Dallas BC Minutes

Wolfgang Haas presented the current state of the project and the work done in Germany to validate it. AP225 was pilot implemented and tested by three commercial system vendors exchanging different types of building models. This resulted in 47 German issues.

The CD balloting was closed January 15, but due to the conflicts in the American Congress, there are no final results. The result so far is 9 agree, 2 disagree, 3 abstain and 4 P-members did not vote. 2 of the votings have to be reconfirmed.

Prior to the Dallas meeting a review workshop of the balloting comments had taken place. Approximately 150 issues have been received so far. The following issues are assumed to be the key issues:

- Requirement to take into account building complex - Distinguish between logical and physical aggregations - Generic relationship entity - More specific property capabilities - Reference to external document - Structured unique identification entity - Subspace - Space_shape decomposition into faceted, analytic and free-form - Life-cycle phase identification - Additional conformance classes for example to take into account different aggregation capabilities - Harmonise terminology with other AP's and BCCM

The group decided later in the week to not include the following issues: - Relationship entity - Subspace

A recommendation was to put optional status on all entities belonging to the core and in that way not using them when the core is in place.

AP230 Building Structural Frame: Steelwork - Mike Ward (MW)

Mike Ward (MW) reported that a www site had been established for AP230 and that completion of Group one documentation was anticipated at the end of March 1996. He distributed copies of a "skeleton" working draft entitled "Building Structural Frame: Steelwork (Outline Framework for Discussion Prior to Development of Working Draft)".

MW also reported that the AP230 team had established contact with the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and he presented a list of 22 collaborators who had agreed to act as reviewers for AP230 under the auspices of the AISC.

MW then went on to present a series of slides which illustrated the scope of AP230 and announced that he would be presenting some ideas relating to the AP230 data model and units of function later in the week.

Finally, MW presented version 5 of the AAM (agreed at Grenoble) and sought agreement for certain changes to the IDEF0 activity hierarchy. MW's concern was that a consistent viewpoint had not been used throughout the model. While this was not in conflict with IDEF0 methodology, it was an irritant to the AP230 authors and could be eliminated by means of a number of minor changes. In view of the facts that these changes would have no implications for UoFs derived from the AAM and that the existing model was not actually in violation of IDEF0 methodology, those present at the meeting expressed the view that the AAM should be left unchanged.

The question was then raised as to whether attempts should be made to integrate different AAMs across different APs. It was, however, pointed out that, given the nature of the IDEF0 methodology, such attempts were very unlikely to be fruitful. It was, however, agreed that the AP230 and AP228 teams should compare notes with a view to aligning the two AAMs more closely - should this prove possible.

AP230 Break-out Session

It was reported that part of the CIS (the basis of the AP230 ARM) that is concerned with structural analysis was recently presented to the Esprit GEM project. It was noted, at that presentation, that the CIS model corresponded well to ISO Part 104.

The "Outline Framework for Discussion (prior to development ofWorking Draft)" document (tabled at the main Building Construction session), and technical input documents for "Introduction", "Scope", and "Information Requirements (Units of Function)" were reviewed. Additionally, the CIS data model (first tabled and presented at the Leeds BC Workshop in September `95) was considered. The procedures and timetable for the W3 based CDC industrial review by the group of North American reviewers were discussed in detail with Abe Rokach(AR) of the AISC - who is to consolidate the resulting issues. Similar procedures will be used for others participating in thereview. AR offered to investigate whether the US could undertake to address the outstanding issue of AP230 interpretation.

URL: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/civil/research/cae/cae.htm

AP228 Building Services: HVAC - Patrice Poyet (PP)

Some reminders related to the scope, the project team and the too short schedule were presented. Since the last SC4 meeting in Grenoble, a new version of the Web Server has been designed, accompanied by a ftp site :

http://www.cstb.fr/ILC/ap228/ftp.cstb.fr (with the following directory : /pub/ilc/ap228/)

Several documents, as the new work item or the last version of draft the minutes of a few meetings, the models described by several formalisms, etc. can be found on the site.A document, called "cookbook", is available as well, to help in reading the documents related to the AP 228.

An issue log has been built up internally by CSTB on the basis of the former document. It was outlined that a very low rate of external reviews have been performed since the last meeting, whereas the document has been largely disseminated.A glossary defining the entities of the ARM is about to be finished.

Lastly, a joint meeting with the IAI/HVAC group gave the opportunity to present the two works and define some potential synergies.

Part 106 Building Construction Core Model - Jeff Wix (JW)

Jeff Wix of Jeffrey Wix Consulting, UK, gave an overview. Robert Los (TNO) has joined Jeff Wix and Frits Tolman (also TNO) working on the project.

