BIM and Lean - A Wave of Change in the Industry Worldwide

The rise of BIM, Lean and IPD in construction industry during last 2-3 years shows that industry is desperately changing its work practices in these tough economic times. My belief that the tough economy attracted industry's focus towards productivity improvement grew stronger and stronger over last couple of years and especially after seeing the wave of change in the capital asset management practices in public sector. Major government institutions such as General Administration Services (GSA), US Coast Guard, and public works in Wisconsin, Texas, Finland and Denmark made BIM compulsory over the course of last 3-4 years. UK government is also talking about making BIM compulsory for all public projects according to this article - "The use of force: Building information modelling" on building.co.uk

If you are looking for a similar pattern in Lean Construction growth than look at London Heathrow Terminal 5 Project and Sutter Health Projects in California. Both are multi billion dollar construction programs and brilliant examples of Lean Construction applications. BIM already took off three years ago after decades of application in multi billion dollar projects and now next in line are Lean Construction and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). Instead of changing the softwares and tools (such as BIM) alone it would be a change in the operating system (Lean and IPD Systems) of the industry.

The statement that government regulations and owner demand drive the innovations might sound like a cliché but it is relevant for BIM, Lean and IPD in the present times.

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