In an effort to collaborate on the development of building information modeling (BIM) standards, the National Institute of Building Sciences buildingSMART alliance and buildingSMART Canada, a Council of the Institute for BIM in Canada (IBC), have signed a five-year, renewable memorandum of agreement setting the parameters of the relationship.
The Alliance, developer of the National BIM Standard-United States (NBIMS-US), has delivered NBIMS-US Version 2, the first-ever consensus-based standard governing BIM for use in the United States. Both a council of the National Institute of Building Sciences and the North American chapter of buildingSMART International, the Alliance is working with a number of buildingSMART member nations on BIM standard development.
At the same time, buildingSMART Canada, as well as a number of other member countries, are planning to adopt the NBIMS-US V2 as the basis for their own standards. Each nation will add more content as needed and then share their updates back with the Alliance to be considered for adoption in the United States edition.
“Development of the National BIM Standard-United States is an enormous effort, but it doesn’t have to be a slow one,” said Dana K. “Deke” Smith, FAIA, executive director of the buildingSMART alliance. “Through this agreement, our friends in Canada will be helping to provide content for NBIMS-US as they develop a national standard governing BIM for Canada. This contribution, combined with the efforts of other buildingSMART member nations, will help us to grow the content of NIBMS-US exponentially in a much shorter period of time than we could do ourselves.”
“As we undertake our own Canadian BIM standards, we are very excited to be working closely with our North American partners,” said Dave Pelletier, chair of IBC. “By signing this MOA, we can provide a Canadian perspective to the standards development in the United States, while also learning and utilizing outside expertise for our own standards development process and supporting the goal of an International BIM Standard tailored to our own needs.”
The NBIMS-US V2 contains reference standards, information exchange standards—which are built upon the reference standards—and best practice guidelines that support users in their implementation of open BIM standards-based deliverables. This MOA will allow buildingSMART Canada to help support the goal of an International BIM Standard alongside the process for a Canadian National BIM Standard.