June 2016
At NBS we were quick to recognise that the lack of an industry-wide standard for BIM objects was a barrier to the successful adoption of BIM.
The construction industry needs access to BIM objects that can be used freely, safe in the knowledge that they contain the right levels of information with the appropriate geometry, all wrapped up in a consistent, yet structured and easy to use format.
By defining what constitutes a high quality BIM object and providing consistency in the content and structure of these objects, the NBS BIM Object Standard published in September 2014 played a major role in assisting UK-based organisations take BIM to the next level.
Last year NBS announced a partnership with NATSPEC in Australia and Masterspec in New Zealand to establish standards for BIM objects in those countries – aligning practices as much as possible while accommodating local differences in building and procurement practices, building products and regulatory framework.
Using the NBS BIM Object Standard as the basis of a new core standard, the new International BIM Object Standard has been developed for use by all construction professionals – from specifiers to manufacturers and BIM content developers to assist in the creation of BIM objects. Local / regional requirements are contained in a localised Part B, allowing other countries to come on board over time, with the core standard remaining unchanged.
Today sees the launch of a draft consultation document, with Part B documents covering the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and you can download these documents below.
The development of the International BIM Object Standard is an important step, not just for NBS, but for all those who author BIM objects. It means that designers creating their own objects for practice and project-specific purposes can now do so to a common standard, enabling greater collaboration, efficiency and more meaningful information exchange not just in the UK, but in the global construction market. Client groups, as well as project managers will also feel the benefit as they can be confident in the quality of the BIM objects used within their project models.
Because objects can now be built using a common data environment to a commonly-understood international standard, we believe that BIM objects that meet the requirements of the International BIM Object Standard will help to realise the true benefits of digital construction resulting in better value across the whole life of the built asset.
International BIM Object Standard draft consultation documents (.zip, 0.6Mb)
International BIM Object Standard - Frequently Asked Questions
NBS's BIM Object Standard to be rolled out in Australia and New Zealand (Press release, August 2015)