appear 33%
to be the most aggressive future investors, with 57% 49%
forecasting that level five years out. Owners also predict New/Upgraded Hardware
strong growth over the period. 33%
New or upgraded hardware required to operate BIM 46%
software scored third highest, but its importance does
Developing Custom Libraries
not increase quite as much over five years as other top
investment types. This perhaps reflects a belief that 31%
near-term upgrades will suffice. In general, architects 37%
and engineers focus on this more than contractors, likely Training on BIM
due to their high level of involvement in authoring and
30%
analyzing large model files.
42%
Investments with a High Percentage Customization/Interoperability Solutions
of Increase Expected 29%
Developing collaborative BIM processes shows the 43%
greatest percentage increase, with the number of high
and very high investors increasing dramatically during
this period—from 33% in 2011 to 49% in 2016. This
reflects the increasing awareness that while hardware
and software are prerequisites, enhanced inter-company
processes will generate the greatest value. Invest_Q18
The numbers of organizations placing high priority
on investments in training on BIM and customization/
interoperability solutions, while somewhat lower
currently than other categories, are expected to increase
significantly. By contrast, developing custom libraries
shows the least predicted growth in importance, perhaps
reflecting a belief that, similar to hardware, near-term
investments will reduce future needs.

Investment and ROI CONTINUED
Return on Investments of BIM for Infrastructure
Because currently there is no widely accepted way Perceived ROI on Infrastructure BIM
to calculate ROI on BIM, respondents were asked to Investment by Expertise Level

estimate their ROI in seven broad categories. The
findings demonstrate that the majority of respondents
are finding that using BIM for infrastructure has value,
and a significant percentage find that they are gaining Negative/Break-Even ROI 50% or Greater ROI
significant returns from their investments in BIM.
47%
■■ ne third of respondents currently using BIM for
O 43%
infrastructure work show negative or break-even ROI.
38%
Almost half (47%) of owners fall into this category,
followed by A/E firms at 37%.
30%
■■ ore than one quarter of all respondents report ROI of
M
25% or better, with nearly one third of the contractors
21%
reporting that attractive level.
Comparisons with the results reported in MHC’s 2009 14%

Business Value of BIM SmartMarket Report are striking.
That report examined the ROI of BIM used for buildings, 5%
and the findings again are quite similar, demonstrating 2%
that BIM adoption for infrastructure is lagging behind its
adoption for buildings by a few years. Beginner Moderate Advanced Expert
In 2011, 67% report a positive ROI for BIM use on
infrastructure, compared to 63% for buildings. The
percentage experiencing a high ROI of more than 50%
Perceived ROI on Infrastructure BIM Investment

Negative/Break-Even 33% More than 25% ROI: 26%

29%
26%
21% 21%
20%
19%
17%
16% 15% 16%
13% Invest_ROIExpertise
12% 11%
11%11%
10% 10% 10% 10%
2%
Negative Break-Even Less than 10% 10%-25% 26%-50% 51%-100% Over 100%

Investment and ROI
Return on Investments of BIM for Infrastructure CONTINUED
is the same in both surveys—15%. The overall greater t the other extreme, 43% of BIM experts claim high
A
■■
experience with BIM by the players in this survey positive ROI (50% or greater). Only 2% of beginners
combined with their relative lack of experience with using believe they are receiving that level of ROI.
it for infrastructure may account for these results.
Comparing the results by level of expertise to the 2009
report reveals a similar pattern. Far more beginners (62%)
ROI Investments by Level of Expertise reported negative/break-even ROI in 2009, but among
There is a strong correlation between respondents’
the experts, the percentage in 2009 who experienced
reported ROI on BIM for infrastructure and their BIM
50% or greater ROI is 39%, slightly lower than the 2011
expertise level.
infrastructure results. Again, this suggests that their
early half (47%) of BIM beginners are experiencing
N
■■ greater overall knowledge of BIM from building projects
negative or break-even ROI in BIM for infrastructure. may be impacting the ROI of those who consider
themselves beginners in BIM for infrastructure.
Measuring ROI of BIM for Infrastructure
56% of all respondents engage in formal measurement of Formal Measurement of ROI on BIM
ROI for BIM on at least some portion of their infrastructure for Infrastructure Projects
projects, compared to 46% of BIM users on buildings in
MHC’s 2009 Business Value of BIM SmartMarket Report.
This increase may be due to greater overall familiarity with
BIM in the industry since 2009.
Among all the organizations that measure ROI on some 56% Formally Measure ROI
portion of their projects, the largest group (28%) do so on
53%
less than 25% of them. Most of these are A/E firms and
contractors, who are typically not highly experienced with 46%
calculating ROI and thus only do so on a relatively small 42%
percentage of their projects. Also, many organizations
are probably assuming that the metrics for a few projects
28% 28%
reasonably apply across all of them, and thus measuring ROI 26%
on a sample of their portfolio is adequate.
16%
15% 15%
13% 13%
Variation by Player
A/E FIRMS AND CONTRACTORS 5%
58% of A/E firms conduct ROI measurement on at least some
of their projects, followed closely by contractors at 54%. None Less than 25% 25%-50% Greater than 50%
OWNERS
Taking the lead at both extremes, 53% of owners conduct
no ROI measurement, while another 16% of them are
measuring ROI on half or more of their projects. related to their construction programs. But if ROI is not
In both cases, this is probably a reflection of organization- being measured as a standard practice, it is unlikely that
wide policies. Organizations committed to measuring the introduction of BIM, in and of itself, would instigate this
ROI as a standard practice will also do so for investments major process change.

Length of Time Measuring ROI
About one quarter of all respondents that measure ROI Length of Time ROI Has Been Formally
for BIM on infrastructure projects report having done Measured on BIM for Infrastructure Projects
so for a long time (more than two years), with roughly (Among those Doing Formal Measurements)
equal proportions of the three player types falling into Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
this category.
Variation by Player
44% of owners have been formally measuring ROI for a 47% 47%
moderate length of time (one to two years), leading that 44%
category by a significant margin. Thus, even though a
relatively smaller portion of the owners engage in formal 34%
measurement, those that do have been conducting such 30%29%
measurements for a longer time.
23%24%22%
This is likely due to long-standing organizational
policies that require ROI measurement on a wide range
of technology investments across the organization,
therefore establishing it as an expectation of construction
activity as well.
Almost half (47%) of the A/E firms and contractors
that report measuring ROI are new to it, having done so Less than More than
for less than one year. 1 Year 1-2 Years 2 Years
Future Plans to Measure ROI

For the respondents that report using BIM for Measurement of ROI on BIM for
infrastructure projects but not measuring its ROI, a Infrastructure Projects in the Future
significant percentage are interested in measuring ROI (Among those Not Measuring ROI)
eventually, but the data also demonstrate that they are Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
unlikely to begin any time soon.

verall, 35% indicate they are likely to engage in formal
O
■■
measurement of ROI at some point in the future, and 46%

44%
over 20% are not sure. This is similar to the responses
40%
in 2009 from firms using BIM for buildings, highlighting
an industry-wide need that technology companies and
30% 31%
industry organizations can address to help create more 27%
universally accepted methods for measurement.
Invest_Q25 20% 21%
■■ t just over 7%, those predicting they probably will
A 16%
begin formally measuring ROI within the next 12
months are the smallest group overall. 9% 10%
6%
This low level of near-term commitment is likely due to
the lack of well-established methods for measuring ROI,
especially among A/E firms and contractors, where the Probably Probably Not Probably within Not
Never for at Least the Next Sure
practice is not widespread to begin with.
Another Year 12 Months

How to Improve ROI
For players that measure the ROI of BIM, the top two Most Important Means of Improving ROI on
factors that can raise their perception of ROI are project- BIM for Infrastructure Projects
oriented benefits, not internally focused ones. (Among those Doing Formal Measurements)
t 66%, the leading factor is improved project process
A
■■
outcomes (such as fewer RFIs and field coordination Improved Project Process Outcomes
problems). This represents an enlightened understanding 66%
that all participants benefit from smoother, more
Better Multi-Party Communication
trouble-free projects. This was especially strongly felt by
63%
contractors (71%).
Improved Productivity
etter multi-party communication, a close second at
B
■■
60%
63%, reflects the belief that the use of modeling can
improve information exchange so effectively that each Positive Impact on Marketing
company will directly benefit. 56%
These were also the top two factors selected by Reduced Cycle Time for Activities
organizations using BIM for buildings in MHC’s 2009 survey. 52%
Six other factors considered the most important means
Lower Project Cost
of improving ROI by 30% to 52% of the respondents are
project-based benefits, including reduced cycle time, lower 44%
project cost, positive impact of sustainability, increased Positive Impact on Sustainability
prefabrication, faster plan approvals and permits, and 38%
improved job safety.
Increased Prefabrication
These finding support the conclusion that better
project processes generate notable benefits for individual 37%
participants, benefits they believe are demonstrable in Faster Plan Approval & Permits
their ROI. 36%
However, internally focused benefits are still important
to the respondents, with improved productivity and Positive Impact on Recruiting/Retaining Staff
positive impact on marketing scoring third and fourth in 34%
the ranking—at 60% and 56% respectively. In addition, one Improved Jobsite Safety
third find great value in the impact of BIM on recruiting and
32%
retaining staff.
Green Infrastructure
38% of the firms that measure the first in the U.S. to rate the Engineering Companies (ACEC)
the ROI of BIM in infrastruc- sustainability level of all types andInvest_Q26
the American Public Works
ture consider improved sustain- of infrastructure across three Association (APWA).
ability an important means to dimensions: economic, social Government at all levels is
improve ROI. This result is con- and environmental. also engaged in pursuing green
sistent with rising industry The Envision standard may infrastructure. Cities like Chi-
interest in green infrastructure. have a broad reach since it is cago and Philadelphia have
One major milestone for the supported by leading infra- launched major initiatives, and
pursuit of green infrastruc- structure industry associations the federal government has
ture in the U.S. is the launch in the U.S. The founding organi- begun to look at how to green
of the Institute for Sustain- zations of the ISI are the Amer- the procurement of infrastruc-
able Infrastructure’s (ISI) Envi- ican Society of Civil Engineers ture across all agencies.
sion standard. This system is (ASCE), the American Council of

