A BIM use is a specific purpose for which information is created and used, for example "clash coordination", "quantity take-off" or "space management". Naming the use first is what keeps BIM work focused: the use decides which elements are modelled, which properties they need and when they must be ready.
At a glance
| Also called | Model uses, information uses, purposes |
| Defined in | Client requirements (EIR), confirmed in the BEP |
| Sources of lists | Penn State BIM Uses, national guides, client standards |
| Connects to | Level of information need: each requirement is tied to a purpose |
Common BIM uses by stage
| Stage | Uses |
|---|---|
| Brief and concept | Existing conditions modelling, site analysis, massing, early cost planning |
| Design | Design authoring, design review, energy and daylight analysis, structural analysis, code compliance checking, drawing production |
| Coordination | Federation, clash detection, model checking, design coordination meetings |
| Pre-construction | Quantity take-off, cost estimating (5D), construction sequencing (4D), logistics planning, digital fabrication |
| Construction | Field layout from the model, progress tracking, quality checking against scans, record modelling |
| Operation | Asset management, maintenance planning, space management, emergency planning, digital twin |
Why the use comes first
- Level of information need follows the use. Coordination needs accurate geometry of services; asset management needs data with little geometry.
- It prevents over-modelling. If no use needs detailed door hardware, it is not modelled.
- It makes checking possible. A model can be checked against what its use requires.
- It clarifies responsibility. Each use has an owner who defines what "fit for use" means.
How uses appear in project documents
- The EIR lists the uses the client requires and the decisions they support.
- The BEP confirms which uses the team will deliver, at which stages, with which tools.
- The LOD or LOIN matrix sets what each element needs for each use.
- Acceptance criteria check each deliverable against its use.
Common mistakes
- Listing every possible use to look ambitious, then delivering few of them.
- Uses without an owner or a stage.
- Assuming a model built for one use serves another (a coordination model is not automatically fit for facilities management).
Where to read more
The Penn State Computer Integrated Construction group's BIM Uses work is a widely used reference list. National guidance and client standards often adapt it.