"We need to see each other's mistakes" - issues concerning the future of the construction industry were the focus of the BIM conference on 4 December

The conference BIM - Innovation and Opportunities, organised by ÉKM CTI and ÉMI in connection with the Hungarian Presidency of the European Union, was held on 4 December 2024 in Szentendre, in the event hall of the ÉMI National Mint and Visitor Centre.

In her introductory speech, Renáta Határ, Deputy State Secretary of ÉKM for the Construction Industry, highlighted:

"The new legislation, which was published last year and transformed the entire construction industry, has made digitalisation and BIM-oriented organisational processes in the entire process of the construction industry, from design to construction and operation, one of its basic principles.

In order to make this knowledge known among those involved in the preparation and implementation of investments, as well as operators, and to make it useful for non-public investments, professional forums and events such as these are of paramount importance, where experts committed to digitalisation can learn about the latest trends and share their experiences in such high-quality programmes.

András Mayer, Head of ÉMI and CTI, emphasised in his introductory remarks that the two institutions he leads are the highest level technical, technological workshops and back-up institutions of Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium, where European level research and development work is taking place that is enabling these changes in many important areas of the construction industry.

Professionals for construction

Many leading construction companies have discussed their practical experience and potential for improvement with the BIM, as knowledge sharing is the way to a common goal. This was emphasized by Sabolcs Grátzer, Market Építő Zrt. BIM Manager, who highlighted in his presentation the Market BIM BIM team start-up as a useful advice for other companies:

"The fundamental question was what we wanted to use the BIM for"

With a BIM team of eight Market experts, the 75 or so completed projects already allow for long-term conclusions to be drawn. "What we've been doing for eight years," he notes, "is not to make things cheaper, and not to get the building done faster. But by using the BIM, we want to increase the reliability of the delivery.

It is a multi-layered thing, the first and most important element of which is communication. We want to make our BIM system accessible to everyone, especially subcontractors, because we want to use it for day-to-day communication."

Open communication is needed

The transparency of the design and the ease of coordination make the use of a BIM system really useful. "This is coupled with accounting support, which," emphasised Szabolcs Grátzer, "is a very important part of our business."

It is important to stress that a good example, he explained, does not necessarily mean how to build quickly. In his experience, communication has become the most important element in the most successful projects.

"You have to be transparent with your customers, you have to consult with universities. We have and will continue to organise student applications. Equally important, we are trying to participate in working groups through ÉVOSZ and chambers, because knowledge sharing can drive this industry forward," he pointed out.

Practical benefits

Planning support can come in a myriad of small details, of which impact assessments are only the first option, but "we have also been working for two years on how to reduce the approval cycles for plans", he noted, adding:

"point cloud technology, for example, is not only used to analyse surfaces, but is also good for checking subcontractors' workmanship and installation accuracy."

The BIM covers almost everything in the creation of a building, from the floor to the mechanical equipment. BIM modelling is now a requirement without which we could not work effectively; spatial site organisation is also increasingly requested by construction managers, a "relatively new requirement but one that can be optimised with BIM tools. When we introduce a technology, the construction managers are quick to pick up on it and come back with requests. This is no coincidence."

What could be the future of BIM?

The main goal is to apply the LEAN method in the construction industry, the "next step of which," shared Szabolcs Grátzer, "could be to merge it with the BIM management. We are still skirting this topic, but it seems to have a very high potential."

"At the moment," he pointed out, "many of the technologies we use are insular. It's going to be a big step when we figure out how to bring everything together, because there are some where there's a lack of resources, some where the technology is lagging behind, some where the knowledge base is not yet mature.

The coordination of these can be successful if we share our experiences. It will work if we talk, if we share our knowledge. We also need to see each other's mistakes, because then we can really learn from each other."

The participants - speakers, audience - agreed that this event provided an excellent opportunity for professional dialogue, which has led market players to take an important step towards the effective implementation of a new approach and efficient investment management process.