A workshop has been held in London in December. The following issues need to be addressed: - Purpose of the core model (paper will be presented by JW) - Multiple functionalities - Minimum kernel - Common definitions and attributes - Connection between core model and AP's - Classification

Schemas and text can be found on the following sites:

EXPRESS-G + EXPRESS http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Robert_Los

TEXT+ISSUES+...newsletter? http://bre.co.uk/~itsa/index.html

Project Presentations

Roads:

Swedish National Road Administration, Lars Lindqvist presented aRoad Product Model project. Interested countries are welcome to discuss the models. A meeting will be held in the Netherlands this spring with Swedish, Dutch and German representation.

The present schemas are available from Lars Lindqvist.

Spaces:

Kjell Svensson, KTH, presented the current situation for the proposed Spatial Arrangement AP. There is still lack of funding in the countries which are interested in working in this area.

Reinforced concrete:

Raimar Scherer informed that there is interest for this work, but no funding. In the US there will be a meeting in March with interested actors. Other options are to co-operate with other AP developers with interest in concrete works.

AEC libraries:

A paper from Dick Wittenoom (Australia) was introduced proposing a pre-study for AEC Library requirements. Endorsement for this was requested from the BC group, which was agreed unanimously. The pre-study would formalise and build upon work already undertaken by the Australian team.

Project Management:

Grahame Cooper, Salford, presented ideas about an AP for Project Management.

IAI / STEP Meeting

(This text is derived from the minutes made by Jeff Wix.) A joint meeting between IAI and STEP was held with the purpose: - To introduce STEP and IAI to each other. - To identify similarities and differences in the aims and objectives of each organisation. - To explore the extent to which co-operation can be achieved between the organisations and how to make it happen

Ken Herold (IAI Executive Director) Explained the IAI. Aim is to be a driving force to move from a fractured industry and to enable Interoperability in the AEC + FM industry. Vision is to provide impetus to change the business model from segmented to integrated. Mission is to define, promote and publish specifications for Industry

Foundation Classes (IFCs).

Values include: - Action oriented - Consensus based decision making - Timely, incremental delivery - Development of a global solution - Industry definition of IFCs - IFCs to be open and extensible - IFCs will evolve over time - Open membership

IAI originated with the North American Chapter. Further chapters are now established in Germany, Singapore and the UK. Planned are further chapters in Japan, France, Italy and the Nordic countries.

Organisation of the North American chapter includes the following committees, the German and UK chapters being organised on a similar basis: - Integration committee (made up of chairs of domain and process committees and responsible for co-ordinating the integration of the work of the domain committees) - Discipline oriented domain committees (focusing on subsets of object definitions) - Technical committees (dealing with general technical matters affecting the work including conformance testing, model exchange, implementation guidelines).

Each committee has a charter describing its scope and objectives and follows committee guidelines. The Integration committee is responsible for liaison with STEP.

Membership types include information providers, university and research organisations, vendors, clients, consultants, contractors, product manufacturers.

Membership extent currently is 52 companies in USA, 25 companies in Germany and approximately 20 companies in the UK.

The first issue of IFCs is intended to focus on Architecture, HVAC and FM.

Richard See (IAI Integration Committee chair) Explained the mission and deliverables of IAI.IAI is not looking to provide the total solution. Application developers will provide a large part of the overall requirement. The purpose of the IAI is to provide public IFC specifications which application developers will then implement in proprietary software. Specifications willinclude: - Reference object model definitions concentrated at the generic and specific level. - Interfaces - Conformance criteria - Implementation guidelines - Model exchange format.

IFC Version 1.0 which is currently proposed for release at end of February 1996 include: - IFC Information Model Specification - Design process diagrams - Model interchange definition tables - IFC data model (graphical and Express) - Standard software interfaces (IDL [CORBA spec.] or MIDL) for runtime information sharing. - Software implementation guidelines

The scope for version 1.0 has been narrowing and will focus on information exchange using a subset of Architectural, HVAC, FM systems and will include interfaces between these domains. Tools which are being used for this work include an Excel v5 workbook tables and Rational Rose for modelling. New tools are currently being evaluated.

Domain discipline committees are: Architecture HVAC Structural.

Domain process committees are: FM Construction Codes Cost

The following discussion was promising for co-operation in the future. STEP and IAI should form a joint committee, which is formally recognised both by the IAI and STEP. Richard See indicated that consideration was being given to closer alignment with STEP methods. Decisions would be taken later in the week.

Classification - Kees Woestenenk (KW)

Classification model TC59/SC13/WG2 presentation by Kees Woestenenk.

