- On 13 January 2025, the Green Cities and Infrastructure Programme hosted a Lunch and Learn session on building information modelling.
- The event was opened by FCDO’s Simon Lucas and saw presentations by Connected Places Catapult, Mott MacDonald and Crossrail International.
- The event was the first in a new series exploring world-leading methodologies developed or promoted by UK Agency Delivery Partners.
With urban populations in the Global South increasing significantly each year, new opportunities are rapidly opening for the construction industry. But how can these widely varied and often highly complex construction projects create sustainable, resilient infrastructure while minimising the risks of inefficiencies, delays and unexpected costs?
One methodology leading the way in helping construction projects achieve these goals is building information modelling (BIM). Also known as digital construction, BIM uses digital technologies to promote a more coordinated and collaborative approach to construction projects through the efficient design, creation and management of project assets. BIM has been shown to reduce public construction costs by 15 percent, lower unbudgeted changes by up to 40 percent and speed up project delivery. Together, this can achieve an impressive return on investment for public infrastructure owners of 7:1.
On 13 January 2025, the Green Cities and Infrastructure Programme (GCIP) hosted a Lunch and Learn session on BIM. The event was the first in a series of seven GCIP Lunch and Learn events showcasing world-leading methodologies developed or promoted by UK Agency Delivery Partners. “BIM combines technology with data and standards to transform not only how we deliver infrastructure, but what we deliver,” explained Adam Matthews, Head of Strategy and Engagement for Global Digital Transformation at Connected Places Catapult. “This is a fundamental methodology that the UK can provide to support other countries to improve their infrastructure at the policy, project and organisational level.”
Citing the example of the UK’s recently opened Elizabeth Line, Senior Adviser to Crossrail International David-John Gibbs stressed how the coordinated digital approach provided by BIM helps establish the monetary and social benefits of even the most complex infrastructure projects. He also highlighted how BIM made it easier to communicate requirements to the supply chain for the construction of the Elizabeth Line. The resulting savings led to a direct cash benefit of approximately £10 million per year for seven years and reduced construction costs by 4 percent of total capital expenditure.
Sean Kearney, Principle Consultant in Mott MacDonald’s Strategic Advisory business, showed how the recent adoption of BIM in Peru rapidly transformed the country’s approach to construction. From 2019 to 2021 the Peruvian Authority for Reconstruction with Changes (ARCC), with UK support, launched a plan to adopt BIM, established working groups, produced a national BIM strategy and released technical standards. BIM is already being used by ARCC to support a variety of construction projects in Peru, including hospitals, schools and drainage systems. Infrastructure projects in the country have seen procurement timelines reduce from twelve to three months thanks to the adoption of BIM.
GCIP will follow this event with six more Lunch and Learn sessions in January and February 2025, demonstrating how tools like BIM can be used to create sustainable cities and resilient infrastructure with maximum efficiency. “These tools will be available for planning, costing infrastructure and getting the best out of infrastructure projects,” explained Simon Lucas, Head of Profession for Climate and Environment Infrastructure and Energy at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. “These sessions will be of great use to everybody working in infrastructure.”
The UK’s Green Cities and Infrastructure Programme is tackling climate change and extreme poverty by accelerating the delivery of sustainable green cities and climate-resilient infrastructure.
Published
24/01/25
