BIM’s next challenge: turning adoption to delivery

The construction industry has widely adopted BIM, but experts say too many projects still fail to turn digital models into measurable value. Image: Adobe Stock

The concept of a digital twin is more recent and is something that is fundamentally linked to BIM. As Troy Dahlin, vice president of heavy construction and machine control US/CAN for Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon, puts it, “BIM serves as a digital representation of a project’s physical and functional characteristics.

“This foundation enables a digital twin, a dynamic virtual replica of the construction site, updated with real-time data from the jobsite. Today’s platforms are collaborative environments that integrate 3D models, design data, and field information for verification, as-built documentation, and digital twin updates.”

BIM is integral to digital twins, but digital twins go a step further and take this data and turn it into something that is ‘living’: a detailed virtual replica of a physical object, process, or system that is constantly updated with real-time data.

It allows for constant monitoring of something and also gives the ability to test scenarios – such as adding an extra runway to an airport – virtually before it is done physically.

This relationship between BIM and digital twins is expanded on by Sunil Pandita, CEO of Allplan who says that, “A BIM model provides a structured digital representation of an asset. It brings together the geometry and information needed to design, construct, and operate a building or structure. It is the foundation of better communication and decision making.

“A digital twin goes a step further. It connects that building model with trusted, continuously updated data throughout the asset lifecycle.

“That data may come from construction progress, operational systems, sensors, maintenance records, or other sources. The result is a living source of information that reflects the current state of an asset rather than a snapshot in time,” finishes Pandita.

BIM growth opportunities

The structural design of the award-winning Airship Hangar Mülheim was carried out using Allplan, which initially created a 3D model of the structure Image: Stefan Lamberty / WD

Although BIM has been in use for some time, it is forecast to grow strongly, with analysis from Cambashi predicting the market value will rise from US$23.5 billion in 2024 to more than US$38 billion within five years.

The market research and consulting firm said the sector is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of more than 10% and that the market has evolved from design-focused tools for architects and engineers into four main segments: design, construct, operate and data management.

It said construction’s persistent productivity gap, compared with gains seen in manufacturing decades ago, is one of the main drivers of growth in construction software.

Governments are increasingly mandating BIM adoption, while asset owners are demanding greater transparency and contractors are under pressure to do more with fewer skilled workers. As a result, the BIM construct segment is growing faster than BIM design, while the data management segment is growing fastest of all.

The largest opportunity is now said to lie in construct, operate and data management, rather than in the design segment where BIM originally started.

Further growth is expected to come from sustainability requirements, offsite and modular construction, and digital twins. Cambashi said digital twins extend the use of BIM software beyond design and construction into long-term asset management, by keeping as-built models updated to reflect the actual building and support maintenance, renovation and extension work.

information requirements

While growth is predicted for BIM – with digital twins a part of this – there is an argument that construction would get more out of the technology if it refined how it used it.

“The construction industry does not have a BIM adoption problem anymore. It has a BIM delivery problem,” is the contention of Karl Smith, Director at Creative ITC, a UK-based company that describes itself as helping to deliver real-world IT infrastructure solutions.

Smith adds, “Despite widespread adoption, too many projects still struggle to turn BIM capability into measurable delivery value. BIM has not failed. But in many organisations, it has become disconnected from the way projects are procured, managed and delivered.”

BIM can be an incredibly powerful tool, but this requires it to be used in a certain way, and from the beginning of projects.

As digital technologies become more accessible, integrating machine control, BIM, and reality capture into unified workflows can boost efficiency. Image: Leica

“Too often, BIM and information requirements are defined too late. Design intent is already established, procurement routes are already set, subcontractor scopes are already agreed, and only then do teams try to work out what information should be captured, who owns it and how it will be used,” says Smith.

“By that point, BIM becomes a retrofit exercise. Project teams are left trying to force information into models without the time, structure or accountability needed to support coordination, commercial control, handover or long-term asset management.”

Pandita agrees that the industry needs to work closer together to get more out of the technology, and says that this is where the real value lies for the sector.

“Better coordination remains important, but the real value of BIM today extends far beyond identifying clashes before construction begins.

“The industry is increasingly focused on how information flows across the entire project lifecycle and delivers better business outcomes. When project data remains connected from design through engineering – building true AEC intelligence – fabrication, construction, and handover, teams can make faster decisions, reduce rework, improve operator profitability, and improve project delivery times.”

