The adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) is set to be transformed by the introduction of the first standard specification for BIM objects by NBS.
With the UK in a global race to develop standards and tools to support BIM adoption and the UK market for BIM-related services estimated to be £30bn per year by 2020, the stakes are high and the lack of standardisation of objects has been a major obstacle for firms wanting to fully exploit the opportunities available.
By defining what constitutes a high quality BIM object and providing consistency to both content and structure, the new standard will play a major role in helping UK-based firms build further on the £7bn of architectural and engineering services that are already exported. Closer to home, the new NBS BIM object standard will aid the whole industry as the 2016 deadline for the use of Level 2 BIM on all Government funded projects rapidly approaches.
Commenting on the launch, Ian Chapman, Director of the National BIM Library said: “It’s difficult to overstate the significance of this new standard: lack of standardised objects has been a huge barrier to BIM adoption which has been removed at a stroke. As we move towards 2016, we’ll be working with representatives from right across the industry to develop it further.
“Our vision is for the entire UK construction industry to have access to BIM objects that can be used freely, safe in the knowledge that they contain the same levels of information with the appropriate geometry all wrapped up in a consistent and highly useable format.
“The BIM landscape is evolving and the market needs good quality generic and manufacturers’ BIM objects. 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. Client groups, as well as project managers will also feel the benefit as they can be confident that the quality of BIM objects included within their project models is suitable.”
The introduction of the new BIM object standard has been welcomed across the industry. Casey Rutland and Carl Collins of Arup Associates, a practice that has been pioneering the adoption of BIM commented: “We welcome an open standard for BIM Objects that has been well thought through, publicly consulted and endorsed by the wider community and we eagerly await the publication of the NBS standard.”
The standard specification will be available free on the NBS National BIM Library website and covers both generic and or manufacturers’ BIM objects.
NBS’s new BIM object standard is now available on the NBS National BIM Library website.
