The "Stand-Inn" project for a better exchange of technical data

The construction sector is an environment where the many participants make information exchanges complex.  Computer-oriented information exchange standards are often insufficient and are sometimes badly used;  players communicate through protocols that are different from one profession to another and from one project to another.  Also frequently, initial data for the first participant (for example the architect) are re-input into software tools used by the next participant (structure engineer, design office, etc.), and those data may heavily vary.  But these standards are continuing to be more widely used.  Furthermore, the growing number of labels and other certifications now related to inevitable environmental aspects require the use of performance indicators and baselines.  Therefore standards are increasingly used and environmental constraints are becoming better and better defined, but the gateway between the two can and must be improved.  The digital models and business information models in Construction must be further developed to genuinely satisfy the specific needs of sustainable development and to become the grounding for genuine decision making assistance tools.

Stand-Inn, as part of the Europe Innova program, was financed by the European Union and developed over two years by a large number of partners (see inset).  Its objective is to inform, explain, assist, motivate and create contacts between all European contributors to innovation, to expand the use of standards based on information and communication technologies, particularly the digital model (BIM - Building Information Model) and IFCs (Industry Foundation Classes) so as to satisfy the specific needs of sustainable development.