eCl@ss and buildingSMART join forces to establish open standards in Building Information Modeling (BIM)

The standards organization eCl@ss e.V. and buildingSMART International have entered into a cooperation with each other. The two non-profit organizations stated in a joint declaration of intent their plans to work together in advancing standardization and to incorporate the results of their efforts into Building Information Modeling, also known as BIM. BIM is a digital planning process that allows all companies involved in a construction project to participate in the modeling process. By integrating 3-D views, floor plans or installation and electrical distribution units into the process, BIM provides a digital representation of a physical building or property. BIM has become increasingly relevant in the planning of complex single-purpose buildings, their operations and in facility management and is indispensable to the work of facility and building planners, architects, developers and building operators. However, an effective Building Information Modeling process depends on high-quality data based on open standards.

eCl@ss and buildingSMART deliver data basis

With open standards, eCl@ss and buildingSMART enable more efficient and collaborative workflows, regardless of software. The cross-industry ISO/IEC-compliant data standard eCl@ss allows for the classification and unambiguous description of products and services.  Its underlying data structures, which represent all the data relevant to a product – from product categories to the descriptions of individual technical properties – are validated by prominent experts on a regular basis. More than 3,500 companies around the globe are already taking advantage of the benefits offered by the classification and description of their products and services.

As an authority on standardization in the built asset economy, buildingSMART relies on open standards in the digital representation and exchange of information for the construction industry. The organization’s buildingSMART Data Dictionary (bSDD) provides a web service-based platform for standards, definitions, properties and unique digital identifiers. Embedded as a digital module in Building Information Modeling processes, the platform offers facility and building planners, architects, developers and building operators access to the dedicated data from eCl@ss and buildingSMART. As part of a pilot plan targeting the successive implementation of all construction-relevant eCl@ss data structures into the bSDD, the commodity classes, properties and values available through the eCl@ss standard have been integrated into the dictionary.

“Special eCl@ss-Taskforce” for BIM established

In order to track the complex data structure requirements involved with planning large residential or single-purpose buildings through Building Information Modeling, eCl@ss established a BIM taskforce focused specifically on this issue within the construction sector. Leaders in the industry such as Hager, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Strabag, Weidmüller and Würth are pooling their expertise in order to ensure the greatest consistency possible in advancing the open standards strategy. Stakeholders throughout the sector applaud the cooperation between eCl@ss and buildingSMART as a milestone in advancing the digital transformation of the construction sector and industry.

About buildingSMART International:

buildingSMART International is an authority in standardization for the built asset economy aiming to create and promote the adoption of open standards for the international exchange of information. These international openBIM® standards promote the digital representation of building-related data and information and the exchange of such information through Building Information Modeling (BIM) processes. Designed specifically for this purpose, the buildingSmart Data Dictionary (bSDD) provides definitions of commonly used concepts, standards, translations, properties, relationships and unique digital identifiers. This data is available to the construction industry as a web service in a non-proprietary platform, which ensures a sustainable flow of information regarding construction-related requirements that is open and global.