How to Improve the Value of BIM
The factors expected to improve the value of BIM by Factors Most Important to Overall Experience of
organizations that are using BIM for infrastructure but are Value from BIM on Infrastructure Projects
not measuring ROI correlate with the benefits considered (Among those Not Measuring ROI)
important by those that already measure the ROI of BIM. Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
3% of both groups cite better multi-party

6
■■ Better Multi-Party Communication
communication as being of high or very high 63%
importance, which indicates widespread support for
Positive Impact on Marketing
the value of this collaborative project benefit.
46%
Internally focused benefits of positive impact on
■■
Improved Project Process Outcomes
marketing (46%) and improved productivity (42%),
43%
rank in the top four for this group, but at distinctly
lower percentages than with the group that measures Improved Productivity
ROI—56% and 60% respectively (see page 35). 42%
A major difference between those who measure BIM ROI Reduced Cycle Time for Activities
and those who do not involves the level of importance 35%
assigned to improved project process outcomes. 43% of
Lower Project Cost
those that do not measure ROI assign top importance to
this factor, versus 66% of those that do (see page 35). 31%
The differential between the two groups again Increased Prefabrication
reinforces the trend found throughout the data that 27%
benefits that are more difficult to measure are less valued
Faster Plan Approval & Permits
than those that can be more easily gauged. Thus, the
respondents who measure ROI may be more willing to 24%
assign importance to elements that have established
methods of measurement.
Comparison to BIM Users for Buildings

in the 2009 Survey
The results of the importance of BIM benefits that improve
ROI on building projects from MHC’s 2009 Business Value
of BIM SmartMarket Report were not divided between
Some interesting points of comparison include:
those who measure ROI and those who do not, but they
still offer useful comparisons to the current results on ■■ etter multi-party communication, improved project
B
the factors that can improve BIM’s contribution to ROI on process outcomes and improved productivity are
infrastructure projects. the top three factors contributing to BIM’s value for
The most striking differential is that the percentage Invest_Q24
buildings in 2009. These factors all clearly contribute
who consider all of these factors important is significantly to value regardless of project type and are central to
higher on all of the top measures, with the top five what BIM offers its users.
measures selected by over 70%. While the ROI benefits
■■ ositive impact on marketing ranks much higher
P
reported by BIM users for infrastructure in the current
in the overall infrastructure responses than in the
survey are a little stronger than those from the firms
building responses.
using it for buildings in 2009, there is less of a clear
sense in the industry about how to continue to improve ■■Increased prefabrication ranks much lower in
their ROI. This suggests an opportunity for further infrastructure, while 71% considered it important in
education and engagement, both by experienced BIM 2009 to improve ROI on buildings. This may suggest
for infrastructure users and by software companies that prefabrication companies in infrastructure need to
promoting BIM for infrastructure. promote the value of BIM use.

ca
se
st
ud
y
Use of BIM on Water and Wastewater Facilities
M
ajor design and read the 2D blueprints well, but they Arbennie Pritchett Water
construction firms could read the 3D model,” he says. Reclamation Facility

are exploring ways “They could visualize it better to tell Some public authorities are embracing
to maximize models us what changes were needed.” an integrated BIM approach. The
within the design-bid-build delivery Bowen says the team saved Okaloosa County Water and Sewer
system typical on water and time by identifying conflicts early Department in Florida selected CDM
wastewater projects. However, many and being able to react quickly to Smith to design, construct, outfit,
see far greater benefits to using BIM changes. For example, when the start up, performance test and obtain
in a more integrated environment. design reached 90%, the team permits for the new 10 mgd Arbennie
“We can model effectively on our identified a change in the floodplain Pritchett Water Reclamation Facility. The
own, but clearly BIM works best with that resulted in a need to raise the team used BIM throughout the project
a collaborative approach,” says John facility by one foot. “We were able to lifecycle, including delivery of a model
Bowen, national BIM integration update our construction documents for operations and maintenance (O&M).
manager at HDR Engineering. and the model in less than 40 hours,” Through a design-build process,
he says. “In 2D, we’d be talking 300 the team used BIM to help compress
Des Moines Combined to 400 hours to do that.” the design schedule to just over five
Sewer Solids Separation However, the BIM benefits ended months, reviewing models with the
Facility after the design process since the client throughout. The construction
HDR was selected by the Des Moines contractor is not using BIM. Bowen team was provided with an early start
Wastewater Reclamation Authority says it is a function of the design- package generated from the model,
for design services on a combined bid-build process that is common in which consisted of building foundations,
sewer solids separation facility in public sector infrastructure work. plumbing and electrical underground
2008. It was the authority’s first By comparison, on a biosolids utilities. This enabled the team to start
project designed in BIM. Bowen says processing facility for an industrial site work 2.5 months before construction
the client was hesitant at first about client in California, HDR is part of documents were complete.
the process, which involved ongoing an integrated design-build team The model was used to create bid
model reviews—rather than printed that is using BIM throughout design packages for subcontractors, who also
documents—until around the 60% and construction. “We’ll see some used it in the field to aid in construction
design stage. savings on the design side, but the and coordination efforts.
“Early on, we showed them both big savings will be in construction Upon completion, the model was
2D sketches and a 3D model and because of the amount of time connected to an electronic O&M system
found that a few engineers couldn’t saved,” he adds. that helps manage data equipment,
datasheets and manuals. It was also
used for training staff at the new plant.
Although CDM makes effective use
of BIM, William Nelson, senior vice
president at CDM, says the technology
has significant room for improvement.
For example, he says, engineers do little
to no analysis within its models, instead
pulling data from the models, analyzing
it and then re-inputting it.
CDM is also unable to do its process
Image courtesy of CDM Smith
modeling, which simulates wastewater

treatment behavior, within its models.
On the Arbennie Pritchett Water Reclamation Facility, CDM Smith connected its “That is a major part of the puzzle that is
models to an O&M system that manages equipment, datasheets and manuals. missing,” he adds. ■

y
ud
st
se
ca
Use of BIM on Energy Projects
B
IM is yielding powerful
results on energy projects.
Mortenson Construction,
which was an early adopter
of BIM in vertical building construction,
extended that commitment into its
Renewable Energy Group. “We wanted
to push its limits to see what it could
do,” says Sera Maloney, the group’s
integrated construction manager.
Wind Farms
On its wind farm projects,
Mortenson’s teams construct
Mortenson Construction uses BIM models to resolve potential conflicts between a
numerous turbines on vast sites wind tower’s electrical conduit and the structural rebar in its foundation.
that often have varying conditions.
Heavy equipment and materials may Scheduling is a major component Engineers at Enmax Power
need to cross small rural bridges, of its modeling effort. Deliveries must Corporation, which owns and
open streams or railroad tracks. be carefully planned so that materials operates an electricity distribution
Underground and overhead utilities are placed in the right location and and transmission network around
must also be considered. Many in the proper sequence. With solid Calgary, started modeling new
farms are built on mountaintops, planning, construction follows almost substations in mid-2010.
another challenge. “A blade an assembly line process, as crews “We build 3D models with
transport truck could be up to 190 move from pad to pad, ideally in a near- intelligence,” says Lindsey Porteous,
feet long with 19 axles,” she adds. repetitive pattern. electrical construction planner at
“Driving that over a rural road will “We model every piece of the Enmax. “We create a single-line
probably cause issues.” construction process,” she adds. “We diagram of the substation that shows
Speed of construction is critical, have plan room computers located on the equipment. Then, we can click on
as most farms must be delivered each site, and the 4D schedule is used in a device, such as a circuit breaker, and
within one season, so Maloney says our daily meetings.” navigate to that on the 3D model of that
preplanning is where BIM offers Models are also used for quantity station. You can click on it and get the
the greatest benefit. The team takeoffs and systems coordination. part number, the manufacturer and
investigates all site issues; considers For example, the electrical conduit the cost. You can also create accessory
where dirt needs to be moved; for a tower, which can be 100 feet tall, parts for each device, so you can
determines lay-down areas; and typically conflicts with the significant include things like the connector bolts.”
maps how equipment and materials structural rebar required in the Porteous says modeling saved time
will be moved around. foundations, she says. and reduced errors. The software
On one of its projects, about 70 Mortenson has also leveraged its automatically creates wiring diagrams,
towers were constructed on a U.S. preplanning modeling to create better which he notes are prone to errors
Bureau of Land Management site. proposals. “We won a recent project using traditional design methods. The
Image courtesy of Mortenson Construction
The team was given up to a three- based on the modeling we did [as part of team also generates bills of materials
acre radius per tower to work in. After our proposal] because we showed that and estimates costs from its models.
modeling each stage of the process, we knew the project better,” she says. Some suppliers provide his team
Mortenson found it only needed with models of devices. “Instead of
to use two acres per tower. “On Electrical Substations taking a week to build a model of a
environmentally sensitive land, that’s Some owners in the energy sector circuit breaker, it takes 10 minutes,”
a huge savings,” she adds. are also adding BIM to their workflow. he adds. ■

