BIM is shifting gears
Proved to be an invaluable tool for building design and management, BIM is used in most major building projects. It’s been high-time to take BIM to the next level for many years and put in place some large-scale requirements for its use. That’s why the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published the first international standards for BIM this January.
The standards reside within the ISO 19650 series, “Organization and digitization of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modeling (BIM).” Two specific sections on “concepts and principles” and “delivery phase of assets” outline the necessary groundwork for better information management on new building projects. A big hope is that these standards will encourage wider BIM use. The snowball effect might take hold.
Why international standards?
The factor with these new standards that differentiates them from others is the “international” piece. Individual authorities around the world have been adopting regulations for, and in some cases mandating, BIM use for years. The European Union is even funding exciting initiatives to enhance and streamline BIM. But ISO making efforts to standardize across borders brings to bear a bigger picture that allows the global building industries to collaborate more effectively. That’s going to be crucial as the construction sector economy is expected to grow to over 15 trillion USD by 2030.
According to the ISO, the two newly published parts of series 19650 are just the beginning. At present, a total of five are planned, including the trickier topics surrounding the operational phase of assets, security, and overall asset management. Once building industries have gotten comfortable adhering to the first parts, it’s no doubt these deeper dives will be incredibly useful the shifting economy and the impending construction boom.
Standards mean better BIM processes
The ISO standards will help BIM establish the foothold it’s been needing to have for a while. From there, few limits exist as to how BIM can be leveraged to enhance building design and performance. With better defined standards, BIM will be adopted faster, and collaborators will be less likely to have coordination problems. Advanced technologies that use artificial intelligence can use BIM for enhanced buildings, ones that are more comfortable and cost optimal.
For example, BIM is the preferred input for METABUILD’s simulation-based building optimization service. With more standardized data management, integrating METABUILD into the design phase of a project will be easier. METABUILD helps determine optimal design solutions in terms of cost, comfort, and environment, aiding the decision-making process for buildings that are not only more efficient throughout design and delivery, but better performing for their owner and users.
International BIM standards are finally here. Now the building industries should really get to work. Together, we can break down barriers and build enhanced structures worthy of the 21st century global population that will depend on a safe and comfortable built environment.
