"The use of digital tools in construction has been commonplace since the 1980s, both for professionals (CAD-aided design) and for companies (ERP management systems). The real paradigm shift [concerning the traditional conception] is, therefore, not in the inclusion of digital tools in the process but in the use of innovative tools that modify the traditional vehicle of supplying information . From a vehicle of mere representation to a vehicle of virtualisation"
Pavan, Mirarchi, Giani – BIM: Methods and instruments, 2017
BIM - acronym for 'Building Information Modeling’ - is a method that, starting as a digital computer tool, is able to generate a 'building information container' in which to insert not only graphic data (such as 3D drawings) but also specific technical attributes of the building (such as data sheets and characteristics) also related to the expected life cycle.