An OpenBIM workshop, the first of a series of practical workshops by the EU BIM Task Group (EBTG), took place in the Grangegorman Campus of TU Dublin recently, the workshop aimed to share knowledge, experiences, concerns, and challenges they go through when implementing information management (BIM) in their daily practice.

The workshop received enthusiastic participation from all 22 delegates from 10 countries (Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, and Spain).

The workshop was moderated by Jaroslav Nechyba, hosted by Build Digital/TU Dublin, and facilitated by Build Digital’s Project Lead, Robert Moore. The workshop focused on OpenBIM, emphasising the principles of governance, definition, and specification of structured data information requirements for organisations or projects. The workshop aimed to choose one specific topic and go into practical details without getting distracted by the “acronyms”. It was the first successful attempt to pull each participant out of their silo (national, organisational, professional/discipline) and share a broader or different perspective on the same topic. Notably, Øivind Rooth from Norway, Chairman of the Standardisation Committee for the BIM area in the European CEN TC 442, provided valuable insights, and he has indicated that he will bring some of the subjects discussed back to CEN TC 442 for further consideration.

Commenting on hosting the workshop in Ireland, Robert Moore, Project Lead at Build Digital, stated: “We are incredibly excited to host the first workshop on OpenBIM, as this topic is critically important to us. It is great to have expertise from across Europe in Ireland for Build Digital and the sector to learn from. We look forward to working closely with the EU BIM Task Group in the future.”

The workshop discussions were further analysed in a Lego ‘Serious Play’ Session at the end of the day. Looking ahead, the EU BIM Task Group is already planning its second workshop, scheduled to be hosted in Prague in October. The upcoming workshop will delve into the topic of common data environments (CDE). From a public stakeholder perspective, information management (BIM) can provide significant efficiency benefits to public works and public value for money and drive growth and competitiveness. The EU BIM Task Group invites EU policymakers and large public clients to join the group and participate in this and future activities.

Present at the event included: 

Jaan Saar, Estonia, EBTG Chairperson and Ministry of Economic Affairs & Communications, Head of Digital Construction, Jaroslav Nechyba, Czechia, EBTG Co-Chairperson and Czech Standardization Agency, Øivind Rooth, Norway, CEN/TC442 Chairperson Norwegian Building Authority and Robert Moore, Ireland, Build Digital, Project Lead.

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