Data:Non-Users
Non-User Profile: Organization Type
54% of respondents report that they do not currently use BIM Non-User Profile: Company Type
on infrastructure projects. Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
The player type data reveal a trend that runs through 74%
the non-user profile—exposure to BIM use on vertical
projects increases the likelihood of using BIM for
infrastructure as well. 61%
Owners have the highest percentage of non-users 54% 55% 55%
(74%), probably due to the slower pace of BIM adoption
in the infrastructure sector compared to the vertical
(building) market. Infrastructure owners are less likely to
do a large number of vertical projects that might expose 35%
them to using BIM. 14% of owners also indicate that they
do not understand what BIM is, compared to only 2% of
architects and 4% of engineers.
In contrast, architects have the lowest percentage of
non-users (35%). Many architects may also practice in a
variety of vertical project types. Thus, they are more likely
to use BIM elsewhere in their firms and can apply the
knowledge of its benefits to their infrastructure work. Trade/
Architect Engineer CM/GC Fabricator Owner Other
The involvement of different types of engineers with
BIM for infrastructure also supports this correlation:
■■ early two-thirds of MEP engineers (represented in
N
the “Other Engineers” pie chart below) use BIM on
■■Structural engineers are evenly divided.
■■ wo thirds of civil engineers are non-users. These
T
engineers are less likely to be involved with vertical
projects compared with the other disciplines.
Non-User Profile: Engineers by Discipline

NU_QS1
Users Non-Users
Civil Engineer Structural Engineer Other Engineers
32% 48%
52% 60% 40%
68%

Sidebar: Non-Users
Comments by Users:
Converting Non-Users to Adopt BIM for Infrastructure
Every organization currently using BIM on its infrastructure projects

was, at some point, a non-user and made the transition to become

a user. Although the specific triggers for how this happens at each
organization are unique, there are three general paths to conversion.
Starting With civil group in 2010, where the firm BIM by an owner requirement. This
Vertical BIM
I
continues to innovate in applying is taking place at all levels from
n some cases the organization BIM technologies and processes to local airport authorities, to state
was already successfully infrastructure projects. departments of transportation,
engaged with BIM on its vertical to large federal agencies such as
work, then discovered some Growing BIM the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
specific, tangible application of it to Organically Robert Bank, Chief of the Civil
a unique aspect of an infrastructure Organizations that specialize in Works Branch, Engineering &
project, and subsequently started the infrastructure typically have not Construction of the Corps sees
adoption process. had the chance to build BIM BIM as a fundamental part of the
This happened with Sundt expertise on vertical work and have Corps’ approach of “solutioneering,
Construction of Tempe AZ, where had to adopt BIM for infrastructure basically finding creative and
president Doug Pruitt championed more organically. collaborative solutions to problems.
the firm’s adoption of BIM in 2006 Infrastructure engineering As the projects get more complex,
by forming an internal group called powerhouse Parsons Brinckerhoff our smart A/E industry partners are
SIMCON, which provides BIM (PB) provides an example of this going to respond to the challenge.”
services to its project teams. From approach, where some business It is most effective when an owner
there its use grew steadily on Sundt’s units started leveraging 3D for is committed to BIM from the very
vertical projects, especially with the visualization in the early 1990s, beginning of a project and will, as
self-perform concrete group. including detailed rebar models George Pontikes, CEO of contractor
In 2009 the firm found the right and computational fluid dynamics Satterfield & Pontikes, puts it,
opportunity to apply BIM to Phase II in addition to 3D representations “drive the BIM train,” ensuring that
of a light rail project, the first phase of of proposed dams, bridges and all team members understand the
which Sundt had built conventionally. highways for client presentations. importance of compliance. Such
Coordination of underground utilities “Our culture at PB has always been committed owners are critical for
had been a major challenge on Phase very supportive of innovation,” driving industry-wide adoption. ■
I, and by modeling underground data says Jay Mezher, manager of virtual
from 700 locations on Phase II, they design and construction in PB’s
discovered over 1,000 issues that New York City office and part of the
would have created field problems. global technology team of parent
This successful proof-of-concept company Balfour Beatty, which
led to a more ambitious application has mandated an all-BIM policy
of BIM involving laser scanning by 2014. “Visualization of complex
and modeling of dangerously engineering solutions is so critical,”
deteriorating civil and structural he continues, “that at this point every
conditions on a complex and group in PB is modeling.”
time-critical bridge replacement.
Establishing BIM’s clear value in Owner-Driven Adoption
that instance, SIMCON placed Much infrastructure work is
a permanent BIM engineer in government related, and many
Sundt’s self-performing heavy organizations are brought into using

Non-Users CONTINUED
Non-User Profile:
Organization Size and Location
The size of an organization has a clear correlation

with BIM usage for infrastructure projects. Of the

organizations that are not using BIM for infrastructure
projects, almost three quarters (73%) are small or small
to medium sized. (Refer to Methodology on page 60 for
organization size definitions.) Only 16% of the non-users
are large organizations.
This may be due in part to the resources available for
larger organizations that make the original investment in
BIM technology and training more manageable. However,
findings from the organizations that use BIM suggest
that once small organizations adopt it, they more quickly
achieve a high level of BIM implementation than larger
organizations, demonstrating BIM’s applicability for
these groups. (See page 13 for more information on BIM
implementation by organization size.)
Variation by Region
An organization’s location within North America
seems to influence whether they have adopted BIM
for infrastructure.
■■ he highest percentage (30%) of non-users are located
T
the Southern U.S.
■■ he Northeastern U.S. (17%) and Canada (9%) have the
T
lowest percentages of non-users.
Non-User Profile: Organization Size Non-User Profile: Location

Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012 Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
37% 36%
30%
23%
21%
16% 17%
11%
9%
Small to Medium Outside

Small Medium to Large Large Northeast Midwest South West USA

Non-Users CONTINUED
Non-User Profile: Project Type
There are clear correlations between the types of Non-User Profile: Project Type
infrastructure projects undertaken by organizations and Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
the percentage of those organizations that have begun

User
using BIM. Again, these results support the general trend
Non-User
that organizations that do a combination of infrastructure
and vertical (building) construction are more likely to use Water
BIM for infrastructure than organizations that do little 50%
vertical construction.
52%
Water Projects Roads, Highways & Bridges

Projects involving water supply, treatment and recovery 39%
are the most commonly reported infrastructure project 48%
type. They are almost equally divided between users
Public Parks & Recreation
and non-users. Water treatment and recovery projects
37%
typically involve some minor building work in addition to
horizontal infrastructure work. 36%
Energy
Roads, Highways and Bridges 39%
These projects were also done by a large percentage of
24%
respondents, but they have the greatest proportion of
non-users. A/E firms and contractors that specialize in Rail, Transit & Aviation
this type of construction typically do not do very much 30%
vertical work. 22%
Waste
Other Project Types
23%
Energy, aviation and rail/transit projects show the largest
proportion of BIM users, and again, these projects are 19%
more typically handled by organizations that also do Other
vertical construction. 33%
29%
Nu_QS14

Non-Users CONTINUED
Non-User Attitude Toward BIM for Infrastructure
Despite not currently using BIM for infrastructure, Variation by Player

non-users’ attitudes towards BIM are predominantly Among non-users, contractors and owners are the most
positive (79%). Firms that have rejected BIM after engaged with the possibility of using BIM, with A/E firms
experience with comprise a very small fraction of the comprising the largest percentage of non-users that are
total (5% of A/E firms and 3% of contractors). A few more simply not interested in using it.
have not tried it and are just not interested in using it, but This may be because many of the top benefits
by far the majority indicate that they are interested in reported by contractors and owners, such as reduced
exploring BIM adoption in the future, with well over 10% conflicts and changes during construction and
currently in the process of actively evaluating it. prefabrication of larger, complex parts, are typically more
These results are roughly equivalent, if slightly less tangible, measurable and visible than those enjoyed by
positive, than those of the non-users of BIM for buildings A/E firms during the design phase, such as improved
in MHC’s 2009 Business Value of BIM SmartMarket review and approval cycles.
Report, where almost one quarter of respondents were Also, the majority of North American A/E firms are
already evaluating it and 11% reported having no interest small, and their resource limitations may reduce their
in using it. Infrastructure has historically been a very interest in adoption. This conclusion is supported by
traditional segment of the construction industry, and two of the top reasons that A/E firms cite for delaying
slightly more skepticism is not surprising. adoption—the cost required and the view that BIM is less
efficient for smaller projects (see page 48).
Non-User Attitude Toward BIM for Infrastructure

Negative 21% Positive 79%
58%
51%
43%
24%
22%
13%14% 14% 14% 14% 14%

11%
5%
3%
We have We have not We have not We have not We have not

used it but used it and used it but are used it and used it but are
decided have no open to believe it will actively
not to use interest exploring be valuable evaluating it
it any more in using it its potential for us

Non-Users CONTINUED
Non-User Forecast:
Importance of BIM to the Infrastructure Industry in Five Years
The generally positive forecast of the importance of BIM The positive perception of the future importance of
to the infrastructure industry in five years by current BIM for infrastructure by owner non-users signals an
non-users is another leading indicator of increased impending increase in demand from that sector, which will
adoption of BIM for infrastructure projects. Only 4% of all have a major impact on driving adoption by other players.
non-users believe it will have no importance in five years. Other findings in this study bear out the importance
Even more promising, 25% believe it will have high or of owner demand in increasing adoption, including the
very high importance. fact that nearly half of the A/E and contractor non-users
Even with this optimistic forecast, infrastructure believe that owner demand for BIM will drive non-user
respondents are more conservative than their building adoption, and that well over half of the A/E and contractor
counterparts in the 2009 survey, where 81% expected non-users (67% of A/E firms and 57% of contractors)
BIM to be very important in the next five years. Again, this believe that lack of demand is the biggest factor
may be a cultural difference between infrastructure and influencing the decision to not use BIM. (See pages 50
building organizations. and 49 for more information.)
A/E FIRMS
Variation by Player In contrast, A/E firms appear to be the most skeptical of
OWNERS BIM’s value for infrastructure. They represent the highest
Owner non-users place the highest value on the proportion of those who expect that BIM will have no or
importance of BIM in the future, with 43% of the low importance and the lowest proportion of those who
owners indicating that BIM will have high or very believe it will have high or very high importance.
high importance and 78% expecting it to have at least
moderate importance.
Non-User Forecast: Importance of BIM to

Infrastructure Industry in 5 Years
Low/No Importance 30% Moderate-Very High Importance 70%

54%
42%
35% 34%
27% 27%
20% 21%
9% 9%
7%
5% 5%
3% 2%
Moderate High Very High

None Low Importance Importance Importance Importance

Non-Users CONTINUED
AEC Perception:
BIM Usage for Infrastructure by Competitors
When asked about their awareness of BIM usage in Non-User Perception of Competitors' Use of BIM
their markets, 71% of the A/E and contractor non-users (A/E Firms and Contractors)
indicate that they believe their competitors are using Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
BIM. Strong perception of use by competitors could be
a factor in the high level of interest in BIM adoption (see A/E Firms Contractors
page 43 for the breakdown of non-users that express
interest in BIM).
Do Not Perceive
Even though most of these non-users believe BIM is Perceive 29% Competitors
being used by their competitors, they do not think that Use BIM 71%
the level of implementation is very high. Most non-users
(55% on average) perceive that a low level (<15% of 57%
projects) of BIM use for infrastructure is taking place. 52%
These results are strikingly similar to the perception
of competitor use of BIM for buildings reported in MHC’s
2009 Business Value of BIM SmartMarket Report, with
almost every category within a few percentage points
of the 2009 non-users. This suggests that, despite their 30%
28%
more conservative estimates about the importance of
BIM, non-users may feel competitive pressure to begin
exploring it, which will expose them to the benefits 17%
already reported by those using BIM for infrastructure. 10%
Variation by Player 3% 3%
While 28% of the A/E firms perceive no competitive BIM
use, that percentage shrinks to 11% when considering <15% of 15%-30% 31% + of
architects alone. In addition, while the percentage is small Not at All Projects of Projects Projects
(3%), architects are the only firm type that believes that
competitors are using BIM on more than 30% of their
projects. Given the higher adoption levels by A/E firms
involved in infrastructure evident in this survey, this
estimation is consistent with the industry.
In contrast, 37% of specialty contractors and 31%
of engineers do not perceive any BIM use by their
competitors, far more than the architect respondents.
NU_Q4

Non-Users CONTINUED
AEC Perception:
BIM Usage for Infrastructure by Clients
78% of A/E and contractor non-users believe that their Non-User Perception of Clients' Use of BIM
clients use BIM. While the overall pattern echoes the (A/E Firms and Contractors)
perceptions of competitor use (see page 45), there are Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
some important variations, both in the expectations of
overall use and by firm type. A/E Firms Contractors
One critical difference is that client use is perceived to be
more widespread and more intensive than competitor use. Perceive Perceive
No Client Clients Use
higher percentage of non-users believe that their clients
A
■■
BIM Use 22% BIM 78%
are using BIM than believe that their competitors are.
58% 57%
■■ 0% of non-users believe their clients are using BIM
2
on more than 15% of their projects, compared to 16%
who perceive a similarly high level of use among their
competitors.
These results are in striking contrast the level of client

usage expected by non-users of BIM for buildings in the
2009 survey. Only 66% of them believed their clients were
23% 22%
using BIM, and only 13% believed that the owners were
using BIM on 15% or more of their projects. This suggests 17%
that in infrastructure, the expectation that owners 13%
are using BIM may be a more significant factor in BIM
6%
adoption rates than it was for buildings in 2009. 4%
Variation by Player <15% of 15%-30% 31% of

Like their perception of competitor use, more speciality Not at All Projects of Projects Projects
contractors and engineers believe that clients are using
no BIM compared to architects. However, the percentage
that think there is no use is much lower.
■■ ngineers: 23% perceive no BIM use by their clients,
E
compared to 31% by their competitors.
■■ ontractors: 26% perceive no BIM use by their clients,
C
compared to 37% by their competitors.
Only a small fraction (5%) of firms believe that clients

are using BIM on more than 30% of their projects, a
similar result to the evaluation of competitors’ BIM use.
However, in this case, the few non-users perceiving
these high levels of BIM implementation include
architects, engineers and contractors, whereas only
architects perceived high implementation levels among
their competitors.
NU_Q5
The percentage of architects that expect a high level
of implementation among their clients is also greater
than those that have similar expectations of their
competitors—11% compared to only 3%.

Non-Users CONTINUED
Owner Perceptions of BIM Usage for Infrastructure
BIM Use by Design Perception of Industry Use of BIM

and Construction Firms (According to Owners)

73% of non-user owners believe that A/E firms and Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
contractors are using BIM. This is very similar to the

estimation the non-user A/E firms and contractors have None
for BIM use for infrastructure among their competitors. Low (less than 15% of Projects)
In addition, non-user owners perceive the levels of Medium (15%-30% of Projects)
implementation comparable to those reported by the High (31% or More of Projects)
other player types.
4% believe that A/E firms and contractors use BIM on

5
■■
less than 15% of infrastructure projects. Perceived A/E Firm and Contractor Use of BIM
9% believe that A/E firms and contractors use BIM

1
■■ 4%
on 15% or more of infrastructure projects, with a very
small percentage believing BIM use on more than 30%
of projects. 15%
27%
BIM Usage by Other Owners

Owners that do not use BIM for infrastructure are also
similar in the estimation of the overall use of BIM by
their peers to non-user A/E firms and contractor—23% 54%
perceive no BIM use by other owners.
On the other hand, the owners that do expect some
level of BIM use in their peers perceive a much higher
level of used compared to the perceptions of the other Perceived Use of BIM by Other Owners
players—35% believe that other owners are using BIM on
15% or more of their projects.
The level of BIM use that infrastructure owners
perceive among their peers is notably higher than the
23%
level of use that building owners perceived among their
35%
peers in the 2009 BIM study, in which only 23% believed
that other owners were using BIM on 15% or more of
their projects.
This more optimistic view of other owners’ use of 42%
BIM is interesting, especially since owners currently are
the lowest-usage group. The perception may stem from
broad publicity related to comprehensive BIM programs
being undertaken by large infrastructure owners such as
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
NU_Q6Q7

Non-Users CONTINUED
Why BIM is Not Being Adopted for Infrastructure
All of the top five reasons for delaying the adoption of Top Reasons for Delaying the Adoption of
BIM for infrastructure were selected by over 40% of the BIM for Infrastructure
non-user respondents. This demonstrates that several Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
issues may need to be addressed to encourage non-users

A/E Firms
to begin using BIM.
The leading reason for delaying adoption among all Contractors
three types of non-user respondents is the belief that Owners
it is less efficient for smaller projects. This correlates Less Efficient for Smaller Projects
with the lower rate of adoption among small and small 64%
to medium sized organizations, whose projects would
59%
generally be smaller. (See the Methodology section on
page 60 for a breakdown of the size of the participants.) 64%
Cost Required
A/E FIRMS 51%
While important to all three groups, A/E firms are 50%
especially concerned about training time for BIM. This is Training Time Required
not surprising considering that dedicated time for staff
53%
training is not generally as high a priority in A/E firms as
in construction companies and owner organizations. 42%
43%
OWNERS
Owners find a lack of internal understanding of BIM to be Software Cost
the second most important reason to delay adoption, and 46%
significantly more of them are concerned about this issue 45%
compared to other players. 41%
Given the critical role that owner adoption can play
Lack of Internal Understanding of BIM
in encouraging the industry at large to adopt BIM,
this finding indicates an important gap that software 41%
companies and industry organizations should address. 44%
55%
NU_Q10

Non-Users CONTINUED
Factors Influencing Lack of BIM

Adoption for Infrastructure
When non-users were asked to rate the importance of Top Influences on the Decision to Not Use
factors that impact their decisions not to use BIM for BIM for Infrastructure
infrastructure projects, the overwhelmingly dominant Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
influence against adoption for A/E firms and contractors

