A neutral object data model for integrated building design and construction environment

Construction and civil engineering projects include large numbers of design elements, materials, activities, in addition to a diversity of data types and complex relationships. The need to adopt appropriate representational schemes and database technologies that can handle complex data types and relationships continue to hinder the search for solutions to an integrated design-construction environment. This paper describes a scheme that classifies and codes design information to support an integrated building design data model. The model is conceptual and based on the object-oriented paradigm. It uses concepts such as objects, attributes and different relations between objects. The main feature of the model is a set of hierarchies of design objects which have classes for describing the various aspects of design elements of a building. These classes represent elements, materials, geometry and construction activities represented by work sections. The model provides classes of data items from which the designer can select to model the various pieces of design elements and their associated work sections. Attributes provide information included in design and construction documents like drawings, specifications and bills of quantities. The model deals with a diversity of data abstracts including multimedia features like sound and video that can be stored in different design documents.