A strategy to introduce mandatory BIM working in public sector projects has been launched in Spain.
This marks a step-change in Spain’s approach to BIM, where up till now BIM use has been patchy, with just a few enlightened regional governments acting as beacons and far-sighted companies leading adoption. The strategy was announced at a meeting convened by the Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Fomento), where the minister, Ana Pastor, emphasised that the switch to BIM working would represent both a culture shock and an opportunity for the industry.
A steering committee – the Comisión para la implantación de la metodología BIM – has been set up to promote the implementation of BIM in the Spanish construction sector, life-cycle use of BIM and the development of national standards to facilitate BIM practices. And importantly, the strategy will require the mandatory use of open BIM. ‘There is a strong support for this move, among clients and larger companies,’ says Sergio Muñoz, president of the Spanish chapter, which is on the steering committee.
‘However, it may be hard for some of the SMEs. At buildingSMART Spain, we have working groups in the areas of dissemination and training, and we intend to help ease the way for the smaller players.’ The BIM steering committee is creating five task groups, covering international liaison, strategies, technologies, people and processes. International liaison will aim both to align Spain’s work on BIM with that of other European countries and to share its experiences with countries in Latin America to encourage BIM roll-out on the continent. Pilot projects are planned.
A provisional timetable has been set, with recommended use of BIM in public sector projects by March 2018, mandatory use in public construction projects by December 2018 and mandatory use in infrastructure projects by July 2019. ‘As a chapter, buildingSMART Spain is actively involved in the national BIM strategy and we aim to lead one of the task groups,’ says Sergio. ‘And as a country, Spain will be better placed to participate in the world AEC industry as a result of the strategy.’
Who are the early adopters? Spanish engineering firm Ineco is convinced of the many advantages of BIM and has used it on a number of international projects. These include a new passenger terminal at Odessa, Ukraine, where major design changes requested by the client – requiring extra floors – were made without delaying the schedule, something that could not have been done with traditional systems. Also among the early adopters is Acciona Infraestructuras, one of Spain’s leading construction companies who has been using BIM since 2008 and has now launched a global implementation plan to introduce it in all of its business units.
In Nogales, Mexico, the company is using detailed discipline and coordination models to improve the management and control of the design and construction processes in a new hospital development owned by the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMMS).
Source: www.buildingsmart.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/No-21-bSI-newsletter.pdf
