BIM Affordability
There is a common misconception that BIM applications are prohibitively expensive, and that only large firms can afford to use it. This is simply not true. It is true that BIM applications have greater upfront costs than 2D package (a full version of Revit is approximately twice as expensive as a full version of AutoCAD). However, the cost barrier to entry is now even lower with “light” versions on BIM packages that are available for less than $1400. The features that are missing from these “light” versions tend to be features that most small firms wouldn’t have much use for, such as work sharing.
As with many aspects of the AEC world, it can be a mistake to focus solely on the initial cost. With BIM, the return on investment over the long term is positive. A 2012 McGraw-Hill Construction report noted that most firms found a positive ROI on their BIM investment, with 36% of the architecture firms surveyed reporting an ROI of greater than 25%. This number is most likely higher today, as more firms have adopted and become comfortable with the BIM workflow.
Even small firms are finding BIM to be a smart move. There are an expanding number of small design firms (including Tesseract Design) which use BIM as their primary design tool. It’s not just for huge multi-office firms; even one- and two-person outfits can realize the benefits of BIM.
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