US and UK to work together on BIM

BIM is a key aspect of construction’s digital transformation

Representatives from the UK’s Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) will work with the US National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) to help the US develop its own national Building Information Modelling (BIM) programme.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been announced between representatives from the two countries.

The US-UK collaboration has been enabled by the UK’s Construction Innovation Hub which brings together world class expertise from BRE, the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) to transform the construction industry.

NIBS will work with CDBB to adapt the UK programme model and materials as a guide to developing a US national roadmap aligned with the international standard for BIM- ISO19650.

The MoU will also support and encourage the public and private sector in both countries to learn from each other and exchange best practice, increasing the sector’s productivity and performance.

Lakisha Ann Woods, President and CEO, NIBS, said, “The mission of the U.S. National BIM Program is to convene industry stakeholders to lead the development and broad deployment of next-generation national information management standards and practices focused on significantly improving the built environment delivery and operation processes. We are thrilled to work with CDBB as a collaborative partner to address these global industry opportunities.”

The aim of the US National BIM Program is to foster a collaborative international digital construction sector, facilitating innovation to drive increased value and be an engine for long-term sustainable growth.

Adam Matthews, Head of International at CDBB, said, “This partnership continues the global trend of knowledge sharing between countries that is accelerating and aligning the construction sector’s digitalisation journey.”

The new agreement was announced during a Digital Construction Week Connect series webinar.