The Global BIM Network has been launched today (17 March), drawing together more than 2,000 public sector representatives and funders from around 100 countries.
The network aims to “connect international public sector representatives, multi-lateral organisations and infrastructure funders to advance the digitalisation of the global built environment”.
Revealed at the Global BIM Summit (convened by the Centre for Digital Built Britain), the network is supported by the Construction Innovation Hub and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
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The network is the “natural development of international collaborations between governments and multi-lateral organisations on the digitalisation agenda in the construction sector and built environment. The Network will connect members working on similar developments in different parts of the world with similar challenges to share insights, resources and lessons learned.”
The Global BIM Network will also guide the on-going development of the Global BIM platform, an open-access online repository for the global public sector and infrastructure funders seeking guidance, documentation, protocols, operational manuals, evidence, tools, training materials and other resources to facilitate the strategic introduction of BIM worldwide.
Adam Matthews, chair of the Global BIM Network, said: “The Global BIM Network is really about bringing everybody together. It’s not about any one individual country, or any one particular region. It’s about bringing all of our learnings together and creating better outcomes for people and places. It is a collective, global view that benefits the public sector, the private sector, and a view that ultimately will improve the outcomes for the global built environment.”
UK construction minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “The digitalisation of construction will create better, more resilient infrastructure, while minimising the impacts of climate change. This requires close collaboration between governments and industry, and the launch of the Global BIM Network is a vital next step.
“By bringing together policymakers from across the globe, the Network is committed to addressing the digital capability of the public sector in creating infrastructure that supports our ambition to build back greener and improve prosperity for all people and places.”
Lakisha Ann Woods, CEO of the US National Institute of Building Sciences, said: “The construction industry is historically siloed, having to develop individually, what is essentially needed by all is inefficient. While states and organisations 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.”
Gonzalo Rivas, chief of the competitiveness, technology and innovation division at the Inter-American Development Bank, said: “We believe that the most important thing is to level out the digital playing field, in such a way that all countries can begin to take part gradually, with bigger and bigger benefits for the digitalisation of construction. And we know that BIM is the first and big step in this direction.”
For more about the network and the platform, visit: http://www.globalbim.org.
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