Digitalization has brought about a remarkable increase in productivity in numerous sectors of the economy. However, the construction industry was long considered to be lagging behind in this area. From mechanization in Industry 1.0 to the introduction of cyber-physical systems and the Internet of Things in Industry 4.0, the way production is carried out has changed fundamentally. This transformation is also reflected in the development of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) method.
BIM developed internationally over a decade ago and became increasingly important in Germany from the 2010s onwards. In 2015, the German government launched a phased plan to introduce BIM to drive digital transformation in construction. This included a preparatory phase until 2017, during which standardization measures were carried out and guidelines, checklists and templates were developed. Four pilot projects were then carried out between 2017 and 2020 to gain experience in all planning and construction phases for the application of the BIM method. The Rastatt tunnel project was one of these pilot projects. From 2020, BIM will then be used regularly in public projects, particularly in the area of responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.
The need for this development is evident from the enormous costs of errors in the construction industry, which are in the tens of billions. This high level of error costs is caused by process inefficiency, communication problems, poor risk management, inadequate contract implementation and wasted materials. The construction industry is highly fragmented worldwide, which leads to unbalanced contract structures and an opaque market situation.
The solution to these problems lies in digitalization, in particular in the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies and the use of BIM as a catalyst for digitalization. Integrating BIM into all phases of planning, construction and operation of construction projects will not only increase efficiency, but also improve quality and significantly reduce the cost of errors. It is important that this development includes all players in the construction industry, including small and medium-sized enterprises, to ensure a comprehensive transformation and strengthen the competitiveness of the industry.