The process of managing information in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) design projects remained relatively unchanged between publication of works of Bavarian theorist Albrecht Dürer and French mathematician Gaspard Monge in the 1500s and 1700s respectively, and the widespread adoption of computer aided design (CAD) in the early 1990s. Anecdotal evidence suggests there is a widespread perception in the construction industry that information management is ‘snake oil’ and there has historically been limited focus on information management as a function or discipline in its own right. The recent introduction of building information modelling/ management (BIM) methodologies, accentuated in particular by the publication of the UK Government’s Construction Strategy has challenged numerous embedded cultural norms. This paper seeks to discover how information management is perceived by the AEC industry and how these perceptions have changed over recent years. The paper will also consider the information which is present in buildings, in particular with reference to the data held in 3D architectural and engineering models (BIMs), as well as how information has been and is now being used by the AEC industry. This will be carried out through analysis of the available literature in journals, books and other publications, as well as primary research by means of questionnaires and one-to-one interviews conducted with individuals employed in various disciplines in the AEC industry.