BIM data(COBie/IFC) explained

The coBuilder perspective

What information/data do you want?

PDF?

3D Geometry?

Data?
Data is at the heart of BIM
 COBie an IFC model view

Lets imagine we have an IFC model of a building

containing all the essential data and we can extract
any aspect of it drawings, reports, schedules etc.
Thus, COBie a very simple and clear format for
delivering building assets data.

A COBie spreadsheet
is not much different
from a drawing of the
building it just
represents a different
aspect of the building
information.
 What is COBie?

The precise answer:

Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie) is

a data format for the publication of a subset of building model information
focused on delivering building data, not geometric modeling.

The comprehensible answer:

Simply put, COBie is a format used for overview reports on what is in
the building, what kind of jobs are involved, and who is responsible for
what. The person who has created the COBie also refers to it as an IFC
Model view. It consists of a COBie spreadsheet and a so called IFC
COBie file.
The Digital Plan of Work
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 The spreadsheet itself

It is a standard SpreadsheetML (usually XML) file with rules on its layout to

ensure a consistent and valid method of representation of building
information. A conventional colour code has been applied to simplify
working with COBie but it is not compulsory. It also must be noted that the
required fields may change depending on the usage of the spreadsheet.
 The spreadsheet itself

The COBie spreadsheet contains

several tabs, which list least
common denominator information
on the buildings facilities, floors,
spaces, systems, installed
equipment, documents etc. Every
entry in a worksheet is connected
with another one from another
worksheet, basically saying The
window XY is in room Z or Room Z
is on the Nth floor.
This is the basic idea of COBie
 Worksheets and their relationships

This is what you will see at the bottom of your COBie spreadsheet:

This is a scheme of the

basic relationships
between the different
worksheets. The
highlighted ones are the
ones coBuilder can help
you with, but more on
that later.
Data Drop 1
Data Drop 2
Data Drop 3
Data Drop 4
 The picklists

A major element that gives COBie

great flexibility is the Picklist
Worksheet
It provides sets of values used to
categorize the other worksheets
This allows the implementation of
different classification systems into
COBie
This means that one and the same
project can be delivered in the COBie
format in two files one for example
in Omniclass, the other in Uniclass
etc., depending on the settings of the
export tool
New columns with categories can be
added to the right side offering even
greater customization
So what data do you want?
Product Data Templates
What data do you want?
Where can you get this data from?

Legislative properties (DoP, SDS, LVD etc)

Environmental Property sets (EPD)
National standards (BS 8541) property sets
Geometric property set
Warranty
Maintenance
Etc
So where do you get this data?
Harmonised standards and COBie/IFC output

European harmonised standards provide test methods for the

performance, durability and safety of the construction products. We
have added these as properties in the buildingSMART Data
Dictionary.
It turns out that IFC also has the concept of property used to define
an object. We have also added these to the bSDD.
We have found that many of the IFC properties are used to describe
the same characteristics as the standardised properties.
We used the functionalities of the bSDD to build bridges between
properties responsible for the same characteristic
 The window example

In the left column is a list of hEN (derived from a harmonised European standard)
properties taken from the provisions of EN 14351-1 Windows and doors - Product
standard, performance characteristics - Part 1. These properties are necessary for
the issuing of a Declaration of performance for a window.

In the right column are the same properties but in IFC format. Note that not all hEN
properties have an IFC correspondents and vice versa. After all the two sets have
different approach to describe a construction product.


  






  


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Note: By definition in ISO 16739 values for the IFC properties must be provided according to the local building codes.
 Environmental provisions and IFC
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 O&M and IFC

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some limitations because of the nature of the O&M assets



 





 

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 Transition into COBie

Properties can be exported in a COBie spreadsheet for handover. The last column
specifies how different properties are written down in COBie. Note that the
instruction properties from O&M are treated as Documents with regards to COBie,
overcoming the limitations mentioned before.

 

 



 

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 Outside the CPR

There are no declarations of performance in the Low-voltage or

Machine directives but harmonised standards for different product
types still exist and can be used exactly in the same way.
IFC deals with all building assets including MEP.
The same principles as before can be applied for MEP product types.
We have repeated the previous example, this time with the luminaire
product type.
 The luminaire example

Despite the fact that the harmonised standards in LVD dont give much
about performance of the product type they do give reference to other
standards that do so.



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 Into COBie again

Besides the entity specific properties that we usually connect with the hEN
properties the others sets are basically the same for all product types so the
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 Product data

Documents (pdf) Product
data

External fire performance
Declaration of performance (DoP) Window
Reaction to fire
Maintenance information
Water tightness
Assembly instructions
Dangerous substances
EPD - Environmental Product Declaration
Resistance to wind load
ISO 9001
Impact resistance
Product leaflets
Load-bearing capacity of
Colour code
safety devices
Technical datasheet
Acoustic performance
Other...
Thermal transmittance


Waste code
Warranty time
Product Data Sheets (Defined in the BS 8451)
Product data (Defined in PPBIM)
Environmental properties
Export COBie drops
COBie Type
COBie Component
COBie Attributes (Properties)
 How can we help you handle COBie?

When you provide a list in COBie

format of construction products
(under the Type worksheet)
associated to your project, add
some information about suppliers
or manufacturers (in the
Contacts), some performance
(in the Attribute sheet) and
maybe some specifications if you
have any (in the Document
sheet) you get the SPie
spreadsheet.
SPie stands for Specifiers
Properties information exchange
and it is a subset of COBie
containing the items mentioned
above.
 How we can help you handle it

In a happy coincidence is
a service that manages these very
items.
Contractors connected to your project
can add products from the huge
database
Where the products are organized in
types, in different classification
systems and in IFC format
ProductXchange also keeps track of
any required documentation for any
product.
Data from the document is also used
to fill in product performance in bSDD-
compatible property sets.
Collect As Built & BIM
The productXchange process
Your project and sub-contractors on PXC
Create you product requirement filters
e.g fire rating U value etc
The products used in your project
Select products
Your data attributed to COBie
COBie component
COBie Attributes (Properties)
Your data attributed to the IFC model &
extra data available via hyperlinks
Your data attributed to Revit data
 Whats so good about COBie?

It is a simple XML table that can be easily stored, which makes it

especially useful for FM and O&M professionals who keep tons of folders
with information for each project
A single spreadsheet can provide either a large amount of general building
asset data or a very narrow set of specific assets
The concise way of arranging data in COBie is machine-readable, thus
making it useful not only for export but also for import of asset information.
It can be very convenient for uploading actual product data to your project
Working with it is very simple and intuitive its not a complicated software
and it does not require training or similar
Everything is kept in one place you dont have to go through all the
specifications and drawings just to get to the one piece of information you
need
 In conclusion

Currently, the majority of the building design software applications, which

are available on the market certainly provide BIM services with a very
high importance to the industry.
However, to deliver a complete building information model is far from
enough due to the essential building data not being attributed.
coBuilder is a long established company with an unmatched insights in
the field. What makes coBuilders solutions unique is the ability to provide
the actual information about the real products and their specifications.
This is possible thanks to our experience and the database we have built,
which is essential for a proper and practically useful COBie handover.

We can help you manage your product data and provide it to

your clients in a COBie format that is soon to become a major
industry requirement.
 How to find us

coBuilder International
coBuilder Norge
coBuilder Norway
@coBuilderUK
+47 67 51 61 00
@coBuilderUK support@cobuilder.no

coBuilder UK
+44 74 71 947 346
nick.tune@cobuilder.com
www.coBuilder.co.uk
Thank you for the attention!