BIM data(cobie/ifc) explained The cobuilder perspective
What information/data do you want? PDF? 3D Geometry? Data?
Data is at the heart of BIM
COBie an IFC model view Let s imagine we have an IFC model of a building containing all the essential data and we can extract any aspect of it drawings, reports, schedules etc. Thus, COBie a very simple and clear format for delivering building assets data. A COBie spreadsheet is not much different from a drawing of the building it just represents a different aspect of the building information.
What is COBie? The precise answer: Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie) is a data format for the publication of a subset of building model information focused on delivering building data, not geometric modeling. The comprehensible answer: Simply put, COBie is a format used for overview reports on what is in the building, what kind of jobs are involved, and who is responsible for what. The person who has created the COBie also refers to it as an IFC Model view. It consists of a COBie spreadsheet and a so called IFC COBie file.
The Digital Plan of Work PUSH SIDE SUPPLY CHAIN PULL SIDE - CLIENT E 1 S LD 2 ME A MC 3 C M 4 Portfolio Mgt Tier N Tier 3 Tier 2 Tier 1 PPM 5 N N N
The spreadsheet itself It is a standard SpreadsheetML (usually XML) file with rules on its layout to ensure a consistent and valid method of representation of building information. A conventional colour code has been applied to simplify working with COBie but it is not compulsory. It also must be noted that the required fields may change depending on the usage of the spreadsheet.
The spreadsheet itself This is the basic idea of COBie The COBie spreadsheet contains several tabs, which list least common denominator information on the building s facilities, floors, spaces, systems, installed equipment, documents etc. Every entry in a worksheet is connected with another one from another worksheet, basically saying The window XY is in room Z or Room Z is on the Nth floor.
Worksheets and their relationships This is what you will see at the bottom of your COBie spreadsheet: This is a scheme of the basic relationships between the different worksheets. The highlighted ones are the ones cobuilder can help you with, but more on that later.
Data Drop 1
Data Drop 2
Data Drop 3
Data Drop 4
The picklists A major element that gives COBie great flexibility is the Picklist Worksheet It provides sets of values used to categorize the other worksheets This allows the implementation of different classification systems into COBie This means that one and the same project can be delivered in the COBie format in two files one for example in Omniclass, the other in Uniclass etc., depending on the settings of the export tool New columns with categories can be added to the right side offering even greater customization
So what data do you want?
Product Data Templates What data do you want? Where can you get this data from? Legislative properties (DoP, SDS, LVD etc) Environmental Property sets (EPD) National standards (BS 8541) property sets Geometric property set Warranty Maintenance Etc
So where do you get this data?
Harmonised standards and COBie/IFC output European harmonised standards provide test methods for the performance, durability and safety of the construction products. We have added these as properties in the buildingsmart Data Dictionary. It turns out that IFC also has the concept of property used to define an object. We have also added these to the bsdd. We have found that many of the IFC properties are used to describe the same characteristics as the standardised properties. We used the functionalities of the bsdd to build bridges between properties responsible for the same characteristic
The window example In the left column is a list of hen (derived from a harmonised European standard) properties taken from the provisions of EN 14351-1 Windows and doors - Product standard, performance characteristics - Part 1. These properties are necessary for the issuing of a Declaration of performance for a window. In the right column are the same properties but in IFC format. Note that not all hen properties have an IFC correspondents and vice versa. After all the two sets have different approach to describe a construction product.
In action 1. The harmonised standards states that these properties are measured according to the following test standards 2. Values obtained from these tests are filled in a declaration of performance or as in this case in our Declaration of Performance property set 3. Using our bridges values from the tests are passed to the IFC property set, ready to become part of a building model Note: By definition in ISO 16739 values for the IFC properties must be provided according to the local building codes.
Environmental provisions and IFC The same bridges can be built between IFC and Environmental Product Declaration derived properties. Since both the IFC and the EPD standards are ISO there is almost exact match between the two sets
O&M and IFC IFC also has some operation and maintenance related properties. There are some limitations because of the nature of the O&M assets
Transition into COBie Properties can be exported in a COBie spreadsheet for handover. The last column specifies how different properties are written down in COBie. Note that the instruction properties from O&M are treated as Documents with regards to COBie, overcoming the limitations mentioned before.
Outside the CPR There are no declarations of performance in the Low-voltage or Machine directives but harmonised standards for different product types still exist and can be used exactly in the same way. IFC deals with all building assets including MEP. The same principles as before can be applied for MEP product types. We have repeated the previous example, this time with the luminaire product type.
The luminaire example Despite the fact that the harmonised standards in LVD don t give much about performance of the product type they do give reference to other standards that do so.
Into COBie again Besides the entity specific properties that we usually connect with the hen properties the others sets are basically the same for all product types so the bridges and the COBie export don t look much different
Product data Documents (pdf) Declaration of performance (DoP) Maintenance information Assembly instructions EPD - Environmental Product Declaration ISO 9001 Product leaflets Colour code Technical datasheet Other... Window Product data External fire performance Reaction to fire Water tightness Dangerous substances Resistance to wind load Impact resistance Load-bearing capacity of safety devices Acoustic performance Thermal transmittance Waste code Warranty time
Product Data Sheets (Defined in the BS 8451)
Product data (Defined in PPBIM)
Environmental properties
Export COBie drops
COBie Type
COBie Component
COBie Attributes (Properties)
How can we help you handle COBie? When you provide a list in COBie format of construction products (under the Type worksheet) associated to your project, add some information about suppliers or manufacturers (in the Contacts ), some performance (in the Attribute sheet) and maybe some specifications if you have any (in the Document sheet) you get the SPie spreadsheet. SPie stands for Specifiers Properties information exchange and it is a subset of COBie containing the items mentioned above.
How we can help you handle it In a happy coincidence is a service that manages these very items. Contractors connected to your project can add products from the huge database Where the products are organized in types, in different classification systems and in IFC format ProductXchange also keeps track of any required documentation for any product. Data from the document is also used to fill in product performance in bsddcompatible property sets.
Collect As Built & BIM
The productxchange process
Your project and sub-contractors on PXC
Create you product requirement filters e.g fire rating U value etc
The products used in your project
Select products
Your data attributed to COBie
COBie component
COBie Attributes (Properties)
Your data attributed to the IFC model & extra data available via hyperlinks
Your data attributed to Revit data
What s so good about COBie? It is a simple XML table that can be easily stored, which makes it especially useful for FM and O&M professionals who keep tons of folders with information for each project A single spreadsheet can provide either a large amount of general building asset data or a very narrow set of specific assets The concise way of arranging data in COBie is machine-readable, thus making it useful not only for export but also for import of asset information. It can be very convenient for uploading actual product data to your project Working with it is very simple and intuitive it s not a complicated software and it does not require training or similar Everything is kept in one place you don t have to go through all the specifications and drawings just to get to the one piece of information you need
In conclusion Currently, the majority of the building design software applications, which are available on the market certainly provide BIM services with a very high importance to the industry. However, to deliver a complete building information model is far from enough due to the essential building data not being attributed. cobuilder is a long established company with an unmatched insights in the field. What makes cobuilder s solutions unique is the ability to provide the actual information about the real products and their specifications. This is possible thanks to our experience and the database we have built, which is essential for a proper and practically useful COBie handover. We can help you manage your product data and provide it to your clients in a COBie format that is soon to become a major industry requirement.
How to find us cobuilder International cobuilder Norge @cobuilderuk @cobuilderuk cobuilder Norway +47 67 51 61 00 support@cobuilder.no cobuilder UK +44 74 71 947 346 nick.tune@cobuilder.com www.cobuilder.co.uk
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