The CORENET X Mandate & Global BIM Surge

Worldwide, BIM is surging in popularity, being widely incorporated into workflows and mandated by government bodies. At Bimstore, we’ve watched this global growth with curiosity and have felt the responsibility to explore it analytically, sharing our observations with those who may be equally interested in BIM’s international development.

One place where BIM adoption has been unprecedented is in Singapore. This small yet advanced country in Southeast Asia saw exponential growth in BIM interest in August, mainly due to the newly introduced CORENET X Mandate. In this article, we explore this mandate in more detail and introduce other global examples of BIM adoption to help explain the recent surge we’ve seen worldwide. We also zoom out, and look at BIM from a more general perspective, suggesting ways that manufacturers can keep up to date with the ever-evolving industry.

The CORENET X Mandate

Singapore is a leader in high-value manufacturing, with access to cutting-edge technologies and automation. It’s hardly surprising, then, that they are big supporters of the use of BIM in design and construction. The CORNET X Mandate, officially taking effect from 1st October, aims to streamline BIM systems in Singapore and tighten already established digital workflows.

This newly introduced platform intends to improve the regulatory approval process by introducing three key gateways:

1. Design Gateway – After pre-submission and planning stages are complete, the design gateway is required for key design parameters. This stage prompts designers and architects to settle any multi-agency key parameters that may influence design requirements/briefs. Key approvals at this stage include URA PP (Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Planning Permission), LTA (Licence to Alter), PUB DC clearances (Public Utilities Board Development Control), and NParks DC Approval (National Parks Development Control).

2. Construction Gateway – Next, this gateway resolves coordination and design details before main structural works commence. This stage involves URA WP (Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Written Permission), BCA BP (Building and Construction Authority, Building Plan) and ST Approvals (Statutory Approvals), as well as SCDF BP (Singapore Civil Defence Force Building Plan), among other approvals continued from the design gateway.

3. Completion Gateway – This last gateway is undertaken in the final stage, documenting ‘As-built’ plans and obtaining an occupancy permit / statutory completion.

There is also an optional gateway, between one and two, called the Piling Gateway. This optional stage allows resolution of any constraints relating to piling or foundation works, which require BCA ST approvals for permanent piling and LTA RPZ AIP for the pile design and layout plan.  

In addition to improving project efficiency through BIM, this new process embraces collaborative working and feeds into the Golden Thread by centralising all data and information into a SSOT (Single Source of Truth).

Overall, the newly introduced mandate in Singapore aims to improve understanding and correct application of BIM, strengthen data and information management, and introduce a gateway process for greater accessibility, traceability, and accountability across the project lifecycle.

On Bimstore, Singapore’s traffic has increased by an enormous 1,032.5% month on month, making it the fastest-growing market by a considerable margin. With the CORENET X Mandate coming into play, BIM is becoming a widely utilised tool for construction professionals in Singapore. The same patterns are evident worldwide.

Across the World

Brazil

Brazil is one of the leading countries in South America for BIM adoption, having applied BIM since its conception for Government projects and later for larger commercial projects like airports. Initiatives began forming in the early 2010s, with the Government of Santa Catarina establishing LaBIM–SC in 2013, and an alliance forming between Santa Catarina and Paraná in 2015. After this surge, BIM began to spread nationally later in the decade, with the BIM BR Strategy and Federal Decree No. 10,306 requiring all engineering works and services for federal public agencies to use BIM.

We’ve witnessed the steady implementation of BIM in Brazil. Brazilian traffic on Bimstore has increased 836.4% month on month, making it the second-fastest-growing global market after Singapore. The substantial increase reflects growing awareness and engagement with Bimstore in Brazil. Across the wider July-August period, Brazil was also up 319.7% year-on-year.

Australia

Bimstore has an ever-growing presence in Australia. With approximately 40 Australian/New Zealand manufacturers on the platform, sharing their news and insights with a diverse audience of around 21,000 active ANZ users.

But BIM adoption in Australia has been gradual, and by the end of 2019, BIM was still used primarily in the private sector, rather than across government projects. BIM mandates, however, have shifted the narrative, with three major mandates being implemented across Australian states:

1. Digital Engineering Framework (NSW) – this framework enhances transport for NSW’s potential by connecting developing technologies with detailed data. It combines several project fields, disseminating data across project lifecycle stages and ensuring accurate data informs better decision-making.

2. Digital Enablement for Queensland Infrastructure (QLD) – this enablement framework enforces BIM implementation across the full lifecycle of infrastructure projects, providing benefits such as efficiency, improved safety, and asset management and building outcomes, thereby maximising the value of BIM as a digital design tool.

