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BIM UserGroup meeting: Open BIM or Closed BIM?

On the 26th of February, a BIM UserGroup meeting took place for the second time in the speedikon FM AG headquarter in the Hessian town of Bensheim. Twenty participants from our client base met up in order to discuss BIM processes in the context of facility management with a view of Auerbach Castle.

The focus of the meeting was, as usual, on the actual application of BIM processes in real projects. Two members held presentations on their own projects and shared their experiences with the group. While one presentation was about a project in the chemical industry and already completed planning, the other member introduced a project in the pharmaceutical industry that is still at the outset.

Since a BIM project is always an ongoing process, no matter in which stage one is, everyone benefitted from the engaged discussion in a group that consisted of clients who represent companies from diverse industries. Due to the different internal and external requirements for BIM that result from such a diversity, very exciting discussions came up.

One big topic of the meeting was the so-called Open BIM and Closed BIM process. In an Open BIM process, all involved parties can work with different tools and their own software solutions. With Closed BIM, however, everything must conform with a specific software, which results in various advantages and disadvantages.

Although, everyone can use their own preferred tool in an Open BIM approach, problems can arise when information is exchanged, when all input is integrated or when a completed project is passed to another party. In a Closed BIM process, all people involved use a certain modelling software, which can make planning easier. Nevertheless, this can become problematic if new, external people are getting involved during the process. Discussing these points with experienced professionals can help choosing the appropriate process.

 

The BIM UserGroup was founded in October 2018 in order to initiate an exchange of ideas and to offer an opportunity for discussing BIM in the context of facility management.

Would you like to participate in our next BIM UserGroup meeting? Please contact us and register.