BIM stands for Building Information Model or Building Information Modelling, referring to an activity resulting in an information model of a building or Building Information Management, i.e. the model is used to manage, organise and supervise business and construction processes in all stages of the life-cycle of the building.

In order to enable digital transformation, an increase in efficiency, more functional buildings with lower life cycle costs and better use of taxpayers' money in the construction sector, it has become general practice in RKAS to use BIM technology in the procurement of construction projects.

Use of building information technology includes the implementation of new opportunities to improve the quality of construction projects and such opportunities are used for reaching different objectives depending on the project.

Top BIM uses:

• modelling a basic model on the condition of an existing building (upon reconstruction);
• efficient and comprehensive inspection of the functionality of a building;
• inspection of project models and the aggregate model (inspection of constructibility and conflicts);
• automation and refinement of extraction of quantities;
• evaluation of energy efficiency and analyses of indoor climate.

BIM provides new opportunities for comparing alternative designs and coordinating designs from different fields. Building simulations, which are easier to execute based on data from the models, allow us to better evaluate the energy needs, maintenance costs and ease of use of the designed building. Quantity extracts, which are automatically available as part of BIM, also give rise to construction cost estimates which are easier to execute This allows the superficiary, during the modelling process, to operatively monitor and improve the relationship of the planned disposition of funds to the quality arising as a result of the entire construction process.

EU BIM Task Group

Representatives of public clients of EU Member States participate in the work of the EU BIM Task Group. The objective of the Task Group is to unify the way different countries introduce BIM and to establish a common EU-wide base for guidance. RKAS is a member of the EU BIM Task Group and helped put together the BIM handbook for the European public sector – the handbook includes RKAS's examples of the introduction of BIM.

Download the handbook here: http://www.eubim.eu/handbook/

COBIM 2012

RKAS's design contracts require reliance on the COBIM instruction which is a translation of the COBIM instruction published in Finland in 2012 and the making of which was supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, Tallinn University of Technology, Riigi Kinnisvara AS and ET-INFOkeskuse AS.