BIM must become standard for construction in Germany says minister

Digital design and construction must become standard for construction projects in Germany, said Alexander Dobrindt, the country's federal minister of transport and digital infrastructure. He was speaking during a panel discussion on building information modelling (BIM) and the construction site at bauma 2016. Germany has a strong reputation for innovation and know-how, but there is no guarantee that today's market leaders will still be ahead tomorrow, said Dobrindt. The country needs a new construction cult
April 12, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

Digital design and construction must become standard for construction projects in Germany, said Alexander Dobrindt, the country's federal minister of transport and digital infrastructure. He was speaking during a panel discussion on building information modelling (BIM) and the construction site at bauma 2016.

Germany has a strong reputation for innovation and know-how, but there is no guarantee that today's market leaders will still be ahead tomorrow, said Dobrindt. The country needs a new construction culture – one that is based on digitisation and interconnectedness between all stakeholders. This includes small- and medium-sized enterprises and not just the major players, he added.

The German government has been attempting to lead the way: in April 2013, the former federal ministry of transport, building and urban development launched a construction of major projects reform commission. This body came up with a three-phase action plan for projects. Phase one - up to 2017 - covers preparatory steps, including the setting of standards and resolution of legal issues. Phase two will see the launch of BIM-based pilot projects with investment of over 10 million euros. Phase three will mandate that all German public transport projects use BIM.

Germany is two to three years behind The Netherlands and the UK in aspects of implementing BIM, said Joaquin Diaz from the University of Applied Sciences at Griesen. By reducing mistakes in the planning stage of projects, BIM can have a significant impact on costs, he concluded.

All videos

Related Content

  • CECE Summit 2018: Single-minded towards a single market
    November 22, 2017
    This year’s theme at the CECE Summit in Brussels was Industry and Politics: a historic transformation process The EU’s internal market must become truly a single market as well as a digital one. But there are storm clouds on the horizon. Europe’s single market is either threatened by political events of the past several years or about to become more secure because of it. That was the nub of an impassioned economic forum panel discussion.
    Read More
  • Germany: Foreign users to pay toll
    June 23, 2015
    Foreign road users could be paying up to €130 (US$147) a year for using Germany's autobahn motorways starting in 2016. The plan was given the go-ahead by the German government last October but implementation could be delayed if it faces a legal challenge by European member states. Bavarian state transport minister Alexander Dobrindt said he was convinced that the draft law does not discriminate against foreign motorists, an issue if the law were to be challenged in any European court. He called the infras
    Read More
  • BIM pilot project for Peri in Germany
    April 12, 2016
    Peri is showcasing one of its latest contract wins on its stand at bauma 2016 as part of a focus on projects which aims to demonstrate the company’s wider capabilities. The formwork specialist recently won a contract with joint venture contractor Max Bögl / Porr on the Filstal railway bridge, a pilot project for the use of building information modelling (BIM). The Filstal bridge, which is on the new high-speed line between Stuttgart and Ulm, is one of four projects chosen by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Tr
    Read More
  • Report claims that Germany’s toll roads are too expensive
    January 4, 2016
    Toll roads built in Germany under public-private partnerships deals has been costing taxpayers much more than originally planned, a government spending watchdog has claimed. An internal report the German Federal Audit Office (BRH) has criticised PPP plans for private motorway construction as laid out by the Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Alexander Dobrindt. According to the report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, five out of the total six motorways built through a PPP deal resu
    Read More

Highlighted Content