The Austrian BIM Standard was originally one of the most widely recognized BIM guidelines in the world—but unfortunately, it has yet to find widespread practical application. This article explains the significance of this approach.
In mid-2015, for the first time in the German-speaking world, the BIM methodology was supplemented by a comprehensive set of standards that precisely regulates the geometric and alphanumeric content of virtual building models at each phase, from project initiation through to demolition. The relevant characteristics of model elements—such as materials, building physics parameters, structural properties, etc., were developed in close coordination with the international BIM data transfer standard IFC and have a real chance of significantly improving collaboration between different disciplines and software platforms in the future.
This globally unique standardization approach outlined in ÖN 6241-2 attracted considerable international attention upon its release and has since established itself as the basis for a future VDI standard and even a CEN standard.
The phase model concept underlying the Ö-Norm has been incorporated into a publicly accessible online database, known as the "Characteristic Server" of the Austrian Standards Institute. The standardization approach is based on a very simple idea, which is reflected in this database:
- All conceivable components of a BIM model are described
(e.g., walls, ceilings, columns, radiators, plumbing fixtures, etc.) - All conceivable properties are stored for each of these
elements (for walls, e.g., length, height, thickness, material, U-value, etc.). - Each property of every element is now assigned to a project phase in which a specific property must be defined
(for walls, e.g., fire resistance class in the preliminary design, U-value in the design)
This remarkably simple concept holds great potential for international application: Since the characteristics of all BIM elements are fundamentally identical worldwide, a country need only define the phase in which they are to be specified for each element—and a robust national BIM standard is ready to go!
Work is currently underway on the feature server’s user interface to make it more user-friendly. An integration with BIM software would also be desirable, so that users can incorporate the necessary information about the features to be defined for each phase of each element into their planning online in the future.