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WASHINGTON, DC— The National Institute of Building Sciences’ (NIBS), Facility Information Council (FIC) announced today that the Executive Committee for the National Building Information Modeling Standard (NBIMS) project has released the National BIM Standard Version 1 – Part 1: Overview, Principles, and Methodologies for public use. This document, which includes contributions by more than thirty subject-matter experts in the capital facilities industry, incorporates industry comments and now contains new and expanded information about the NBIMS production and use process. 

Building Information Modeling (BIM) refers to the use of the concepts and practices of open and interoperable information exchanges, emerging technologies, new business structures and influencing the re-engineering of processes in ways that dramatically reduce multiple forms of waste in the building industry. The National BIM Standard, a key element of the overall industry transformation being supported and coordinated by the buildingSMART alliance™, establishes standard definitions for building information exchanges to support critical business decisions. Implemented in software, the consensus-based standard will form a basis for more accurate and efficient commerce within the capital facilities industry. The National BIM Standard is also intended to help participants in facilities-related processes achieve more reliable outcomes from commercial agreements. 

“As the building process transitions to BIM,  SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1the use of true performance criteria for and design of higher performing buildings will become possible.  By advancing beyond today’s standards, which have been driven, at least in part, by minimum requirements for regulatory demands, we have the opportunity to offer higher performing buildings to owners and users.  This will allow our moving beyond the non-codified performance measures that have to a large extent depended on manufacturers’ claims and warrantees that address building performance in many different and typically non-standardized ways.  In the future, through the use of BIM, we will greatly increase our ability to analyze the life-cycle value of many more design alternatives and options, far better manage costs and virtually eliminate much of the waste, errors and inefficiency inherent in today’s facility delivery process.” said David A. Harris, FAIA, president of the National Institute of Building Sciences, “We owe Deke Smith, Alan Edgar and the many other volunteers who have pioneered this concept a great debt of gratitude.”

Alan Edgar, chair of the NBIMS Project Committee stated, “While there remain many Building Information Modeling issues to discuss, coordinate, and resolve, we hope the release of Version 1 – Part 1 of the Standard will facilitate discussion and lay the groundwork for ongoing activities not only in the U.S. but also with our international counterparts.”

Mr. Edgar added:  “The Executive Committee expresses sincere appreciation to all those who contributed and continue to contribute to the creation of the National BIM Standard.  As always, we invite participants to join the committee to help shape and share in the transformation of the industry.”

Created as part of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to spur new technologies and processes through research and education, NIBS is charged with helping to improve building construction and operation to benefit all Americans. The Facility Information Council (FIC) is a NIBS Council providing industry-wide support for the development, standardization, and integration of computer technologies and software to ensure the improved performance of the entire life cycle of facilities from design, engineering and construction through operation, maintenance and retirement phases.  In addition to the NBIMS Committee, the FIC’s responsibilities include oversight over the U.S National CAD Standard (NCS) Project Committee that develops and fosters voluntary adoption of the CAD Standard by the building design, construction and operation sectors, thereby establishing a common language for the building design and documentation process. 

National BIM Standard Version 1 – Part 1: Overview, Principles, and Methodologies can be downloaded at no cost by accessing:  www.facilityinformationcouncil.org/bim/publications.php