BIM, Sikla and The Built Environment in South Africa

Recently, there has been a significant uptake in the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in South Africa. In existence since the 1970s, BIM is playing an increasingly important role in the changing built design practices across the continent. South African engineers are leading the digital way by using BIM and global brands such as Sikla to help shift the local building environment into the digital space.

Recovering from a depressed market, the government has earmarked a 10-year infrastructure investment plan worth 2.3 trillion spanning a range of investment initiatives in housing, energy, agriculture, transport, water and sanitation. Marked as a priority, certain projects will be fast-tracked opening an opportunity for the private sector to benefit from sector growth and spin-off developments. The pace is picking up and engineers can benefit from the efficiency BIM and Sikla can offer.

BIM Using Sikla’s SiFramo

Sikla’s siFramo has been part of many developing economies with fully integratable BIM software for some time. Introduced over 15 years ago, siFramo is a non-welded modular steel truss structural support system. SiFramo is versatile and forms part of the CAD/BIM library, available to all Sikla customers worldwide. Developed in Germany as a cost-effective alternative to welding, siFramo is best suited for the challenging Southern African market.

BIM and siFramo have seen much success in developing and developed countries such as Malaysia and the USA.

Engineers can reduce the reliance on labour and heavy transport costs as siFramo is lighter and easily assembled using thread-forming screws that are removable and reusable. With a variety of pre-designed CAD drawings available, siFramo is a digital-friendly product offering engineers design templates suited for a multitude of projects.

BIM and siFramo have seen much success in developing and developed countries such as Malaysia and the USA. Although slow to adopt, the BIM momentum in South Africa is growing and so is the demand for products that are considered BIM “friendly”. Despite the obstacles faced, innovative technological solutions such as BIM could revive the building industry to make it more efficient, maximise its limited resources and create an attractive option for future investors, very much in line with the Sikla philosophy.

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