The presentation and following discussion was held as part of the meetings of the Building Construction Core Model Group (BCCM). An earlier introduction of TC59/SC13/WG2 and its efforts to produce an ISO Standard on Classification for the Construction Industry was done at the plenary meeting of STEP WG3/T12/AEC on 22 January. In that introduction the interest of TC59/SC13/WG2 in the work of STEP and the wish for co-operation between the STEP community and the classification community was expressed.

The model presented at 24 January was the EXPRESS G diagram, distributed by KW to the members of TC59/SC13/WG2, as a result of the London meeting of WG2 on 10 January 1996. Before presenting it to the BCCM group, the diagram has been reviewed - as planned - by Bernd Wenzel and Jeffrey Wix. In the opinion of both experts the diagram expressed the status of the latest discussion within WG2. Bernd Wenzel is willingly to assist in the improvement of the diagram, concerning the EXPRES G syntax and modelling technique.

Before the model was presented it was underlined by both Jeff Wix and KW that this diagram reflected the result of the latest discussions within WG2, but could not be seen as an approved WG2 document in this stage.

The diagram was well received by the BCCM group as it was explained by KW, and the relationship with the BCCM acknowledged. On the other hand some differences of opinion were identified, but not resolved at this stage. A merge between the classification structure and the BCCM should be anticipated. It was suggested that KW could join the BCCM editing group, in order to bring in the classification point of view. In addition a proposal for a workshop on this topic has the support of the BCCM group. If possible this workshop should be held before the meeting of TC59/SC13 on 20 April 1996, in Sidney, Australia.

Some comments on classification topics, raised in the discussion: - There is support for the idea of objects to be classified by function, way of assembly, or other characteristics. Classification tables would then define relevant characteristics of certain object types on the one hand, with a (flat) list of these object types on the other hand. - Designed Elements are redundant in the diagram, and could therefore be removed as a separate entity. - The way Activities and Spaces are modelled has to be reviewed.

Some comments concerning the modelling technique: - There are syntax violations in the use of names of entities and roles. - There is a difference of approach in the way properties of things and properties of Spaces are modelled. The properties of things appear to be over-generalised (e.g. geometry). The name of the property `status' has to be changed in `state'. - The diagram intermixes two levels of abstractions, which could be better separated. This mixture leads to `redefinitions' (e.g. the part-of relationship between construction_entities and construction_complexes). - The whole-part relationships for things and activities are not modelled properly. - The specialisation of thing.function into complex.function, entity.function and element should not (apart from redefinition problems) be modelled as subtypes (there is no inheritance of properties).

Singapore

Update on CORENET activities by You-Tong, youtong@iti.gov.sg

Main focus in phase 1 is on Information Services and Plan-checking Systems. For Information Services, information on Land Usage Guidelines, Property prices, etc. have been put on the Web. This provision of public information will be continually enhanced by the Urban DevelopmentAuthorities.

Plan-checking System Completed most of the scoping studies with the government regulatory agencies. Funding approval has to be obtained to develop prototype checking systems.

Committee has been set up to recommend the neutral format for data exchange and the implementation plan. The committee comprises of major CAD vendors and industry representatives in Singapore. One key issue is whether to adopt IAI or STEP Aps or both, and gives the current uncertain relation between the two, can be used in prototype STEP-related projects.

CORENET Web site: http://www.gov.sg/corenet

Miscellaneous

AP pre projects:

The following projects were defined by the group as possible AP-pre Projects: - AEC library - Spatial arrangements - Structural concrete

Homepages:

Kent Reed has links to AP homepages, old minutes etc. at NIST on: http://cic.nist.gov ftp://cic.nist.gov

Kobe meeting:

The meeting in Kobe will have two parts, one formal with a walk through of all projects in Building Construction and one informative with presentation of some of the AP's and related software and prototypes. The idea is to develop a set of slides and demos for presentation and education purposes, to be used to introduce our own industry to the STEP world. In Kobe we hope to have a number of Japanese constructioncompanies coming to the meeting. They are all newcomers and therefore needing a not to complicated introduction.

The name of the demo package could be "Data exchange for the new generation of software".

Out of scope:

Kent Reed complimented Vaino Tarandi on the very full and informative minutes of meetings. Vaino appreciated the inputs made by others, but reluctantly took some credit! (Inserted by Graham Storer)

January 1996, Dallas

Minutes: Vaino Tarandi ( & Graham Storer & Jeff Wix)

This page is maintained by M A Ward

Last updated 23 April 1997

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Minutes of the STEP WG3 / T12 / AEC / Building Construction Sub-Group Meeting in Dallas 22-24 January 1996

Contents

Attendance

AP225 Building Elements by Explicit Shape Representation - Wolfgang Haas (WH)