Do you know what the largest industry in the world is? It is the building industry – which is the combination of the architect, engineering, construction, facility management, and building product manufacturer professions. As a whole, this group is larger than the automotive, aerospace, and oil industries. But not only is it the largest industry, but it’s often the most inefficient and wasteful in both time and money.
In order to improve efficiency, the UK government was the first to recognize and document the need for the construction industry to adopt a fully collaborative working environment. To do this, the UK outlined distinct milestones in the form of BIM levels. These levels have an effect on BIM standards around the world, including the United States.
These levels have been defined within a range from 0 to 3.
- Level 0 (no collaboration): This is the simplest form of BIM with only 2D drafting being utilized.
- Level 1 (no collaboration): This level is comprised with a mixture of 3D CAD concept work and 2D drafting.
- Level 2 (collaborative): 3D CAD models are used by all parties, but don’t necessarily work on a shared model. This is also the minimum standard for UK government construction suppliers.
- Level 3 (collaborative): All parties can access and modify the same model, which removes the risk of conflicting information.
As you consider your adoption of BIM as part of your product marketing strategy, here’s what you need to know about the most up to date standards in the built environment, both internationally and domestically.
International
International standards are constantly updating, with the UK dominating the space with a clear national BIM strategy. Just this year the British Standards Institution (BSI) announced the first two international standards for BIM, which will be published in late 2018.
Currently, the UK is using PAS1192, a series of standards that establishes collaborative frameworks for achieving BIM Level 2. However, these standards will soon be replaced with the new international standards. The two new international standards for 2018 are:
- BS EN ISO 19650–1 Organization of information about construction works – Information management using building information modelling – Part 1: Concepts and principles.
- BS EN ISO 19650-2 Organization of information about construction works – Information management using building information modelling – Part 2: Delivery phase of assets.
The BSI has also announced that in 2020 they will publish two more international BIM standards. Those additional international standards are:
- BS EN ISO 19650-3 Organization of information about construction works – Information management using building information modelling – Part 3: Operational phase of assets.
- BS EN ISO 19650-5 Organization of information about construction works – Information management using building information modelling – Part 5: Specification for security-minded building information modelling, digital built environments and smart asset management.
While there is no statement from the International Organization of Standardization. Anne Kemp, chair of the UK BIM Alliance, said in the official BSI statement. “We are determined that we honour and acknowledge this commitment in our next steps whilst ensuring that we make the adoption of BIM an easier and more natural step for the industry towards wider digital transformation.”
Domestic Standards
In 2003, the United States General Services Administration (GSA) formulated the National 3D-4D-BIM Program. This program established incremental BIM adoption for all major service projects and provided support and assessment for the capital projects incorporating 3D, 4D, and BIM technologies. However, the program did not regulate application. In 2005, the National BIM Standard-United States (NBIMS-US) Project Committee was created to consolidate missions and streamline services. Today, the NBIMS-US Project Committee intertwines the most expansive constituency assembled for the purpose of establishing and managing data asset modelling. It does this through an industry consensus process involving a series of open-sourced national standards and guidelines for all aspects of BIM.
While the U.S government is at the forefront of pushing for standardization domestically, it isn’t the only one. Universities, private organizations, and a diverse group of states have also been pushing for the power of visualization, coordination, simulation, and optimization within the construction industry, as these adopted standards would be able to effectively meet customer, design, construction, asset management, facility management, and program requirements. In 2009, Wisconsin became the first state to require BIM on all state projects with a new construction budget of $2.5 million or more.
However, even though the number of regulations and standards set in place have grown, there is still room for progress. For instance, the legal ramifications still depend on protocols and relationships that develop among owner/developers, professionals, builders, and manufacturers, meaning what constitutes as a failure to perform in accordance with the industry standard of care relative to BIM is legally still unknown at this time in the United States.
As BIM technologies and platforms continue to evolve as the most in-demand piece of building and construction management, standards and regulations will continue to crop up within the industry. Interested in talking through how the current standards or future regulations affect you? Concora has a team of industry experts that include BIM experts, architects and engineers. Our goal is to help manufacturers create brand loyalty with the AEC community through an industry-specific product content management (PCM) solution. To discuss best practices and product marketing strategy with one of our team members click here.