The establishment of a national BIM Competence Center is required immediately: this is what the speakers of the German BIM Cluster argue in a joint position paper that was recently published. Wolfgang Zimmer participated as a member of the coordinating group of the BIM Cluster NRW.

The authors appreciate the Federal Government’s efforts to create a central facility around Building Information Modeling (BIM). At the same time, they formulate expectations regarding their tasks and working methods.

„The development of BIM from the outset should be promoted by including all ministries responsible for building in the same way as for example in the railway or in the federal highway,“ says an accompanying press release of the BIM cluster NRW. Only in such a structure could common standards for the planning, construction and operation of infrastructure projects and of buildings be developed.

Support of small offices

Even small architectural and engineering companies as well as craft businesses would have to be supported on the way to digitization. In addition, the BIM clusters argue for the „open BIM approach“: through an open data exchange between any programs, restrictions through a closed software landscape should be avoided.