COBie is a structured format for exchanging building operations and maintenance information. It aims to facilitate effective transfer of facilities management data between construction teams and building owners or operators. The document discusses several case studies that highlight challenges with implementing COBie, including a lack of understanding of its purpose among some clients, difficulties filtering relevant asset data, and discrepancies between different software exports. It also provides an overview of how COBie data drops can align with construction phases and highlights the need for clients to clearly specify their COBie requirements and expectations.

1. COBie
THE PRACTICALITIES OF
APPLICATION
GRAHAM H STEWART
TECHNICAL ASSOCIATE

2. We are engineers, scientists and
consultants who place trust in the power
of design to create a better future.
At its best, good design can regenerate
communities, protect natural
environments, connect people across vast
distances; it can provide new energy
solutions and create buildings that
people feel happy to be in.

3. RAMBOLL IN BRIEF
• Ramboll is a leading
engineering, design and
consultancy company founded
in Denmark in 1945
• We employ close to 10,000
experts across 21 countries
and over 200 offices.
• Ramboll has a significant
presence in Northern Europe,
India, Russia and the Middle
East

4. OFFICE LOCATIONS WORLDWIDE
GLOBAL
• close to 10,000 employees
• 200 offices
• 21 countries

5. OFFICE LOCATIONS UK
LOCAL
• 875 employees
• 12 offices

6. • Technical Associate – Head of BIM for Ramboll UK based in
Glasgow, Scotland
• Technician Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers
• 10+ years experience in using various BIM platforms
• Currently studying MSc in BIM Management
@StewartGH1970
GRAHAM H STEWART EngTech TMICE
BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE

7. Governments required deliverables
• The individual domain 3D models in
their native file formats
• The 2D reviewable design deliverables
cut from the models
• COBie UK 2012 data
BIM – WHAT ARE THE GOVERNMENT
DEMANDING

8. SO WHAT IS COBIE?
• Essentially, COBie is a 2D database representation of the model
and as such can be read in a spreadsheet format, be this in
Microsoft Excel or similar software.
• COBie contains a vast array of information including, but not
limited to, zones, spaces, the relationship between them and
asset information for the operation and maintenance for the
lifecycle of a project.

9. http://www.bimtaskgroup.org/cobie-
uk-2012/
• COBie is an information exchange format,
primarily aimed at effective transfer of
facilities management and operations
information
Information supplied by Excitech
COBie

10. • Data Drop 2b (Tender return)
• Over 0.5 million Data Entries
41MB Excel File
• 40% manually entered
Information supplied by Excitech
COBie COOKHAM WOOD

11. UK GOVERNMENT BIM MATURITY LEVEL 2
• In order to achieve UK Government BIM Maturity Level 2, regular
COBie (Construction Operations Building information exchange)
Data Drops are produced at set stages of a project, through the
design, construction and operation phases. The aforementioned
Data Drop provides the client with the capability to analyse and
check the proposed design at set stages. The client can use plain
Language Questions (PLQs) to cross reference against the
proposed design for compliance.
• COBie is a flat (static) dump of the data information within a BIM
to a structured format (COBie).

12. PLAIN LANGUAGE QUESTIONS (127 NO)
• The client has created this set of plain language questions that
they intend to answer at each stage of a construction project. Key
decisions such as whether to proceed to the next work stage or
not will be made based upon the answers to these questions
Information from BIM Task Group

13. • What do we need to consider?
Brief
Design
+
Analyse
Plan +
Cost
Construct Operate
Clear brief
Design +
Construction
Operation, FM
+ Energy
Management
Requirements
Project
HOW DO WE GET TO THE OPERATIONAL
STAGE?

14. Two Dimensional drawings, un-intelligent lines2D (CAD)
Three Dimensional drawings, un-intelligent objects3D (CAD)
Three Dimensional drawings, intelligent objects3D BIM
Three dimensional models with construction time sequence4D
Three dimensional models with construction time + cost5D
Three dimensional models with resources6D
Construction Operations Building Information Exchange for FM
+ operationCOBie
Collaborative design, construction + operation based on open
standardsOpen BIM
Industry Foundation Classes – open file format for data
exchangeIFC
BSi Roadmap + BIM StrategyB/555
BSi BIM StandardsPAS1192
Level of Detail – how much information is in the model at each
stageLOD
Building Handover, commissioning + Training prior to
occupation
Soft
Landing
Simplifying terminology….

