Semantic Linking of Building Information Models

Information is produced and maintained in a building project in a concurrent and loosely coupled manner by a set of parties representing different disciplines. The multiple partial models produced in a project are interrelated since they represent different aspects of a same building. The standard conceptual schema of buildings - Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) - enables conceptual, type-level compatibility between models but solves interoperability problems only partially. We argue for the need for instance-level interoperability. The capability to link the individuals of different models together would support functionalities such as cross-model information access and aggregation, status monitoring, and change management. The nature of cross-model linking is investigated using a small case study and a set of principles for the implementation of linking are identified. The natural way to implement the principles using Linked Data technologies is outlined. In a qualitative evaluation against previous approaches, the linking approach turns out to be more flexible and expressive but more demanding of support from design tools and information management infrastructure.