A/E Firms
is the lack of demand by customers. This is most keenly
Contractors
felt by A/E firms. This finding also echoes the findings
of MHC’s 2009 SmartMarket Report on BIM adoption for Owners
buildings, revealing the importance of owner influence in Not Enough Demand
all project sectors to encourage BIM adoption. 67%
The impact of most other influences varied by player
57%
type, which demonstrates the importance of targeting the
0%
approach for BIM adoption to specific players. However,
a couple of categories have roughly equal impact across Software Too Expensive
all respondents. Insufficient time to evaluate the adoption 52%
of BIM appears to be a problem for all involved. This 33%
indicates a need that software companies and industry
36%
organizations should address.
On the other hand, few of the respondents from all Insufficient Time to Evaluate
three players cite insurance or liability concerns as having 42%
an influence on their not adopting BIM for infrastructure. 40%
43%
Variation by Player
Processes Don't Apply Well to What We Do
A/E FIRMS 44%
hile the cost for both software and hardware is an
W
■■ 31%
important issue across the board, more A/E firms 36%
report it as important.
Hardware Upgrades Too Expensive
ore A/E firms, compared to other players, feel that
M
■■ 36%
BIM processes do not apply well to what they do and 30%
that their current methods are better. This probably
30%
relates directly to the concern among this group that
BIM is less efficient for smaller projects. Insufficient Training Available
27%
ecause they are responsible for authoring design
B
■■
30%
models and documents, more A/E firms are concerned
about poor interoperability with CAD and the difficulty 36%
of using BIM compared to contractors or owners. Poor Interoperability with CAD Applications
CONTRACTORS 35%
Contractors show the least concern with interoperability 22%
issues related to existing authoring tools. 25%
OWNERS Current Methods Are Better

Lack of sufficient training is a particular concern of 35%
owners (36%), which aligns with their reported lack of 20%
internal understanding of BIM. 27%
McGraw-Hill Construction 49 NU_Q3

www.construction.com SmartMarket Report
Non-Users CONTINUED
Benefits that Would Encourage BIM

Adoption for Infrastructure
Even more than the factors that prevent BIM adoption, Top Factors That Can Drive Non-User Adoption
the top factors that drive BIM adoption vary strongly of BIM for Infrastructure
by player type. This is due to the different ways that Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
these organizations typically use BIM, and again
strongly suggests that the approach to encouraging BIM A/E Firms
adoption needs to vary strongly by player. In particular, Contractors
the greatest differences are between owners and the Owners
other two groups. More Accurate Construction Documents
More accurate construction documents and improved
49%
communications were considered important factors to
59%
drive non-user adoption for buildings in the 2009 BIM
SmartMarket Report. However, reduced construction 73%
costs and schedule is selected as important by more Reduced Construction Costs & Schedule
infrastructure respondents in the current survey than 46%
building respondents in 2009. 59%
61%
Variation by Player
Improved Communication
A/E FIRMS AND CONTRACTORS
41%
Since not enough demand is the top reason influencing
56%
non-adoption among A/E firms and contractors, it is not
52%
surprising that they name owner demand as a top factor
encouraging BIM adoption. Less Time Drafting & More Time Designing*
Another important benefit to these firm types is the 49%
ability to offer new services. 0%
A/E Firms
■■ 0%
A/E firms want proof that BIM will lead to less time Owner Demand**
drafting and more time designing.
44%
■■Contractors 47%
Contractors find the improved ability to do digital 0%
fabrication to be a compelling benefit. MHC’s 2011
Reduced Number of RFIs & Change Orders
Prefabrication and Modularization SmartMarket
40%
Report revealed the importance of BIM to encourage
prefabrication in vertical construction, and the same 44%
principle clearly applies in infrastructure for contractors. 57%
OWNERS
* Asked of A/E Firms Only
Owners feel most strongly about benefits that would ** Asked of A/E Firms and Contractors Only
accrue directly to projects, likely due to the fact that
project outcomes are the main way that they measure
performance.
• More Accurate Construction Documents: 73%
MHC’s 2010 Green BIM SmartMarket Report, industry
• Reduced Construction Cost and Schedule: 61% Nu_Q8
practitioners who use BIM for green projects reported
• Reduced Number of RFIs and Change Orders: 57%
significant benefits in conducting energy modeling and
Owners are also interested in seeing evidence that BIM improving building performance, and they indicated
will improve operations and maintenance (O&M), as the value that greater use of BIM to monitor building
well as their ability to do sustainable construction. In performance for greener O&M would provide.

ca
se
st
ud
y
Use of BIM on Park and Recreation Projects
C
omplex park projects, “The fountain work was the Undulation on the site created
particularly those in urban most complicated part,” says Jeff challenges with grade changes. “We
areas, can face a myriad Ruschau, project executive at Messer modeled the [topography] and found
of civil, structural and Construction. “We didn’t have any that some of the pipe came up into the
hydrological challenges. As with opportunities to make mistakes.” frost line, so we had to move that,”
vertical buildings, multiple overlapping Seven different entities on the project, says Mike Kaiser, virtual construction
systems create ample reasons for some including the fountain contractor, modeler at Messer.
designers and contractors to model were involved in modeling the site. The team also held regular model
park projects . The architect provided the team with reviews with the owner. “They were
DWG [drawing] files. Messer modeled able to visualize the piping,” Kaiser
Scioto Riverfront some architectural features, structural, says. “They had concerns about
A $44 million transformation of the topography, some civil elements and access around the pumps and head
Scioto Riverfront in Columbus, Ohio, the existing utilities in-house. The clearance, which they were able to
into grand public spaces spurred electrical contractor modeled its own identify in the model.”
the first use of BIM for underground elements, and the civil contractor Additional design changes were
modeling on a public project in Ohio. modeled storm-sewer and water lines. made to the fountains while the project
The five-acre project, which broke “We knew we had a one-time shot was underway, which caused changes
ground in 2009, features a promenade, at this,” Ruschau says. “We needed in the piping. “Without a model, it would
a plaza, numerous green spaces everyone to weigh in about everything have been a real challenge to figure
and the 15,000 square foot signature going into the ground.” out if we could accommodate these
Scioto Mile Fountain. The fountain Large concrete and stone architectural changes,” Ruschau says.
features five stainless steel halos features were built above much of The coordination effort paid off. No
that reach up to 24 feet in height and the piping on the site. The granite was underground rework was required.
support more than 1,000 nozzles. An prefabricated and shipped to the site, Kaiser estimates that between the
additional 1,000 ground-level jets can so piping had to align perfectly with model coordination and streamlined
propel water up to 70 feet in the air. the nozzle openings. The stainless redesign process, the team saved
Due to the complexity of the steel features were also in the model, roughly half the time that would have
fountain, the team chose to model the including how they were bolted down. been required for those tasks on a
project’s five miles of underground Among the team’s early discoveries traditional project. Overall, the project
plumbing and electrical conduit. was a 12-foot-wide by 7-foot-high came in five months ahead of schedule
Piping was as large as 14 inches in stormwater outfall that would have and under budget.
diameter and was stacked up to 7 interfered with the fountain’s foundation The owner was also provided
pipes deep. and piping design. with a 3D model for future facilities
management.
Rory Meyers Children’s

Adventure Garden
A myriad of potential underground
conflicts led the team on the $50
million Rory Meyers Children’s
Adventure Garden addition to the
Dallas Arboretum to create detailed
Image courtesy of Ikerd Consulting
3D models.
Subgrade utilities run throughout the
seven-acre site, which is being topped
At the Dallas Arboretum, subgrade utilities, structural piers and setbacks around with numerous landscape features
each of the park’s hundreds of trees were modeled for coordination. that will require hundreds of piers. In
CONTINUED

y
ud
Use of BIM on Park and Recreation Projects
st
ED
se
U
N
ca
TI
N
CO
addition, crews have to be cautious

because of the delicate root systems

around the hundreds of trees on site.
The project, which was in planning
for a decade, was designed in 2D. The
Beck Group brought in Ikerd Consulting
to model the site for coordination. “This
was the most progressive use of BIM
for a public park and recreation area we
have seen,” says Will Ikerd, principal of
Ikerd Consulting.
Ikerd says the project’s numerous
man-made landscape features were
“driven by the landscape architect’s
Due to the complexity of the Scioto Mile Fountain, the project’s five miles of
decisions, not the civil engineer, so all
underground plumbing and electrical conduit were modeled.
dimensional control was very artistic.”
Because of construction sequencing, Mill River in Yonkers, New York. In storm sewers were also improved as
utilities were installed on the site first. the 1920s, the U.S. Army Corps of part of the project.
The team then had to coordinate the Engineers diverted the river, which Through the model, Fleming
existing and newly placed utilities with was heavily polluted by local mills, says, PS&S was effectively able to
the landscape features. Ikerd modeled into a flume that carried it under carry out hydraulic and storm-water
subgrade utilities and structural piers, portions of the city. Officials recently runoff analysis.
as well as setbacks around each of the restored the river, “daylighting” it and PS&S adjusted and validated the 100-
park’s hundreds of trees, using data creating inviting public spaces around year flood flows from 1,600 cubic feet
provided by the project arborist. the city’s Larkin Plaza. per second [as previously estimated]
“The utilities and the structural However, the river experiences a to 2,000 cubic feet per second. Fleming
piers supporting these landscape wide range of water flows that could says its analysis also ensured that the
features are scattered throughout like threaten to flood portions of the city city wouldn’t “overbuild” the system.
a minefield,” Ikerd says. “Based on the once exposed. The river has a long- “The city suggested raising everything
original design, we found several piers reach watershed upstream and tidal by a foot,” he adds. “By having accurate
that were stabbing those utilities. Had issues created downstream by the models, it gave us confidence in
[crew members] gone and drilled piers, Hudson River. addressing the city’s concerns. As a
they would have hit utilities that had “Understanding the flow regime consultant, you can expect to be second
been installed.” through modeling was critical,” guessed on every decision, so that
In addition to saving time and says Joseph Fleming, executive added confidence helped us through
reducing errors through coordination, vice president at design firm Paulus, the design process.”
the team used BIM to help make critical Sokolowski & Sartor (PS&S). The team was able to test its analysis
value-engineering decisions. Ikerd “Especially since this was not just in a 100-year flood event when
says the model was set up for quantity a straight-line Corps of Engineers- Hurricane Irene hit the state in 2011. “I
takeoffs and that schedule could be tied type channel. We wanted to was able to stand over and watch at the
to the model for look-aheads. “I don’t undulate this thing and give it some diversion chamber and see the force of
Image courtesy of Messer Construction
know how this job could have been feel and some character.” this system pouring in,” Fleming recalls.
done effectively in 2D,” he adds. The river was designed to curve “Our assumptions proved out, and
gently through the plaza, featuring a everything survived.” ■
Saw Mill River new public park along its banks and a
Modeling played a critical role in pedestrian bridge crossing. Adjacent
restoring public access to the Saw water mains, sanitary sewer and

