Why Is BIM Needed Now? Five Reasons It Leads Construction Projects to Success

In recent years the term BIM has rapidly gained traction in the construction industry. BIM stands for *Building Information Modeling* and is a method for centrally managing and sharing information about buildings and infrastructure on a three-dimensional model. In the civil engineering field a similar concept is called *CIM* (Construction Information Modeling), and in Japan there is a movement to promote building and civil engineering together as BIM/CIM. Unlike traditional workflows centered on 2D drawings, BIM incorporates not only the shape of the building but also the specifications and quantities of components, schedules, costs, and all other data into a digital model. As a result, all stakeholders involved in a project can plan, design, and construct while referring to the same model, producing effects not attainable with conventional methods.

The use of BIM is becoming a critical factor directly linked to the success of construction projects. Especially in recent years, administrative initiatives led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and others have accelerated, bringing a wave of digital transformation (DX) across the industry. The question why BIM is needed now is increasingly heard on many sites. This article explains five reasons why BIM leads construction projects to success.

1. Improved Operational Efficiency and Cost Reduction

One of the biggest benefits of introducing BIM is the streamlining of overall operations and cost reduction. By utilizing 3D models, processes from design through construction can be greatly optimized. Traditionally, creating design and construction drawings took considerable time and rework occurred due to inconsistencies between drawings. With BIM, these issues can be digitally verified in advance, reducing unnecessary work and rework. As a result, project schedules can be shortened and costs compressed.

Specifically, the following effects can be achieved by using BIM:

• Reduced rework through clash detection: By overlaying 3D models from disciplines such as architecture, structure, and MEP and performing clash checks, inconsistencies or collisions in drawings can be detected at the design stage. This prevents errors such as components interfering with each other during construction and suppresses the occurrence of rework.

• Schedule optimization through construction simulation: Construction procedures can be simulated on the BIM model to examine crane placement and material delivery sequences. This optimizes schedule planning and shortens on-site setup time. Shortening the construction period ultimately leads to reductions in labor and temporary facility costs.

• Accurate quantity takeoff and cost estimation: Because component information is linked to the model, quantities of materials and parts can be automatically aggregated. Using that data for precise estimating and cost simulation improves budget management accuracy. This helps reduce excess ordering and material waste, contributing to cost savings.

In this way, BIM promotes efficiency at every stage of a project and offers significant cost advantages. It is a powerful means to maximize results with limited personnel and budgets.

2. Smoother Information Sharing and Communication

Construction projects are team efforts involving many stakeholders. Owners, architects, contractors, and equipment suppliers all participate from different standpoints, and mistakes or misunderstandings in information sharing can disrupt a project. With BIM, all parties can communicate based on a common 3D model and data, making information sharing markedly smoother.

Traditionally, each design change required revising drawings and distributing them to stakeholders, but with BIM updating the digital model instantly shares the latest information. Also, completed images that were hard to convey with planar drawings can be intuitively communicated to clients and site personnel using 3D models. This helps prevent discrepancies such as “that’s not what I was told” and facilitates smooth consensus building.

Examples of information sharing using BIM include:

• Real-time sharing of drawing revisions: When design changes occur, updating the BIM model automatically updates related drawings and quantities. Sharing the model data via the cloud enables geographically dispersed teams to view the latest information immediately, reducing the need to email drawings and the risk of multiple outdated versions coexisting.

• Consensus building through 3D models: In meetings with clients, the BIM model can be displayed on screen to show the building’s interior and exterior in 360 degrees. Clients can concretely imagine the finished result, making it easier to capture requirements and confirm designs. Nuances that are hard to convey by word or 2D drawings are easier to share.

• Early detection and sharing of issues: During model-based review, any design deficiencies or construction issues discovered can be marked on the model or annotated and shared with stakeholders. Early sharing and discussion of problems allow countermeasures to be considered earlier, preventing critical troubles.

In the Shurijo Castle reconstruction project in Okinawa Prefecture, a “Shurijo Castle digital twin” was constructed using BIM and used for information sharing among construction stakeholders and visitors. With the digital model serving as a common platform, stakeholders’ shared understanding deepened and helped the project proceed smoothly.

Thus, BIM functions as a common language and minimizes communication loss within and outside the team. By improving the speed and quality of information transfer, project-wide productivity and reliability increase.

3. Improved Design and Construction Quality and Risk Reduction

Using BIM can greatly improve design and construction quality. By conducting detailed studies on a digital model in advance, on-site mistakes and quality defects are reduced and the finished product’s quality is enhanced. Identifying potential risks during the planning stage also prevents trouble in terms of safety and schedule management. The following are specific effects BIM brings to quality and safety.

• Quality assurance at the design stage: Inconsistencies in drawings and clashes between elements can be discovered and resolved in advance, enabling things to be done “right the first time” as much as possible. For example, verifying the interface between steel frames and piping in 3D and ensuring clearances prevents rework such as having to reposition piping on site. Well-coordinated designs down to the details directly improve construction quality.

• Risk reduction through safety simulation: By performing 4D simulation (modeling that includes the time axis) of construction flows, hazardous locations and tasks can be identified in advance and countermeasures put in place. For example, confirming procedures for work at height or crane swing ranges on the model and proactively addressing potential risks reduces on-site accidents and near-misses. BIM-based safety planning enables project management that balances quality and safety.

