Why 70% BIM Adoption Is A Lie (And What Procore Just Did About It) - PROCORE's BIM STRATEGY

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Sep 30, 2025

Tore Hovland, founder of NovaRender and now part of Procore, dives into the truth about BIM in construction. He reveals that actual BIM adoption is only 20-30%, contrary to the widely quoted 70%. Discover how NovaRender's streaming tech overcomes the 2GB browser limit, allowing quick access to massive 3D models. They discuss reducing cost overruns from 20% to 5% through better BIM practices, and the significance of culture in acquisitions like his. Get ready for a future where construction can happen directly from models!

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INSIGHT

BIM Cuts Cost Overruns Dramatically

Building from full BIM reduces average cost overruns to about 5% compared with ~20% when using 2D data.
Norway's mandated BIM adoption shows tangible financial gains across project lifecycles.

INSIGHT

Browser 2GB Limit Is A Core Bottleneck

Modern construction models routinely exceed multi-gigabytes, breaking browser limits designed for much smaller files.
Solving the 2GB browser limit is essential to view and coordinate large infrastructure models in the cloud.

ANECDOTE

Built NovaRender From Real Field Pain

Tore built NovaRender from scratch after facing the pain of sharing huge oil-and-gas scans via laptops and memory sticks.
He reimagined viewers as cloud-first apps (WebGL era) to let users open huge models via a link in seconds.

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Most construction companies think they're using BIM. They're not. And it's costing them 20% on every project.

In this episode of Bricks & Bytes, Owen sits down with Dave from Procore's BIM team and Tore Hovland, founder of NovaRender (recently acquired by Procore), to unpack what's really happening in the BIM space and why two major acquisitions just changed the game.

Key topics discussed:

Why BIM adoption is actually 20-30%, not the 70% everyone claims
The hidden 2GB browser limit killing your ability to view large models
How building from 2D vs 3D vs full BIM changes cost overruns from 20% to 5%
Why Procore spent millions acquiring NovaRender and Flypaper simultaneously
The streaming technology that lets you open 50-mile infrastructure projects in seconds
What 80% of acquisitions fail and why culture matters more than tech
The future where construction happens without drawings

"Where we're going, there are no drawings. You could actually build off the model. It could actually be the permit that goes out." - Dave, Procore

If you've ever wondered why your BIM models won't load, why projects keep going over budget, or what the hell is actually happening with construction technology right now, this episode breaks it all down.

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Chapters

00:00 Intro
02:00 Introduction to Procore and NovaRender Acquisition
04:02 Winning BIM: Strategies and Challenges
06:52 The Significance of NovaRender in BIM
12:04 The Vision Behind NovaRender's Creation
15:42 The Decision to Partner with Procore
16:57 Acquisition of Flypaper: Enhancing BIM Solutions
19:51 BIM Adoption Trends and Statistics
23:47 The Impact of BIM on Project Costs
28:49 Procore's Growth Strategy in Europe
30:26 The Importance of Data Ownership in BIM
37:41 Dave's Background and Its Influence on Procore
39:16 The Evolution of BIM and Sustainable Construction
41:04 User-Centric Design in Construction Technology
42:45 Streamlining BIM Models for Field Use
45:40 Defining Success in BIM Adoption
50:20 Lessons from Founding NoRender
54:17 The Acquisition Process: Insights and Experiences
01:03:53 Future Predictions for BIM and Construction Technology