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The20keyBIMtermsyouneedtoknow
WiththesheervolumeofnewtechnicaltermsandkeywordsbeingusedinconnectionwithBIM,theaverageconstructionindustryworkercouldbe
forgivenforbeingconfusedbythejargon.Withthatinmind,thefollowingisalistofthe20needtoknowBIMterms,andtheirdefinitions.

1.4D,5D,6D
Firsttherewas2DCAD,then3DCADnowthereareextradimensionstorefertothelinkingoftheBIMmodelwithtime,costandschedulerelated
information(althoughthepreciseorderhasnttodatebeenagreedacrossthewholeindustry).

2.AssetInformationModel(AIM),BuildingInformationModel(BIM),ProjectInformationModel(PIM)
NotonlyistheretheBuildinginformationmodel,buttheAssetinformationmodelwhichisthenamegiventothesamemodelpostconstruction,i.e.
supplementedwiththedataneededtoassistintherunningofthecompletedasset.Notethatassetcanalsorefertocivilengineeringandinfrastructure
work(seealsoUniclass,below).
Conversely,theProjectinformationmodelisthenamegivenduringthedesignandconstructionstage,i.e.whatscommonlyknownastheprojectamong
thedesignteam.

3.BIMexecutionplan(BEP)
PAS11922(seebelow)proposesthataBIMExecutionPlaniscreatedformanagingthedeliveryoftheproject.Thisinturnissplitintoaprecontract
BEP,inresponsetotheEmployersInformationRequirements(inotherwords,comparabletocontractorsproposalsinaDesign&Buildcontract)anda
postcontractBEPwhichsetsoutthecontracteddeliverydetails.

4.CICBIMprotocol
Asupplementarylegalagreementwhichisdesignedtobeusedbyconstructionclientsandcontractorclients.Itisincorporatedintoprofessionalservices
appointmentsandconstructioncontractsanamendmenttostandardterms,creatingadditionalrightsandobligationsfortheemployerandthecontracted
partytofacilitatecollaborativeworking,whilesafeguardingintellectualpropertyownershipandliabilitydifferentiationbetweenthoseinvolved.

5.Clashrendition
ReferredtoinPAS11922,renditionofthenativeformatmodelfileisbeusedspecificallyforspatialcoordinationprocesses.Usedtoachieveclash
avoidanceorforclashdetection(between,forexamplestructureandservices)betweenBuildingInformationModelspreparedbydifferentdisciplines.The
keybenefitisinreducingerrors,andhencecosts,preconstructioncommencement.

6.CommonDataEnvironment(CDE)
Thisisacentralinformationrepositorythatcanbeaccessedbyallstakeholdersinaproject.WhilstallthedatawithintheCDEcanbeaccessedfreely,
ownershipisstillretainedbytheoriginator.CloudstorageisapopularmethodofprovidingaCDE,althoughitcouldalsobeaprojectextranet.Thescope
andrequirementsforaCDEaredefinedinPAS11922(seebelow).

7.ConstructionOperationsBuildingInformationExchange(COBie)
COBieisadataschemawhichisdeliveredinaspreadsheetdataformat,andcontainsasubsetoftheinformationinthebuildingmodel(allexcept
graphicaldata,andhenceasubsetofIFCseebelow),forFMhandover.ItwasoriginallydevisedbytheUSArmyEngineeringCorps.Overthecourseof
aproject,datacanbeaddedtoitfromarangeofsources(besidesCADprograms),relatingtobrief,design,construction,operation,refurbishmentor
demolition,asthecasemaybe.TheGovernmentsLevel2mandatedrequirementisforCOBiecompliantinformationexchange(seeabove).BS11924
documentsbestpracticefortheimplementationofCOBie.

8.Datadrop
Akeyinformationdeliverystage,referredtointheBIMIndustryWorkingGroupsStrategyPaperfortheGovernmentConstructionClientGroup,andalso
theCICBIMProtocol.PAS11922refersinsteadtodatadeliveryandinformationexchange.Thesematchcommonprojectstages,assetoutinthe
RIBAPlanofWork2013,buttheyaretobemadeelectronically.Level2compliancerequiresthesetobetotheCOBiestandard(seebelow).

9.DataExchangeSpecification
AspecificationforelectronicfileformatsthatareusedfortheexchangeofdigitaldatabetweendifferentBIMsoftwareapplications,therebyfacilitating
interoperability.ExamplesincludeIFCandCOBie(seeabove).PAS11922outlinesinformationexchangeactivities.

10.Federatedmodel
Thisis,inessence,acombinedBuildingInformationModelthathasbeencompiledbyamalgamatingseveraldifferentmodelsintoone(orimportingone
modelintoanotheri.e.collaborativeworking).Forexample,anarchitectcanimportastructuralengineersmodeldataintotheirspatialmodel.Thisisthe
basisoftheUKgovernmentsLevel2BIMmandate,whereasLevel3willresultinallstakeholdersworkingononesharedmodel(integrated).