15. Input Output
Commissioning
FM Design
Client
Contractor
COBie
Spreadsheet
Define
COBie
NBS
RDS
Energy
Management
BIM Model COBie FM
Software
Construction Period OccupationBrief / Pre-Construction
Soft Landing
2-way link
1-way output
1-way
output
OUTLINE OF COBIE PROCESS

16. Image from PAS1192-2:2013

17. COBIE DATA DROPS
Data Drop 1: Model represents
• REQUIREMENTS and CONSTRAINTS
Data Drop 2: Model represents
• OUTLINE SOLUTION
Data Drop 3: Model represents
• CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION
Data Drop 4: Model represents
• OPERATIONS and MAINTENANCE INFORMATION
Data Drop 5 (and subsequent drops): Model represents
• POST OCCUPANCY VALIDATION INFORMATION and ONGOING O&M
Information from BIM Task Group COBie Data Drops

18. CIC 1: BRIEF - ENDING WITH DROP 1
• The Brief defining the project objectives, business need, asset
management plan, Client priorities and aspirations; describing the
acceptance criteria, including function, mix of uses, scale,
location, quality, cost (Capex & Opex), value, time, safety, health,
environment and sustainability (Carbon, embodied and in use).
Information from BIM Task Group COBie Data Drops

19. CIC 2: CONCEPT
• The Project Brief as approved by the Client at the conclusion of
Stage 2, establishing the detailed brief, scope, scale, form and
budget and setting out the integrated concept for the Project;
Confidence 75 to 80%, margin ± 20 to 25%
Information from BIM Task Group COBie Data Drops

20. CIC 3: DESIGN DEVELOPMENT – ENDING
WITH DROP 2A
• The Project Brief as approved by the Client at the conclusion of
Stage 3 , developing in detail the approved concept to finalise the
design and definition criteria, establishing the detailed form,
character, function, cost plan (Capex, Opex),Carbon (embodied
and in use); defining all components in terms of overall size,
typical detail performance and outline specification.
• Confidence 85 to 90%, margin ± 10 to 15%
Information from BIM Task Group COBie Data Drops

21. CIC 4: PRODUCTION INFORMATION –
ENDING WITH TENDER AND DROP 2B
• Integrated production information enabling the production of
manufacturing and installation information for construction.
Updated Capex, Opex, Carbon use.
• Confidence 90 to 95%, margin ± 5 to 10%
Information from BIM Task Group COBie Data Drops

22. CIC 5: CONSTRUCTED INFORMATION –
ENDING WITH DROP 3
• fabrication and manufacturing details, verification, operation and
maintenance. Updated Capex, Opex, and Carbon. This should also
include „as constructed‟ updates to the production information.
The model and the documentation should fully reflect the actual
construction, defect and tolerance deviation as the basis for the
asset model.
• Confidence 95 to 98%, margin ± 2 to 5%
Information from BIM Task Group COBie Data Drops

23. CIC 6: HANDOVER - WITH DROP 4
• As constructed systems, operation and maintenance, updated
predicted in use performance, (Carbon use, Capex and Opex).
Information from BIM Task Group COBie Data Drops

24. CIC 6A : POST FIT-OUT HANDOVER
• Updated “As constructed” systems, operation and maintenance,
updated predicted in use performance, (Carbon use, Capex and
Opex).
Information from BIM Task Group COBie Data Drops

25. CIC 7 : POST PRACTICAL COMPLETION –
WITH DROP 5
• To be completed 12 months after handover
• As constructed systems, operation and maintenance, in use
performance compared against brief, (function, mix of uses,
scale, location, quality, cost (Capex & Opex), value, time, safety,
health, environment and sustainability (Carbon, embodied and in
use).
Information from BIM Task Group COBie Data Drops

26. CASE STUDY 1
• School
• Local Authority
Information from The ReConfigured Architect

27. CASE STUDY 1 – THE BRIEF
• Being an Local Authority (LA) they are aware in principle of the
BIM mandate from Central Government, though will admit they
don‟t understand strategically their role as client.
• A brief is drawn up for the project stipulating the use of BIM and
delivery of IFC and COBie at handover
• The LA tenders the project by competition seeking a contractor
lead project team
• No surprise, all tender responses promise to deliver IFC and
COBie at handover
• The focus of assessment shifts to the proposed outline design and
budget cost with COBie quickly forgotten.
• The mindset starts as, „we don‟t need to do this COBie thing until
handover‟
Information from The ReConfigured Architect

