Building Information Modelling (BIM)
The methodology of producing and managing machine-readable building information across a project's whole life.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a way of working, not a single piece of software or a 3D drawing. It is the activity of creating and managing structured, machine-readable information about a building or asset, so that everyone involved — designers, engineers, contractors, owners — works from a shared, consistent source rather than from disconnected documents.
The output of that activity is an information model: a database of objects that carry both geometry and data. A wall is not just a set of lines; it knows its material, its fire rating, its cost code. Because the information is structured, it can be queried, checked, costed and scheduled, and it can be handed over at the end of construction to support operation and maintenance.
BIM is framed internationally by the ISO 19650 series, which sets out how information is specified, produced and exchanged. Around that core sit the practices this glossary describes — the dimensions that add time and cost, the common data environment that controls sharing, and the open exchange standards (such as IFC / openBIM) that let different tools work together.
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