With BIM transforming the construction industry, BSI has made few changes to the BIM standards, driving its implementation to an international level.

FREMONT, CA – Over the past few years, building information modeling (BIM) has revolutionized the construction industry. It has provided the necessary tools to the construction managers to manage project information efficiently. Even though it is mostly adopted during the design and preconstruction phase, its benefits range throughout the life-cycle of the project.

In this regard, the British Standards Institution (BSI) has made several changes to the BIM standards, driving its implementation to an international level. The procedures underlying the utilization of BIM were contained in Publically Available Specifications (PASs) until recently. It comprised the entire life cycle of a completed asset from the conception through building and operational phase to the final demolition or refurbishment.

ISO19650-2, an international standard issued by the BSI, has replaced the PAS1192-2 which regulated the delivery phase until January of this year. The BSI also launched ISO19650-1 concerning the ISO standards governing the entire process of the delivery phase. The BSI is also planning to issue the ISO19650-3 and ISO19650-5 in the place of the existing PASs regulating the operation and cybersecurity phase, respectively.

The ISO19650-2 does not differ significantly from PAS1192-2. Since the procedures outlined in the latest standards are similar to the existing ones, there is no significant change in the utilization of BIM in the delivery phase. However, there are some variations which are designed to enhance the functioning of BIM.

For the benefit of international users, BSI has replaced terms such as “employer,” and “supplier,” with “appointing party,” and “appointed party,” respectively. Also, the word “contract” has been replaced by “appointment.” The BSI has also provided a supplemental document to assist with the term transition. It comprises comprehensive mapping that describes the correlation between the PAS1192-2 and ISO19650-2.

Also, the ISO gives importance to information management over the BIM model. According to the new standard, the model is a subset of the information subject to the ISO process. The information protocol is considered as a vital document of the ISO. It emphasizes the connection between information management involved in asset delivery and its operation and maintenance. The ISO19650-2 maps information management throughout the concept, design, and delivery phases, including initial assessment, invitation to tender, tender response, appointment of relevant parties, mobilization, collaborative production of information, information model delivery, and project close out.