B2 – Chapter 3, Interoperability

When you look up the word interoperability in the dictionary it is defined as: ‘The ability for two or more software applications to work together with little effort from the user’.

To begin with (in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s) it was the exchange of formats that was limited the geometry. This was mainly the in 2D CAD geometry that there was the need for file exchange between applications. It is not only in the building industry that interoperability is used but also in the e-business industry. In the building industry the model and geometry exchange is more difficult. In the late 1980’s the 3D geometry and exchange of data grew. A reason for why the interoperability in the building industry is more difficult is that structural parts, energy analyses and constructions (pipes, concrete etc.) from different fabricants are now incorporated in the models making them more complex and there are many different BIM programs with different setups. Interoperability is therefore crucial for a more efficient work when different companies working together are using different programs – or if inside the company different programs are used for different analyses of the building model. E.g. IES models are conducted from a Revit model. The use of interoperability there makes the work go much faster.

IFC can create different schemes (architectural, mechanical and structural) that contain data from the different groups that can be exchanged between the different AEC software applications.

An example of the use of interoperability in real life practice is from a Danish company called MT Hoejgaard who works with VDC (Virtual Design and Construction). They used IFC models to create time schedules, quantity lists and procurement applications, just as it is described in chapter 3 in the BIM handbook.

As Kayleigh Houde talked about in class last Tuesday the 15^th of January (week#2) interoperability is a good tool that can help save a lot of time. She talked about how Rhino was used to convert the data from a Revit model and group it together to create parametric designs and save time.

Interoperability in the BIM sector is very important as 3D models gets more and more incorporated in the working environment.

Source:

Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook : A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors. Vol. 2nd ed, Wiley, 2011

Comments to others posts:

Weiyi Tang:

I enjoyed reading about the IPD (Integrated Project Delivery). When architects and engineers are work on a large project together, it is important to have an integrated BIM model and work together on the project to avoid any overlaps in the design and construction. This will definitely save time and money. I know this from precious experience working in a firm where architects and engineers were working together on these large projects.

Harvin Bhandal:

BIM tools as Revit has a lot of complexity to it, so yes as the book says: “Designing a building that contains a hundred thousand or more objects would be impractical without a system that allows for effective low-level automatic design editing”. Imagine how much time we save by using these BIM tools. I agree, there is a lot of time to save from using BIM tools, and creating a 3D model definitely makes the communication between the different actors easier.

Jenny Fretta:

I see how owners and facility managers can also have benefits from using BIM tools. In the end every actor involved in the building process would like a process optimization to save money. The collaboration of all the MEP drawings, clashes and collisions to avoid extra time in the field is definitely a positive thing, which the owner also benefits from as they can move residents in earlier – and save construction costs.