After the release of the IPA’s Transforming Infrastructure: Roadmap to 2030 last year, there appears to be renewed vigour around the digital transformation of the built environment; in particular around innovations such as Information Management, Digital Twins, and the use of Platforms. As the UK’s National Standards Body, BSI are committed to helping IPA realize their roadmap. To demonstrate how we are currently supporting, this short article highlights some of the key standards relating to information management that will be made available in 2022.
Information management within the built environment is a core priority of BSI. We continue to be a key collaborator to the UK BIM Framework, the UK’s approach to implementing Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the UK. As part of this collaboration, alongside organizations such as the UK BIM Alliance, we curate the standards, guidance, and tools which support information management using BIM.
As an iterative field, the good practice related to information management continues to develop. To that end, here are some of the standards relating to information management which will be published this year:
Focusing on design, manufacture and construction for operability, this release will see the consolidation of BS 8536-1 and BS 8536-2 into a single standard, as well as updating the provisions within to reference the ISO 19650 series. Notably, this follows the intentions within the TIP roadmap to erode the division between building and infrastructure works.
Joining the other parts of the ISO 19650 series, ISO 19650-4 will focus on the process and criteria of an information exchange. In addition, the National Annex to ISO 19650-4 will support implementation and information exchange using COBie datasets (currently described within BS 1192-4). The release of ISO 19650-4 will support both the TIP Roadmap and the Construction Playbook’s ask of structured and secure exchanges of information.
Due to be published this year, BS 8644-1 will provide recommendations for the management, presentation and exchange of fire safety information. In doing so, it strongly references the principles of information management using BIM within ISO 19650-1. As the built environment sees unprecedented regulatory reform, BS 8644-1 will support the exchange of key building information as well as the golden thread.
Finally, this new agile standard aims to capture the characteristics of information management using BIM in the form of a method of specifying. In doing so, it will provide specifiers the support they need to request that their suppliers undertake information management. With the Construction Playbook’s ask for contracting authorities to adopt the UK BIM Framework, Flex 1965 provides the help needed to ensure it is adopted across the supply chain.
We hope that you continue to engage in the development of these standards to ensure they reflect good practice; allowing the built environment to collectively support better societal outcomes and improved resilience through conformance to British Standards.
To keep up to date on the progress of these standards, they can be followed using our standards development portal. By following a standard, you can receive a notification by email of a change in its status, such as when it has been made available for public consultation or when it has been formally published.
Further information on how BSI is supporting the built environment can be found here.
Dan Rossiter, Sector Lead at BSI