Data:Looking Ahead
BIM Value for Infrastructure Projects in the Future
Determining the most important drivers of value in the Most Important Factors for Increasing
future is important since these drivers will encourage BIM Value on Infrastructure Projects
wider adoption, accelerate user implementation and Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
ultimately establish BIM as the industry standard

A/E Firms
approach to infrastructure projects.
Contractors
To determine these drivers, current users were asked
to rate the importance of thirteen factors based on how Owners
much it will impact their organization’s future ability to More Owners Asking for BIM
experience business benefits from BIM on infrastructure 66%
projects. Seven of the thirteen factors received high or
59%
very high ratings from at least half of the respondents.
The most important driver overall is more owners 71%
asking for BIM, with a total average of 64%. Interestingly, Improved Functionality of Software Supporting BIM
more owners (71%) rate this as important compared 70%
to other players. Owner adoption is clearly considered
55%
critical across the industry to drive more value.
53%
In addition, a relatively comparable number of A/E
firms, contractors and owners express a shared belief Improved Interoperability between Software
that the willingness of authorities having jurisdiction to 63%
accept models will increase BIM value. 57%
59%
Variation by Player
More Internal Staff with BIM Skills
A/E FIRMS
67%
A greater number of A/E firms (range of 60%–70%)
consider six other top-rated factors important, 49%
compared to the number of owners or contractors 47%
reporting the same. Contracts to Aid Collaboration & Define BIM Deliverables
0% of A/E firms rate improved functionality of
7
■■ 62%
software supporting BIM to be an important factor 56%
increasing BIM value. This correlates with their focus 47%
on authoring and analyzing models.
Willingness of AHJs to Accept Models
ver two thirds (67%) highly value having more internal
O
■■
61%
staff with BIM skills as a way to increase BIM’s value for
52%
infrastructure. Less than half of the other respondents
rate this as being important, again reflecting A/E firms’ 53%
need to generate models. More External Organizations with BIM Skills
3% find improved interoperability between software
6
■■ 61%
programs to be highly important. The relatively 47%
comparable number of other players reporting the 41%
same reflects an industry-wide need.
■■ 67% of A/E firms assign value to more external OWNERS
organizations with BIM skills, significantly higher than Only 47% of owners forecast high impact from
the other players. This reinforces the importance A/E improving contracts to aid collaboration and define BIM
firms place on working with BIM-knowledgeable firms Ahead_Q32
deliverables, which is surprising given the importance of
(see page 26). team formation for owners.

Looking Ahead CONTINUED
Where Help Is Needed
When current users were asked to identify the areas Areas Requiring Assistance in Implementing
where they need help in order to increase their BIM for Infrastructure
implementation of BIM for infrastructure, a significant Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012
number request help with all the issues raised. This

A/E Firms
finding loudly signals the need for industry-wide
Contractors
education, targeted consulting services, broadly
Owners
accepted standards for practices and procedures, and
active involvement by the full range of professional Software Interoperability
associations that serve our industry. 29%
Several individual issues were also considered
29%
important by respondents.
26%
he need for assistance with issues related to software
T
■■
Basic BIM Education
interoperability garnered the most unanimity among
25%
all players.
23%
hallenges related to project management on work
C
■■
32%
that involves BIM also attracted roughly equal
proportions of the three players, highlighting an Legal/Contractual Issues
opportunity for industry associations to meet a broadly 24%
held need. 13%
32%
Variation by Player
Project Management
OWNERS 19%
Owners are most concerned with basic BIM education, 20%
reinforcing the finding reported previously that the lack
16%
of internal understanding of BIM is a top reason that
non-users in this group are delaying adoption (see page All of the Above
48 for more information). 30%
Although relatively fewer owners ascribe future 27%
importance to contracts to aid collaboration and define 21%
BIM deliverables when predicting drivers of BIM value in
the future (see page 53), one third report the need for help
with legal/contractual issues. This may indicate a belief
that if these issues can be ironed out in the near term,
they will exert less influence in the future.
Ahead_Q39

Interview:Thought Leaders
Robert A. Bank, P.E., F.ASCE
The Owner Perspective on BIM Infrastructure
Chief, Civil Works Branch, Engineering & Construction,

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Bob Bank is responsible for policy

development and supervision
“Several years ago, when we talked about BIM,
of agency technical leaders and
communities of practice in the
everyone would say, ‘How much does it cost?’ And
broad disciplines related to civil now, it’s: ‘How much does it cost to not use BIM?’”
works in USACE, engineering
and construction information
technology (IT) systems, and life- the natural environment, which is BANK: We first created [models] for
safety programs. constantly changing. Infrastructure a series of standard facilities in our
is getting more and more complex military transformation program by
BIM adoption for infrastructure to adapt to those changes. More having a contractual requirement for
lags behind adoption on vertical complex tools can integrate all the BIM deliverables. Several years ago,
building projects. What’s your information and data analysis, to when we talked about BIM, everyone
perspective on that? better design, better plan and better would say, “How much does it cost?”
BANK: I think that a lot of it is operate these projects. And now, it’s “How much does it
perception. People see buildings cost to not use BIM?” The Corps
as complex systems where BIM What are the unique cultural already pushed a little bit by having
is helpful because of advanced issues related to using BIM on some specific requirements. Now
mechanical, structural, energy infrastructure work? companies have caught on.
analysis and architecture tools. BANK: One of the challenges today
Those tools have been out there so is attracting kids to engineering, so What are your thoughts
people associate that with BIM. But we need to keep engineering fun about the future of BIM for
I think infrastructure BIM is getting and relevant. Younger people were infrastructure?
there, and as people continue to raised on video games incorporating BANK: GIS [geographic information
see how BIM improves vertical virtual reality, basically virtual walk- systems] and BIM linked together. We
construction, I think it’s going to throughs of scenarios, towns and do a lot of environmental analysis of
keep expanding into horizontal buildings. So kids can relate to conditions in the field which is GIS-
construction. We have to do it with horizontal construction and BIM; based and need to pull that together
small steps, keeping it simple and they’re already there. The cultural into an integrated design. Also [we
getting people to make incremental shift is for the older folks. We need are incorporating] real-time data
moves in that direction. to partner older, more experienced from monitoring sensors linked to our
engineers and technical people with operating projects. We are prioritizing
Are there benefits of BIM that younger technology-savvy people our repair investments by risk.
are unique to infrastructure who can adopt those technologies We’re doing that on our dam safety
projects? more quickly and be comfortable in program, analyzing which projects
BANK: Absolutely. The main reason them. That’s one of the big cultural present the most risk to public safety,
BIM has caught on for buildings opportunities that we have. and dealing with those first. Einstein
is because of systems. Well, said that we cannot solve today’s
infrastructure is systems also. The How do you get companies on problems at the same level of thinking
real opportunity is how infrastructure a project team to use BIM in the as when we created them. That’s
is closely linked and connected to ways that you want them to? really what this is about. ■

Richard Humphrey, ASCE, LEED AP
The Technology Industry Perspective
Director, Industry Strategy & Development

Engineering, Natural Resources & Infrastructure Industry (ENI)