11.GovernmentSoftLandings(GSL)
AUKgovernmentinitiatedhandoverprotocoltochampionbetteroutcomesforbuiltassetsduringthedesignandconstructionstages.Itsobjectiveisto
reducecosts(capitalandrunning)andimproveperformanceofassetdeliveryandoperation,andcanbeassistedthroughtheuseofaBuilding
InformationModel.Twonotablefeaturesarethat:
BIMisintendedtobeusedincreasinglyasadatamanagementtooltostreamlinethebriefingprocess
PostOccupancyEvaluationiscarriedout,tomeasureandoptimiseperformanceoftheasset,andlearnlessonsforthefuture.

12.IndustryFoundationClass(IFC)
IFCisanobjectbasedformat,toenableexchangeofinformationbetweendifferentsoftware.DevelopedbybuildingSMART,aglobalalliance
specialisinginopenstandardsforBIM,IFCisanofficialstandard,BSISO16739,andcontainsgeometricaswellasotherdata.

13.InformationDeliveryManual(IDM)
TomakeBIMeffective,informationneedstobe:
madeavailablewhenitisneededand
toasatisfactoryquality.
ThiscanbeachievedbyusinganInformationDeliveryManual,thatidentifiesthevariousconstructionprocesses,andtheinformationrequiredateach
stage.ISO294811specifiesamethodologyfortheformatoftheIDM.
IDMalsoformsonepartoftheBuildingSMARTinteroperabilitymodeltheothertwopartsbeingtheDataDictionary(mappingalternativetermsfor
commonelements)andIFC(seeabove).NotethatthisisbeyondthescopeofLevel2requirements.

14.InformationManager
TheCICBIMProtocol(seeabove)referstoandprovidesfortheappointmentofanInformationManagerbytheemployer.Thisis,inessence,aproject
manager,whoisresponsibleformanagingthedeliveryoftheassetusingBIMproceduresandmethods.Thisisexpectedtoformpartofawidersetof
dutiesunderanexistingappointmentandislikelytobeperformedeitherbytheDesignLeadortheProjectLead.

15.Level0BIM,Level1BIM,Level2BIM,Level3BIM
Themovetofullcollaborativeworkingviadistinctandrecognisablemilestones,intheformoflevels.Thesehavebeendefinedwithinarangefrom0to3,
and,whilstthereissomedebateabouttheexactmeaningofeachlevel,thebroadconceptis:
Level0nocollaboration.2DCADdraftingonly.Outputanddistributionisviapaperorelectronicprints,oramixtureofboth.
Level1amixtureof3DCADforconceptwork,and2DfordraftingofstatutoryapprovaldocumentationandProductionInformation.CAD
standardsaremanagedtoBS1192:2007,andelectronicsharingofdataiscarriedoutfromacommondataenvironment(CDE),oftenmanagedby
thecontractor.Thereisnocollaborationbetweendifferentdisciplineseachpublishesandmaintainsitsowndata.
Level2collaborativeworkingallpartiesusetheirown3DCADmodels.Designinformationissharedthroughacommonfileformat,which
enablesanyorganisationtobeabletocombinethatdatawiththeirowninordertocarryoutinterrogativechecksonit.HenceanyCADsoftware
thateachpartyusedmustbecapableofexportingtoacommonfileformat.Thisisthemethodofworkingthathasbeensetasaminimumtargetby
theUKgovernmentforallpublicsectorwork,by2016.
Level3integratedworkingbetweenalldisciplinesbyusingasingle,sharedprojectmodelwhichisheldinacommondataenvironment(see
above).Allpartiescanaccessandmodifythatsamemodel,removingthefinallayerofriskforconflictinginformation.ThisisknownasOpenBIM
(seebelow),andtheUKgovernmentstargetdateforpublicsectorworkingis2018,althoughthepreciserequirementshaveyettobedetermined.
NotethatthedefinitionofBIMmaturityLevel2wasoriginallydevelopedaspartoftheUKGovernmentstrategyin2011.ItisalsodefinedinPAS11922,
withreferencetobestpracticeandtheadoptiontoolsandstandards.Itisalsoworthnoting,though,PAS11922acknowledgesthat,giventheearly
stagesofadoptionofmanagedmethodsofworkinginBIMatthetimethePASwasdrafted,itcanbeexpectedthatLevel2practiceswillcontinueto
evolve,andthatthescopeofinformationsharingandexchangewillvaryfromprojecttoproject.Therefore,PAS11922anticipatesthatthedefinitionof
Level2BIMwillcontinuetoevolvearoundthecoreprinciplesoftheshareduseofindividuallyauthoredmodelsinaCDE.

