BIM - the building as data, and how to get value from it
BIM is increasingly required for large public projects and is already standard across much of the world. But a model only delivers value once you can read it - and the open IFC format lets you do that without licenses, by script and even with AI. That is exactly what we help with.
BIM is not just a 3D model. It is a database of the building
BIM (Building Information Modeling) is a way to design, build and operate a structure on top of a single shared information model. Visually it looks like a 3D model of a building, but it is really a structured database: every wall, door, pipe or beam carries data - dimensions, material, manufacturer, fire rating, price, schedule, warranty.
So the model is not just a picture. It is a source of truth about the building, from which you can machine-read quantity take-offs, schedules, budgets, energy balances and operations data. And because the data is stored in a structured way, it can be processed automatically - not only by a human inside design software.
BIM adoption is expected to grow in the coming years - some projects will use it because the law requires it, the rest because of the value it adds. But for those models to be useful, people need to be able to read them and work with the data inside. That is exactly where we help.
BIM is increasingly required - and the trend is one-way
In a growing number of countries, public clients require BIM on large and publicly funded projects. For many designers, contractors and suppliers it has already moved from a nice-to-have to a baseline condition for winning work. Wherever you operate, the regulatory direction is the same.
A mandate rarely stops at the client. It pulls the whole supply chain with it - general contractors and their subcontractors adopt BIM across the board, because without it they simply do not reach the contracts. Being able to deliver in the right form is becoming table stakes.
The good news: this is a mature trend, not a new experiment. The approaches, standards and tools have been proven across major markets for over a decade.
United Kingdom
A pioneer. Since 2016 it has required BIM (Level 2) on centrally procured public contracts. It is now moving toward full digital integration and lifecycle asset management.
Nordic countries
Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden were among the first. Public projects there have required BIM since around the turn of the decade, built on the open IFC format from the start.
Singapore
Electronic submission of projects (e-submission) in BIM has been mandatory for public buildings since 2015, backed by a state fund for adoption.
Germany, Italy and other EU
Germany introduced BIM for transport infrastructure (target 2020); Italy is phasing it in - since 2025 for public contracts from €1 million. Spain and France have mandates too.
The trend is clear: BIM is shifting from a competitive advantage to a standard. The question is no longer whether, but when and how to be ready for it.
BIM makes sense even without a mandate
Even if there were no mandate, BIM is often required because of the value it adds. Investors, building operators and developers ask for it because it saves money and risk across the entire life of the structure - from design to demolition.
Fewer errors and clashes
Conflicts between trades (structure, HVAC, services) are caught in the model, not on site, where they cost many times more.
Accurate take-offs and budgets
Quantity take-offs and budgets are generated straight from the model - fast and without retyping numbers by hand.
Operations and facility management
Once complete, the model serves as a building record - what is where, when it changed, what the warranty is and what to inspect.
Better decisions
Variants, energy balances and costs can be compared before anything is actually built.
A single source of truth
All trades work over one model - the end of diverging drawing versions and misunderstandings.
Ready for contracts
Whoever masters BIM can reach public and large private contracts where it is already a condition today.
IFC: an open format you can read without a license
A BIM model can be exported to IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) - an open, vendor-neutral format (the ISO 16739 standard, part of openBIM by buildingSMART). That is a fundamental difference from the closed native formats of design programs.
IFC can be read without proprietary licenses. You do not need to own expensive CAD/BIM software for a person - or a machine - to reach the data inside. And because the format is open and documented, it can be read robotically too: by a script that walks the whole model and pulls out exactly what you need.
Locked in one piece of software
You can open it only in a specific program with a paid license. The data is hostage to the tool it was created in.
Readable by anyone and anything
An open standard. A free viewer, your own script or an automated process can read it - with no vendor lock-in.
A bit more technical: what IFC enables
- machine traversal of geometry and the data properties (property sets) of individual elements,
- querying the model with scripts (e.g. in Python via libraries such as IfcOpenShell) without a CAD license,
- exchanging data between different programs and trades without losing information,
- long-term archiving of data in an open, readable format independent of any single software’s lifespan.
AI can query the model too
Once the model is machine-readable, scripts are not the only thing that can work over it. The data from IFC can be queried by artificial intelligence too - in plain language. Instead of clicking through thousands of elements, you simply ask.
- “How many fire doors are in the building and where is signage missing?”
- “List all rooms under 8 m² without a window.”
- “Which elements have no manufacturer or material filled in?”
- “Sum the cladding area per floor.”
AI can analyse and quickly summarise the results - check data completeness, find discrepancies, prepare an overview for the investor or a basis for a tender. What used to take hours of manual work in the project is now a matter of minutes.
AI over a BIM model is an assistant, not an authority. Outputs need checking and responsibility stays with a human - just like with any other AI automation. The value is in the speed, and in nobody having to wade through the whole model by hand.
What you can actually do with BIM
A BIM model is not just paperwork for approval. It is a data foundation on top of which you can build a range of concrete things across the entire life of the structure.
Quality and clash control
Automatic clash detection between trades and checking whether the model meets the set requirements (e.g. via BCF / client rules).
Take-offs and budgets
Machine extraction of quantities, areas and volumes straight from the model as a basis for pricing and material orders.
Data and completeness checks
Verifying that elements have the required properties - manufacturer, material, fire rating - before handover to the investor.
Reports and summaries
Automatic overviews and summaries over the model - for management, a tender or operations, optionally with AI.
Building record and FM
Linking the model to building operations - inspections, maintenance, warranties, asset records as a digital twin.
Integration and custom tools
Feeding IFC data into your own systems, dashboards or automations - exactly to the company’s needs.
How we help
Models on their own do not deliver value - the value comes from being able to read them and work with the data inside. We are not a design office; we are the team that gets BIM data moving and connects it with automation and AI.
Reading and checking IFC
Machine traversal of models, checking data completeness and quality, detecting discrepancies - with no dependence on one CAD package.
Automation over the model
Take-offs, reports and checks that run by themselves - the input is IFC, the output is the overview you need.
AI querying over the data
Ask the model in plain language and get fast, summarised answers - with human review of the outputs.
Integration and digital twin
Connecting BIM data to your systems, building operations and dashboards - so the model stays alive after construction.
All you need is a model in IFC (or a path to one) and a clear idea of what you want from it. The rest - reading, checking, automation and connecting AI - we help design and build.
Summary
BIM is becoming a standard around the world. Public clients increasingly require it on large projects, and even where there is no mandate it is gaining ground because of the value it adds - fewer errors, more accurate budgets, better operations.
But the real value is not in the model itself, it is in using it. The open IFC format lets you read data without licenses, by machine and with AI - to analyse, check and summarise quickly. And that is exactly what we help with.
Having a BIM model is the start. Being able to read it and extract value is the goal. Let us get out of your models what is in them.
Want to get value out of your BIM models?
We help read, check and automate data from IFC models - take-offs, completeness checks, reports and AI querying, with no dependence on a single CAD package.