28. CASE STUDY 1 - MINDSET
• It‟s easy…all you need to give me is a spreadsheet
• You‟re the architect, so surely it‟s your job to ensure the whole
spreadsheet is filled in?
• What are you going to do with the COBie data (spreadsheet)? I
don‟t know and surely that‟s not important.
• Could we talk to your Facilities Management team? They are
likely to want to use the COBie data. No, they‟re not part of this
project they‟ll pick the building up at handover.
• It doesn‟t look right. Can you just exclude those elements from
your export?
Information from The ReConfigured Architect

29. CASE STUDY 1 - OBSERVATIONS
• Requirement for COBie is being written into briefs without
understanding why and for what.
• A lack of specification at briefing results in the wrong level of
detail in the COBie delivery; too much is as bad as too little.
• The task of providing COBie data is seen as being soley the
responsibility of the architect and a one-off thing that happens at
the end of the project. As opposed too a dataset that is
populated by all parties with relevant information through the
lifecylce of a project.
• Normal users see a wide range of advice, guidance and theory on
why, but none on how to produce COBie data.
• Advice and guidance tends to be highly technical and rarely
breaks COBie into steps as simple as, Plan – Do – Check – Act,
presenting the key process steps for successful COBie
Information from The ReConfigured Architect

30. CASE STUDY 2
• Hospital
• Main Contractor
Information from Brookfield Multiplex Europe

31. THE GOOD POINTS
• Three discipline specific COBie spreadsheet generated;
Architecture, Structure and MEP
• Easy to generate COBie using software specific COBie toolkits
• Technology point of view (hardware/software) COBie drops are
achievable now
Information from Brookfield Multiplex Europe

32. THE BAD POINTS
• Hard to filter assets from building fabric during exports. From
design, tendering and construction point of view data drops 1-3
need to focus on building fabric and equipment's for pricing and
construction, whereas data drop 4 for hand over needs to focus
on UK government soft landings, manageable assets, warranty
info, manufacturer‟s literature etc. Some of this information is
not contained in the 3D BIModels so cannot be exported during
COBie export. This information needs to be added manually in
the spreadsheet.
• Hard to validate information contained in the COBie data drops;
not just whether the spreadsheet cells are filled or not but the
information contained in the cells are correct.
• Still experiencing discrepancies during COBie exports from
different software platforms and different COBie toolkits
Information from Brookfield Multiplex Europe

33. OBSERVATIONS
• Feedback from the design team: Remained as a „tick box‟
exercise
• Feedback from contractor: Remained as a „tick box‟ exercise as
the COBie drop 2a doesn‟t give enough information for tendering
purpose. From supply chain side, COBie spreadsheets are hard to
understand and decipher for pricing. Established processes to
interpret/understand tender information, i.e. drawings, 3D
BIModels and specifications, for pricing is more effective at this
Information from Brookfield Multiplex Europe

34. CASE STUDY 3 - PROJECT X
“to implement a robust set of BIM processes to bring the design
team together in a collaborative way”
“The principles established herein will ensure the aspirations for
innovative construction planning, cost and quantity analysis,
schedule sequencing and ultimately digitally enabled facilities
management which can be achieved via the record models.”

35. CASE STUDY 3
• Project X – NDA
• Major International Project

36. COBie REQUIREMENTS
• Everyone in the UK is using COBie?
• We want everything!
• COBie to be generated from Solibri
(via IFC)

37. MANAGE THE CLIENTS EXPECTATIONS
• State what information you will be delivering at each stage of the
project – especially if no EIR/FM Strategy existing
• The client needs to engage and state exactly what he is looking
for
• The client needs to appreciate the manual inputting of information
by new members of the design team will cost them money

38. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
• COBie is from a federation of models – not done in isolation
• Export from Native software as the Data is already there „but‟
manual consolidation of data is a major issue
• You can‟t add COBie to IFC
• Only a few newer CAFM systems can understand COBie
• If you need to convert COBie to suit FM why do it? Add the data in
a usable format to suit the system
Reference to “NBS International BIM Report 2013” based on over 1,350 professionals taking part = >0.1%.

39. Thank you for listening.
Graham H Stewart – Ramboll UK
E-mail: graham.stewart@ramboll.co.uk
bim@ramboll.co.uk
Tel: +447867452236