Why Is BIM Needed Now? 5 Reasons It Leads Construction Projects to Success

In recent years, the construction industry has rapidly adopted the term BIM. BIM stands for *Building Information Modeling*, a method for centrally managing and sharing information about buildings and infrastructure on a 3D model. In the civil engineering field, a similar concept is called *CIM* (Construction Information Modeling), and in Japan there is a movement to promote architecture and civil engineering together as BIM/CIM. Unlike traditional workflows centered on 2D drawings, BIM incorporates every kind of data—component specifications and quantities, schedules, costs, and more—into a digital model alongside the building’s geometry. As a result, all stakeholders involved in a project can refer to the same model as they plan, design, and construct, producing benefits that were not possible before.

The use of BIM is becoming a critical factor directly tied to the success of construction projects. In particular, over the past few years, government-led initiatives—such as those from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism—have accelerated, bringing a wave of digital transformation (DX) across the industry. The question Why is BIM needed now? is increasingly asked on many sites. This article explains five reasons that answer that question and show how BIM leads construction projects to success.

1. Improved Operational Efficiency and Cost Reduction

One of the biggest benefits of introducing BIM is improved overall operational efficiency and cost reduction. By using 3D models, processes from design through construction can be significantly optimized. Previously, creating design and construction drawings consumed large amounts of time and often led to rework due to inconsistencies between drawings. With BIM, these issues can be verified digitally in advance, reducing unnecessary work and rework. The result is shorter project schedules and compressed costs across the project.

Specifically, BIM can deliver the following effects:

• Reduced rework through clash detection: By overlaying 3D models for architecture, structure, and MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing), clash checks can reveal inconsistencies and collisions at the design stage. This prevents mistakes such as components interfering with each other on site and reduces the need for corrective construction.

• Schedule optimization through construction simulation: Construction sequences can be simulated on the BIM model to consider crane placement and the order of material deliveries. This optimizes scheduling and shortens on-site setup times. Shorter schedules lead to reductions in labor and temporary facility costs.

• Accurate quantity takeoff and cost estimation: Because components are linked to the model, material and part quantities can be automatically aggregated. Using this data for precise estimating and cost simulation improves budget control, reduces excess ordering and material waste, and contributes to cost savings.

In this way, BIM promotes efficiency across project activities and brings significant cost benefits. It is a powerful means of maximizing outcomes with limited personnel and budgets.

2. Smoother Information Sharing and Communication

Construction projects are collaborative efforts involving many stakeholders. Owners, architects, contractors, and equipment suppliers—each with different perspectives—must coordinate, and miscommunication or information gaps can disrupt a project. By adopting BIM, all stakeholders can communicate based on a common 3D model and shared data, making information sharing much smoother.

Traditionally, every design change required updating drawings and distributing them to stakeholders, which was time-consuming. With BIM, updating the digital model immediately shares the latest information. Additionally, completion images that were hard to convey with 2D drawings can be intuitively presented to owners and site staff using the 3D model. This helps prevent discrepancies such as "this is different from what we were told", and facilitates smoother consensus building.

Examples of information sharing enabled by 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 allows geographically dispersed teams to access the latest information instantly, reducing the risk of sending drawings by email or having multiple outdated versions in circulation.

• Consensus building with 3D models: During meetings with the owner, the BIM model can be displayed to show the interior and exterior of the building in 360 degrees. Owners can better visualize the finished product, making it easier to capture requirements and confirm designs. Nuances that are difficult to convey by spoken explanation or 2D drawings can be shared more effectively.

• Early detection and sharing of issues: When design flaws or construction issues are found while working on the model, those locations can be marked or commented on in the model and shared with stakeholders. Early sharing and discussion of issues enables earlier consideration of countermeasures and helps prevent critical troubles.

In the Shuri Castle reconstruction project in Okinawa Prefecture, a "Shuri Castle digital twin" was constructed using BIM and used to share information among project personnel and visitors. With the digital model serving as a common foundation, stakeholders deepened their shared understanding and helped move the project forward smoothly.

BIM functions as a common language, minimizing communication loss both inside and outside the team. Faster and higher-quality information transfer boosts overall project productivity and reliability.

3. Improved Design and Construction Quality and Risk Reduction

BIM can greatly improve design and construction quality. Thorough examination on the digital model in advance reduces on-site mistakes and quality defects and enhances the finished product. Identifying potential risks during the planning stage also prevents issues in safety and schedule management. The following are concrete ways BIM contributes to quality and safety.

• Quality assurance at the design stage: By detecting and resolving drawing inconsistencies and element clashes in advance, it becomes possible to build it correctly the first time as much as possible. For example, verifying clearances between steel members and piping in 3D ensures pipes can be installed without relocation, preventing rework. Well-coordinated designs lead directly to higher 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 and countermeasures implemented in advance. For example, confirming high-elevation work procedures or a crane’s swing radius within the model lets teams proactively address potential risks, reducing accidents and near-misses on site. Safety planning using BIM enables project execution that balances both quality and safety.

