BIM in Ireland 2019: a Study of BIM Maturity and Diffusion in Ireland
In 2017, the BIM Innovation Capability Programme team applied five macro BIM maturity conceptual models to capture the capability of the Irish construction industry and assess its BIM maturity. The results found that while Ireland is mature for modelling processes, it is less developed with regards to collaboration processes and policies. Ireland also ranked poorly when it came to regulatory frameworks, measurements and benchmarks compared to a number of countries which also applied the same conceptual models. At the time, the findings highlighted that Ireland's diffusion dynamic was middle out, meaning that larger organisations or industry associations were pushing the BIM agenda and not the government, which had primarily chosen a passive approach with little or no assertive activities. The results also showed that the educational institutes had a much higher BIM diffusion compared to policymakers. Since the initial findings of the macro BIM maturity study, the Irish government has endorsed many initiatives, such as the announcement of a strategy to increase the use of digital technology in crucial public works projects, as well as contributing to the Digital Construction Transition Roadmap 2018 2021. As a result of Ireland's growing market for BIM and the recent public sector requirements, it was decided to reapply the five macro BIM maturity conceptual models to investigate if this has impacted on Ireland's BIM diffusion dynamic and levels. The results will be complemented through a selection of research initiatives which the researchers have undertaken to further establish Ireland's BIM maturity in 2019. It is hoped that the results from this exercise will inform the Irish government and AEC sector of the key requirements to ensure wider adoption of BIM in Ireland.