The UK BIM Alliance is now called Nima, which is the Greek word for thread (as in Νήμα).

Being modern types, however, they have chosen to style the new name in the grammatically incorrect lower-case – nima.

The organisation said that it wanted a new name because its agenda is now not just about BIM but about the use of information technology (IT) more generally.

Anne Kemp, chair of the organisation, said: “The UK has been hugely influential in the international adoption of BIM adoption since the launch of the UK government’s drive for change in 2011. Setting a ‘BIM Mandate’ in April 2016 did much to stimulate people, process and technology change and to help build a standards-driven movement. And since 2016, the Alliance has also helped maintain momentum, by, for example, supporting development of the UK BIM Framework.

“However, the debate has started to shift. It is no longer just about BIM – often seen as a technological change – but about wider industry information management challenges, including building safety, climate change, and delivering value across the life cycle of our built and managed assets.”

She said that BIM had often been misconstrued as a 3D design technology rather than a process supporting the use of information from the inception, through construction to asset management.  

Dr Kemp added: “Our new name, nima, reflects evolution of our industry and our organisation. We are keeping an international perspective, continuing to support digital transformation across the sector, and aiming in our behaviours to be as inclusive as possible. We are not the ‘BIM police’ – we are a self-help community that anyone can tap into if they want to improve their information management.”

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