16.Levelofdetail(LoD),Levelofinformation(LoI)
LevelofdefinitionisdefinedinPAS11922asthecollectivetermusedforandincludinglevelifmodeldetailandthelevelofinformationdetail.Level
ofmodeldetailisthedescriptionofgraphicalcontentonmodelsateachofthestagesdefined,forexample,intheCICscopeofservices.Thelevelof
modelinformationisthedescriptionofnongraphicalcontentinmodelsateachofthesestages.BS8541defineslevelofdetailforBIMobjectsas:
Schematic
Concept
Defined
BS85413isthecodeofpracticefortheshapeandmeasurementofBIMobjects.
Levelofinformationdefineshowmuchdetailisrequiredateachofthesestagesi.e.whetherspatial,performance,standard,workmanship,certification
etc.ClickherefordetailsontheBIMToolkitcurrentlyunderdevelopment.

17.LifeCycleAssessment(LCA)

Lifecycleassessment(LCA,alsoknownaslifecycleanalysis)isacradletograveenvironmentalimpactassessmentforbuiltassets,intermsofmaterials
andenergy.Theenergyandmaterialsused,alongwithwasteandpollutantsproducedasaconsequenceofaproductoractivity,arequantifiedoverthe
wholelifecycletheresultrepresentingtheenvironmentalloadofthatasset.ISO14040definesLCAmethodology.

18.OpenBIM
Anopensourceapproachtocollaborativedesign,realisationandoperationofbuildings,basedonopenstandardsandworkflows.OpenBIMisan
initiativeofseveralleadingsoftwarevendorsusingthebuildingSMARTDataModel,whichincorporatesdatatoISO16739(viatheIFCfileformat),terms
toISO120063(usingtheInternationalFrameworkforDictionaries,whichmapsdifferenttechnicaltermsthathavethesamemeaning)andprocessto
ISO294811(theInformationDeliveryManualseeabove).

19.PAS1192
ThePAS1192frameworksetsouttherequirementsforthelevelofmodeldetail(thegraphicalcontent),modelinformation(nongraphicalcontent,such
asspecificationdata),modeldefinition(itsmeaning)andmodelinformationexchanges:
PAS11922dealswiththeconstruction(CAPEX)phase,andspecifiestherequirementsforLevel2maturitysetsouttheframework,roles&
responsibilitiesforcollaborativeBIMworkingbuildsontheexistingstandardofBS1192,andexpandsthescopeoftheCommonDataEnvironment
(seeabove).
PAS11923dealswiththeoperational(OPEX)phase,focussingonuse&maintenanceoftheAssetInformationModel(seeabove),forFacilities
Management.
BS11924documentsbestpracticefortheimplementationofCOBie.
PAS11925iscurrentlyunderdevelopment,andwillcoversecurityofdata.

20.Uniclass
ClassificationsystemusedintheUKandownedbyCPIC,whichgroupsobjectsintonumericalheaderstoallowthingstobearrangedorgrouped
accordingtoatypeorclassappliedthroughouttheassetlifeandmaybeusedaspartofthecategorisationusedinBIMmodels.Uniclass1997tablesare
referencedbyPAS1192part2.Theclassificationcategoriesare:
Complexesorcollectionsofbuildingssuchasauniversitycampusoranairport
Entities,whichcompriseindividualbuildings
Activitiestakingpartwithindifferentpartsofthosebuildings
Spaces,orrooms
Elementssuchaswalls,floorsandceilings
Systems,forexampledoorandwindowsystems,orwallliningsystems
Productssuchassheetmaterials,orfixings.
UniclassismoresophisticatedthantheCommonArrangementofWorksSections(CAWS),inthat:
itencompassestheentirelifecycleofabuiltasset
itcancaterforassetsofanyscale,socanbeusedforplanningaswellasdesignandconstruction
itcanaccommodateinfrastructureandcivilengineeringprojects,inadditiontobuildings.
NotethatarevisedversionofUniclassiscurrentlyindevelopmentaspartoftheBIMToolkitproject(seeabove),toimprovetablealignmentformapping.

Usefullinks
BIMinSmallPractices:IllustratedCaseStudies,RobertKlaschka,NBS
BIMfortheterrified
BS85413Libraryobjectsforarchitecture,engineeringandconstruction.Shapeandmeasurementcodeofpractice,2012
BSENISO14040:2006Environmentalmanagement.Lifecycleassessment.Principlesandframework
BSISO120063:2007Buildingconstruction.Organizationofinformationaboutconstructionworks.Frameworkforobjectorientedinformation
BSISO16739:2013IndustryFoundationClasses(IFC)fordatasharingintheconstructionandfacilitymanagementindustries
BSISO294811:2010Buildinginformationmodelling.Informationdeliverymanual.Methodologyandformat
BuildingSMART
CICBIMProtocol
CPIC
GovernmentConstructionStrategy(2011)
NBSBIMToolkit
NBSNationalBIMReport2014
PAS119223Specificationforinformationmanagementforthecapital/deliveryphaseofconstructionprojectsusingbuildinginformationmodelling
RIBAPlanofWork2013

December2014
byAnthonyLymath,Architect/TechnicalAuthor,NBS

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