Project spotlight

Late last year Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) in the UK went live with a digital twin of six hospitals as part of its strategy to create a smart estate. Designed to provide a single source of data to support new workflows and better decision making, the 3D model is said to be a major milestone in MFT’s digital transformation to improve operational efficiency and patient safety.

The digital twin was created using Esri UK’s GIS (Geographic Information System) platform, which includes indoor mapping, spatial analysis, navigation and asset tracking. It went live in October 2025.

“The main problem we were trying to solve initially was how to bring all of our estates data into one common system, which could visualise it so we could make better decisions and be more efficient. We wanted a common operational picture as MFT consisted of several hospitals coming together” says David Bailey, head of digital estates at MFT.

“What we were trying to achieve was making accurate, trusted information available at the touch of a button. We wanted a ‘single source of truth’ that could answer questions quickly, such as which spaces could be repurposed? Where is asbestos and RAAC and how do we best manage risk? What are the maintenance priorities? GIS allows us to bring all data together spatially, so staff can actually understand it.”

The core value of BIM and digital twins is summed up by Bailey: a single source of truth that everyone involved in a project can access and use to inform what comes next.

Looking to the future

For Smith from Creative ITC, it all comes down to how data is used and managed. “BIM’s real potential was never the model alone. Its value lies in how trusted information supports better decisions, better coordination, stronger commercial control and better-performing assets,” he says.

“The next competitive advantage in AEC will not come from who has the most advanced BIM model. It will come from who can turn structured project information into faster decisions, lower risk and more predictable delivery.”

An aerial view of the Oxford Road Campus, which now has a digital twin Image: MFT

AllPlan’s Pandita says that AI will help to push these technologies even further forward in their capabilities and usefulness. “I believe that the industry is also looking to change business processes across the value chain, which is being driven by owners, governments, financial institutions, and large corporations. This does not mean simply recreating these business processes using AI workflows, but rather re-imagining them with the power of AI.

“The good news is that the technology required to create connected workflows already exists. Open standards, cloud-based collaboration, and integrated digital platforms are helping teams work from a shared source of information rather than isolated data sets.

“The next step is connecting people, processes, and data more effectively across the entire project lifecycle. Once that is in place, building that AEC intelligence becomes much easier. When information can move seamlessly between disciplines, project teams gain better visibility, make more informed decisions, and deliver better outcomes. That is what design-to-build means in practice.”

In a world where technology seems more ever-present with every passing year, there is something refreshing in hearing that the game-changer, the differentiator, might still be made of flesh and blood.

“While digital technologies are now indispensable, the jobsite will continue to evolve toward more automated workflows and a few fully autonomous assets. However, machines cannot replace the intuition and decision-making of experienced construction professionals with experience and the ability to adapt to the dynamic nature of a project site,” says Leica’s Dahlin.

“As digital technologies become increasingly accessible and user-friendly, integrating machine control, BIM, and reality capture into unified workflows enables the industry to build more complex projects more efficiently. Technology’s greatest effect comes when it complements, not replaces, human capability. The coming years promise deeper transformation.”

And what is next for the digital twin project in Manchester, which has already helped improve management of the hospital estate?

“The next phase will bring the remaining four hospitals in MFT’s estate into the digital twin and digitise building condition surveys to address the maintenance backlog. Energy usage data will also be integrated to support cost analysis and carbon reduction,” says Bailey.

BIM and digital twins have enabled the health authority to manage risk better, such as with this asbestos dashboard

“Beyond estates, it opens the door to new applications across the trust, including indoor navigation for patients and staff, contact tracing to help manage infection outbreaks and real-time asset tracking to locate equipment more quickly. There’s huge potential once you’ve got the core understanding of space. You can then start layering in clinical, operational and financial data to support better planning.

“The digital twin is currently supporting early-stage project planning for the North Manchester General Hospital New Hospital Programme. Having all the estates data within one system will allow for strategic decision making about which buildings are refurbished, disposed of or require new build.”

The (immense) value of data

For all the talk about AI and connected data, the main point of BIM and digital twins is, at its heart, a practical one: construction contractors, consultants and clients need accurate information that they can trust when decisions must be made.

BIM and digital twins will not solve construction’s productivity problems on their own but used properly – and early into proceedings – they can give project teams a clearer picture of what is happening, what needs to happen next, and where risk is building.