Growth through BIM - Institution of Civil Engineers

2.2. Design and management services to projects represent another1% of GDP (ref 3) and are classified as Business Services. Half of theannual construction capital spend is also classed as Repair, Maintenanceand Improvement, the realms of Asset and Facility Management.Trade in, operation of and management of buildings and property (RealEstate Services) is another huge part of the economy: 7.1%. All theseoperations will be transformed by BIM-related practices. In total therefore,BIM will impact directly on nearly 15% of GDP.2.4. The major opportunity for UK-based construction businessesin the current decade is to win work in the expanding markets of thedeveloping world. Currently about £7.6Bn is earned by export, around1% of contracting work, 4% of consultancy and 10% of materials andproducts business. Global Construction 2020 (ref 4) in 2011 set outthe expectations of a team of economists for the pattern of demand inthe current decade. This forecast might now be considered somewhatoptimistic about recovery from the recession, but its pattern of relativepositions is still relevant. Demand flows from a combination of populationgrowth and its urbanisation rate, economic growth and propensity2.3. Indirectly, BIM will influence performance in the sectors whichto invest in construction as a proportion of GDP.occupy and use buildings and infrastructure. Built environment is anenabling sector, facilitating the performance of most other sectors.2.5. Global Construction 2020 says that the annual amount ofconstruction to be done globally will rise to $12tn in 2020, up 67%from 2010 and forming 13.2% of world GDP. $97tn will be spent inthe decade. The growth will come entirly from the developing world;Built environment is also the dominant consumer of utilities, electricity,gas and water, the source of most waste, plus the locus of almost allfixed ICT. BIM will affect performance in these sectors. Infrastructure isa substantial part of the built environment and is mapped on geographicinformation systems (GIS). GIS and BIM developed separately butare conceptually related and should become seamlessly linked to enablebetter development and regulatory control. The Internet of Things(IoT, where sensors on objects communicate via the Internet Protocol)is emerging as a further factor. This affects how building elements aretagged, shipped and tracked, but also how they can form a sentientsystem to support the construction and operation of the building, infrastructureelement or district. BIM will link into IoT, providing ‘Big Data’and tools to manage the so-called Smart City environment and theSmart Grid for power management.Wuxi Shopping Centre, atrium, for Inter Ikea Centre GroupG r o w t h t h r o u g h B I M15