Bilal Succar

I'm a BIM Consultant specialized in assessing organizational BIM performance.

Bilal Succar is a BIM strategist, assessor and researcher. Bilal worked in various roles within the AEC industry (team leader, site manager, CAD manager,…) for more than twelve years before focusing his attention on Building Information Modelling (BIM), process design and performance improvement. He took active part in coordinating major architectural and interdisciplinary projects across several international markets.

Over many years, Bilal has been involved in the selection, creation and implementation of IT-driven processes and management systems. In 2004, he established ChangeAgents AEC, a consultancy serving organizations committed to BIM-enabled performance excellence within the Design, Construction and Operation industry. Bilal has delivered many presentations and conducted numerous workshops both in Australia and overseas.

Starting in June 2009, Bilal started working on Building Information Modelling Excellence (BIMe), a set of online tools and onsite services to measure and improve the technology-driven performance of individuals, organizations and project teams within the Construction Industry (public testing started in 2011). BIMe (www.BIMexcellence.net) uses statistical data and specialized measurements to identify actual BIM performance and then to compare it against project/client requirements, industry benchmarks or previous performance results.

Academically, Bilal studied Business Administration (American University of Beirut AUB, 1987-1990), completed an undergraduate degree in Interior Design with a focus on Fine Arts (Lebanese American University LAU, 1990-1994), and undertook postgraduate studies in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management under the Applied Management in Architecture banner (University of Newcastle UoN, 2004). He is currently finalizing his PhD in Building Information Modelling at UoN, School of Architecture and Built Environment (2005-2013).

During 2008, Bilal joined RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) to take part in the CRC-CI, BIM National Guidelines and Case Studies project. Bilal is the current Chair of the AIA /Consult Australia’s BIM Education Working Group, a founding member of REVIC and a Cluster Member of InPro (EU). Below is a selective list of his presentations and publications:

Presentations and workshops:

Invited speaker (BIM Performance Measurement and Improvement) and workshop facilitator (BIM Maturity in Malaysia). Part of the “Sustainable Building Construction through BIM” seminar and workshop hosted by the University of Malaya (UM) and the Construction Research Institute of Malaysia (CREAM), Kuala Lumpur, April 23, 2013

Introducing BIM into Tertiary Curricula, presentation at the University of Newcastle, Callaghan NSW, October 2012

BIM Education Strategy: presentation at the annual meeting of Heads of School of Architecture Association for Australia (AASA) at Griffith University, Gold Coast, September 2012

BIM Excellence: a Unique Approach to Performance Assessment and Certification, RTC - Australasia (website), May 2012.

BIM Education Woking Group, presentation to the AIA National Education Committee, Canberra ACT, March 2012

BIM Industrial Transformation in Australia: online presentation at the 8th IBS Roundtable: Mechanisation through Building Information Modelling (BIM), November 2011 - Malaysia

Organizational BIM: How to assess and improve your organization’s BIM performance and Understanding BIM Wash, a Primer for Clients and Service Providers, RTC Australasia (website), May 2011

Building Information Modeling: From Implementation to Performance Management, BIMARC2010 seminar at Berjaya Times Square (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), July 23rd, 2010 (brochure link - PDF)

BIM Awareness and Competency, a Construct-IT for Business workshop, conducted in collaboration with Dr. Jason Underwood at the ThinkLAB, University of Salford (Salford, United Kingdom), May 11th, 2010 (review link - PDF)

BIM Competency: from Implementation to Assessment, a presentation at buildingSMART National Conference, University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia), September 11th, 2009 (website)

...Other: BIM Excellence presentations in Hong Kong (2010), BIM-CMM workshop at NIBS in Washington DC (2010), BIM: Change or Perish at RAIA, Victoria (2007).

Academic Publications:

Succar, Bilal, Sher, Willy, & Williams, Anthony. (2012). Measuring BIM performance: Five metrics. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 8(2), 120-142 (website)

Succar, Bilal (2010), The Five Components of BIM Performance Measurement, 2010 CIB World Congress, Salford, United Kingdom (download paper)

Succar, Bilal (2010), Building Information Modelling Maturity Matrix. In Jason Underwood & Umit Isikdag (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Building Information Modelling and Construction Informatics: Concepts and Technologies: Information Science Reference, IGI Publishing (website)

Succar, Bilal (2009), Building information modelling framework: A research and delivery foundation for industry stakeholders. Automation in Construction, 18(3), 357-375 (website)

Other Publications:

BIM in Practice - BIM Education (co-authored with 11 colleagues, part of the AIA/Consult Australia BIM Education Working Group effort), August 2012 (download PDF (540 KB), visit website)

Roof and Façade Magazine – Asian Edition (English Language), multiple articles in May, June and September 2010 (link to R&F website)

Building Information Modelling: A Call For Action, in Bloomfield Tremayne’s Quarterly Newsletter, Winter 2009

The BIM Episodes - Bilal is the editor and main author of BIMThinkSpace.com, a blog dedicated to informed BIM practitioners and topic researchers. BIM ThinkSpace started in October 2005 and has a large number of subscribers.