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EN ISO 19650

The game-changing new EN ISO 19650-standard

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Peter Bo Olsen

Member of the Danish mirror committee (S-808) to CEN technical committee TC 442 BIM

The purpose of the new EN ISO 19650-standard is to provide effective information management for the digital collaboration between all parties in the construction industry, says Peter Bo Olsen, member of the Danish mirror committee (S-808) to CEN technical committee TC 442 BIM.

By Peter Bo Olsen, Member of the Danish mirror committee (S-808) to CEN technical committee TC 442 BIM

The new EN ISO 19650-standard applies to both traditional projects, starting with the client’s wishes and requirements, the architectural and engineering project, the contractor performing the tasks, and finally the client’s operation of the asset and the integrated digital project collaborations.

All of this is best done when the parties generate useful information for the development of e.g. the design, delivered by the material manufacturer, at the construction site and in the subsequent operation of buildings and civil engineering works.

European BIM standardisation

The EU Commission has initiated the ongoing BIM standardisation of digital collaboration in the construction industry. This is based on the fact that the construction industry is seen as relatively inefficient in both process and service delivery and suffers from a low level of digitalisation. On the other hand, it is seen that BIM is a solution to managing information in construction projects, and that the value of an increased use of BIM can be improved with the application of common standards.

European BIM standardisation is implemented by CEN Technical Committee 442. European BIM standardisation started by making a number of international buildingSMART standards to European CEN standards, such as the open BIM format Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), EN ISO 16739. Then, based on the English BIM standardisation, an international collaboration was carried out in which the PAS 1192 paradigms have been translated into EN ISO 19650 BIM-standards from 2015 to 2019.

Support on construction projects

The aim of the work with the EN ISO 19650-standards is to support all parties on construction projects and subsequently support them to achieve their business objectives through the effective and efficient use and management of information during their work. The international collaboration in the preparation of the EN ISO 19650-standard has identified an information management process that can be applied to the broadest range of appointment routes, assets, and organisations.

The EN ISO 19650-standard enables the client to convert requirements for the construction or asset, which can be realised in a digital collaboration based on effective information management. The EN ISO 19650-standard includes and establishes the framework for information requirements and information management on projects in the construction industry, as well as in relation to existing buildings and civil engineering works.

BIM standardisation in a Danish context

The Danish industry has actively participated in the international BIM standardisation work. The non-profit commercial foundation, Danish Standards, had with its S-808 committee a group of Danish competencies in the BIM standardisation work during the period 2015-2019.

The Danish Ministry of Transport, Building, and Housing announced in January 2019 a Strategy for Digital Construction in Denmark. The strategy contains a number of initiatives for digital construction in Denmark. In this context, the Danish Standards has been given the responsibility for the seventh initiative in the strategy; the Danish Roadmap for BIM standardisation.

During the spring of 2019 we have seen a number of initiatives in Denmark in order to increase the insights and understanding of the European BIM standardisation in the form of the EN ISO 19650-series, this in the form of a kick-off meeting for trade organisations and other stakeholders in the building and construction industry, and also a webinar with an introduction to EN ISO 19650 part 1 and 2.

The future digital cooperation

The new EN ISO 19650-standard will help to set the scene for the future digital cooperation, a cooperation that is based on the client’s business needs and the derived information requirements. The member of the Danish mirror committee (S-808) to CEN technical committee TC 442 BIM, Peter Bo Olsen, fully agrees and says that the EN ISO 19650-standard will give us a digital practice that requires that:

·       Information requirements are based on a business need

·       The information flow and the digital collaboration between the parties in the construction industry are concrete and linked to the timetable for purchasing and execution

·       Quality assurance of information is part of the information flow

·       Our competencies and experience in relation to the digital collaboration around BIM on the project are a prerequisite for participation

·       EN ISO 19650 shall be seen in the context of ISO 9001, and thus not only as the digital practice of the single project, but as the company’s overall digital practice.

The new BIM standard will give us an increased opportunity to learn from the best digital practice in the Nordic countries, and this for the benefit of both the industry and the future work in and with buildings and civil engineering works in the Nordic region, says Peter Bo Olsen.

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