The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) has joined more than 2,000 public sector representatives from 100 countries to form a new Global BIM Network.

The launch of the Global BIM Network took place March 17, 2021, during the Global BIM Summit convened by the Centre for Digital Built Britain. The Global BIM Network aims to connect international public sector representatives, multilateral organizations, and infrastructure funders to advance the digitalization of the global built environment.

The network will build on its members' transformation journeys to transition toward a digital built environment that delivers socio-economic benefits for people and places. The benefit of digital is not limited to new construction projects; it comprises refurbishment of aged infrastructure and goes beyond the construction stage to include operation and maintenance, enabling the information management for digital twins and smarter cities.

"The construction industry is historically siloed, having to develop individually, what is essentially needed by all is inefficient," said Lakisha A. Woods, CAE, president and CEO of NIBS. "While states and organizations have different practices and systems, the components of building an infrastructure are essentially the same. If we can use common processes and information structures, we can create and share them together. The same can apply globally to allow for shared expertise."

BIM in the United States

The U.S. National BIM Program kicked off early February with a BIM Executive Roundtable to discuss the need for a coordinated program to advance collaboration and innovation in the building industry. The goal is a solution at a national scale to enable digital process standards that will streamline business, accelerate the effectiveness of the supply chain, provide predictable processes, improve project outcomes, drive efficiency, and foster innovation.

Salla Eckhardt, Director of Transformation Services with Microsoft, has been named chair of the National BIM Program Steering Committee. Eckhardt said she hopes to bridge innovators to create a U.S. National BIM Program that will unite the industry.

Global BIM initiatives are taking place around the world