What does interoperability mean in BIM?

When we talk about interoperability in BIM (Building Information Modeling), we mean the possibility of merging elements and information from different disciplines, skills, professional figures and software tools into a single centralized project.

Within the same three-dimensional model composed of parametric elements, together with the architectural project, there can also be room for contributions from other disciplines drawn up for example by structural engineers, plant engineers, interior designers and other professionals, even if they do not all use the same software applications.

As you can easily imagine, the main advantage of this collaborative approach is not having to convert and import only geometric models and repeat the operation for each modification of each professional involved in the process. This reduces not only the workload, but above all the possibility of errors, without considering the fact that everyone works on a model richer in information than 2D or 3D geometric drawings.

Another significant advantage is the possibility of carrying out the development of different design aspects simultaneously, dialoguing and complying with the different specific needs of the different disciplines involved.

Digital sharing of BIM data opens the door to collaborative design.

The first step could be to work with several people from the same studio on a single project, in a single file shared on the network, all using the same BIM application for design. It is much simpler and more profitable than working on separate files, relating to different parts of the project, which will then be merged together in a single file.

For example, when at least one part of the project has reached a sufficient architectural definition, another collaborator can begin the study of the furniture here, or of the systems using the Mep module of the software adopted by the studio, or refine other details.

A minimum of internal organization and the definition of some common standards (organization of transparencies, pens, etc.) is needed, but this is nothing new, these are good practices that should be defined anyway, also to be able to easily put together the "pieces" coming from separate files in the complete project file.

This is collaboration, and that is fine and certainly efficient, but it is not yet interoperability, because all the professionals involved are using the same software and almost certainly its proprietary file format as well.

So there is no problem of a common language of exchange between different platforms, but all the other potential of the BIM design of the application in use are exploited anyway. It is unlikely that a single application will lend itself well to all branches of civil design, but in many cases it can be more than sufficient for the development required by the project.

In this way, it is already possible to achieve a good level of process optimization, which is no small thing in a highly fragmented sector such as construction.

BIM interoperability enables communication between different software through a single exchange format, to promote collaboration without loss of information.

If different programs are used within the same studio for structural design, plant design, energy analysis, cost estimation, etc., standard procedures can be studied and defined to pass geometric or numerical data from the architectural project to other more specific processes, seeking the best possible compromise.

Of course, if programs could already talk to each other using a common language, everything would be easier and maybe even more things could be told.

When this “dialogue” does not only consider the plane or solid geometry, or only tables, but we reason in parametric elements (walls, pillars, floors, doors, windows, systems, furnishings, etc.) with all the information that we wanted to associate with them (materials, layers, transmittance, fire resistance, price, maintenance frequency, etc.). At this point we can talk about interoperability.

While within the studio you can talk and reach agreements with colleagues, it is obvious that things get complicated between different studios and therefore a common exchange format greatly facilitates all collaboration processes.

This can be achieved using the open standard IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) and the BCF (BIM Collaboration Format), a format also defined by buildingSMART International, to facilitate open communications and improve IFC-based processes.