Press release

Partnership between four major players in the construction sector to advance the progress of BIM (Building Information Modelling)

27-03-2017

A few days before the opening of the BIM World 2017 exhibition (March 29 and 30 at Paris-La Défense), four major players in the construction sector have announced that they have developed a guide to new processes in BIM (Building Information Modelling) intended for designers (architects, consulting engineers, principal contractors, in-house engineering) to bring new players into the verification process on the basis of digital models.
Since July 2016, Bureau Veritas, Setec Bâtiment, Agence Coste Architectures and Bouygues Construction have been working on a guide to new processes in BIM (digital modelling).
The aim is to enable technical inspectors to give their assessment and for principal contractors to sign off directly on the digital model.
The four partners are working alongside MediaConstruct (buildingSMART), the leading mover for openBIM standards in France. The goal: set up a dedicated task force to provide the processes for assessment and approvals using BI

Bureau Veritas, Setec Bâtiment, Agence Coste Architectures and Bouygues Construction have formed a partnership. They are working on innovative new BIM processes that introduce the key development of enabling technical inspectors and Health & Security Protection coordinators to issue their assessment on buildings and structures directly on the basis of the digital model, and also allowing principal contractors to sign off directly on the same digital model. 
The first phase of work, which is based on current practices, defines how BIM can be implemented today in the process of technical inspection and approvals, and should be of benefit to all players working with BIM. But the project also envisages current technological advances: with innovations such as the BIM Collaboration Format (BCF, a new buildingSMART International standard), technical inspection have started to be incorporated into a collaborative inspection process. Moreover, within a short period of time, new inspection technologies that are more automated and more systematic are likely to result in a shift from optional inspection processes to native integrated inspection processes.

With the aim of encouraging progress in all parts of the construction industry, the four partners offered MediaConstruct, an organisation affiliated to buildingSMART International and one of the key players in defining reference frameworks for openBIM in France, to provide it with the results of their work to enable it to set up a new internal task force that will concentrate on defining and standardising the process of assessments and approvals using BIM.

Bureau Veritas, Setec Bâtiment, Agence Coste Architectures and Bouygues Construction share the same vision of BIM as a collaborative tool enabling all players involved in constructing and operating a building or structure (owners, architects, consultant engineers, contractors, technical inspectors, etc.) to have shared online access to the 2D and 3D models, as well as all the information and characteristics of the objects that compose it, depending on their needs.

About Bureau Veritas
Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has more than 66,000 employees in around 1,400 offices and laboratories located across the globe. Bureau Veritas helps its clients to improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility.
A leading player in the construction sector, Bureau Veritas Construction contributes to the prevention of technical risks and hazards, from design through to handover of buildings and structures. 
Its strategic market segments are Construction and Real Estate; Property; Energy and Oil & Gas; Process Industries; Aerospace; Retail; and Health and Public Organisations.

About Setec Bâtiment
Setec Bâtiment is a benchmark engineering company for construction projects where added value is essential. The complete independence of its shareholders combined with the high-level professional expertise of its engineers constitutes a guarantee of objectivity and quality in carrying out the projects it takes on. It is a subsidiary of the Setec group, one of the leading international-scale players in France, with more than 2,400 employees spread over some forty subsidiaries. Setec Bâtiment’s teams are dedicated to offering their customers a service adapted to their needs and the financial aims of the project, on the basis of their perfect understanding of the most innovative techniques and compete commitment to environmental requirements.

About Agence Coste Architectures
Agence Coste Architectures designs high-performance buildings designed to facilitate maintenance, management and use for building owners. The quality of the projects it has carried out to date positions it as an expert in designing innovative programmes that combine architectural quality, environmental performance and well-being. It employs collaborative and highly innovative design in all its projects: in 2014 Agence Coste Architectures won the first BIM d’Or award for the complete modelling of the Saint Nazaire aquatic centre. It is a member of the SBA (Smart Building Alliance).
Agence Coste Architectures operates three agencies, in Paris, Montpellier and Algiers. Among the areas covered by its projects are sport (more than 100 projects, of which 70 completed to date), housing, education, and priority development zones

About Bouygues Construction 
Bouygues Construction is a global player in construction, with operations in more than 80 countries. It designs, builds and operates projects in the sectors of building, infrastructure and industry. As a responsible and committed leader in sustainable construction, Bouygues Construction sees innovation as its primary source of added value: this is “shared innovation” that benefits its customers at the same time as improving its productivity and the working conditions of its 50,100 employees. In 2016, Bouygues Construction generated sales of €11.8 billion.