BIM implementation across geographies: Europe vs the USA

Back in 2004, the EU initiated the eEurope Action Plan, which aimed to promote the use of information and communication technologies in various sectors, including construction. Through the European Construction Technology Platform, which identified BIM as a key technology for the construction industry in 2007, the EU launched the EU BIM Task Group, which in 2014 developed the EU BIM Handbook with guidance on BIM implementation for public authorities and industry stakeholders.

Simultaneously with that, in 2003, the National Institute of Standards and Technology released a report on the use of BIM in construction in the USA. This report identified BIM as a transformative technology for the AEC industry and recommended the development of national BIM standards. This led to the first version of the BIM protocol in 2007, by the American Institute of Architects, and the National BIM Standard-United States (NBIMS-US) in 2009.

With similar paths, it led to different results: in the EU, BIM has been mandated for publicly funded construction projects since 2016, while in the USA – BIM technology is not mandatory and has different levels of implementation from state to state. The mandate has led to a significant increase in BIM adoption across the EU, and increased BIM outsourcing in the USA for complicated projects.

Needless to say, that the “BIM” term means a usage of different software, and here is also a difference between The EU and the USA. 83% of BIM engineers in the USA use Autodesk Revit in comparison with 62% of BIM engineers who use Autodesk Revit and 23% who use Allplan in the EU. The software competition plays into the hands of EU engineers: the development process is not frozen and leads to more innovative and user-friendly BIM software.

Fast BIMspreading and adoption, wide BIM software range, high education level and natural engineering curiosity led Europe engineers to the first position in the BIM field.