BARBi: Building and Construction Reference Data Library

1. BARBi Bygg og Anlegg Referanse BibliotekBuilding and Construction Reference Data LibraryIAI International Technical Summit #22 Helsinki – 22/23-April-2002Lars Bjørkhaug Norwegian Building Research Institute

2. BARBi is a joint initiative for the Norwegianbuilding industry with members from • Norwegian council for building standardisation, Norwegian building research institute, associations for Engineers, Architects, Owners and Contractors. Associations producers of materials, building products and product catalogues. BARBi cooperate internationally with • STABU Nederland, Building Research Establishment BRE, International Construction Information Society (ICIS), International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) and EPISTLE Who is BARBi ?

3. January 1998 – August 1998Study of the ”state of the art” in product modelling in the building industry • September 1998 – January 1999Test of EPISTLE snapshot E (POSC/CAESAR) ”the Wall test case” • February 1999 – May 1999New evaluation based upon the results of the test case • May 1999 – October 1999Establishing a subset of EPISTLE v.3.1 for the building industry. • November 1999 – October 2000Participating in the development of ISO/PAS 12006-3 and Ifc 2x • October 2000 – February 2001Establishing a test version of BARBi. • March 2001 – December 2001Development of tools and establishing founding for further projects.Test of compatibility with EPISTLE snapshot E-, and LexiCon content. • March 2002 – >Full scale test of the library. Connecting briefing, calculation and specification applications with knowledge bases, building codes and product catalogues. The BARBi project – timeline –

4. What is BARBi ? A conceptual... objectoriented ... language neutral ... reference data library The Norwegian version of a common Reference Data Library based upon the framework of ISO/PAS 12006-3

5. Conceptual ..because BARBi describes objects from what they are, independent of use and time, and not from what they are named or classified as. NS 3451 ”Building parts” NS 3420 ”Building specifications” ”Building product catalogue” building, outer wall, inner wall, door, outer door, inner door, sliding door, cladding, outer cladding, inner cladding, surface, inner surface, outer surface, inner surface, artefact, interior... What is BARBi ?

6. Object oriented ..because it puts the object (concept) in the centre and study its properties and relations to other objects. is a type of inner door door is a type of building product fire door is a type of fire escape route is part of escape route door consists_of door leaf consists_of door sill door frame door is part of doorway is a type of opening in wall horizontal light-opening for door relates to with of escape route can be door inner door outer door sliding door consists of sliding door leaf rotating door sliding door frame strongroom door What is BARBi ?

7. beam truss balk ligger What is BARBi ? Language neutral ..because one object can have several names in the same language bjelke

8. function a pump in a functional description physical object a mounted pump in a plant to pump something activity/prosess What is BARBi ? Language neutral .. because one name can refer to several objects pump

9. door dør door-set dørblad door What is BARBi ? Language neutral .. because what a dictionary gives as a translation of a word in one language not necessarily refers to the same object in another language.

10. Architect Proj. library Specificationtool User Civil engineer CAD tools Knowledgebase Eng, tool Proj. library Common ProjectModel Owner Economytools Contractor Proj. library Knowledgebase Building texts Price catalogue Eng. tool Sub-contractor FM Knowledgebase Product-catalogue El. engineer ISO/PAS What is BARBi ? Reference Data Library • Linking standards, classification systems and their definitions. • Having globally unique ID’s for every concept in the library. • Providing multiple classification-and specialisation hierarchies for any concept

11. Key principles for population of BARBi • Every object shall be self-contained (consistent and computer sensible) • All properties are directly associated to the object (concept) • Properties shall have meaningful names • A supertype concept might represent any of it’s first level subtypes. • All concept shall be class level concepts • All concepts shall be public domain

12. What can BARBi do for the building industry? Give precise and exact definitions of objects, properties and relationships. I.e. What do we mean by ”width” and ”height” for a door? • depends on who is using the concept, and in which context it is used. • depends on when, in an object’s lifetime, the concept is used. • depends on which classification we refer to.

13. What can BARBi do for the building industry? Give precise and exact definitions of objects, properties and relationships. in BARBi you will find: • all known properties for objects with explicit names • several types of relationships between objects, properties, activities, units and references. • references to known standards and classification systems • a global unique ID and a set of language-dependent names and definitions, for every concept in the library

14. Norwegian building research • Institute (NBI) • Knowledge bases • Product certification • Environment data • Best solutions Product template(s) IFC/GDL template(s)… FM template(s)… Briefing template(s)… Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx • Proffzone(LA Lund, • Computer Associates CA) • Briefing, specification tool for master builders • Cost, calculation, purchases and tender. Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx • Norwegian council for building • standardisation (NBR) • Standards, regulations Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx Xxx xxxx xxxx xxx • Norwegian building product • catalogue (Norsk Varedata AS) • Product, price and manufacturer information Ongoing full scale test project Objects and object templates using ISO/PAS 12006-3 Knowledge bases ISO/PAS 12006-3 Reference Data Library Example of types of information flow between applications and different sources of information. An RDL Object is a language neutral object with unique ID’s for all properties and relationships independent of use and time. Briefing document / Specification Laws / Regulations / Standards Calculation / purchasing / logistics CAD & Object libraries CAD / Engineering Product libraries Facility management / demolition Templates is used to present an RDL Object in different ways for different users. Templates also provide mapping between RDL Objects, applications and external sources of information.

