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Approving amendments to the Cabinet of Ministers Regulation No. 529 of September 2, 2014, "Building Regulations for Buildings," on September 26 of this year, the Cabinet of Ministers decided that starting from January 1, 2025, Building Information Modeling (BIM) will be introduced in the construction of new buildings funded by public entities. As evidenced by the experience in the United Kingdom, skillful use of BIM helps save up to 30% of construction costs and ensures the completion of construction projects on time.

The extensive use of BIM in the construction projects of new buildings in the public sector is a step towards promoting the digitization of the construction industry, improving the quality and efficiency of the construction process, and fostering productivity in the industry. The public sector must become an example in utilizing these digitalization opportunities, making effective investments, and promoting higher-quality construction," emphasizes Minister of Economy Viktors Valainis.

Currently, the use of BIM has been voluntary, but the modeling of construction information is already quite widely applied in the construction plans of private-sector buildings, especially in new construction projects. With the approved amendments today, from 2025, the requirement to develop a BIM model as a mandatory component of a construction project will apply to the construction of new third-group buildings financed by public legal entities. Thus, the building information model will be part of the composition of a construction project for the construction of new third-group buildings—covering architecture, structural elements, and internal engineering systems.

As known, a building information model is a digital three-dimensional representation of a structure that contains information (e.g., textual, graphical) about the physical and technical properties and functions of the building. This significantly increases the quality of the construction project and reduces risks in the future construction process, as it can identify all "collisions" and inconsistencies between project sections. The use of BIM in the construction process ensures optimal organization and sequencing of construction work, helping to avoid delays. BIM is an effective tool during the building's operation, creating an optimal operation model (maintenance procedures) and helping to navigate the structure.

The Ministry of Economy, in collaboration with other government institutions, capital companies, representatives of the construction industry, educational institutions, and construction clients, jointly developed a roadmap for the implementation of building information modeling in Latvia in 2019. The roadmap was developed to promote a common understanding of the goals and tasks to be achieved for the implementation of building information modeling. One of the tasks included in the roadmap is to introduce building information modeling as a mandatory requirement in construction projects implemented by public clients starting in 2025. To prepare the industry for BIM use and to ensure that the introduction of BIM does not cause difficulties, the ministry has been providing high-quality and free training on BIM and its use for several years. In addition, skills in working with BIM are included in the descriptions of civil engineering professions and civil engineering education programs.

Details about the amendments to the Cabinet of Ministers Regulation No. 529 of September 2, 2014, "Building Regulations for Buildings," can be found on the Legal Acts Portal.

Ministry of Economy

Public Relations Department

Email: prese@em.gov.lv

Phone: 67013193