March 16, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, DC - The first version of the National Building Information Modeling Standard(TM)(NBIMS) was released for a two month industry review period today. The document titled "National Building Information Modeling Standard Version 1.0 -- Part 1: Overview, Principles, and Methodologies" provides the capital facilities industry with its first comprehensive look at the full scope of requirements for Building Information Modeling (BIM). The review period will span from March 12, 2007, until May 21, 2007. Those interested in reviewing the document can obtain it from the NIBS National BIM Standard(TM) web site ? http://www.facilityinformationcouncil.org/bim/publications.php . This document is the first to be issued under the new NIBS buildingSMART(R) Alliance initiative announced February 27, 2007.

The NBIMS will provide the diverse capital facilities industry with a vision of how to support and facilitate communications throughout the facility lifecycle, from project inception through design and construction, even past demolition for improved operations, maintenance, facility management, and long-term sustainability.

The document was assembled by over thirty subject matter experts from across the capital facilities industry. It provides both a snap shot of where this burgeoning capability exists today as well as identifies work still needing to be accomplished. This first part of Version 1.0, which is now out for review, will be followed by Part 2 at the end of the year. Part 2 will contain items to be standardized across the industry using the NIBS congressionally authorized consensus process.

The NBIMS has six goals: 1) Seek industry wide agreement, 2) Develop an open and shared standard, 3) Facilitate discovery and requirements for sharing information throughout the facility lifecycle, 4) Develop and distribute knowledge that helps share information that is machine readable, 5) Define a minimum BIM, and 6) Provide for information assurance for BIM throughout the facility lifecycle. As an initiative under the buildingSMART(R) Alliance, it is garnering support form the widest spectrum of associations, agencies, organizations, vendors, and individual practitioners ever assembled.

Deke Smith, the NBIMS Project Committee Chairman stated that "this open standard will allow us to take full advantage of worldwide BIM developments and also to ensure the United States remains competitive in the world capital facilities market."
Created as part of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to spur new building technologies and processes through research and education, NIBS is charged with helping to improve building construction and operation to benefit all Americans.

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For information, contcat:

Bob Miller,
202.289.7800
202.631.7124
rmiller@nibs.org