Hardies managing partner Derek Ferrier said: “BIM, where we can understand a building through a digital model, is set to revolutionise our industry.

“We are now ready to embrace this new technology and it has come at the perfect time for us as we have undertaken a rigorous internal selection process to identify the staff members who are best equipped to deal with this new technology and have the right skills and enthusiasm for the task.”

Mr Ferrier revealed that with several long serving partners now retired, Hardies have appointed some new younger partners with an equity stake in the firm which is Scotland’s largest multi discipline surveying firm with fourteen offices across Scotland.

“The construction industry is indeed undergoing a digital revolution at the moment,” said Derek. “It is good news as we have finally come out of a long and gruelling recession and I think that everyone is ready to take on a fresh challenge and exploit this as best they can for the upturn which has already started. BIM is a way of working, it is information modelling and information management in a team environment. All our team members should be working to the same standards as one another – this is essential,” added Derek.

“BIM creates value for the combined efforts of people, process and technology,” he said. “It is very exciting but a challenge for us of all in this industry.”

Mr Ferrier said that Hardies had already begun specialist training and had appointed a BIM tsar for the firm, quantity surveyor Simon Beveridge in the Edinburgh office.

“Simon and a few other staff have completed BIM training, when they undertook an intensive course,” said Derek. “Since then they have completed other training courses and our Quantity Surveying team is now level 2 ready before the government requirement of 2016. We also have several live projects within Hardies that have a BIM requirement – it’s a great achievement.”

“Simon was the best man for the job as he had experience of BIM training in the States where he worked for a couple of years,” added Derek. “He returned to us at Hardies two years ago and we are delighted to have him. He has been instrumental in driving this initiative forward.”