The president of the European Construction Industry Federation says BIM is not just an add-on for the construction sector…
Speaking at the European Construction Industry Federation’s (FIEC) annual congress, president Johan Willemen said BIM is not just an “add-on”, but something that needs to be “brought into the frame now”.
The congress, held in Brussels, focused on BIM (Building Information Modelling), an area which not only has the potential to save money but also increase efficiency on projects.
Willemen spoke at the conference, which is to be his last as president, stating: “BIM is everywhere and supports all the big policies.”
He said BIM underpinned a number of EU values such as the need for energy and resource efficiency and building upon the digital economy while increasing jobs and skills.
“Our message to policy makers is that BIM is not just an add-on, it needs to be brought into the frame now.”
The FIEC also launched a new working group aimed at supporting national member federations with BIM. It is hoped this will enable the sharing of best practice while ensuring BIM is pushed to the forefront of EU institutions.
Willemen said there had to be a focus on ensuring SMEs were also involved in the adoption of BIM and called upon pioneering contractors to take the lead across Europe.
Kjetil Tonning, vice president of FIEC and president of the Technical Commission, said: “We know that different countries are going at different speeds, and we believe that FIEC can provide a common partner, bringing best practice to those contractors that are just getting started and linking contractors with other sector players, to help reduce fragmentation in the construction industry.”
Jean-Louis Marchand will take over from Willemen as president.