WASHINGTON – The buildingSMART alliance needs some help with its building information modeling (BIM) standard. The Alliance, which is both a Council of the National Institute of Building Sciences and the North American Chapter of buildingSMART International, has the responsibility of developing the United States National BIM Standard™ (NBIMS). Version 1 of NBIMS established the overview, principles and methodologies of what the standard will be. The Alliance is now beginning the development process for Version 2 (the nitty-gritty of the standard itself) and needs industry input.
BIM has the potential to involve all aspects of the facilities industry, including architects, engineers, contractors, insurers, unions, manufacturers, lawyers, homebuilders, vendors, owners, consumers, local, state and federal governments, codes and standards developers, and testing representatives. Therefore, the Alliance is working to assemble a project committee of representatives from all of these sectors. NBIMS Version 2 will be the first true consensus BIM standard for the United States and it likely will be the basis of several other nations’ BIM standards around the world, so industry input (both domestic and international) is crucial.
After assembling the project committee, the Alliance will issue a call for ballot submissions, followed by an industry review and comment period, then a resolution period. Voting on the final changes is expected to take place in July 2011, with the completed National BIM Standard Version 2 projected to be released at the end of that year.
The opportunity to participate on the NBIMS Project Committee and throughout the development process is open to all members of the Alliance and the National Institute of Building Sciences. To learn more about membership, the committee and to download an application, visit www.buildingsmartalliance.org/index.php/nbims/committee.
About the Institute
The National Institute of Building Sciences, authorized by public law 93-383 in 1974, is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that brings together representatives of government, the professions, industry, labor and consumer interests to identify and resolve building process and facility performance problems. The Institute serves as an authoritative source of advice for both the private and public sectors with respect to the use of building science and technology. To learn more, go to www.nibs.org.