Glossary of Terms

AEC - abbreviation for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction

Building Information Modeling (BIM) model - A Building Information Model (BIM) is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. As such it serves as a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions during its lifecycle from inception onward.

BuildingSMART - BuildingSMART is an international membership organization with representation in North America, Europe, Asia and Australasia. It brings together architects, engineers, constructors, product manufacturers and facilities managers, along with software vendors.

Charrette - An intensive process that involves the collaboration of all project stakeholders at the beginning of a project to develop a comprehensive plan or design.

Component - In Triforma, components are materials that make up a part. For instance, a base plate part may consist of grout and steel plate components. A single component may be tied to many different parts. In Revit, components refer to model. Component data can be used for quantity take-offs, specification sections based on CSI format and even cost data.

CPM - College Project Manager

Deliverable - A Deliverable is the product of engineering and design efforts. Typically, this would be the concept submittal and the corrected final design. A deliverable may have multiple phases.

Digital Data - Digital Data is defined as information, communications, drawings, or designs created or stored for the Project in digital form.

DSA - Division of State Architect

FF & E – Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment

G.I.S. -Geographic Information System- integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.

GSA - General Services Administration

Industry Foundation Class (IFC) - IFCs are data elements that represent the parts of buildings, or elements of the process, and contain the relevant information about those parts. IFCs are used by computer applications to assemble a computer-readable model of the facility that contains all the information of the parts and their relationships to be shared among project participants. The project model constitutes an object-oriented database of the information shared among project participants and continues to grow as the project goes through design, construction, and operation. The International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) has created this IFC data exchange format.

IAI - International alliance for Interoperability software companies , building product manufacturers, information publishers, owners, designers, and builders—in AEC and other industries whose goal is to develop a universal standard for information sharing .

IDM - Information Delivery Manual- provides an approach to providing an integrated reference for process and data required by BIM. It describes how to identify and describe the processes undertaken within construction, the information required for their execution and the results. It also describes how the information can be further detailed to support solutions provided by building information system providers in a form that enables its reuse and how it can be configured to meet national, local and project needs.

Interoperability - refers to the exchange of information among project participants throughout the lifecycle of a facility by direct communication between software applications.

IPD - Integrated Project Delivery

LACCD - Los Angeles Community College District

Library - a repository tool for organization, location, and managing of BIM content

LOD - Level of Detail as it pertains to BIM

MEP - Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing

Model File - In the BIM process, the Model File contains a referenced Extraction and model file-specific information. It is recommended that Extractions not serve directly as Model Files, since if Extractions have to be regenerated, all model file-specific information added to the Extractions will be lost. See the A/E/C CADD Standard for more information.

NBIMS - National Building Information Model Standard OmniClass Classification System- otherwise known as OmniClass or OCCS, is a strategy for classifying the entire built environment. It is a multi-table classification system designed for use by the capital facilities industry.

Phase - A portion of work that arises from sequencing work in accordance with a predetermined portion of a Stage.

SDSFIE - Spatial Data Standards for Facilities, Infrastructure, and Environment- The SDSFIE Steering Group, made up of members from the Armed Forces and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has set an ambitious goal of creating the Department of Defense Standard for facilities, infrastructure, environment, and civil works.

Sheet File - A sheet file is a CAD file or Model that shows a selected view or portion of a Model File within a referenced border sheet. Sheet Files are used to generate the plotted construction sheets. See the A/E/C CADD Standard for more information.