buildingSMART

The international body behind open BIM data standards such as IFC.

Quick Answer

buildingSMART International is a not-for-profit organization that develops open, vendor-neutral standards for the built environment so BIM software can exchange information reliably. Its best-known standard is Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), which is also published as an ISO standard. The work is branded openBIM and supports data exchange across design, construction, and operations.

The Full Picture

buildingSMART International is a global, not-for-profit organization with regional chapters. Its goal is interoperability: letting teams working in different BIM and design tools exchange model data without being locked into one vendor. The approach it promotes is known as openBIM.

Its most widely used standard is Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), a neutral data schema for describing building elements, their properties, and relationships. IFC is also published as ISO 16739. The organization maintains other standards and services, including the BIM Collaboration Format (BCF) for exchanging issues between tools and the buildingSMART Data Dictionary (bSDD), a shared library of classifications and properties.

In practice, project teams encounter buildingSMART mostly through file exchange. A structural engineer, an architect, and a contractor may each use different software, and an IFC export gives them a common format for coordination, quantity extraction, or handover. Software vendors also seek buildingSMART certification to show their IFC import and export meets published requirements.

buildingSMART works alongside other standards bodies. For example, its standards are referenced by information-management frameworks such as the ISO 19650 series, which governs how project information is organized and delivered. Owners writing BIM requirements often cite IFC and related buildingSMART specifications as deliverable formats.

Real Examples

→Cross-software coordination: A project team exports models from several authoring tools to IFC so the contractor can review them together in a single viewer.

→Owner handover requirement: An owner's BIM requirements ask for an IFC deliverable at project closeout so asset data can be loaded into its own facility systems.

→Issue tracking: Two firms using different tools raise and resolve coordination issues through BCF files rather than screenshots and email.

Common Misconceptions

People assume: buildingSMART is a software product.

Actually: It is a standards organization. It publishes specifications and runs certification and programs; the software that implements them comes from other vendors.

People assume: Exporting to IFC guarantees nothing is lost.

Actually: IFC improves interoperability but exports depend on software settings and mapping. Teams usually verify what data actually transfers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does buildingSMART do?

It develops and maintains open standards, such as IFC, BCF, and the buildingSMART Data Dictionary, that help different BIM tools and project participants exchange information.

What is the difference between buildingSMART and IFC?

buildingSMART is the organization; IFC is one of the standards it develops. IFC defines how building model data is structured for exchange.

What is openBIM?

openBIM is buildingSMART's term for collaborative BIM workflows built on open, vendor-neutral standards instead of proprietary formats.

Is IFC an ISO standard?

Yes. IFC is published as ISO 16739, with the data schema in ISO 16739-1.

Who uses buildingSMART standards?

Architects, engineers, contractors, owners, and software vendors, particularly where multi-vendor coordination or open data deliverables are required.