BIM Building for Bushfires

Australia is a nation that’s renowned for its heat. However, alarmingly, the country experienced their hottest-ever March in 2025, 2.41C °C above average, and unprecedented Winter warmth in 2024, which saw temperatures reaching a staggering 41.6C °C. This is no longer Australia’s normal; it calls for an urgent BIM intervention.

These heatwaves, which are triggered by climate change, result in catastrophic effects such as increasingly dangerous bushfires, long-term droughts, coastal flooding due to rising sea levels, and a sharp increase in heat-related deaths every year, particularly among vulnerable populations. The scale and frequency of bushfires in recent years have been a huge concern for the building and construction industry in Australia. 

The ‘Black Summer’ of 2019-2020 generated an estimated 900 million tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of the annual emissions from commercial air travel worldwide. The raging bushfires killed over 30 people (plus more from the effects of smoke inhalation), burnt approximately 3,000 homes to the ground, destroyed 12.6 million hectares of natural habitat across Australia, and threatened thousands of plants, animals, and ecosystems. These awful wildfires are unfortunately becoming a regular occurrence in Australia. 

While the fight against climate change is a complex ongoing battle, there are immediate steps the built environment can take to reduce the risks posed by bushfires. Achieving this requires collaboration and innovation, and that’s where BIM content comes in. When manufacturer-approved data is shared through BIM models, design teams can work together more effectively, making informed decisions that improve safety, performance, and resilience. It's about practical, coordinated action that can help protect both lives and infrastructure.

BIM content plays a vital role in designing buildings that can better withstand fire. By providing accurate, data-rich product information at the earliest stages of design, BIM objects help teams plan for bushfire risks with greater confidence and efficiency. 

This is especially relevant when referring to BAL ratings (Bushfire Attack Levels), the government standards for measuring bushfire risks, which rank from BAL LOW (0 to 12.5 kW per square mile) to BAL FZ (40 kW per square mile and flame contact). These ratings influence design choices such as material selection, the inclusion of ventilation systems, and use of water tanks. Several Australian manufacturers on Bimstore have already responded to this, with heat-resistant models designed for bushfire risk zones and high temperatures.  

AODELI, who provide façade cladding across Australia, designed their products specifically to mitigate fire and flammability concerns. Their SAP and NCP panels are both fully non-combustible, meeting the Australian Standards AS1530.1, and have been specified with confidence to meet the architect and builder’s Duty of Care in terms of fire risk avoidance. Similarly, awning system manufacturers, Heka Hoods, produce non-combustible aluminium hoods that are designed to withstand bushfires and are fit with shading elements to protect from the sun. 

Image: Heka Hoods non-combustable aluminium hoods

Furthermore, Watts Water Technologies provides a range of high-quality products designed for use in fire hydrant and sprinkler systems, with valves and piping solutions rated against extreme temperatures, thereby fit for bushfire-prone zones. These manufacturers, and many more, provide heat-resistant BIM products on Bimstore, often with detailed technical data and resources to ensure specifier reliance and trust.

The Australian Standard (AS 3959) for the Construction of Buildings and Structures in Bushfire-Prone Areas, and the BIM Knowledge and Skills framework, provide a nationally consistent approach for various specifiers. Whether it’s working in fire-risk regions or designing for urban areas, these developments and standards reinforce the relevance of BIM models in safety-driven and risk-reducing designs. 

BIM is proven to increase collaboration within the built environment and helps us to understand how to optimise our buildings and their materials. Not only that, but BIM has been established as a key tool in climate resilience and for optimising safety, helping to rebuild areas post-disaster through accurate asset data and highlighting risks before buildings are even through the planning stages.

Several prestigious Australian firms have recognised the benefits of BIM, including JPW (Johnson Pilton Walker) who implemented BIM into their renovation of Parramatta Square to streamline workflows and optimise the design process. The more data-rich buildings are, the safer they become. BIM enables designers, architects, and engineers to join forces to select the best products to minimise risks in bushfire zones, enhancing decision-making. 

This is where the Australian Government could step in to encourage the wider use of BIM in bushfire-prone areas. By doing so, more design and construction teams would be able to take advantage of information-rich BIM objects and the real-world products they represent, helping to create buildings that are more resilient to extreme heat and fire. With BIM, every designer and stakeholder can access verified data and product literature on materials and components that meet bushfire protection standards, ensuring safer, more durable outcomes from the earliest design stages through to repair and reconstruction.

At Bimstore, our goal is to support safety-led construction across Australia, providing a wide range of bushfire-resistant BIM objects that are ready to download and use in projects where resilience matters most. We also welcome new manufacturers with products designed to withstand extreme conditions to join our platform, helping to expand the resources available to those designing and building for Australia’s future.