Insights from BuildingSMART International Summit: Conversation with Cobuilder

In an informal video interview, Espen Schulze, Group Vice President of Research and Frederic Grand, Business Unit Director at Cobuilder, delved into their key insights from the latest edition of the BuildingSMART International Summit, hosted in March 2024.

This global gathering brings together industry professionals committed to leveraging open standards for a more sustainable built environment. With its overarching theme centered on “Achieving Sustainability Goals with openBIM,” the event explored the pivotal role of open digital workflows in advancing sustainability objectives.

For both those who were unable to attend the summit and those who did, this video conversation offers invaluable insights into Espen’s and Frederic’s reflections and key takeaways. They delve into crucial topics, including the urgent shifts toward green transition and sustainability, which are reinforced by regulatory frameworks like the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and the revised Construction Products Regulation (CPR). Additionally, Espen and Frederic explain the importance of interoperability and clarify common acronyms frequently used at BuildingSMART International events, such as Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), Data Dictionaries (BuildingSMART Data Dictionary and Define Data Dictionary), Information Delivery Specification (IDS), and the newest addition – Digital Product Passports (DPP).

As distinguished speakers at the summit, Espen and Frederic provide an overview of their respective sessions. Espen’s contribution to Product Domain Session 1 delved into regulatory changes and the anticipated paradigm shift within CEN technical committees, while Frederic’s involvement in Product Domain Session 3 highlighted the practical application of structured data dictionaries and knowledge libraries, emphasizing governance for enhanced transparency in Data Domains.

The conversation concludes with invaluable advice on three pivotal topics that construction professionals should closely monitor. These include sustainability, which is tied to the EU strategy; Digital Product Passports (DPPs), vital for facilitating the transition to greener practices; and Data Dictionaries, essential tools for aligning requirements and regulations with openBIM and digital BIM processes. They also highlight the recent approval and publication of IFC 4.3 as an international standard by ISO, as well as the ongoing work on IFC “next generation,” known as IFC 5 by BSI.

These are just a few of the hot topics discussed, so make sure to watch the full video for more insights.