The IS EN ISO 19650 series, including the National Annex, has been published and are available for purchase, the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) has reveald.
The built environment is made up of every building, roadway, waterway, utility network, park, and much more. It supports almost every activity of our society: living, working, learning, healthcare, transport, entertainment, leisure, and sports.
Increasingly important
The built environment’s proper functioning is dependent on information. As our world becomes more digital, how we produce, manage and exchange 'information' on a construction project – known as Building Information Modelling or BIM – is increasingly important.
BIM is a process for creating and managing information on a construction project across the lifecycle of the project. An output of this process is the Building Information Model; the digital description of every aspect of the built asset from information assembled collaboratively and updated at key stages of a project.
This model enables those who interact with the building to optimise their actions, resulting in a greater whole life value for the asset.
Standards for BIM are critical to a 'smart society'. The standards do not only streamline the methodologies to produce or manage this digital data, but also the structure of the data itself. Standards ensure interoperability between information systems, and prevent the expensive loss or corruption of data.
The IS EN ISO 19650 series are the key BIM standards, having been adopted by ISO, CEN and nationally, as standards for managing information over the whole life cycle of a built asset using BIM.
'Key enabler for BIM Level 2 becoming embedded into AEC'
"The entire document is noteworthy in that the Irish National Annexe to EN ISO 19650-2:2018 will be a key enabler for BIM Level 2 becoming embedded into the AEC [architecture, engineering and construction] sector in Ireland as it clearly sets out a standardised approach for the production and management of information produced for buildings and infrastructure projects over the entire project life cycle," Diarmuid Mollin, Engineers Ireland representative on the Construction Sector Innovation and Digital Adoption Group, told the Engineers Journal.
"Generally speaking, up to now, the industry has looked towards the UK with respect to building information modelling standards; their adoption on construction schemes here – without having a BIM requirement in place for the country's building projects – has been sporadic."
In 2021 the NSAI adopted a National Annex to Part 2 in that series; NA:2021 to IS EN ISO 19650-2:2018. This National Annex provides guidance on how to implement IS EN ISO 19650-2:2018 within the national context of construction projects. More specifically, it contains the Irish technical parameters on data components used in BIM, such as field identification and information containers.
NSAI’s Building Information Modelling committee chair Ralph Montague said: “Demonstrating just how important BIM has become in the construction industry, the government construction contracts committee has a strategy for all public sector projects in the future to make use of the technology in line with best practice, as outlined in Irish standards.
"As time goes on, we can only expect for this to become a more common request for construction projects up and down the country. BIM standards have a key role to play in supporting the smart built environment for Ireland.”
Where to purchase
The entire IS EN ISO 19650 series, including the National Annex, can be purchased on the NSAI store through the following hyperlinks:
IS EN ISO 19650-1:2018 Organisation and digitisation of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM) – Information management using building information modelling – 1Part 1: Concepts and principles (ISO 19650-1:2018)
IS EN ISO 19650-2:2018 Organisation and digitisation of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM) – Information management using building information modelling – Part 2: Delivery phase of the assets (ISO 19650-2:2018)
NA:2021 to IS EN ISO 19650-2:2018 Irish National Annex to I.S. EN ISO 19650 -2:2018, Organisation and digitisation of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM) – Information management using building information modelling – Part 2: Delivery phase of assets
IS EN ISO 19650-3:2020 Organisation and digitisation of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM) – Information management using building information modelling – Part 3: Operational phase of the assets (ISO 19650-3:2020)
IS EN ISO 19650-5:2020 Organisation and digitisation of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM) – Information management using building information modelling – Part 5: Security minded approach to information management (ISO 19650- 5:2020)
The fourth part in the series, relating to information exchange, is still in development and will be available to purchase on the NSAI store in due course.