OpenBIM

OpenBIM refers to a design and construction industry approach that emphasizes open standards and open data formats to enable interoperability across different software tools and disciplines throughout the building lifecycle. The goal is to reduce vendor lock-in, improve collaboration, and enable data to flow between design, analysis, construction, and facilities management.

The core component of OpenBIM is the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), an open, vendor-neutral data model for building information. IFC is maintained by buildingSMART International and published as ISO 16739. In addition, open collaboration formats such as the BIM Collaboration Format (BCF) support issue management without locking to a single platform. OpenBIM also relies on other open standards and mappings, including ifcXML, IFC schemas, and the broader ISO standards related to BIM.

OpenBIM covers the full lifecycle of a project, from conceptual design and analysis to construction and operation. It enables diverse software tools to exchange geometry, properties, relationships, and process information, facilitating multidisciplinary coordination and lifecycle information management.

Adoption challenges include inconsistent data quality, varying levels of compliance with open standards, and performance issues with large models. Benefits include reduced rework, better cost control, clearer accountability, and the ability to reuse data across projects and asset lifecycles.

In practice, OpenBIM is promoted by buildingSMART and national chapters, with ongoing work to expand standardization, certification, and interoperability testing.