Implementation of BIM method and mental health crisis in the AEC industry

At the ages of the fourth industrial revolution, digitization is everywhere around us. It represents the new way of living, generally. This huge milestone carries such a huge change that many people can feel uncomfortable. It is because the human nature, fear of the unknown, laziness, and many other typical general characters. We feel comfortable in things we know well, things we get experienced. New things can make us feel stressed or afraid if we can succeed in it. BIM method, or BIM thinking, represents “walk into the blue” for many people. There can be many causes of stress in connection with BIM implementation. This paper reveals the main causes of mental health crisis in the AEC industry. This crisis can be viewed from many angles, positions, and phases. Due to the current process of implementing the BIM method in the AEC industry, we encounter mainly fear of a new and modern approach, which is however necessary in the digital age of the 21st century. The crisis of mental health affects all persons involved not only in the construction sphere. Starting with high school and university students, through their teachers, it ends, of course, in practice, from the relevant state administration bodies throughout the entire life cycle of the building from design, through construction realization, operation and maintenance, and possible removal of the building. What is the crisis most connected to? It is mainly the fear of the unknown. The term BIM is already very widespread in the AEC industry. However, its knowledge begins with the "three-letter abbreviation, which means a new way", through "the digitization of construction within Industry 4.0, hence Construction 4.0", to the IT core of the whole matter. For some, BIM means 3D model, for others, SW enabling the creation of a digital information model - BIM (ArchiCAD, Revit, etc.). This contribution speaks openly about currently perceived barriers in the implementation of the BIM method, their possible impact on the mental health of participants from the AEC industry, and how we can deal with it.