BIM is the alpha and omega of construction digitalization, and it had its own dedicated section at the PropTech Innovation Now conference on May 16, 2024. The inevitable change met the necessary simplicity, extended reality, and even the pig that doesn’t want lipstick.
“In the digitalization race, Hungary must catch up with the front-runners,” declared Regő Lánszki, State Secretary and Chief Architect of Hungary, in the opening lecture of the BIM section. He vividly used a sports analogy: “Let’s not settle for a point-scoring place!” He also spoke about the somewhat outdated attitude of Hungarian citizens towards digitalization, but primarily addressed businesses: the use of technological tools is mandatory, because the cost of falling behind is already being felt.
The most important ready-to-deploy technology in construction is BIM, which defines a building process from the first bucket of poured concrete to the last nail. BIM (Building Information Modelling), the Swiss Army knife of the industry, is not a new solution, as it has been widely used since the early 2010s, mainly in larger projects, but its full potential has not yet been recognized by the entire sector. The essence of BIM is that plans do not only exist on paper but also in a 3D database accessible to all project participants, which not only aids understanding but also facilitates coordination of teamwork.
The engineer decides where the room should be, inserts a wall there, and in the model, every detail of the bricks is available. The contractor then sees the order in which they must be placed, at what angle, with what binding material, and where to source them. The 3D BIM database can even be walked through with extended reality devices, and one can receive real-time instructions on installation. Where will this pipe go? Ah, right there, I see it now. How should the insulation be fixed? Aha, like that! It’s easy to understand why BIM is such a hot topic, but its introduction is expensive and, for companies reluctant about digitalization, may seem elusive. Even so, it is clearly the way forward.
What is the reason for companies falling behind digitally? Beyond obvious financial and organizational reasons, Andrew Gamblen’s keynote provided a sharp answer. The expert from Dalux, a company developing BIM software, built his presentation around arrogance and the rejection of change.
He began with the Kodak example, reminding everyone that one of photography’s most important companies loudly protested against digital cameras. Its leaders firmly believed that if their titan, successful since the late 19th century, was running flawlessly, no revolution could undermine its future. Then came the internet, social media, smartphones with multiple cameras, and boom – Kodak lost its relevance. “Change is inevitable, growth is only possible,” warned Gamblen.
Moreover, there are industries where the lack of innovation can cost human lives. Construction is one of them; according to Gamblen, residential building catastrophes that made international headlines in recent years could have been prevented with better planning and more modern materials.
These technologies are available and have been with us for a long time. So what are we waiting for? Gamblen explained the situation using the industrial scale of the Dunning–Kruger effect, which describes the self-distortion of human perception. When new technologies are introduced, optimism reigns, the curve rises, then falls into the “valley of despair,” where the market starts demanding immediate value and ROI. When it doesn’t find them, it reverts to old solutions. Meanwhile, technologies evolve, and the curve slowly climbs upward again – eventually, everyone is satisfied, but the process is slow, and even mature solutions may lie dormant for decades before becoming widespread. “2011 was the year BIM began, when it was introduced in the UK. 2018 was the peak,” he said as an example. Now, he argued, we have passed the valley of despair, and many technologies are spreading rapidly – 360-degree cameras, QR codes, point clouds, just a few examples highlighted by Gamblen.
Although the Hungarian digitalization standard is far from ideal, not everyone is resting on their laurels. There are some good BIM results, especially in the private sector – several large companies’ representatives at the conference spoke about how helpful the model has been for them. At the closed BIM (i.e., model using one specific software suite) roundtable, Izabella Gazdusné Wusinczky, space manager at Bosch, explained that the demand for a system manageable by everyone came from project management level. Although there was some resistance, it quickly became clear that easily accessible data could not only simplify construction but also operation and even organizational management. “Over the years, it became clear how extensively this database can be used across the entire lifecycle,” she said. “I deliberately don’t call it a 3D model – let’s not confuse it! This is a database, which can also be used in operation, but we provide a lot of data from it to controlling and HR.”
Closed BIM panel discussion with Gergely Bedő (BUD), Zsigmond Bakk (Lego), Izabella Gazdusné Wusinczky (Robert Bosch), and Márk Zagorácz (PTE) (Photo: BuildEXT)
The Hungarian industry was also addressed beyond the corporate world. Csaba Livják, CEO of BuildEXT architecture firm, outlined an ambivalent construction sector: one using traditional methods, primarily in execution, and another digitalized segment, which previously affected only designers. Then extended reality arrived. “The surrealism of everyday life: István Sipos, a construction manager for forty years, comes to me – I’ve learned a lot from him. Then I put a mixed-reality headset on him, where he sees where to build the mechanical system, and he says, ‘If I had had this in my youth, we would have had to cut open far fewer structures.’” At Livják’s firm, BIM is a key focus. In his second presentation, centered on model fundamentals, he explained in detail that in practice the whole system only works if a unified language and software environment are used. But when this condition is met, the results are impressive even to laypeople.
“This office building was handed over two weeks ago in Sárospatak,” Livják said while showing a detailed 3D model. “Every element knew what it was, so we could break the building down into a digital lumberyard, where materials were listed by type.” On screen, window frames, bricks, and seals lined up in military order – like LEGO, except that in the end, it becomes a real building. This structured data model allows assigning key information to every single element, such as dimensions, prices, or availability. “We are in a central model, into which we can allow sixty to eighty designers simultaneously in real time.”
Project film of the Weinberg office building, handed over in April 2024 (Credit: BuildEXT)
And while many companies are still getting to know BIM, artificial intelligence is overtaking on the right. Large language models and generators offer countless exciting opportunities in engineering, but practical applications have many dimensions. Livják and his team, for instance, actively use image generation tools to save resources while creating instantly presentable, varied, and design-compliant visuals. Moreover, AI can help align different software and infrastructures, meaning that even integrating advanced technologies into older BIM models may no longer be a problem in the long run.
AI use is not just a matter of convenience. At the roundtable on combining BIM models with AI, Balázs Sabathiel, CEO of Arkance Systems, said the construction industry is being pushed towards AI by three things. “The equation seems simple: everyone struggles with material shortages, workforce shortages, and having to build with less money. Everyone is forced to change their working methods.”
3D/BIM/AI panel discussion with Ádám Dalnoki (Bauapp), Ádám Kovács (iConSoft), Balázs Sabathiel (Arkance), and Csaba Livják (BuildEXT) (Photo: Glódi Balázs)
This change only makes sense if it’s real, not half-baked or forced. The foundation of elegant digitalization is problem-focused simplicity: always approach development on a small, rational scale, and only introduce new procedures if they genuinely have a positive impact on processes. After all, processes are the easiest to overcomplicate or blur. To illustrate the industrial problem of creating appearances, Andrew Gamblen closed his presentation with a witty graphic: a pig with lipstick. “I don’t know if you’ve heard the saying ‘putting lipstick on a pig,’” he said, quoting the Anglo-Saxon phrase often used in political slang. “We use it when something is made to look like something it isn’t. Don’t put lipstick on the pig! If your procedure doesn’t work with the technology you chose, don’t force it! Think of new paths to reach your goals. They exist. You will reach them.”