Autodesk, Inc.
Richard Humphrey has worked

with leaders in the building and
infrastructure industries to drive “Once (engineers) start getting used to the new
sustainable design, technology methods, new tools and processes, then the question
innovation and BIM. He is is, ‘How come you didn’t give this to me sooner?’”
responsible for directing and driving
the success of Autodesk’s business
in the transportation, land, water, oil 3D visualization. [That visualization] How do you see the industry
and gas, mining, engineering and conveys the design intent of the adopting BIM for infrastructure?
heavy construction segments. infrastructure asset in the context HUMPHREY: You’re seeing pockets
of the real world in a much different of acceptance and mandates of
BIM adoption for infrastructure way than reviewing construction BIM policies, and I think that’s
lags behind adoption on vertical plans, which I would say nine out of going to accelerate. There’s a lot of
building projects. What’s your 10 people really don’t understand. awareness around BIM as a potential
perspective on that? That’s huge. tool and process to ensure that
HUMPHREY: There’s a lot of the predictability and risk is well
evangelism around BIM with What are the unique cultural understood for large projects. So
building information modeling, issues related to using BIM on I would say that you’re probably
so it took a while for the rest of infrastructure work? going to see some policy setting
the AEC industry, particularly HUMPHREY: BIM does require a that includes BIM process or BIM
infrastructure and engineering, new way of thinking. In the past, a deliverables in the infrastructure
to realize BIM wasn’t just in the civil road designer just carried out space. You’re already seeing it at the
context of buildings. They started to the alignment in the road design. state and local agency level, whether
understand that it was a process and When he got to a bridge, he just it’s Caltrans [California Department
that they can leverage the learning let the bridge designer do their of Transportation], Wisconsin
from the building industry and thing. It would be more beneficial [Department of Transportation]
the success that happened there. to have the bridge engineer, the or other state agencies that are
That’s why we see adoption really civil, geotech and utilities people beginning to adopt BIM.
accelerating now. all working together along the
same database. Once the rest of What are your thoughts
Are there benefits of BIM that the organization sees the success about the future of BIM for
are unique to infrastructure and the benefits [of BIM], then it infrastructure?
projects? becomes viral and everyone wants HUMPHREY: A lot of the work that
HUMPHREY: They’re very, very to leverage the technology instead happens in the industry is out in
large, complex public projects. of complaining that you’re trying the field. The more we can leverage
Owners and consultants have a to make them do something new. technology to bring field-mobility-
significant challenge to get through Once they start getting used to type tools to the industry, the better
the public approval process and the new methods, new tools and off we can be. We also need to
engage the public more. We see processes, then the question is, attract new engineers by putting
BIM as a great process to help do “How come you didn’t give this to engineering back into a real-world
this. One of the outputs is realistic me sooner?” context through technology. ■

Dana Kennish “Deke” Smith, FAIA
The Industry Association Perspective
on BIM Infrastructure
Executive Director, Building Seismic Safety Council and

buildingSMART alliance, National Institute of Building Sciences
Deke Smith was instrumental in the

beginnings of the NIBS Construction
“…the growing relationship between GIS and
Criteria Base, now the Whole Building
Design Guide (WBDG).
BIM will help civil engineers to get engaged
because GIS is already widely accepted with
BIM adoption for infrastructure the infrastructure side of the community .”
is behind adoption on vertical
building projects. What’s your
perspective on that? What are the unique cultural we have to come up with a whole
SMITH: I think the name, building issues related to using BIM on new way of teaching. We also are
information modeling, has been infrastructure work? working with TAP [Technology in
a big issue. People who are into SMITH: It is very much a cultural Architectural Practice] on the AIA
virtual design and construction— change issue. I remember the [American Institute of Architects]
VDC—don’t even identify with BIM. transition to CAD and how side, with AGC [the Associated
We spent a lot of time early in the significant the impact was. It was General Contractors of America] and
whole process trying to decide if really only automating an existing with IFMA [the International Facility
there was a better name, but there process, drafting, and only affected Management Association] trying to
was enough groundswell with design, but you would have thought put together some programs.
the use of the word BIM that it is we were changing the world! BIM
probably easier to go with it and affects every aspect of the industry What are your thoughts
let people know that it has greater and every practitioner. It’s more about the future of BIM for
meaning than just buildings. There disruptive than CAD ever was, infrastructure?
are all kinds of words that you can but I’m not sure that most people SMITH: IFCs [Industry Foundation
substitute for [the] B [Building] to recognize that BIM even applies Classes] have come of age—that is
include all the different pieces that to infrastructure yet. This report our future. IFC for infrastructure is
we see going into BIM. should help that, but a lot of culture a huge step in the right direction. It
change still has to occur. started with CSTB [the Computer
Are there benefits of BIM that Science and Telecommunications
are unique to infrastructure What do you think is the key to Board] in France and we’re building
projects? driving BIM adoption? on what was already done. IFCs
SMITH: A lot of the benefits of BIM SMITH: Education. How do we gear enable Open BIM, which is about
for buildings are also true with the next generation to come out and how the vendors can all work
infrastructure. I think the bigger really hit the ground at full speed? together in order for us to have basic
issue is that we haven’t taken At the buildingSMART alliance interoperability. Also, the growing
advantage of a lot of them yet in we’ve been focusing on colleges and relationship between GIS [geographic
any project type. We’re still so universities. Last year we had 25 at information system] and BIM will
much in the infancy of this whole our event talking about how they’re help civil engineers to get engaged
effort that most people probably changing the curriculum to teach because GIS is already widely
really haven’t grasped the full BIM. But we can’t just keep putting accepted with the infrastructure side
opportunity that’s out there. more courses into the curriculum; of the community. ■

Cory Dippold
The Engineer Perspective on BIM Infrastructure
Professional Engineer and Associate, Hatch Mott MacDonald
Cory Dippold has over ten years

of structural design and project “…we don’t look at BIM as a 3-D model. We
management experience. At HMM, look at BIM as the future of our project
he championed the implementation delivery protocol… We intend to deliver
of BIM technology, and he now digital models and stand behind the data.”
serves as the BIM director for their
North American operations. to it. We built an internal content library are rapidly picking it up.
of all the pipes, fittings, valves, pumps
BIM adoption for infrastructure and equipment that we need, to design How do you get other firms on
lags behind adoption on vertical any wet infrastructure, and the benefits a project team to use BIM in the
building projects. What’s your we’re receiving are enormous. Now ways that you want them to?
perspective on that? our process engineers, structural DIPPOLD: Right now firms have
DIPPOLD: BIM as most people engineers and designers are in the widely varying degrees of
think of it was originally conceived same room working on the same proficiency across project types.
around the architectural field as a model, and we can lay out a complete One might be extremely proficient
more effective and collaborative facility, with better tolerances on lay in tunneling BIM work, but have no
way to produce project data for new lengths and fittings, much more quickly ability to do bridge work. We are
architectural projects. The building and accurately than ever before. trying to do our due diligence up
environment is a finite world that front to make sure we partner with
computers deal with very well. What are the unique cultural compatible firms on a given project
Working with existing conditions issues related to using BIM on that can actively engage with us
on infrastructure projects, there’s infrastructure work? and add value to the team.
a lot of interpolation that goes on. DIPPOLD: The cultural challenges
You can set the center line elevation are probably the most significant What are your thoughts
and crossfall for a new road, but at part of moving from a traditional about the future of BIM for
some point you need to tie it into project delivery approach to a BIM infrastructure?
infrastructure that already exists project delivery approach. And DIPPOLD: The concept of the
and work around things like utilities to be clear, we don’t look at BIM drawing—as we’ve come to know
or pipes in your way. That’s hard as a 3D model. We look at BIM as it—is going the way of the dodo. It is
for a computer to understand. That the future of our project delivery only a matter of time. On some of our
interpolation or “fiddle factor,” which protocol. It’s not “Let’s build a model design-build highway work, we don’t
is traditionally handled in the field, is and create a drawing.” It is about deliver drawings to the contractor;
something we need to work through using this integrated technology they simply prefer electronic
as an industry. to combine our analytical systems deliverables. We still make record
with our production systems, with drawings for the owner, but I see
Are there benefits of BIM that our project context evaluation, with the trend of model deliverables
are unique to infrastructure our reporting systems, with our risk getting stronger. We intend to deliver
projects? identification and beyond. Getting digital models and stand behind the
DIPPOLD: Definitely. Water people to work in that integrated data. Although infrastructure lags
infrastructure is a good example environment can be a challenge, but behind commercial work, it is
because there are a lot of finite aspects we’re finding that our younger staff absolutely coming. ■

Joseph H. Jarboe
The General Contractor Perspective
on BIM Infrastructure
President, AGC of America and

Senior Vice President, Clark Construction Group LLC
Joe Jarboe has been with Clark

since 1982. He has headed corporate “One issue that has to be dealt with is the
estimating/preconstruction activities willingness of the owners and designers
and evaluated potential opportunities
to share their electronic designs.”
nationwide for more than 20 years.
BIM adoption for infrastructure also useful information downstream many trade contractors. You’ve got
is behind adoption on vertical for both quantity analysis and work a lot of self-perform people who do
building projects. What’s your sequencing. And once you have all of their own work with their own
perspective on that? that, uploading that data into your equipment. It’s not like the building
JARBOE: It’s a somewhat natural field equipment will lend itself to side where a significant portion is
progression. With buildings, some GPS surveying and automated subcontracted.
of the biggest benefits are clash machine data systems to increase
detection and spatial coordination your field efficiency and reduce What are your thoughts
of very complex systems in close potential safety issues. about the future of BIM
proximity to each other, which are for infrastructure?
very difficult to accurately coordinate What are the unique cultural JARBOE: I’ll give you an example.
with traditional 2D drawings. This issues related to using BIM on A contractor I know is using state-
gave a lot of people very early infrastructure work? standard details they’ve entered
incentive to begin using BIM to JARBOE: One issue that has to be dealt into their computer. When a job
avoid problems. Then mechanical with is the willingness of the owners requires a retaining wall, they draw
and structural subcontractors found and designers to share their electronic two dots and a straight line, and the
they could fabricate directly from designs. Liability concerns are the computer generates that wall based
the model, which improved their biggest impediment in this area. We on the design criteria and the state
quality and cost. It also expedited the went through that on the building side standard details. They add in the
schedule. And now we have CIM, civil too, but it’s an issue that needs to be grades, and it makes the wall smaller
information modeling. resolved. Also, contracts are design- or larger, whatever is required. It also
bid-build in many of these types of generates all the quantities. The same
Are there benefits of BIM that projects, and they really haven’t started thing is true with trenching. There’s
are unique to infrastructure to use alternative procurement. There also modeling of bridges where you
projects? hasn’t been the incentive yet. These are locate the post-tension strands and
JARBOE: Yes, there are several, cultural changes on the procurement elevations for your embeds. In all
actually. CIM offers many of side. Once you do that, and people start these areas, things will really start to
the same conflict identification to use it and see the benefit of it, they’ll speed up. ■
attributes, such as identifying and become adopters.
resolving utility conflicts or other
unknown underground conditions. How do you get other companies
These are important because they on a project team to use BIM in
have a significant impact on traffic the ways that you want them to?
movements helping resolve issues JARBOE: It’s a bit simpler on the
once construction has begun. It’s civil side because you don’t have as