4. Use in Operations and Maintenance and Life-Cycle Optimization

A construction project’s success does not end at handover. It is also important to effectively utilize buildings and infrastructure over the long term and optimize maintenance costs. BIM provides significant value during post-construction operations and maintenance (FM: facility management). By leveraging the detailed digital model created during construction, asset management that considers the entire life cycle becomes possible.

For example, BIM models can link attribute information for each building component and system (manufacturer, model number, service life, maintenance history, etc.). Owners and managers can refer to the model after handover to identify inspection and repair needs and timing. Examples of how BIM contributes to maintenance include:

• Preventive maintenance and failure prediction for equipment: Managing equipment operating years and inspection histories in the model makes it possible to detect failure precursors and plan part replacements. Using the BIM model as a database to list aging components reduces the risk of sudden equipment outages.

• Optimized planning for renovation work: When renovating or expanding, the existing structure and routing of pipes and ducts can be understood from the model, making planning easier. Simulating renovation plans with the as-built model allows accurate estimation of work scope and required costs. Pre-simulation eliminates waste in renovation projects and enables efficient work.

• Life-cycle cost reduction: Considering the entire lifespan of buildings and infrastructure allows optimal decisions on when and where to spend how much. For example, equipment that must be replaced over a 10-year period can be included in budget plans in advance, reducing unnecessary emergency repairs. Visualization through BIM helps maintain long-term asset value.

• Optimization of environmental performance: Environmental simulations using 3D models allow verification of a building’s energy-saving performance and environmental impact in advance. Optimizing thermal insulation and equipment planning from the design stage can reduce operational energy consumption and CO2 emissions, lowering long-term running costs and environmental impact.

By consistently using information from construction through maintenance, BIM enables life-cycle-wide cost optimization and value enhancement of buildings and structures. Because digital data remain useful after project completion, owners also gain significant benefits.

5. Industry-wide DX Trends and Securing Competitiveness

Finally, when answering why BIM is needed now, it is important to note the trend of digitalization across the industry and the resulting change in the competitive landscape. The construction industry is at a major turning point, and governments and administrations are strongly promoting the use of ICT such as BIM as a key measure for productivity improvement and workstyle reform. For companies, adapting to digital technologies is a matter of survival. The main factors behind this trend include:

• Policy-driven BIM promotion: Under the banners of *i-Construction* and *infrastructure DX*, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is strongly promoting BIM adoption in public works. From fiscal 2023, the use of BIM/CIM has been made a principle for directly managed projects, and by fiscal 2027 BIM/CIM use is scheduled to be mandatory for all public works. Many large and small construction companies are already preparing for this and have begun full-scale BIM initiatives, accelerating industry-wide responses.

• Changes in the labor environment: With labor shortages and an aging technical workforce in the construction industry, an overtime cap regulation (the so-called 2024 issue) was applied from April 2024, making it difficult to rely on long working hours. To operate with limited personnel, productivity improvements are essential, and digital tools such as BIM could be the trump card. If efficiency does not improve, future project execution and bidding will be affected, so companies are putting real effort into DX promotion.

• Client needs and competitiveness: Clients are beginning to recognize the visualization and information-sharing benefits of BIM, and cases where BIM use is required in projects are increasing. Overseas, BIM use is already standard, so being BIM-capable is unavoidable for global expansion. As BIM becomes the new norm, lagging behind in adoption risks significant opportunity loss. Conversely, quickly establishing the capability to implement and use BIM will be key to maintaining and strengthening competitiveness.

Thus, the necessity of BIM goes beyond individual project benefits and is being amplified by large industry-wide transformations. It is indeed a case of “if not now, when?” for adopting BIM.

Conclusion

As shown above, the benefits BIM brings span from the design and construction stages through post-construction operations and maintenance. BIM’s introduction effects—efficiency gains, quality improvement, smoother information sharing among stakeholders, and long-term asset value enhancement—manifest across the entire construction process. In addition, adapting to changes in the industry environment and maintaining corporate competitiveness make BIM adoption an unavoidable trend. For these reasons, BIM is needed now.

Of course, effectively introducing BIM requires digitally capturing accurate on-site information. A recently notable solution is the new approach of simple surveying using LRTK. LRTK (pronounced “el-are-tee-kay”) is an innovative tool that allows anyone to perform surveying easily by attaching a palm-sized high-precision positioning device to a smartphone. Even without specialized knowledge, users can obtain position information with several-centimeter accuracy (cm level accuracy (half-inch accuracy)) at the push of a button, and the acquired data can be uploaded to the cloud and shared immediately. Measurements that previously required specialized surveyors and considerable time can, with LRTK, be completed quickly by site personnel themselves. For example, quickly measuring terrain data and surrounding conditions of a planned construction site with LRTK and importing point cloud data and survey points into the BIM model enables faster planning that accurately reflects current conditions. The integration of BIM and on-site surveying technology will further strengthen the link between digital and real worlds.

This fusion of digital technologies will further accelerate DX at construction sites going forward.

Introducing BIM is not something completed overnight, but it is important to start digitizing where possible. Trying simple surveying with LRTK on site may give a tangible sense of smart workflows in the BIM era. By incorporating digital technologies starting from small steps, a smooth transition to full BIM adoption will be possible in the future. Use BIM wisely to raise the success rate of construction projects.