4. Use in Facility Management and Life-cycle Optimization

A successful construction project doesn’t end at handover. It is also important to make effective long-term use of completed buildings and infrastructure and optimize maintenance costs. BIM provides great value in the post-construction maintenance (FM: facility management) phase. By utilizing the detailed digital model created during construction, asset management that considers the entire lifecycle becomes possible.

For example, BIM models can link attribute information to each building component and piece of equipment (manufacturer, model number, useful life, maintenance history, etc.). After handover, owners and managers can consult the model to identify inspection and repair needs and timing. The following examples show how BIM contributes to maintenance:

• Preventive maintenance and failure prediction for equipment: Managing equipment operation years and inspection history within the model enables detection of failure signs and planned parts replacement. Using the BIM model as a database to list aging components lowers the risk of unexpected equipment downtime.

• Optimized planning for renovation work: When renovating or expanding, existing structures and routing such as piping can be understood from the model, making planning easier. Simulating renovation scenarios based on the as-built model allows accurate estimation of work scope and costs. Conducting simulations in advance reduces waste and leads to more efficient renovation projects.

• Life-cycle cost reduction: Viewing the entire lifespan of a building or infrastructure allows optimal decisions on when and where to allocate expenditure. For example, equipment that must be replaced over a 10-year period can be included in budget plans in advance to reduce emergency repairs. Visualizing this through BIM helps maintain long-term asset value.

• Optimization of environmental performance: Environmental simulations using the 3D model enable verification of a building’s energy performance and environmental impact in advance. Optimizing insulation and equipment plans from the design stage can reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions during operation, lowering long-term running costs and environmental burden.

By consistently using information from construction through maintenance, BIM delivers cost optimization and value enhancement across the asset lifecycle. Because digital data remains useful after project completion, it represents a major benefit for owners.

5. Industry-wide DX Trends and Securing Competitiveness

Finally, when answering why BIM is needed now, it’s important to recognize the industry-wide trend toward digitalization and the changing competitive environment that comes with it. The construction industry is experiencing a major transformation, and government agencies are strongly promoting ICT use—such as BIM—as key measures to improve productivity and reform working styles. For companies, adapting to digital technologies has become a matter of survival. The main drivers behind this trend include:

• Policy-driven BIM promotion: Under initiatives like *i-Construction* and *infrastructure DX*, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is strongly promoting BIM adoption in public projects. From fiscal 2023, the use of BIM/CIM became the norm for direct-managed projects, and by fiscal 2027, BIM/CIM use is planned to be mandatory for all public projects. Many large and small construction firms have already begun seriously investing in BIM in anticipation of this, accelerating industry-wide adoption.

• Changes in the labor environment: With labor shortages and an aging technical workforce becoming severe in the construction industry, the overtime cap regulation (the so-called 2024 issue) took effect in April 2024, making it difficult to rely on long working hours. To operate with limited personnel, productivity improvements are essential, and digital tools like BIM can be a decisive solution. If efficiency does not improve, project execution and bidding may be affected, so companies are stepping up DX initiatives.

• Customer needs and competitiveness: Owners are becoming aware of the visualization and information-sharing benefits of BIM, and cases where BIM use is required for projects are increasing. Overseas, BIM has already become a standard, so BIM compatibility is unavoidable for global business expansion. As BIM becomes a new norm, falling behind in adoption can result in missed opportunities. Conversely, companies that quickly implement and effectively use BIM will be better positioned to maintain and strengthen competitiveness in the future.

Thus, the need for BIM extends beyond the benefits within individual projects; industry-wide transformation further heightens its importance. Indeed, one might say if not now, when will you use BIM?

Conclusion

As shown above, BIM’s benefits span from design and construction stages to post-completion maintenance. BIM improves project efficiency and quality, enables smooth information sharing among stakeholders, and enhances long-term asset value. In addition, responding to industry changes and maintaining corporate competitiveness make BIM adoption unavoidable. For these reasons, BIM is needed now.

That said, effectively implementing BIM requires digitizing accurate on-site information. One increasingly notable solution is LRTK-based simple surveying. LRTK is a palm-sized, high-precision positioning device that attaches to a smartphone, allowing anyone to perform surveying easily. Without specialized knowledge, users can obtain location information with centimeter-level accuracy at the press of a button, and the acquired data can be uploaded and shared to the cloud immediately. Tasks that used to take specialized surveyors a long time can be completed quickly by site personnel using LRTK. For example, by quickly measuring terrain and surrounding conditions of a planned construction site with LRTK and importing point cloud data or surveyed points into a BIM model, planning that accurately reflects the existing conditions can be carried out more swiftly. The fusion of BIM and on-site surveying technologies will further strengthen the link between digital and real-world data.

This convergence of digital technologies will accelerate DX in construction sites going forward.

Introducing BIM is not something that happens overnight, but it is important to start digitizing where you can. Trying LRTK-based simple surveying on site might give you a tangible sense of smarter workflows in the BIM era. By adopting digital technologies step by step, you can smoothly transition to full BIM implementation in the future. Use BIM wisely to increase the success rate of your construction projects.