Private initiative · Independent BIM reference
BIMbook
The information chain for the AEC industry:
ISO 19650 → LOIN (ISO 7817-1) → BIM2FAB → AI & Robotics
A working reference for architects, engineers, contractors and asset teams — what to build, how much detail, in which order, and where AI fits. No vendor affiliation. No sales funnel.
Three things in 30 seconds
BIM is not software. It is a coordinated information chain — from the first design decision to the factory floor to the building in operation. Three standards hold it together, and one delivery model makes it pay for itself:
1 · WHAT
ISO 19650
Defines the information workflow: CDE, EIR, PIR, roles, states. The contract language.
2 · HOW MUCH
LOIN
Specifies the detail each deliverable must carry. Replaces LOD numbers with purpose-driven requirements.
3 · WHERE IT PAYS
BIM2FAB
Design–Build: the approved model is the factory work order. No handover loss. No re-interpretation.
The standards that hold it together (2026)
Two international standards form the contract backbone. The UK BIM Level framework (BIM Level 1/2, PAS 1192) was the historical engine that proved the model works — it is now superseded by ISO 19650 and remains useful as context, not as a specification reference.
ISO 19650 · 2018
Information management
The workflow standard: Common Data Environment, state transitions (work-in-progress → shared → published → archived), OIR → EIR → PIR, information deliverables and validation. Applies across the full built-asset life cycle — Part 1 covers the concepts, Part 2 covers construction and handover.
Read the ISO 19650 article →ISO 7817-1:2024 · LOIN
Level of Information Need
The specification standard: for each deliverable, it defines which object classes, what geometric detail, which alphanumeric content, and how the deliverable is validated against a stated purpose. Replaces EN 17412-1:2020. The LOD 200/300/400 scheme is no longer the reference in procurement documents.
Read the LOIN article →The full reference
Six articles, connected into one chain: the standard, the specification, the delivery frame, the technology layer, and the two foundational questions.
Standard
ISO 19650
The standard that runs BIM information work — CDE, EIR, PIR, the vocabulary that appears in every contract.
Standard
LOIN · ISO 7817-1
How much and what kind of information a deliverable must carry — the replacement for LOD numbers.
Delivery
BIM to FAB
Design–Build as the delivery frame: the approved model becomes the factory work order.
Technology
BIM × AI
AI operates on BIM, not instead of it. The information contract is the boundary.
Reference
What is BIM?
A working definition of BIM, separated from CAD and software, and what it is for in an AEC workflow.
Reference
LOD & Maturity
Where BIM projects actually break down: maturity, detail levels, and the UK BIM Level history.
BIM Pulse · buildingSMART International
Snapshot captured 14 September 2026. Items linked to the source; check buildingsmart.org for updates between refreshes.
buildingSMART International announces 2026 openBIM® Awards finalists
September 2026
Finalists announced; awards recognise openBIM projects across the industry.
IFCX – Core & Modularisation project update
26 August 2026
Final project plan passed bSI approval process — IFCX extends IFC for modular construction data.
buildingSMART International Council AGM 2026 — outcomes announced
August 2026
Board, SAC and International Council outcomes from the 2026 AGM.
buildingSMART International Summit Tokyo 2026 — tickets now open
Upcoming
Next international summit — registration open.
Start where the contract starts
Read the ISO 19650 article. Then the LOIN article. You will see why the information chain matters more than any software tool.