NF EN ISO 23386 standard: the BIM dictionary

From an experimental status in France, the NF EN ISO 23386 standard on semantics used in Building Information Modeling (BIM) is becoming international. With these digital catalogs of objects and materials, building professionals will be able to understand each other more easily!

BIM, or Building Information Modeling, is a computerized process that enables building professionals to design and document construction and architectural projects. It functions as a digital catalog of objects and materials, allowing you to digitally model a project, object by object, with all its technical characteristics, beyond its visual representation.

However, to be effective and universal, it is essential to adopt a common language for all this data. All trades need to be involved, otherwise it’s a waste of time! This is precisely what the new NF EN ISO 23386 standard, published in March 2020 in the AFNOR collection, makes possible. An offshoot of an experimental French standard (XP P07-150), this voluntary standard is the response of a representative round table of professionals in the field from over 20 countries: companies, architects and industry associations, including in France the AIMCC (Association française des industries de produits de construction). Its drafting is the fruit of several years’ collaboration, which was not always easy. “ It’s been a long road, but today, with all the contributing countries, we’re proud, because we’re convinced that the standard meets a market need”, says Roland Dominici, CEO of Cobuilder France and leader of the standards working group.

NF EN ISO 23386: a common language

The text marks a turning point in the creation of BIM dictionaries. As Frédéric Grand, from Quod Semantics, one of the experts at the standardization table, explains, “this standard is the result of a need: that of manufacturers asked to provide the information associated with their products. From one interlocutor to the next, they were obliged to describe the same information a great many times, adapting the level of language according to the people to whom they had to communicate it”. In short, tedious and, above all, confusing.

It was therefore urgent to provide a tool for all BIM users that would enable data to be standardized, with a standard format and common labels, and to establish a common methodology for building a library of digital objects that could be understood by all trades. So, for example, for the “wall” or “window” object, the architect will draw on information relating to its appearance or aesthetics, the design office will be interested in its resistance, the engineer in its composition. The properties listed are numerous and useful to all those involved in a project, but they had to be established on the same grid.

The voluntary standard NF EN ISO 23386 now makes this possible. “Digital technology leaves no room for interpretation, hence the need for a shared methodology for describing and managing properties. How can industry players exchange information with each other if they don’t speak the same language?” points out Elsa Lucas, Project Manager at AFNOR Normalisation, who helped the industry draft the standard.

NF EN ISO 23386: Creating interoperability and trust

In addition to saving time, and thus reducing costs, Frédéric Grand insists on the fact that “in the past, users didn’t know where the information came from. So they were naturally reluctant to use it. Now, they can verify its content, and therefore trust it. It’s more efficient and also more controlled. A sentiment shared by Roland Dominici: “There can be no interoperability without a standard. The standard is irrefutable. If you comply with a standard, we can’t oppose it, it’s a trusted third party.

On February 15, 2021, the European Committee for Standardization organized a webinar on the subject. You can watch the replay here .

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