Model federation
Combining discipline models into one coordinated view without merging their authorship.
Model federation is the practice of bringing separate discipline models — architecture, structure, services, and so on — together into a single combined view for coordination, without merging them into one file. Each model is linked, not absorbed: every discipline keeps ownership of and responsibility for its own model, and continues to develop it independently.
That distinction matters. A federated model is a coordinated assembly of authored models, so when one discipline updates its model, the federation simply reflects the latest version rather than requiring a manual merge. It gives the team a true combined picture to check against while preserving a clean line of authorship and accountability for each part.
Federation is the precondition for coordination work: it is the combined view in which clash detection is run and that a BIM Coordinator manages. It works best when the models share open, interoperable formats such as IFC, so models from different tools can be federated reliably.
Need this in practice?
Project Coordination →