3. Victorian Digital Asset Strategy (VIC) – this framework establishes digital needs for Departments and Agencies to support planning, design, and construction stages for all Victorian Government projects.

India

India is a nation where BIM is increasingly used, but BIM mandates are not yet unified. Home to one of the world’s largest construction industries, India employ over 71 million people within the sector, and it accounts for approximately 9% of the country’s GDP. Despite this, workflows have historically been fragmented, and communication across project stages is sometimes poor, leading to rework. BIM is therefore an essential tool for Indian construction, helping streamline work, improve efficiency, and optimise communication across the project life cycle.

BIM adoption in India has been uneven, with the largest uptake in commercial real estate and high-value residential schemes. As of 2023, fewer than 20% of companies with under 500 employees adopted BIM in their workflows, mainly because of a major talent gap that affects understanding and BIM competency. Bimstore supports the construction industry in India by providing the data and information needed to use BIM more efficiently and widely. Although India does not have a national BIM mandate like the UK’s Level 2 BIM requirements, platforms like Bimstore support gradual standardisation and growing understanding.

UK

The UK has seen a gradual growth in BIM adoption since the early 2010s. When BIM was established in early 2000s, Northern European countries, particularly Scandinavia, were exceptionally quick to adopt the new technology. The UK followed Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, leading to the creation of Bimstore, the UK’s first dedicated BIM online library, in 2011.

A decade ago, in 2016, the BIM Level 2 mandate was introduced for all national government-funded projects, marking a major step in BIM adoption in the UK. This mandate delivered standardisation and spurred a 73% adoption rate. Then, in 2024, the UK BIM Framework upgraded to the Information Management Initiative (IMI) framework, transforming how data and information are managed across the project chain and introducing four key pillars: Design, Build, Operate and Integrate. Standardised frameworks like this bridge technical standards (such as ISO 19650) and real-life applications.

The UK-based audience on Bimstore, which built the platforms foundations when it was first launched in 2011, has seen a stable 6.5% month-on-month increase, demonstrating continued growth in one of Bimstore’s more mature and established markets. As we enter the final quarter of our 15th year, we’re reflecting on how Bimstore has helped pave the way for standardised BIM implementation and supported architects and specifiers on their individual BIM journeys.

We’ve evolved from a BIM library into a site where construction professionals can source in-depth product data and information and develop a stronger understanding of digital technologies and their integral place in the design and construction workflow.

What does this mean for manufacturers?

Expanding global BIM adoption provides an opportunity for manufacturers with international audiences to reach a wide range of locations and professionals across different disciplines and backgrounds.

Appealing to growing markets is essential to any manufacturer’s strategy, and as technologies evolve, enabling faster and more seamless integration, BIM providers like Bimstore become crucial points of contact.

However, the growing use of BIM also places greater responsibility on manufacturers to ensure that the information behind their products is accurate and up to date. As BIM becomes more closely connected to design, construction, approval and asset management processes, product information is no longer simply an additional resource for a project team. It forms part of the wider information being used to make decisions throughout a building’s lifecycle.

This is particularly important as BIM adoption develops at different rates around the world. A manufacturer working across multiple markets may need to consider different standards, software, or levels of BIM maturity while still providing consistent, reliable information. Accessible digital product data can help bridge some of these differences, making it easier for professionals to specify products correctly and incorporate them into their workflows.

The examples explored throughout this article show that there is no single route to BIM adoption. Singapore is using CORENET X to bring greater structure and accountability to digital processes, Brazil has developed national strategies and requirements for public projects, while Australia’s approach varies between states. India continues to build capability despite challenges around skills and standardisation, and the UK is moving toward a more steadily integrated approach to information management.

BIM provides a structured way to manage data and information, improve collaboration, and seamlessly connect the different stages of a project. As governments and construction industries continue to develop their digital requirements, this role is likely to become increasingly important.

For manufacturers, this means BIM strategy is becoming less about responding to a single mandate or market trend and more about preparing for how the industry is changing. Providing reliable product information in formats that can be used within digital workflows will become essential as architects, engineers, contractors and clients rely on shared information to make decisions.

Conclusion

The growth we have seen across Bimstore’s international audiences indicates this wider shift. From established BIM markets such as the UK to rapidly developing markets such as Singapore and Brazil, professionals are increasingly looking for the digital information they need to work within these changing processes.

BIM adoption may look different from one country to the next, but the direction of travel is becoming clearer. Digital information is becoming an essential part of how buildings are designed and constructed, and the organisations that contribute it play an important role in making it reliable and accessible.

As BIM continues to develop, the focus should not simply be on how widely the technology is fostered, but on how effectively it is used. The value of BIM ultimately depends on the quality of the information within it, how well that information is shared, and whether it supports better decisions throughout a building's life.

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