BIM for greater building efficiency

Building Information Modelling (BIM) joins the ranks of recent technological innovations that can play a vital role in improving the over-all efficiency of various developments. Indeed, there is no shortage of tools that can help raise the standards of comfort cooling in the UAE. However, the question remains: What is hindering the proliferation of BIM and other valuable tools in the design process of buildings?

Henrique Pereira, Managing Director at SEABRA Middle East, observed that despite being aware of the availability of BIM, the knowledge gap lies in the clients’ lack of awareness with regards to the long-term benefits of these tools. This, in his opinion, is essentially what is hindering their decision to opt for them, as it means incurring greater cost.

Though SEABRA is open to its use, BIM has not been integrated into their processes at the moment, Pereira revealed. “We need to know what the market requires and what customers want,” he said. “It’s not a question if it is available. It is a question if they are ready to pay for it or not. We are suppliers; we can give it to them and easily fulfil the expectation. But if they are not prepared to pay for it, then we cannot supply them.”