The first step is to open the eyes of managers to change in the construction industry

Among other things, the key factors in the domestic spread of BIM were reviewed during the afternoon roundtable discussion at the Contech Construction Conference. At the conference in Balatonfüred, Market Építő Zrt was present as a bronze-level sponsor of the event, while also participating in the „BIM: Digitalisation throughout the entire construction life cycle – from design to operation” panel discussion.

It might be worth exploring another way to map the BIM

In his speech, the expert from the leading Hungarian company in the sector pointed out that while 6-7 years ago we were talking about the global uptake or lack of BIM, today the picture has become much more nuanced. "There are areas in the domestic construction industry where it is more widespread, some where less so, and some where it is more used and some where it is less so," he said.

With this in mind, he said, it was time to look at the application of BIM in several layers. "It would be worth looking at which functions are present in which project phases, and also in which project types it is typically used." Overall, he suggested a change of focus and a diversified survey.

A notable example in the US: when the operator starts the project

The roundtable also explored what could be the barrier and driver for the uptake of BIM. In this context, it was mentioned that it is not necessarily in the interest of an investor to require a more serious level of BIM. In this context, Szabolcs Grátzer pointed out that an important issue in the enforcement of BIM is who sets the expectations during the project, and who provides the information, when and to whom.

On this topic, he drew attention to the practice in the United States, where the project is carried out in the opposite way to the way it is done in the country. "First of all, the operator is commissioned to explain how he envisages operating the building economically and in accordance with its functions. In the second step, a contractor is appointed based on this concept. The contractor then knows exactly what can be built with the money available and commissions the designer accordingly. This operating model is the reverse of ours, so it's worth thinking about."

Leaders may hold the key to a change of mindset

The Contech Conference, which was also presented in detail by our newspaper in detail, a recurring theme at the Contech Conference was the important shift in mindset required for digitalisation (particularly in relation to BIM). A separate roundtable discussion was organised on the topic of Mindset Change. In light of this, we asked Szabolcs Grátzer how he sees this factor. „A change in mindset is not an easy task; we have to realise that it is very difficult to change the mindset of many people at once,” replied the head of the design department. „I see the solution in opening the eyes of managers first. Their mindset needs to change, and once that happens, concrete steps can be taken, following the examples they set.”