A Dutch Concept Library (CB-NL) to support BIM for the life cycle

The use of Building Information Models (BIM) and the digital exchange of information in the construction industry is growing rapidly. Objects and their information are being exchanged throughout the supply chain and throughout the lifecycle. When exchanging information, problems occur. Information is defined and interpreted differently by the different parties. Automated exchange of information in the industry is therefore not possible. The Dutch Building Information Council, a sector wide national cooperation between partners in the total building sector, took the initiative to develop a Dutch Concept library (CB-NL)(1): "one language for the building sector". Based on the concept of "distributed libraries", the library is mapped to other international and national libraries and classification systems. The CB-NL is an open standard, beneficial for all partners: More efficient exchange of information, better communication throughout the entire supply chain and lifecycle, new possibilities for product manufacturer's design and digital product catalogues and less expensive failures arising from misinterpretation. Many national and international standards are mapped to the CB-NL by now. This paper describes the CB-NL and covers some practical experiences.