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Description
The "BIM as a Tool for Sustainable Building Life Cycles in Bulgaria" project strives to enhance the competitiveness, knowledge, and skills of Bulgarian enterprises operating in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sectors to effectively manage sustainable building life cycles. This collaborative effort involves BIM Design Ltd., Forstadsutvikling AS from Oslo, and the Chamber of Architects (CAB) in Bulgaria.
ForstadsUtvikling AS, the Norwegian partner, plays a pivotal role in fostering bilateral cooperation by sharing best practices. Bulgarian AEC SMEs will engage in a study trip, gaining insights from Norwegian SMEs in the green construction sector and establishing potential partnerships. This initiative will facilitate the exchange of knowledge, the adoption of Norwegian best practices in Bulgaria, and the transfer of valuable experience.
As the Bulgarian partner, the Chamber of Architects (CAB) actively promotes eco-friendly architectural design and undertakes measures to elevate the qualifications of AEC SMEs in alignment with Global Sustainability Goals. The chamber actively participates in training and advocates for sustainable building life cycles.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to address several key challenges within the construction industry, particularly for the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Bulgaria. A primary issue was the construction sector''s high consumption of energy and raw materials, which contributes significantly to environmental degradation. Given growing concerns about climate change and resource scarcity, there is mounting pressure from both government regulations and consumer demand for environmentally responsible practices within the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector.
Another major challenge was the limited adoption of digital tools and sustainable practices in Bulgaria''s construction industry, which is struggling to meet national goals for digital and environmental transformation as outlined in the National Strategy for the Digital Reformation of the Construction Sector 2030. Specifically, Bulgarian AEC SMEs lacked both the awareness and resources to effectively implement Building Information Modelling (BIM), a tool recognized for its potential to enhance sustainable practices across the building lifecycle. By promoting BIM adoption, the project aimed to empower Bulgarian SMEs to work towards a greener industry, ultimately benefiting the environment, boosting their competitiveness, and aligning them with the broader European sustainability objectives.
The project "BIM as a Tool for Sustainable Building Life Cycles in Bulgaria," led by BIM Design Ltd., Forstadsutvikling AS (Norway), and the Chamber of Architects in Bulgaria, aimed to enhance the competitiveness of Bulgarian SMEs in green industry innovation. It was seeking to build the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector’s capacity in sustainable building practices and foster stronger bilateral collaboration through the Norwegian partner''s expertise.
Key project activities included :
- Feasibility Study: An online survey assessing environmental practices among Bulgarian AEC SMEs, resulting in a report on current sustainability practices.
- BREEAM Training: Certification for BIM Designed team in green building assessment, informing further training material development
- A competition to select up to 20 AEC SME representatives with expertise in BIM and sustainability for advanced training.
- BIM for Sustainability Course: An eight-session course covering BIM for sustainability concepts, including pilot project development, followed by an evaluation to select six top-performing "BIM champions."
- Study Trip to Norway: Selected participants visited Norway to observe sustainable building practices and policies.
- Closing Event: A presentation of the project’s results, attended by SMEs, project partners, and media, summarizing outcomes and lessons learned.
The project has contributed to increased competitiveness to 15 SMEs from the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector in the green industry through provision of trainings in Sustainable building life cycle. 110 representatives of SMEs got knowledge on sustainability in the construction sector and further spread their knowledge and green approach in the professional community. Participating SMEs had the opportunity to adopt Building Life-cycle analysis and green building certification for their business, which is expected to increase their turnover by at least 15% in average in the two years following the project. This will result in increased market value, market advantages and competitiveness - the level of competence and professionalism of the participating architects, engeneers and other specialists will be raised and the SMEs will be enabled to provide more competitive and quality services in view of a greener building industry.
A further outcome for the SMEs will be the upscaling of their customer relations that will lead to increased profitability and more socially responsible business behaviour.
Summary of bilateral results
The Norwegian partner has contributed to the project with its expertise and competence in the training sessions on sustainability and selecting of the companies to participate in the training. The introduction of Norwegian experience to over 100 representatives of Bulgarian SMEs in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector have also contributed to the cohesion effect of adopting internationally recognised and applied standardised practices in Bulgaria. During the the study tour in Norway 10 representatives of Bulgarian AEC SMEs have been introduced to good practices in the field of green construction sector. It is expected that new bilateral partnerships will be further developed.