The digital twin and AI were the highlights of this year’s BIM World MUNICH
All speakers clearly emphasised in their presentations that BIM is an essential part of the digital twin in the construction, real estate and facility management sectors.
BIM World MUNICH took place for the 8th time on 26-27 November 2024 and was once again an outstanding success. With 8,190 visitors from 74 countries, over 200 exhibitors and more than 250 international speakers, BIM World MUNICH has confirmed its leading role internationally and is developing into an indispensable event for the construction, property and facility management industries.
The digital twin was one of the key contents of the presentations, and it became clear that the use of digital twins needs to take place along the entire value chain, from design and construction to the operation of the building. This requires the consistent use of BIM, which in turn is the basis for artificial intelligence in the construction industry.
Artificial intelligence, or AI for short, was also a common topic across all sectors, highlighting the opportunities it offers, particularly in regards of the lack of specialists. The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning is essential for processing large amounts of data, increasing efficiency and automating processes in the future. Keynote speakers, including Autodesk, Nemetschek and Oracle, used real-life examples and innovative solutions to demonstrate how these technologies are being used and what benefits they have.
Expert panels and top-class presentations also covered the question which requirements have to be met for BIM design to e.g. have a significant impact on the CO2 footprint alredy in Phase 1. Renowned architect’s offices such as Henning Larsen, HENN, Behnisch Architekten and Werner Sobek demonstrated how sustainable materials and digital methods can be used to drive sustainability forward.
The official partner country Switzerland, was represented by high-calibre speakers who used hospital construction projects to demonstrate how Lean Construction, Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Integrated Project Execution (IPA) can be used to increase efficiency, reduce waste and improve productivity.
In addition to many long-term exhibitors, BIM World MUNICH 2024 was happy to welcome a large number of new companies, also thanks to the newly created satellite event CAFMWORLD presented by CAFM Ring and gefma, with its own congress stage, breakout session and pavilion.
Christian Stammel, Managing Director of RM Rudolf Müller Events GmbH, sums up: “The three major topics at this year’s BIM World MUNICH were the digital twin, artificial intelligence and the whole spectrum of sustainability. BIM4Netzero has been presented at BIM World MUNICH for a number of years, but this year the posive feedback was stronger than ever. Presentations such as the new BIM4Circular panel were completely overcrowded, demonstrating that without BIM standardisation, the reduction of emissions and the ambitious political targets for greater sustainability in the construction industry cannot be achieved. The new satellite event – CAFMWORLD – also made a successful debut, providing a stage and information platform for property owners and facility managers to learn how BIM data can be a valuable addition to the rapidly growing demand for operational data on existing buildings.“
This year, 37 finalists competed on the Innovation Stage for a participation in the 7th Smart Building / Smart Construction Innovation World Cup®. From the remaining top 8, the expert jury voted for MOD as the winner, a platform for the prefabricated house industry with machine learning for the supply chain. ADVENTUM TECH came second and the two third places went to Novorender and GScan respectively. On the second day, all the start-ups from the BIM Town Innovation Area had the opportunity to present their revolutionary products and services to the audience.
It became clear from the many innovations and discussions that digital solutions, particularly in the context of BIM, are the foundation for other future technologies such as artificial intelligence, and that the goals of taxonomisation and decarbonisation can only be achieved through the use of these tools.
„This year’s BIM World MUNICH impressively continued the success story of the last 8 years. You could experience this live on the every day crowded exhibitor stands as well as on the conference stages and breakout sessions. In numerous discussions, we were able to ascertain that this event has become an integral part of the visitors’ annual calendar, which they do not want to miss. The conference and exhibition concept has proved to be just the right mix for linking the topics of the presentations with the solutions presented at the suppliers’ stands afterwards. Anyone looking for innovation and opportunities will be able to successfully overcome the future challenges of implementing end-to-end digitalisation initiatives.
This year’s highlights were certainly the topics of AI and sustainability, which have become an integral part of the industry in all areas of design, construction, operation and demolition (AECO),“ summarises Dietmar Bernert, President of BIM World MUNICH.
The 9th BIM World MUNICH will take place on 26 and 27 November 2025 at the ICM – International Congress Center Messe München.
About BIM World MUNICH:
Since 2016, BIM World MUNICH has been the international platform for all players involved in the digitalization of the construction, real estate and facility management industries. The annual event in Munich consists of a two-day international congress on eight stages and a trade fair with integrated open forums, as well as the BIM Town Innovation Area with pitch sessions and the presentation of the Smart Building/Smart Construction Innovation World Cup® Award. With over 8,000 key players in the industry, as well as numerous innovative start-ups and over 250 speakers, BIM World MUNICH brings together the entire BIM ecosystem and is THE meeting place for all industry players involved. Executive partners of BIM World MUNICH 2024 were ACCA Software, Autodesk, BIMsystems, buildingSMART Deutschland, check4buillders., Nemetschek, NOVA Building IT, Oracle Construction and Engineering and ZWSOFT.