An xml initiative of transferring architectural information to the construction site based on the BIM object concept

The primary communication method between the construction site and the architectural information had mainly been the highly symbolic two-dimensional manually drafted drawings which were interpreted by architects and the construction personnel for the purpose of constructing the building. When computers and affordable Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) software were introduced to the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction practice the same drawing legacy continued. CAD technology has gone through many stages of development since the 1950's. The focus shifted from digitally presenting lines and arcs geometry toward representing the components of the building themselves. This effort resulted in the emergence of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in which building components are represented as a digital database that holds information about the geometry of the building components as well as all the data relevant to these components. However, current BIM tools are geared toward producing a two-dimensional representation of the building in the form of printed drawings. This research proposes the use of the BIM technology, the web, the new computing devices such as handheld and tablet computers and the new data structure technologies such as Extensible Markup Language (XML), to integrate the information into a new delivery process. The objective is to develop a system that communicates information from the digital model to the construction site via the web, and eliminate the need for physical drawings. The focus of the research is the technologies needed to achieve a seamless digital relationship between the architectural office and the construction site and the goal is to develop an appropriate data transfer system that is both cost effective and easy to use by all types of users. Using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) as a programming language, the demonstration prototype converts the BIM-based data of the building components into an XML files format that can be queried as needed. The resulting information is displayed in regular web browsers with the means of current web server technologies, such as, Common Gateway Interface (CGI) and PERL programming language. Users of this prototype are able to browse the building elements from the BIM CAD model.