Methodology:
Infrastructure Building Information Modeling Research
McGraw-Hill Construction (MHC) in the past year to be considered valid. • Non-Users: State that they
conducted the 2011 Infrastructure The following are the types of are “not using BIM” or “don’t
Building Information Modeling Study to infrastructure projects conducted by understand BIM.”
assess the overall incidence of the use of the respondents, by the percentage of • Users: State that they are
BIM on infrastructure projects and gauge responses for each type: “creating models,” “using but not
the value that organizations perceive • Roads and Bridges: 24% creating models,” or “creating and
they are receiving by implementing • Water (Drinking / Waste / Stormwater): analyzing models.”
BIM on such projects. The research was 21%
conducted through an Internet survey • Other Transportation (Aviation, Rail, In the analysis, the respondents were
industry professionals between October Transit): 17% grouped into three categories:
25 and November 22, 2011. The 466 • Public Parks and Recreation: 10% • A/E Firms: All respondents who work
respondents sample size benchmarks at • Energy: 9% at architecture, engineering or A/E
a 95% confidence interval with a margin • Dams, Levees, Inland Waterways: firms (Note that at times responses
of error of less than 5%. 8% from architects and engineers are
The sample for the study was • Hazardous / Solid Waste: 7% analyzed individually.)
provided by five associations plus • Other: 4% • Contractors: Construction managers,
players in MHC’s proprietary databases. general contractors, speciality
In the data analysis, respondents are
The respondents were screened based contractors and fabricators
classified as BIM users or non-users
on their involvement in infrastructure • Owners: Owners and all remaining
based on their use of BIM on
projects. All respondents were required respondents, such as consultants
to have worked on infrastructure projects and educators n
Distribution by Size of Organization

Respondents by Firm Type
Organization Size A/E Firm Billings Contractor/Owner Organization Revenue Owner
Small Organization < $500,000 < $25 Million

Specialty Contractor
Fabricator
Small to Medium $500,000 to < $5 Million $25 Million to < $100 Million
GC
Medium to Large $5 Million to < $10 Million $100 Million to < $500 Million
Architect
Large Organization $10 Million and Over $500 Million and Over Engineering
Other (Includes A/E Firms and Owners
Allocated to the A/E and Owner
A/E Contractors Owners Categories in the Charts and Analysis)
44%
42%
40%
9% 8%
33% 7%
29%
27% 7%
18% 18% 35%

16% 16%
22%
9% 9%
12%
Small Small to Medium Medium to Large Large
Meth_Chart
SmartMarket Report
Resources
Organizations, websites and publications that can help you
get smarter about using BIM for infrastructure projects.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
The authors wish to thank our premier partners, Autodesk and the
American Society of Civil Engineers, for helping us bring this information
McGraw Hill Construction to the market. Specifically, we would like to thank Phil Bernstein and
Main Website : construction.com Catherine Palmer of Autodesk for their long-standing support of McGraw-
Research & Analytics : Hill Construction research. Additionally, we would like to thank Pat Natale
construction.com/market_research and Jim Rossberg at ASCE.
Engineering News-Record : enr.com
Architectural Record : archrecord.com We would also like to thank Jay Mezher of Parsons Brinckerhoff and Eric
GreenSource : greensourcemag.com Cylwik of Sundt Construction for their insight and expertise. We appreciate
Sweets : sweets.com the participation of Robert Bank of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Cory
Dippold of Hatch Mott MacDonald; Richard Humphrey of Autodesk; Joseph
Jarboe of Clark Construction; and Deke Smith of the National Institute of
Building Sciences who agreed to be interviewed and offered their insights.
Finally, we would also like to thank the firms that provided information
about their infrastructure projects and use of BIM in the case studies, as
well as for their assistance in helping us secure images to supplement their
project information.
American Society of Civil Engineers
Premier Corporate Partner Premier Association Partner
Autodesk American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

www.autodesk.com/bim www.asce.org
Partners Other Resources

buildingSMART Alliance : buildingsmartalliance.org Associated Builders & Contractors : abc.org
American Institute of Steel Construction : aisc.org The Associated General Contractors
American
Produced Road
with & Transportation
support from of America : agc.org
Builders Association : artba.org Construction Users Roundtable : curt.org
Design-Build Institute of America : dbia.org BIMForum : bimforum.org
American Public Works Association : apwa.net Lean Construction Forum : agcleanforum.org
Lean Construction Institute : leanconstruction.org
National Institute of Building Sciences : nibs.org
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers : www.usace.army.mil
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal
Highway Administration : fhwa.dot.gov
■ Design and Construction Intelligence
SmartMarket Report
McGraw-Hill Construction SmartMarket Reports™
Get smart about the latest industry trends.

For more information on these reports and others, visit
www.construction.com ⁄market _ research
Association Research Partners:

Bim Business Value of Bim For Infrastructure Wpaper en

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Bim Business Value of Bim For Infrastructure Wpaper en

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SmartMarket Report

The Business Value of

Premier Corporate Partner: Premier Association Partner:

American Society of Civil Engineers

McGraw-Hill Construction The Business Value of

”VDC” … “Civil Information positively about future adoption, with only

exposure to BIM on vertical building include reduced conflicts and changes

McGraw-Hill Construction 1 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

21 Top Internal Benefits for A/E Firms and Contractors

31 Investment and ROI

SmartMarket Report McGraw-Hill Construction 2 www.construction.com

46 AEC Perception: BIM Usage for Infrastructure by Clients

55 Thought Leader Perspective

behind vertical construction, but infrastructure projects are well-suited to

Business Value of BIM for  educed rework is a top project-oriented benefit

Infrastructure identified by owners.

 t 77%, more contractors report a positive ROI than

than 25% of their infrastructure projects by 2013—a

SmartMarket Report McGraw-Hill Construction 4 www.construction.com

Level of BIM Implementation for Infrastructure Projects

2009 2011 2013 4 Year Change

 he group of companies implementing BIM for

infrastructure at a very high level (employing it on Over Time (for Users)

increases most dramatically, rising from only 7% in

VARIATION BY INDUSTRY PLAYER 100%

Non-Users Offer Strong 20%

79% are open to considering it or already evaluating it.

Only 4% report having tried it and then rejected it.

Most non-users perceive that BIM is being actively deployed

DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES TO ADOPTION

McGraw-Hill Construction 5 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

Each company needs to develop a tailored approach to advancing its BIM

SmartMarket Report McGraw-Hill Construction 6 www.construction.com

an important strategy in vertical (building) construction to improve Note About

McGraw-Hill Construction 7 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

vertical building projects for a number of years, its

• 2012 Infrastructure: 50%

• 2012 Infrastructure: 23%

To establish a baseline of comparison among the respondents

 alf of the companies using BIM for infrastructure have

only one to two years of experience doing so, versus

 hile 43% have five or more years of BIM experience

on all project types, only about half that number (23%)

SmartMarket Report McGraw-Hill Construction 8 www.construction.com

consistent with previous McGraw-Hill Construction

Variation by Player 26%

BIM expertise on all project types: 55%

BIM expertise on infrastructure projects: 35%

In addition, only 16% of architects and engineers self-

Beginner 34% Advanced/Expert 33%

Beginner Moderate Advanced Expert

McGraw-Hill Construction 9 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

Current Implementation of BIM in Infrastructure

Current Implementation of BIM:

Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012

18%19% 17% 16%

SmartMarket Report McGraw-Hill Construction 10 www.construction.com

BIM Implementation Trends for Infrastructure

Comparing the past implementation of BIM for Variation by Player

2013 Implementation of BIM

2009 Implementation of BIM A/E Firms Contractors Owners

A/E Firms Contractors Owners 54%

McGraw-Hill Construction 11 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

McGraw-Hill Construction 1 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

Business Value of BIM for educed rework is a top project-oriented benefit

t 77%, more contractors report a positive ROI than

he group of companies implementing BIM for

McGraw-Hill Construction 5 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

McGraw-Hill Construction 7 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

alf of the companies using BIM for infrastructure have

hile 43% have five or more years of BIM experience

McGraw-Hill Construction 9 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

McGraw-Hill Construction 11 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

y 2013, small organizations will lead the way in high-

McGraw-Hill Construction 13 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

McGraw-Hill Construction 15 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

McGraw-Hill Construction 17 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

McGraw-Hill Construction 19 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

variety of specific benefits that result from using BIM

roject phases and project processes which benefit

roject factors that most affect the ability to generate

McGraw-Hill Construction 21 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

McGraw-Hill Construction 23 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

McGraw-Hill Construction 25 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

McGraw-Hill Construction 27 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

McGraw-Hill Construction 29 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

McGraw-Hill Construction 31 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report