BIM in Smart City Development

Sep 12, 2022

It is estimated that by the year 2030, approximately 600 million Indians will be living in urban areas. The agencies are extensively making the use of ICT along with geospatial data to make cities cleaner, safer, energy efficient, low carbon emitters and disaster resilient. In simpler words, government is trying to make the cities as much citizen and environment friendly as possible.

BIM is not only useful for standalone buildings but it is also a significant element for building any smart city. Keeping in mind the needs, demands and aspirations of the new urban population, especially the millennials, use of BIM is no longer an option but a necessity for the development of smart cities. Efficiency and connectivity lie at the heart of any smart city. BIM helps design and build buildings and infrastructure compatible, complementary and connected to the existing infrastructure. It can help the urban planners visualise the design and functioning of any particular piece of infrastructure. Further, helping in planning and implementing public transport systems, drainage, waste collection & management, ICT and other amenities around it. It also helps predict the resource consumption by the building and make necessary arrangements. BIM can also help the urban planners simulate conditions like natural disasters, epidemic etc at the planning stage and take necessary precautions and keep provisions for better informed disaster response.

India has been doing significant technological advancements in recent years. Infrastructure sector like many other sectors has seen revolutionary changes. Cities are rapidly investing in smart infrastructure for better functioning, save cost and reduce their environmental impact. The usage of BIM in India has been on a constant rise, it needs to gain pace in order to match the ever-growing infrastructure requirements of the country. It is high time that India adopted BIM as a fundamental aspect of its infrastructure development and the government formulated a strong policy regarding its usage.