Terry Gough, a BIM champion and managing director at Swiftbuild, has devised his own "roadmap" to make sense of all the documentation and standards associated with BIM Level 2.
The reason I have created this BIM/Government Soft Landings (GSL) roadmap is to try to establish just what was required in relation to Level 2 BIM and the associated documents: BS 1192/ PAS 1192-2 /PAS 1192-3/ BS 1192-4 and PAS 1192-5.
This led me on a journey of understanding, not just of the above-mentioned documents, but for all of the other applicable British and international standards and guidance that go hand in hand with this thing called “BIM” – and let’s not forget its “little brother” GSL.
All of the standards work in synergy with the main BS and PAS documents applicable to delivering Level 2 BIM, but what I have tried to show with the “swim lanes” in the matrix is that the standards and guidance are split into different categories: good practice documents; then construction process documents related to BIM delivery; BIM for handover and close-out; BIM in-use; security and then on to Government Soft Landings.
These are then further split across the page into the applicable RIBA works stages 0 to 7 – this shows that information and data will be applicable across work stages.
As can be seen by some of the arrows pointing in both directions, you will get a two-way flow of information throughout the lifecycle of the project.
At the last count, 120 BIM and GSL standards and associated guidance were available! As the basis for delivering a successful Level 2 BIM/GSL project, you may agree this can – and will – be a minefield for the uninitiated.
In developing the BIM roadmap, I have tried to set out a path that starts at BS EN ISO 9001:2015, as this is the best and most appropriate starting point for all organisations. This then leads into a number of other standards and guidance documents – and we haven’t even got to the BIM bit yet. But we do need to understand all of these documents and their relationship with each other to have half a chance of successfully delivering a Level 2 BIM project.
Terry Gough hopes industry will add to his roadmap
My understanding is that the BIM Task Group discussed a “roadmap” in the early days of PAS 1192-2, but nothing real or tangible has materialised as yet.
This BIM roadmap is a starting point and whilst by no means a finished article, it can provide a suitable point of reference for industry to engage with. In creating the roadmap, I have not tried to produce something that would fit all scenarios, as that would be an impossible task. However, it would be good if industry could contribute and refine this roadmap, as after all this is about breaking out of those siloes we work in everyday: and we are all equally guilty of that.
The BIM Task Group, with BSI, has undertaken to review applicable standards to ensure that we have a “closed loop” when it comes to BIM. BSI is also looking at the change from a PAS standard to an ISO standard for PAS 1192-2:2013, which will ultimately become BS ISO 19650-1, with PAS 1192-3:2014 becoming BS ISO 19650-2.
Nevertheless, looking around I can see that many in industry feel there is a need for additional guidance documents, or a “roadmap” such as this, with lots of people creating their own publications of one kind or another. These include NBS with its “periodic table”, Bond Bryan Digital with the blogs and guidance produced by the firm, and the “KT4BIM” project with the work they are currently carrying out with both industry and academia.
We can all question these attempts, but my challenge to all is to bring to the table solutions, rather than to sit back and judge from a distance. We can all create wonderful tools and keep them locked away, but the need for “openBIM” is a reality, the need for “openDATA” and for industry to take stock of itself is needed now. We are entering a world that is becoming increasingly digitally savvy and mindsets and data architecture need to be in line with this revolution that is happening with digital transformation.
A truly digital industry is an ambition shared by many right across all areas of the built environment. This ambition is fourfold: an industry where our people have access to the best of digital technology and are capable and confident in its use at home, at work and on the move; where our businesses have the skills and confidence to exploit digital technologies; and where the economic environment encourages digital innovation.
That is the reason for sharing this roadmap to give all the same shared knowledge and understanding of what is required to deliver a Level 2 BIM project, to include rather than exclude.
To receive a copy of the roadmap, please contact Terry Gough on [email protected]
