Interview: Does Canada’s Construction Industry Need a National BIM Mandate to Catch Up?

Canada has been making significant strides in adopting Building Information Modeling (BIM). However, the progress remains inconsistent, with varying levels of adoption across different domains. To better understand Canada’s position in the global BIM landscape and the potential impact of a national BIM mandate, we sat down with Claudia Cozzitorto, President of buildingSMART Canada.

In this interview, Cozzitorto shares her insights on the current state of BIM adoption in Canada, the importance of upskilling and collaboration among stakeholders, and the innovative technologies shaping the future of the Canadian construction industry. She also discusses the challenges facing BIM implementation and the need for a unified approach to drive digital transformation across the built environment.

What is the current rate of BIM adoption in Canada, and how does it compare to other countries like Singapore, the UK, the EU, and the US?

buildingSMART Canada recently released a report on this very topic, titled openBIM Implementations for a Canadian Roadmap, which includes metrics on national and international implementations. A few main takeaways are that Canada’s digital transformation is inconsistent across different domains. We definitely have a sector with advanced development, but we also have a large sector that has not caught up.

It is difficult to compare digital advancements from country to country because many factors support or inhibit progress. For instance, when countries have implemented BIM regulations, the industry has no choice but to modernize. A good example is Singapore, which also has far less fragmentation in its government structure, making change much more straightforward. A closer comparison is the US, where they are strong in advancements in linear infrastructure having introduced Model as a Legal Document (MALD) a few years ago.  Canada is advanced in vertical infrastructure within the design and constructure phases, less for in operations.

There is a lot we can learn from the countries that are further along in their BIM journeys, and we are paying attention. There is much we don’t need to recreate—we can build off existing practices. There are advantages to not being first, and this is one of them: we can skip a lot of trial and error.

buildingSMART Canada is part of an international community, and our fellow chapters share many lessons learned with us. These strong affiliations benefit us in our journey.

Is there a need for a Canadian mandate for BIM, similar to what we see in other countries?

This is a highly debated question. The industry has implemented BIM with a bottom-up approach, organizations changed for their own business benefits. This has resulted in a lot of fragmentation in an industry that is historically siloed and fragmented already.

In my opinion, a mandate is absolutely needed. It would relieve all sectors of the industry from debating whether we are ready for BIM, instead we would come together to figure out how to accomplish it. That said, a mandate needs to come with support, such as guidance resources, standards, training, and so forth. A mandate would allow us to all point in the same direction and work toward the same goal.

What are the specific challenge areas for BIM adoption and implementation in Canada and how can these be addressed to facilitate broader adoption?

Typically, we hear that the main challenge is training. There isn’t enough training available, or there isn’t enough time or money dedicated to upskilling. I agree there is a need for training, upskilling, and education, but it cannot be an entirely technology-focused training approach; how to use the tools is only one piece. There needs to be training on the new processes—probably even more importantly, we need to learn how to work collaboratively and exchange information more effectively.

To address the need for change in Canada, each sector and organization must realize the business benefits of change. There are many, and the list only continues to grow. They need to support organizations like buildingSMART Canada, which can work with government and industry to advance BIM adoption in unison.

From an economic perspective, the Canadian built asset industry is known to have productivity issues. Could you share your insights on this matter?

Yes, it has been hard on all industry sectors to increase productivity. I think, in large part, this is because we are also producing more, there are more people involved, infrastructure has become more complex, there are more checks and balances, and a lot more analytics—so it isn’t apples to apples.

The lack of uniformity across industry sectors on digital transformation also puts stress on project teams because they are not all working the same way. Every project seems to be a new variation of processes and deliverables.

How important is it for industry stakeholders to upskill to keep pace with technological advancements in construction?

It is very important; the technology gap is only getting bigger, and the longer we wait, the harder it will be to catch up. It is a fine balance — not every organization wants to be at the forefront of innovation, but they also don’t want to be so far behind that they become obsolete. This is not something we can ignore anymore — many companies have specialists focused on staying on top of BIM advancements because the change is so rapid.

How crucial is collaboration between various stakeholders (government, private sector, academia) for successful digital transformation in the construction industry?

It is critical. buildingSMART Canada is built on that exact model—collaboration among all three levels of government, industry, and academia. This collaboration is the alternative to a top-down mandate; it is what we refer to as a middle-out approach.

What innovative practices or technologies are currently emerging in the Canadian construction landscape due to digital transformation?

AI is hard to ignore—it will dramatically change every facet of our industry, in ways we can’t even anticipate yet. For those who find it terrifying, I recommend learning about it and trying it out. The worst thing any of us can do is ignore its potential.

There are also very exciting technologies that aren’t necessarily emerging but have become economical and are making a significant impact, such as reality capture. The ability to document existing conditions with so much accuracy is incredibly powerful in the development of a digital thread of information tied to a Digital Twin.

Digital Twins that connect both BIM and GIS data with some level of bi-directional data flow are an amazingly exciting advancement that has captured the attention of many large asset owners in both the public and private sectors.

What does ‘Construction 4.0’ entail, and why is it significant for Canada’s construction industry today?

Construction 4.0 isn’t a term I use often, but it involves bringing cutting-edge digital technologies like BIM, IoT, AI, Digital Twins, and robotics into the construction industry. In Canada, this shift is crucial because we have some big problems we need to address, such as improving our carbon footprint and reducing waste. We also need to stay competitive on a global scale. Our industry needs to shift from being drawing-focused to data-focused. Construction 4.0 is about positioning Canadian construction to thrive in a rapidly evolving, tech-driven, data-driven world.

What advice would you give to Canadian construction companies that are hesitant about embracing digital transformation?

Digital transformation is a journey — start slow, find a specialist who can champion the initiative, and begin with a digital strategy and business drivers.

Are there any upcoming projects or initiatives from buildingSMART Canada that you’re particularly excited about?

We completing a project with the National Research Council of Canada on a roadmap for a Digital Construction Platform, which includes the digitalization of the National Construction Codes and the development of a National Common Data Framework. This report will have a significant impact on the implementation of openBIM information exchange in Canada and support the ability to introduce automated code compliance into our development approvals process, as well as many other use cases.

We have also launched the Bridges Domain in Canada, which has brought together all three levels of government and industry to identify areas to improve digital delivery for bridges in Canada. We hope to expand this to other types of infrastructure.

buildingSMART Canada is always interested in engaging with more sectors in real-world projects to improve how we work and can bring together many organizations and government agencies to advance and improve our sectors. Please reach out to us.