BIM is not a new and unknown term in India anymore.
Introduction
In recent years, Building Information Modeling, otherwise known as BIM, has grown in popularity with professionals in architecture, engineering, and construction industry. This is mainly due in part to the efficient tools it gives AEC professionals in the planning, designing, construction, and overall management phases of buildings and infrastructures. However, in India, the implementation of BIM modeling and applications has been slow and gradual in many industries.
India’s slow rise in BIM
BIM has unequivocally become a necessity for construction in almost every developed and developing country including India. So why has the process taken long to adopt? Generally, India has been a bit hesitant to adopt new technologies, and BIM expertise in india are limited in the region. Not to mention the heavy initial cost of BIM and the lack of involvement from the government of india to quicken its implementation. However, rapid urbanization and industrialization has changed the scenario and has given rise to the need for better infrastructural set ups in india. As it is said that the quality of the country’s existing infrastructure is neither efficient nor environmentally optimal. Which means there is a need for BIM technology to revolutionize the construction landscape in India.
Construction Companies Using BIM
As mentioned earlier, AEC professionals have incorporated BIM into their projects, and this includes some of the biggest construction companies across the globe like Hochtief, China Communications Construction Group, Vinci, and Samsung C&T. Among them is also Indian based company Larsen & Toubro. L&T is a company that claims to have mastered BIM from the start. Beginning with a conceptual demonstration to detail architecture, all the way up to post construction, among other performance-enhancing applications. This extends to their projects including airports, IT infrastructure buildings, public buildings such as sport infrastructure and metro stations, and factories using steel, reinforced concrete, and pre-stressed concrete. The adoption of BIM processes has allowed experts to explore a project’s crucial characteristics physically and digitally even before it’s been completely built.
So how does L&T incorporate BIM into their projects and can more Indian based construction companies follow? These are six key factors in L&T’s BIM incorporation of software and technology:
Turnkey Capability
To ensure a project can even begin, it is vital to establish the human need for it combined with the efficient use of space. L&T offers turnkey design and construction of infrastructure and modern amenitiesthat meet customer needs. This eliminates the possibility of having a project fail before it can reach stakeholders.
Construction Techniques
Using advanced production techniques and high-speed technologies like heated tunnel forms and aluminum form work help in the reinforcement of walls and floor slabs on a continuous single pour which thereby reduces time and cost. Buildings are less acceptable to collapse which reduces the need for rebuilding.
Avant-Garde Technology
L&T has India’s largest fleet of construction equipment that offers speed, high quality, and cost-effective construction. With a combination of construction techniques and a systematic schedule, L&T is able to ensure quick work progress at high levels of accuracy and enhanced productivity with safe practices. Buildings are built with accuracy and speed which reduces the cost and time to finish.
Design and Build
L&T’s concept is simple: The General Contractor takes single-point-responsibility. To elaborate, the General Contractor is responsible for coordinating with the other AEC professionals involved in the project, including MEP consultants and promoters. The General Contractor is able to collaborate and communicate with the other team members through BIM software as they work together, saving time and avoiding confusion with the software’s cloud feature.
Precast Technology
This technology ensures improved quality and stability within its environment. It offers precast engineering like a precast feasibility study, precast structural concepts, and architectural coordination, and recast element detail design for stripping and transportation, among other things. A detailed precast is able to show the feasibility of a project before its completion including its stability and design which is cost effective. This includes the possibility of unforeseen circumstances such as natural disasters or construction hazards.
Finishes Implementation Centre (FIC)
A team of professionals set benchmarks for project deliverables without compromising on the quality of final seen finishes. L&T’s construction engineers transform the architect’s designs and drawings to reality. Projects are delivered to end users as a product built to structural rigidity. Visualization and simulation including the use of 3-D models help assure clients of their finished project and allow for accuracy before a project is complete.
Benefits of using BIM
As evident by L&T, there are many benefits to using BIM technology. Among them are cost, time, management, visualization, and maintaining control of possible unforeseen circumstances. BIM software ensures collaboration with all teams and helps eliminate the need for having to do reworks which is both cost-effective and time-saving.
The Future of BIM in India’s Industry
With its many benefits, India 
is quickly realizing that BIM modeling is vital for AEC professionals to be able to work together to design and develop buildings. However, despite the known benefits, there are still barriers that prevent India from fully engaging in BIM implementation. These include cost of equipment, client driven limitations, lack of education and training, legal and commercial barriers. The good news is that progress is being made. There are now more than 50 AECO organizations that deliver BIM projects to the local and global market. More buildings and infrastructure are being built in India using BIM software and technology including metro stations and housing facilities. Free seminars are being held in Dubai at Construction Expos to specifically inform AEC professionals about the many benefits of BIM and how to utilize the model. This is a big step for the AECO industry, which is the second largest industry in India, employing more than 35 million as of 2015.
Conclusion
Countries, whether developed or developing, are seeing the long-lasting value in BIM technology. Though there is still progress that needs to be made and barriers that need to be lifted, with its adoption, future indications are promising for BIM technology in India’s Construction Industry.