NBS’ Digital Construction Report 2025 Reveals Maturing Understanding of BIM, with Big Drop in Professionals Viewing it as Simply ‘3D Models with Data’
● 42% reduction in industry professionals describing BIM as ‘3D models with data’
● One in three view BIM as following BS EN ISO 19650 standards, up from one in five in 2023
● BIM adoption remains strong at seven in ten professionals, consistent over 7 years
● Three quarters of manufacturers now offer BIM/digital objects for at least some of their products, underlining BIM’s commercial importance
NBS (powered by Hubexo), the platform for connected construction information, has revealed a concrete shift in how construction professionals understand Building Information Modelling (BIM) in its 2025 Digital Construction Report. The industry is moving beyond basic definitions to embrace BIM as a sophisticated process and methodology integral to enhancing project collaboration and facilitating data consistency.
The report, formerly known as the National BIM Report, shows that only 15% of professionals now describe BIM as simply ‘3D models with data’, whereas in 2023 one quarter of professionals favoured this description. This change highlights the industry’s evolving opinion of BIM as fewer professionals see it as purely a modelling tool.
A collaborative process underpinning digital transformation
Almost one in three people now view BIM as following BS EN ISO 19650 standards, up from one in five in 2023. This means more professionals consider BIM to be an extensive and collaborative process for managing information across the complete lifecycle of a built asset. Just over one quarter of professionals would best describe BIM as the foundation of digital transformation, a figure essentially unchanged since NBS’ last report in 2023.
Figure 1. How construction professionals describe BIM in 2025
BIM as critical infrastructure framework
BIM adoption remains at the same level as 2023, with seven in ten construction professionals using the technology. Since 2018, BIM adoption has remained largely stable, suggesting it has established itself as indispensable digital infrastructure for the industry. The focus has shifted to deepening implementation quality and maximising the strategic benefits of established BIM processes, including increased collaboration and efficiencies.
Figure 2. BIM adoption over time
Commercial importance of BIM
The importance of providing digital objects in the construction marketplace has cemented BIM’s position as a staple industry process. The report reveals that 73% of manufacturers currently offer BIM/digital objects for at least some of their products, of which 22% provide BIM/digital objects for all their products. In 2023, this figure was only 56%.
Looking ahead, 16% of manufacturers plan to implement BIM objects within the next three years, indicating a growing recognition that BIM-ready content supports market competitiveness and sales generation.
Figure 3. Professionals that provide information about the materials, products or systems that they supply, in the form of BIM or digital objects
Dr Stephen Hamil, Innovation Director at NBS, said: “The construction industry’s understanding of BIM has matured significantly in recent years. We’re seeing professionals move beyond viewing BIM as simply 3D modelling to recognising it as a key digital framework that improves collaboration throughout project lifecycles, ensures data consistency, and underpins commercial success. This evolution, alongside continued high cloud computing usage and increasing AI adoption, positions the industry well for continued digital transformation.”
The full NBS Digital Construction Report 2025 is available for download now, here.
