Russia’s Legal Regulation and Experience in the Field of BIM Implementation at Different Stages of the Construction Facility Life Cycle

Abstract

Introduction. The article focuses on the problems and prospects of building information modelling (BIM) technologies development in the construction industry of the country, valid development strategies, BIM technologies implementation and influence in the construction industry. It has been proved that creation of a digital twin of a construction facility at the design stage ensures its efficient management at the construction as well as operational stages. By studying BIM technologies legal regulation framework the possibilities of their use by the construction organisations have been outlined. The stages of the capital construction facilities life cycle have been defined, the categories of companies using BIM technologies in designing and construction practices have been specified. The aim of the study is to identify the problems hindering implementation of information modeling technologies in the construction industry of the Russian Federation and to propose solutions through automation of all processes at different stages of the capital construction facility life cycle.Materials and Methods. There are plenty of factors directly and indirectly affecting the time period of BIM implementation in the construction industry: the role of the state, the existing construction philosophy and many others. Considerable progress can be observed in the Scandinavian countries, in Netherlands, Germany, Singapore, France. The leading positions belong to the USA and Great Britain. But even in these countries it would be wrong to speak about complete implementation of BIM in the construction industry. In the Russian Federation the UK experience of BIM technologies implementation in the construction industry is used. For the UK authorities the main outcome of the information technologies implementation is maximum transparency of budget spending and control of construction costs. Therefore, all state construction projects are executed using the information modeling technologies. Russia has partly adopted the foreign countries experience in its construction industry – according to the Government Regulation No. 331 the design of all capital buildings and structures under the federal and regional orders must be carried out using an information model; and the package of materials to be included into an information model and general rules for its formation are regulated by the Russian Federation Government Regulation No. 1431, put into effect earlier.Results. In the Russian Federation the implementation of BIM technologies in the construction industry is regulated by the following regulatory documents: the Urban Planning Code of the Russian Federation, the Russian Federation Government Regulations, National Standards of the Russian Federation (GOST) and Codes of Practices (SP), Methodological Guidelines and Requirements for the State Expert Appraisal of Design Documentation and assessment of the information model. One should refer to the regulatory documents available on the official websites such as websites of the National Association of Organisations in the field of Information Modelling Technology (NOTIM), National Designers and Surveyors Association (NOPRIZ), as well as the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation (Minstroy of Russia). On the whole BIM technologies in Russia are underdeveloped. BIM technologies are practically not used at the stages of construction and operation.Discussion and Conclusions. Building information modeling is more than just a new way of designing. This is a fundamentally different view on the facility life cycle management (building, installation of equipment, operation and maintenance and repairs). BIM technologies implementation in the construction sector is a long and controversial process. Sufficient time is required to optimise and set up the information technologies application in all areas of construction and operation. This work resulted in working through and finding solutions to the main problems of implementing the information modeling in construction: as follows from the foreign countries experience the acceleration of BIM technologies implementation in Russia should begin with strengthening the legislative framework via drawing up the national standards and technical regulations upon the initiative of the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation.