Policy and legislation
Policy objectives
The construction sector is important for the EU economy, contributing to 9% of the EU GDP and 18 million jobs. Construction is also a horizontal sector, serving many industries – the sector is, for instance, a major consumer of intermediate products [50] (raw materials, chemicals, and electric equipment, etc.) and services (including banking) [51]
While the construction sector is a key driver of the overall economy, it faces numerous challenges relating to, inter alia, competitiveness, labour shortage, resource efficiency and especially productivity. In fact, over the past two decades, the labour productivity has grown at around a quarter of the rate in manufacturing (1.0% vs. 3.6% respectively) making the construction sector the poorest performer in terms of productivity. [52]
Digitalisation of the construction sector is increasingly recognised as a potential game changer, which could contribute significantly to sustainable development and the EU 2020 Strategy. For instance, it is estimated that full-scale digitalisation in non-residential construction would lead to annual global cost savings of EUR 0.6 trillion to EUR 1.0 trillion (13% to 21%) in the engineering and construction phases and EUR 0.3 trillion to EUR 0.4 trillion (10% to 17%) in the operations phase. [53]
Digitalisation allows us to take informed decisions when it comes to design and planning, increased safety and accuracy, reduction of costs, transparency, prediction and control all the life cycle of the built environment. The BIM in buildings and the digital twins in the larger scale allows us to simulate the impact of each decision made in the built environment. Different technologies emerge, promising to revolutionise different parts of the value chain, such as robotics, drones, 3D printing etc.
Specifically when it comes to the management of the assets portfolios throughout their life cycle, digital solutions can ensure that all actors (ex. clients and users) are better informed about the steps taken across the life cycle and take informed decisions, including when assets change owners. In this context, we observe the emergence of Digital Logbooks and efforts on EU level to consolidate these (EU Framework for Buildings Digital Logbook).
The European Commission has thus supported, promoted and developed several policies and initiatives aiming to foster the digitalisation in the construction sector. These include inter alia the Strategy for the sustainable competitiveness of the construction sector and its enterprises (2012), the EU BIM Task Group [54] , the upcoming EU Digital Construction platform and on demand support to MS through the Structural Reform Support Service. The digitalisation of the construction sector is also integrated in other policy areas such as the EU directive on Public Procurement (2014), which promotes the use of Building Information Modelling (hereafter BIM) in construction project.
The introduction of building information modelling (BIM) is seen as the main solution to the management of information, especially during the following phases of the asset life cycle: procurement; design; construction (including assembly) and operation. The development of BIM is advancing rapidly and requires the application of common standards to ensure interoperability and compatibility. The European BIM market was valued at EUR 1.8 billion in 2016 [55], and is predicted to grow by 13% to reach EUR 2.1 billion in 2023
The introduction of common standards and operating methods using BIM would:
- reduce barriers to operation and trade across the European market area and beyond
- reduce both the capital and operating cost of construction assets
- reduce the time wasted because of inefficient breaks between productive construction processes
- improve the reliability of construction output, with better quality and fewer defects
- improve the resource efficiency of construction products and materials, improving both operating and embodied carbon performance
- support improvements in team working and collaboration
- improve the operations processes of construction assets
EC perspective and progress report
CEN Technical Committee 442 on Building Information Modelling was officially kicked off in 2015. The aim is to help the construction sector to be more (cost) efficient and sustainable by enabling smooth data exchange and sharing between partners in the value chain.
The objectives of CEN/TC 442 are:
- to deliver a structured set of standards, specifications and reports which specify methodologies to define, describe, exchange, monitor, record and securely handle asset data, semantics and processes with links to geospatial and other external data.
- to be the home for European BIM standardisation. CEN/TC 442 will be the central place to go for coordinating European BIM harmonisation.
- to coordinate the work with ISO under the Vienna Agreement, either adopting existing international standards at European level or developing new ones in parallel
- to receive and consider proposals for new deliverables and develop them within the TC structure of working groups for the different scopes
The Committee so far has adopted the most important ISO standards in the field of BIM as European standards: EN ISO 12006-2 - Framework for classification; EN ISO 12006-3 - Framework for object-oriented information; EN ISO 16739 – 1 Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) for data sharing in the construction and facility management industries - Part 1: Data schema; EN ISO 29481-1 – Information Delivery manual – Methodology and format; EN ISO 29481- 2 - Information Delivery manual – Interaction framework
Through the CEN/ISO Vienna Agreement with ISO lead (together with ISO/TC 59/SC 13) the following standards have been developed: EN ISO 19650 Information Management using Building Information Modelling together with ISO/TC 59/SC 13. Part 1- Concept and Principles and part 2 – Delivery phase of an asset was published in December 2018. Part 3 Operation phase of an asset and Part 5 – Security Minded approach to information management are expected to be published in 2020. Part 4 – Information exchange is under development.
Through the CEN/ISO Vienna Agreement with CEN lead (together with ISO/TC 59/SC 13) the following standards have been developed: EN ISO 23386 – Methodology to describe, author and maintain properties in interconnected dictionaries; EN ISO 23387 - Data templates for construction objects used in the life cycle of any built asset-Part1 Concepts and Principles. The standards are expected published early in 2020; EN ISO 12006-3 revision - Framework for object-oriented information.
References
- Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on public procurement and repealing Directive 2004/18/EC, especially Art. 22
- COM(2012) 433 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the Strategy for the sustainable competitiveness of the construction sector and its enterprises {SWD(2012) 236 final}
- Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2011 laying down harmonised conditions for the marketing of construction products and repealing Council Directive 89/106/EEC
- Handbook for the introduction of Building Information Modelling by the European Public Sector (EU BIM Task Group, 2017; http://www.eubim.eu/handbook/)
- The European Construction Sector Observatory https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/construction/observatory_en
Requested actions
Action 1: CEN/TC442 collaborate with ISO/TC59/SC13 (ISO committee responsible for BIM standardisation) to align Business Plans and Work Programme as much as possible. The Business Plan will be updated regularly and based on an ongoing work with a Road Map for BIM. Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs) to develop European standards when necessary (i.e. if functional gaps are found or international standards are not available).
Action 2: SDOs to work on information exchange — Enhance and harmonize open data formats, structures and classification systems for model based working in the construction industry. This work is coordinated in CEN/TC 442 in collaboration with ISO/TC 59/SC 13 and buildingSMART and focuses on activities such as:
- The Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), EN ISO 16739 and its extension within the infrastructure sector. Important developments on a European and International Scale are ongoing for bridge, tunnel, road, rail and harbours with buildingSMART lead. A common neutral IFC based standard for infrastructure related asset management and construction activities supports a common European market and shall enable equal access to European IT companies
- Work Items in CEN/TC 442 on providing a framework for common catalogues, templates and exchange structures for harmonized product data including those who following the CPR directive. The work Item for a common structure for Construction Product Data is developed in collaboration with ISO/TC 59/SC 13 with CEN lead
- other national, domain specific, open data format for model based working with potential for European wide application. CEN/TC442/WG has a preliminary Work Item to develop a transport data format for Product based in IFC. (IFCxml)
Action 3: SDOs to develop common information requirements for project and information management as part of construction service procurement standards:
- EN 17412 Level of Information. Needs a common European framework to express the requested information to be delivered during the project execution and project hand over as Work Item within CEN/TC 442. To support this standard CEN/TC442 should realise the development of a “guide for application” and a standardized data schema.
- Work Item to develop Guidelines on how to understand and utilize EN ISO 29481 in a European context
- EN ISO 19650 require use of a Common Data Environment – CDE. CDE is the BIM synonym for Information platforms that enable and enforce collaborative Information Exchange across all stakeholders and participants in the value chain of operation, planning and construction of built assets. CEN TC/442 should develop guidance and standard to support implementation of CDE in the European marked:
- Guidance, Framework and Implementation of Common Data Environment (CDE) Workflow and Solution in accordance with EN ISO 19650
- Common Data Environments (CDE) for BIM projects – Open data exchange between platforms of different vendors via an open CDE API
Action 4:
SDOs to support data dictionaries - Develop European standards for exchange of data on construction products, to ensure quality in data to support Regulation EU No 305/2011 CPR and trade of construction products in the European market. In specific, provide digital tools to support the collaborative development and European wide harmonization of terms and corresponding semantics for:
- written language in standards,
- names, classifications and properties of entities in object oriented data models,
Tools providing a mapping between national/European terms and their corresponding semantics are the basis for the development of a framework for harmonized European vocabulary for digital construction and its European and national implementation.
In the current dynamic development phase with many groups working in parallel there is a great risk that without such tools divergent definitions will be established permanently.
Action 5: SDOs to create NWI to develop a technical report needed for standards to support BIM for infrastructure in the European market.
Action 6: Develop a framework for how CEN/TC442 can support use of BIM in other relevant TC’s in CEN (e.g construction products, energy analyses, acoustics)
Activities and additional information
Related standardisation activities
CEN
CEN/TC 442:
prEN 23387 - Data templates for construction objects used in the life cycle of any built asset-Part2 Specification of Product data templates based on harmonised technical specifications under the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), and how to link the product data templates to Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)
prEN 17412 part1 - Building Information Modelling - Level of Information Need - Concepts and principles
prEN 17439 Guidance on how to implement EN ISO 19650-1 and -2 in Europe
WI 00442018 Exchange structure for product data templates and product data based on ifcXML
WI 00442021 Modelling and linking between semantic ontologies
WI 00442023 Guideline on how to understand and utilize EN/ISO 29481 Building information models - Information delivery manual - Part 1: Methodology and format and Part 2: Interaction framework
WI 00442024 Guideline for the implementation of BIM Execution Plans (BEP) and Exchange Information Requirements (EIR) on European level based on EN ISO 19650-1 and -2
WI 00442027 BIM in infrastructure - standardisation need and recommendations
CENELEC
CLC/TC 205 'Home and Building Electronic Systems (HBES) is exploring the need for standardizing BIM attributes within its scope and in coordination with CEN/TC 442 (which has a coordinating role for BIM), CEN/TC 247 'Building automation, controls and building management', and CEN/TC 169 'Light and Lighting'
oneM2M
The oneM2M standard supports a multi domains/solutions integration that supports the integration of the construction supporting systems and the building systems within the surrounding digital environment (e. g. the smart cities systems, infrastructure context, construction site, etc.). This includes both the construction of buildings and infrastructures (roads, dams, ports, industry plants, etc.) and the operational and management support of the built facilities). As an example see http://www.onem2m.org/component/rsfiles/download-file/files?path=TP38_Docs%255CIndustry_Day-2018-0017-TP38-Kanazawa_8_LANDLOG.PDF&Itemid=349
Furthermore, the SAREF ontology makes use of oneM2M as communication framework and data collection for Building and Transport systems see ETSI TS 103 264 (Reference Ontology and oneM2M Mapping) and includes a specific extension for buildings ITS (ETSI TS 103 410 -2). ETSI standards are available at https://www.etsi.org/standards-search.
[50] The OECD defines intermediate products as goods and services consumed as inputs by a process of production, excluding fixed assets. https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=1431
[51] WEF (2016). Shaping the Future of Construction A Breakthrough in Mindset and Technology http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Shaping_the_Future_of_Construction_full_report__.pdf
[52] The Economist (2017). The construction industry’s productivity problem https://www.economist.com/leaders/2017/08/17/the-construction-industrys-productivity-problem
McKinsey (2017). Reinventing construction https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Capital%20Projects%20and%20Infrastructure/Our%20Insights/Reinventing%20constr uction%20through%20a%20productivity%20revolution/MGI-Reinventing-Construction-Executive-summary.ashx
[53] CG (2016). Digital in Engineering and Construction https://www.bcg.com/industries/engineered-products-infrastructure/digital-engineering-construction.aspx
[55] Silva (2016). Roadmap Proposal for Implementing Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Portugal https://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=67253