A nationwide group of Building Information Modeling users, known as the BIMForum, is seeking industry input on a proposed set of standards establishing how complete Building Information Models (BIMs) need to be for different stages of the design and construction process.
Once finalized, the new standards, known as Level of Development Specifications, will allow everyone to clearly articulate how complete model elements for the different building systems are or need to be throughout the design and construction process.
“Nobody benefits if everybody has a different idea about how much information should go into each element of a building model or for what uses those models are suitable,” said Dmitri Alferieff, the director of the BIMForum. “These specifications will allow everyone using Building Information Modeling to accurately define what will go into a model and prescribe its intended uses based on the completeness of its content.”
Alferieff noted that the new development specifications will allow model authors to define what their models can be relied on for and allow other users to understand the value, and limitations, of models they receive. A team of contractors, engineers and architects co-chaired by Jan Reinhardt with Pittsburgh, Penn.-based Adept Project Delivery and Jim Bedrick with San Francisco, Calif.-based A/E/C Process Engineering has been working on the draft specifications since early 2011, Alferieff added.
Officials with the BIMForum are asking members of the construction, design and engineering communities to review the proposed specifications and submit comments by June 7. (The specifications, and directions for submitting comments, can be found at www.bimforum.org/lod.) The specifications team will review all comments submitted as they work to finalize the Levels of Development Specifications document, name added.
Once finalized, the BIMForum will make the specification open to the public and encourage them to use it as a reference standard in Building Information Modeling agreements and execution plans, Alferieff added.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Feb 18, 2015
Make It Right unveils six designs for affordable housing complex
BNIM is among the six firms involved in the project.
Office Buildings | Feb 18, 2015
Commercial real estate developers optimistic, but concerned about taxes, jobs outlook
The outlook for the commercial real estate industry remains strong despite growing concerns over sluggish job creation and higher taxes, according to a new survey of commercial real estate professionals by NAIOP.
Museums | Feb 18, 2015
Foster + Partners' National Museum of Marine Science and Technology breaks ground in Taiwan
The museum will be home to an aquarium, exhibition space, and waterfront views.
University Buildings | Feb 18, 2015
Preparing for the worst: Campus security since Virginia Tech
Seven years after the mass shootings at Virginia Tech, colleges and universities continue to shake up their emergency communications and response capabilities to shootings and other criminal threats.
Office Buildings | Feb 18, 2015
Why the mobile workplace isn't always mobile
Perkins+Will’s Janice Barnes addresses the nuance in mobility types and explains the importance of defining terms upfront.
University Buildings | Feb 17, 2015
BD+C exclusive: How security is influencing campus design and construction
Campus crime—whether real or perceived—presents Building Teams with more opportunities for early-stage consultation with university clients.
Architects | Feb 17, 2015
Architecture billings dip in January, severe weather likely to blame
“This easing in demand for design services is a bit of a surprise given the overall strength of the market over the past nine months,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 17, 2015
California launches pilot program to finance multifamily retrofits for energy efficiency
The Obama Administration and the state of California are teaming with the Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation on a pilot program whose goal is to unlock Property-Assessed Clean Energy financing for multifamily housing.
Sponsored | Building Team | Feb 17, 2015
Why diversity matters
Companies in the top quartile for gender or racial and ethnic diversity are more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 17, 2015
Young Millennials likely to return home
Ninety percent of individuals born between 1980 and 1984 and who hold a Bachelor’s degree left home before they were 27 years hold. However, half of this group later returned to their parents’ home, according to a study by the National Longitudinal Study of Youth.