Building information modelling for small-scale residential projects

The value derived from complying with the evolving building information modelling (BIM) protocol is not uniform across the construction sector. The nature of the project, the needs of clients and the scale of the project determine the economics of a return-on-investment calculation. Championed by Paul Morrell's Government Construction Strategy of May 2011, BIM of maturity Level 2 will now be mandatory on all government contracts from 2016. This ambitious target is pushing the UK construction sector to the forefront of a new approach to working. The changes to design team organisation, procurement, contracts, programming, deliverables and professional indemnity insurance are claimed to bring significant productivity gains to the sector. Outside the government supply chain where there is no legislation to enforce the BIM protocol, consultants must be in a position to advise clients on ‘How far to BIM?’. This paper, based on literature review and practical experience, discusses the opportunities and barriers to BIM on small residential projects.