COBie stands for Construction Operations Building Information Exchange. It is not a technology or software itself but rather a data exchange format used in Building Information Modelling (BIM) to facilitate the handover of information from construction and design teams to facility managers and owners upon project completion.
COBie complements the BIM process by serving as a valuable deliverable at practical completion.
COBie is a way to share data.
It facilitates the efficient transfer of asset data and information from design and construction teams to facility managers and owners. It provides them with valuable information in a structured, non-proprietary format that can be used by many software tools.
COBie ensures that the relevant data is readily available for facilities management and operations, allowing for efficient maintenance and upkeep throughout the building’s lifecycle.
COBie data is typically delivered as a spreadsheet for people to use and an Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) file for their tools. The COBie instance contains information about the maintainable building elements and attributes.
Some of the common COBie information includes:
BIM models, enriched with detailed information and properties, form the basis for generating COBie data. The intelligent data stored in the BIM elements, such as objects with associated attributes and properties, can be efficiently exported to a COBie format. This ensures data continuity and consistency throughout the project lifecycle.
The true value of COBie is found when sharing data between project stages and new suppliers, especially at construction handover. It incorporates data not found in design models, such as serial numbers and installation dates. To ensure this data is captured and verified for later use, the requirements are described in the Exchange Information Requirements (EIR) and the technical approach to validating and verifying the data is agreed and tested at the outset.
To find out how the Glider team can support your project in delivering first-class handover information including COBie, talk to our digital experts.