Apparently, even building information modeling is bigger in Texas. The Texas Facilities Commission announced last month that it is requiring a BIM model for all state design and construction projects. The agency oversees all real estate development for the Lone Star State, including state buildings and all state-run university systems. Currently, the Facilities Design and Construction division is managing 125 projects valued at over $500 million.
Wisconsin mandated BIM for all projects with a budget of $5 million or more in July, as BD+C's Jeff “BIMBoy” Yoders reported in June. The Texas mandate goes even further. Like Wisconsin, Texas has been studying BIM and how it can be used on state projects for years. The FDC has developed a set of standards and guidelines that all private-sector partners will have access to prior to any involvement in a state project.
Along with the guidelines, FDC has created an interoperable BIM template that all private-sector partners will have made available to them for state projects. The TFC has also stated an ambitious goal of closing the gap between it and the General Services Administration, the first major government agency to adopt BIM for new construction. —Jeffrey Yoders, Senior Associate Editor
