BIM (Building Information Modeling) is a collaborative approach that allows all relevant information and data relating to a building to be recorded using digital models and exchanged transparently between clients, contractors and service providers. It helps to prevent mistakes at the planning stage, coordination issues and costly construction defects. BIM is based on standardised characteristics and descriptions for digital building models, which the German federal government’s new BIM portal is now providing. Over ten thousand attributes are already available, allowing all parties involved in construction projects to work together seamlessly and provide unique descriptions of individual buildings.
The BIM portal has a modular structure and is set to be expanded next year to include a configuration function for client information specifications (AIA – Auftraggeber-Informationsanforderungen) and testing tools for quality control. These modules will help public-sector clients to define all services, roles and responsibilities with precision and monitor compliance with specifications. The portal provides a standardised framework for the functional tendering and commissioning of construction projects. Attributes and client information specifications can easily be shared between project contributors and integrated into existing software applications such as planning and CAD solutions, thanks to open data formats and interfaces. This way, the attributes can also be used outside of public building specifications and be established as the industry standard throughout the German construction sector.
The BIM portal is part of the BIM Deutschland collaborative project, in which 18 partners led by planen-bauen 4.0 GmbH are establishing a BIM hub on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport and the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building. The portal was designed by planen-bauen 4.0, adesso and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Markus König, Professor of Computing in Engineering at Ruhr-University Bochum. adesso handled the implementation side of the project, developing a high-performance system capable of processing large volumes of data and meeting the complex technical requirements of the construction industry. A number of new developments were required as only a handful of standard solutions are available in this area. This is where adesso’s expertise in building online portals and managing software development projects, and also its experiences in construction industry projects, came into play.
The BIM portal allows public-sector clients to make use of the benefits of BIM methodology at the tendering stage. Working with a central, digital building model with clearly defined characteristics and descriptions prevents incompatibilities and results in accelerated tenders, contracting and implementation at a lower cost. It is easier for clients to engage with architects, structural engineers, engineers, construction companies and service providers and implement largely automated quality assurance.
