BIM Adoption Expands from 17% in 2007 to over 70% in 2012, According to New McGraw-Hill Construction Report

NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- According to its latest SmartMarket Report, "The Business Value of BIM in North America: Multi-Year Trend Analysis and User Ratings (2007–2012)," produced by McGraw-Hill Construction, BIM adoption expanded from 17% in 2007 to 71% in 2012, demonstrating impressive growth despite the recent economic pressures.

"Though it may seem counterintuitive to increase spending during a recession, the research indicates that the industry is continuing to invest in a more efficient and productive future by embracing technologies and processes of BIM," said Stephen Jones, senior director at McGraw-Hill Construction and research director of the report.

"The results of the survey validate many key trends we are seeing in North America — notably, the strong growth of BIM in construction and adoption amongst owners, architects and engineers," said Phil Bernstein, vice president, strategic industry relations at Autodesk. "The results also point to the increased business benefits that all users derived from using BIM, such as better profits, more accurate documentation, less rework, reduced project duration, fewer claims and the ability to offer new services."

The report states that owners are becoming an important driving force to this increased adoption.  Patrick MacLeamy, CEO of HOK and chairman of buildingSMART International, predicted, "Over the next ten years, building owners will demand ever-increasing usage of BIM as a precondition, ushering in a new era of accuracy, quality and sophistication for the building industry."

As a way to quantify users' level of commitment to BIM, McGraw-Hill Construction developed a BIM Engagement Index, calculated from each BIM user's skill level, years of BIM experience, and percentage their projects that use BIM. McGraw-Hill Construction found that:

• 13% of BIM users demonstrate a very high BIM engagement level (e-level), requiring expert skill level, five or more years of experience, and implementation of BIM on more than 60% of their projects.  
• 67% of the very high e-level users report a very positive ROI on BIM (25% or higher) versus only 20% of low e-level BIM users, two-thirds of whom are at negative of break-even ROI.
• 52% of very high e-level users experience increased profits from their use of BIM compared to the 36% average for all users.

BIM, an innovative approach to design and construction for pioneering early adopters just a few years ago, is now taking its place firmly in the mainstream of the North American construction industry.

"McGraw-Hill's SmartMarket Report series on the Business Value of BIM has provided the industry with relevant research and metrics on BIM adoption and return on investment," said Mike Ozatalar, vice president and manager of Engineering, Parsons. "Parsons is proud to be a sponsor of this report and continues to provide contributions in the engineering and construction industry in BIM and integrated design and delivery solutions."

For more key findings from the SmartMarket Report "The Business Value of BIM in North America: Multi-Year Trend Analysis and User Ratings (2007–2012)," visit http://bit.ly/ViCIzO.

About McGraw-Hill Construction: McGraw-Hill Construction's data, analytics, and media businesses—Dodge, Sweets, Architectural Record, and Engineering News-Record— create opportunities for owners, architects, engineers, contractors, building product manufacturers, and distributors to strengthen their market position, size their markets, prioritize prospects, and target and build relationships that will win more business. McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million customers through its trends and forecasts, industry news, and leading platform of construction data, benchmarks, and analytics. To learn more, visit www.construction.com. 

About The McGraw-Hill Companies: The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), a financial intelligence and education company, signed an agreement to sell its McGraw-Hill Education business to investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC in November 2012. Following the sale closing, expected in early 2013, the Company will be renamed McGraw Hill Financial (subject to shareholder approval) and will be a powerhouse in benchmarks, content and analytics for the global capital and commodity markets. The Company's leading brands will include: Standard & Poor's, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, Crisil, J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Company will have approximately 17,000 employees in more than 30 countries.  Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

Media Contact: Kathy Malangone, Senior Director, Marketing Communications, McGraw-Hill Construction, +1 212-904-4376, [email protected]

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Construction