The UK Government has specified COBie (Construction Operations Building Information Exchange) as the information format it will use to manage the design, construction and operation of public buildings.
A first, proof of concept trial using Solibri Model Checker to validate COBie data and produce outputs, from co-ordinated BIM models, has been endorsed as a success by the eight participating Tier 1 Contractors.
As the leading provider of software for BIM model co-ordination, clash detection, quality assurance, building code compliance and information analysis this success, coupled with the increasing pace of adoption of BIM technologies, has encouraged innovative Finnish company, Solibri, Inc. to establish a UK operation.
Heikki Kulusjärvi, CEO Solibri, Inc. commented: “In those markets where BIM models form the backbone of managing design and construction the innovative and unique capabilities of Solibri Model Checker have been used to great effect to improve every aspect of data quality and the provision of information to stakeholders.
“It is clear that the rapid adoption of BIM in the UK will bring some of the same challenges experienced elsewhere – the need to co-ordinate models from different software and, more importantly, to ensure that BIM data is accurate and fit for purpose.
“At Solibri we have a wealth of experience in the quality assurance of BIM models and we were delighted to be able to contribute to the recent COBie Trial. Its success has further re-enforced our belief that now is the right time to launch Solibri UK enabling us to get closer to our customers and to provide the local solutions they need.”
Guiding the establishment of Solibri UK is Alan Baikie who previously was General Manager of Graphisoft UK, an established supplier of BIM authoring tools.
“This is a really exciting time in UK construction and especially for those companies, like Solibri, supporting the adoption of BIM processes,” he added. “With a number of BIM authoring tools on the market it is important to have a vendor neutral solution - an Open solution - available to the whole construction industry.
“It is also essential that as processes and technologies become more integrated that the integrity of BIM data can be assured which is exactly where Solibri Model Checker fits in.”
