NBIMS CHARTER MEMBERS
NBIMS Charter
Vision: An improved planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance process by using a standardized machine-readable information model for each facility, new or old, which contains all appropriate information created or gathered about that facility in a format useable throughout its life-cycle by all.
Mission: Improve the performance of facilities over their full life-cycle by fostering a common, standard and integrated life-cycle information model for the A/E/C & FM industry. This information model will allow for the free flow of graphic and non-graphic information among all parties to the process of creating and sustaining the built environment, and will work to coordinate U.S. efforts with related activities taking place internationally.
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Building Information Models (BIM) for the facility industry are comparable to the transformation that occurred in the aircraft, microprocessor and automotive industries. There are some definitions being circulated that say BIM is simply a 3D model of a facility which is far from the truth. BIM is intended to be an open standards based repository of information for the facility owner/operator to use and maintain throughout the life-cycle of a facility. Today nearly every piece of information that an owner needs about a facility throughout its life is available electronically. We currently don't have the infrastructure in place to capture, organize and mine that information. Our goal at the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) is to create that infrastructure through all facets of the industry and weave that information into something useful. NIBS and the International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) are working to coin this entire effort buildingSMART. The National BIM Standard will come under the buildingSMART umbrella.
There has been a life-cycle oriented cultural change gaining strength in the facility industry for years but adopted by only a few of the most sophisticated owners. Currently we look at facilities in fragmented 12-18 month views but we really need to look at them holistically over their complete life-cycle. Each discipline in the development of a facility, planning, design, construction, and management look at only their 12-18 month view and don't really care about anything outside their window. The loser is the owner—to the tune of $15.8B annually according to NIST¹.
We currently re-collect incredible amounts of information at each phase of a project. During operations and sustainment we recollect information each time we do a work order. Often the data is different and that ends up coming out of the owner's pocket as a change order due to unforeseen conditions. If we could hold onto that original information and reuse it later we would positively affect the industry.
The beneficiaries of BIM include owners, planners, realtors, appraisers, mortgage bankers, designers, engineers, prototypers, estimators, specifies, safety, occupational health, environmentalists, contractors, lawyers, contract officers, sub-contractors, fabricators, code officials, operators, risk management, renovators, first responders and demolition. Each has their own view of the information, many share the same information but some have unique uses. Some supply information, some use information some do both. For all this information to be useful it must adhere to open standards.
View a PowerPoint presentation on BIM/NBIMS.
¹ U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology, "Cost Analysis of Inadequate Interoperability in the U.S. Capital Facilities Industry". NIST GCR 04-867 Michael P. Gallaher and Alan C. O'Connor John L. Dettbarn, Jr. and Linda T. Gilday, August 2004.