BIM in the Middle East
THE REALITY AND THE WAY FORWARD
Dear Colleague,
Over the past two years we have witnessed an unprecedented crisis that has impacted on economies across the globe. Construction has suffered particularly, even in the Middle East. However, many commentators argue that the worst is now over. The announcement of new projects and the sign off of major developments seems to support this view.
Nonetheless, things have changed. The days of constant, rapidly rising property prices and disregard for sustainability have gone. There is now a need to eliminate waste and inefficiency, improve productivity and quality, whilst taking on board the requirements of new legislation for eco-friendly construction. A tall order but, one that astute players in construction acknowledge may be solved by the adoption of collaborative and integrated processes.
This is where buildingSMART can help. For over ten years this global alliance of industry experts, has worked together to improve the efficiency and sustainability of construction. The key to the success of buildingSMART is that it works with the construction industry to develop internationally recognised standards for processes and technologies. These standards improve interoperability between all project stakeholders, throughout the entire life cycle of a built facility.
buildingSMART ME
buildingSMART ME was successfully launched in 2009 and membership continues to grow. Build Smart 2010 will provide a comprehensive overview of what has been achieved to date and of ongoing activities.
buildingSMART ME acknowledges the fundamentals behind strategic documents such as the Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030 . These include the need to:
- Raise competitiveness/productivity
- Improve the efficiency of the labour market
- Develop relevant education/training
- Raise skill levels in the current and future workforce
- Introduce new business processes/technologies
- Embrace sustainability
These overarching ‘essentials’ for economic prosperity, underpin the work of buildingSMART ME and inform its strategy. buildingSMART ME has commissioned the first Middle East BIM Survey, to enable it to better understand BIM from the construction industry’s perspective. Areas covered include:
- Perceptions of BIM
- How widely it is used
- Barriers to adoption
- Inherent benefits of BIM
- Skills gaps/shortages
The main focus of Build Smart 2010 will be delivery of the results of the BIM Survey. Detailed findings from the survey will be published in a Middle East BIM Survey Report.
Attending Build Smart 2010 will give you the opportunity to interact with international BIM experts and to network with like minded professionals.
I look forward to meeting you.
Tahir Sharif
Founding President, buildingSMART MENA and India
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