15. Ifc template Ifc template Product template Product template Search template Search template Ifc template Product template Search template Ifc-RDL mapping Ifc-RDL mapping Product properties.. Product properties.. Advanced search, etc. Advanced search, etc. Ifc-RDL mapping Advanced search, etc. Product properties.. Ongoing full scale test project The four layers of the reference library ISO/PAS 12006-3 Framework for object oriented data exchange. EXPRESS data model giving the framework for reference libraries. Rules for population of Reference Data Libraries based upon ISO/PAS 12006-3 I.e EXPRESS rule schema Reference Data Libraries Language independent reference objects (RDL object) and relationships with unique ID’s. BARBi LexiCon … BARBi LexiCon … Norwegian names and descriptions Dutch names and descriptions Names and descriptions in other languages Template generators, APIs for storing / reading RDL objects Templates (mapping) Provide mapping between neutral objects and different ways to represent/present them APIs for query / update data according to templates and external formats (nnXML, P21…) External libraries Knowd.lib Product libraries Project libraries Sources of information based on RDL objects or existing structures mapped to RDL objects trough templates Knowledge libraries, standards… GDL, object lib, picedb.. Briefing, FM, program…

16. The BARBi browser • Implementation of ISO/PAS 12006-3 v1 • Implemented in Java Server Pages on top of EXPRESS Data Manager ™ database • Tested on data from LexiCon and EPISTLE with positive results. • Only ISO/PAS version 1 data available for the moment • Will soon be updated according to ISO/PAS 12006-3 version 2 Products and outcome from the project http://www.barbi.no • Open website for users and partners containing: • Documentation of all relevant information about the project. • Description of tools and products • Own pages for ongoing projects • Demo version of the BARBi browser • Issue log and user forum

17. Excel and Access data acquisition tools • Tools to populate EXPRESS databases from MS Office applications. • Uses a standard VB API to the EXPRESS database. • Can convert EPISTLE and LexiCon data to ISO/PAS 12006-3 format. • Good for populating object types, bad for relationship • Similar to POSC/CAESAR spreadsheet and db. Tools for library maintenance BARBi library tool • Windows based application: • Full implementation of ISO/PAS 12006-3 • Easy to build relationships using drag & drop • Check routines for data integrity (EXPRESS rule schema) • Reads and writes Part 21 and 28 • Stores data in an EXPRESS database

18. Possible scenarios for the use of ISO/PAS 12006-3? In connection with classification systems and paper standards • Automatic translation of classification systems • Providing navigation (query and update) in reference data through established hierarchies • Translation of ISO/PAS 12006-3 objects to classification codes and vice versa. • Mapping between classification systems in different countries

19. Possible scenarios for the use of ISO/PAS 12006-3? For product and object catalogues • Offering complete conceptual object definitions for any building product independent of time and use • Automatic translation of product catalogues between different languages • Give standard input/output interfaces (views/templates) for queries in product catalogues

20. Possible scenarios for the use of ISO/PAS 12006-3? In connection with knowledge databases and best practise systems • Offering neutral ways of structuring knowledge • Using conceptual objects to interface knowledge databases.

21. Possible scenarios for the use of ISO/PAS 12006-3? In connection with IAI and IFC • ISO/PAS 12006-3 provides a solution for continuing standardisation beyond the international level (IAI) • Multi-lingual support for IFC concepts (object types and property sets) • Offer templates for creation of IFC property sets • Supplying language neutral IFC property sets from ISO/PAS compatible product and object catalogues. • Offer mapping between IFC and national classification systems

22. Example “Sawn timber” wood quality Pressure impregnated NS 3079 Timber Dimensions pine Size 48x98 Sorting T0 Shape tolerances Strength C24

23. NS Standard Physical object Class of Class NS 3080 Softwood quality Artefact Timber commodities NS EN 1309-1 Measuring methods Material Types of sawn timber according to production and dimension shape description Substance NS 3079 Timber Dimensions (Incl. tol) description Sawn timber commodities shape Rectangular crossection 48x98 Aggregate Profile Rectangular crossection 48x98 Sp_INfoC POB Wood .Spruce ..Pica .Pine Info_basis_for_ class_member Sawn timber CHC POB_class_ specialisation POB characteristic_possession Width<100, -1mm- +4 mm Reference humidity 20% Rectangular crossection 48x98 Typification_basis_ POB_cl_member Adjusted sawn timber POB cha_class_specialisation Activity TPO NS 3079 shape tolerances NS 3080 wood quality Planks NS-INSTA 142 Visual sorted according (NS-INSTA 142) Cha_cl_basis_ for_act_cl_ member Visual sorted T0 according NS-INSTA 142 CoC Class_ classification Visual mechanical sorting Strength class NS EN-338 (tidl. EN 519) Cha_cl_basis_ for_act_cl_ member T0 sorting NS-INSTA 142 Char basis_ for_POB_ cl_member (Shape tolerances that applies to the com.class) Char basis_for_ POB_cl_member (Quality) Manufacturing method ....Adjusted C18 CHC C18 Strength NS EN-338 Product_basis_for_ POB_cl_member cha_class_ specialisation Treatment .Untreated .Pressure impregnated T0 CHC Typification_ basis_ POB_cl_ member Comp_basis_ for_ POB_class_ member Char_basis_ for_POB_cl_ member Char_basis_ for_POB_cl_ member Product_basis_ for_POB_cl_ member ACT Adjusted sawn timber 48x98 NS 3079, untreated, Spruce, T0, C18 NS EN-338 48x98 Adjusted NS 3079 and NS EN 1309-1 Spruce C18(Wood) NS EN-338 T0 (Wood) NS-INSTA 142 (Wood) NS 3080 Untreated Strength Crossection Wood dim/ tolerances Manufacturing Type of Wood Treatment Sorting class Quality requirements POB Example “Sawn timber”

24. … Any questions? Q