Growth in Green Building Use Expected to Drive Use of BIM Tools Says New MCIPE Constructors & Professional Engineers Construction Study

ATLANTA, GA, November 18, 2010 (Press-News.org) The growth of the green building market will drive adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) software, according to a new Market Report, Building Information Modeling is Contributing to Green Design and Construction, released by MCIPE Constructors & Professional Engineers. The report provides new insights on the convergence of two important construction industry trends: green building and BIM, known simply as "Green BIM."

"Green building is already transforming design and construction in the United States, and BIM has the potential to increase innovation---and design and construction efficiency," said Jeff Rodgers, vice president, business development, MCIPE Constructors & Professional Engineers. "Therefore, the intersection of BIM tool use with sustainability goals is a powerful practice that can be truly transformative in increasing industry productivity."

The industry agrees that they are just beginning to tap the full potential of BIM to achieve their green objectives. Only 17% of Green BIM practitioners are currently realizing more than 50% of BIM's potential for their green goals, but a sharp increase in Green BIM use is expected in the near future.

"The report reveals the share of activity where BIM is being applied to help achieve sustainability goals, showing the fact that this is still a nascent emerging trend," Rodgers added. "However, the future outlook is dramatic: 78% of the survey respondents who aren't currently using BIM on green building projects expect to do so within just three years. That's a significant increase."

The report captures perspectives on the future of Green BIM from a wide range of experts, as well as case studies that demonstrate Green BIM's contributions to achieving sustainable outcomes. According to the report, as green building becomes a larger share of construction, the benefits provided by BIM will also be more widely recognized, and the use of BIM as a whole will increase.

"Green and BIM have been the two most dynamic trends in our industry," said Kyle Stevens, who leads MCIPE Constructors & Professional Engineers' BIM initiatives. "Although they have been growing independently, it was inevitable that they would converge because the analysis and simulation capabilities of modeling are such a natural fit with the objectives of green building. This report establishes a baseline for the state of that evolution and points the way towards further exciting developments."

BIM offers an efficient way to create and leverage digital models for the design, construction and operation of projects, and it is revolutionizing the way firms communicate, solve problems and achieve better outcomes. Current users who practice Green BIM also report intensive use of BIM. Nearly half (49%) of Green BIM practitioners use BIM on over 50% of their projects, compared to approximately one quarter (28%) of non-Green BIM companies. Green BIM practitioners are also more intensive users of the software since they both create and analyze models more frequently than non-Green BIM companies.

According to prior studies, energy efficiency is the most often cited green building benefit, yielding significant cost-savings over a building's full lifecycle, and Green BIM is no exception. The study expects strong growth for energy performance simulation tools in particular: 95% of firms practicing BIM for green projects will do energy performance simulations within two years, compared with 73% now; and 79% of firms using BIM (but not focused on green projects) will conduct the simulations, compared to 21% currently. Energy efficiency is also an important tenet of the USGBC's LEED certification, a sought-after distinction for many green builders.

Data presented in the report is drawn from a survey of design firms, contractors and other major construction industry players in the U.S. who already use BIM. The report aims to determine how often, when and why they are using BIM on green projects, and provides a portrait of firms that are already Green BIM practitioners in contrast to typical BIM users, as well as insights into how they use BIM to achieve their green goals and what they anticipate the future to hold.

Media may contact Jennifer Ross at 866-556-2360 x 112 or jennifer.ross@mcipe.com for complimentary copies of MCIPE Constructors & Professional Engineers Construction reports.

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About MCIPE Constructors and Professional Engineers

MCIPE Constructors and Professional Engineers (http://www.mcipe.com) is a leading civil and building construction company offering diversified general contracting and design/build services to private clients and public agencies throughout the world. We have provided construction services for decades and have established a strong reputation within our markets by executing large complex projects on time and within budget while adhering to strict quality control measures.

MCIPE offers general contracting, pre-construction planning and comprehensive project management services, including the planning and scheduling of the manpower, equipment, materials and subcontractors required for a project. MCIPE Constructors also offers self-performed construction services including excavation, concrete forming and placement, steel erection, electrical and mechanical services, plumbing and HVAC. MCIPE is known for our major complex building project commitments as well as our capacity to perform large and complex transportation and heavy civil construction for government agencies and private clients throughout the world.