Building Information Modeling, or BIM, is the creation of a three-dimensional building model in a computer, in which every stage of the entire construction process is reflected, achieving "consistency between drawings and models" and "one model used all the way through." On the 27th, staff learned from the Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau that the bureau recently issued the "Notice on Accelerating the Promotion of Building Information Modeling Technology Application in Housing Construction Projects and Municipal Facility Projects (Trial)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"), to accelerate the integrated application of BIM throughout the entire process of project planning, survey, design, construction, and operation and maintenance, realize data sharing and information-based management across the full life cycle of engineering construction projects, and promote high-quality development of the construction industry.
　　BIM Solves the Data Source Problem of the Construction Industry
　　As one of the oldest industries in the world, the construction industry has never undergone a fundamental transformation in its mode of production and is one of the least digitized industries globally. In recent years, under the wave of digital technology, promoting the digital transformation of the construction industry has become an industry consensus. Changsha's construction industry has taken solid steps in "intelligent transformation and digital upgrading," with explicit requirements to establish a collaborative model based on BIM forward design, carry out pilot projects for domestic BIM applications, and gradually achieve full BIM coverage in prefabricated building projects.
　　Wu Yan, Dean of the Digital Intelligence Technology Design and Research Institute of China Machinery International, introduced that as the key to the digital development of the construction industry, BIM will provide technical support and data sources for the industry; the BIM database creates multi-dimensional perception requirements for smart cities, and the BIM digital foundation expands customized services for smart cities. "BIM forward design solves the data source problem of the construction industry. Generating effective BIM data during the construction process will provide useful BIM data for digital twins and smart cities," said Wu Yan.
　　The "Notice" specifies that for housing construction projects invested by the municipal government of more than 50 million yuan with a total floor area of 20,000 square meters or more, and municipal facility projects such as rail transit, integrated utility tunnels, urban expressways and main roads, large bridges (tunnels), water supply and drainage, and waste treatment projects, BIM demonstration applications shall be actively carried out as required. For prefabricated building projects and projects adopting the EPC construction model, full BIM application coverage shall be gradually achieved from design and construction to operation and maintenance.
　　The "Notice" requires fully leveraging the role of BIM technology as the data carrier for digital management across the full life cycle of engineering construction projects, enhancing industry chain connectivity and new construction technology capabilities, strengthening the digital level of collaborative design, automated production, intelligent construction, smart operation and maintenance, and dynamic supervision, forming a new model of BIM information transfer and sharing, promoting quality and efficiency improvement and energy saving and carbon reduction in engineering construction, and providing strong support for the development of intelligent construction.
　　Implement Five Key Tasks, Explore "One Model All the Way Through"
　　Malanshan Creative Building, located in Malanshan, is a representative of BIM technology application. Zhou Xianghua, Chief Architect of the Hunan Provincial Institute of Building Science, introduced that the project used BIM technology to "use one model all the way through," from optimizing the architectural design from a three-dimensional model perspective to the rapid "intelligent" manufacturing of prefabricated building components, thereby achieving rapid commissioning and operation. "We used BIM technology to establish a building information model, split the design drawings in the computer, and then assemble them in the factory, completing the construction of 100,000 square meters of building space in less than two years," said Zhou Xianghua.
　　A responsible person from the Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau introduced that next, Changsha will take "improving standards, strengthening supervision, multi-party collaboration, and data-driven" as the overall approach, follow the working principle of combining government guidance with market leadership, and through five years of comprehensive and in-depth promotion, achieve major breakthroughs in BIM technology application across the city, further deepen its integration with urban planning, construction, and management, make it a foundational digital technology widely applied in the city's construction industry, and provide strong technical support for comprehensively advancing urban digital transformation and building a global R&D center city.
　　According to the "Notice," Changsha will advance through five key tasks—improving the standards system, strengthening application in the design, construction, acceptance, and operation and maintenance stages, carrying out district-level demonstrations, enhancing platform integration, and accelerating platform construction—using the promotion of BIM technology application as an important lever to boost the transformation and upgrading of the construction industry. In particular, regarding strengthening project application, through strengthened tracking and management of BIM technology application results by all participating parties, Changsha will explore "one model for multiple uses" and "one model used all the way through"; establish an organization and implementation model led by the construction unit, organizing survey, design, construction, supervision, and operation and maintenance parties to collaboratively apply BIM throughout the entire project process, realize BIM model transfer and sharing, and gradually implement BIM technology application across the full life cycle of engineering projects.
　　Deep Application of BIM Technology Across the Full Project Life Cycle
　　In Changsha, an increasing number of projects are applying BIM technology, creating excellent economic and social benefits. For example, the comprehensive transportation hub project of the Changsha Airport Expansion and Renovation Project used BIM models and numerical simulation software to verify the safety of constructing large and deep foundation pit groups, and conducted construction simulations for structurally overlaid areas to optimize construction deployment and resource allocation. The Jiangong Xiangshan International Phase III project in the Hunan Xiangjiang New Area established a full-process BIM management model to achieve standardized management of project design, construction, and operation and maintenance, achieving efficient and coordinated management throughout the project cycle and providing data support for cost reduction and efficiency improvement.
　　The "Notice" specifies that Changsha will designate the Hunan Xiangjiang New Area, the area around Huanghua Airport, the southern integrated urban area, the northern Jinxia area, and the Wuyi Square area as BIM application demonstration zones, regularly publish lists of BIM application demonstration projects, comprehensively promote the in-depth application of BIM technology across the full life cycle of new projects, use the CIM platform as the foundation to build regional construction, operation, and safety networks, gradually generate simulated urban districts, and form replicable and promotable experience.
　　Next, the Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau will establish an office for advancing BIM technology application to coordinate the promotion of BIM technology application across the city, strengthen overall coordination and departmental linkage, integrate and connect business systems such as construction drawing review, bidding and tendering, smart construction sites, and urban construction archives, achieve unified BIM management of engineering projects, and study and resolve issues encountered during promotion.