In general, it is advantageous, if not a best management practice, to require all renovation. repair, maintenance, construction projects, as well as all participants and stakeholders, to use common terms, definitions, and standardized data architectures.
If this were done, there would be far fewer misunderstandings, errors, omissions, change orders, etc.
OMINCLASS, Uniformat, MasterFormat are all all extremely valuable and should be required in North America, and “interchangeable” formats developed on a worldwide basis.
COBie should be fully compatible and not divergent.
Standardized “glossaries” & data architectures combined with LEAN Construction Methodologies & increased competence and leadership on the part of real property owners (and all service providers), would go a lot further to solving the rampant waste so common throughout the AECOO sector than the “obsession with 3D visualization”. Tech will not sole much on its own.
Tech is important, but…
As a clear line item description of construction tasks, including labor, equipment, and materials, is critical to a common understand of the scope of work, a unit price book organized by CSI Masterformat should be a component of every job.
An accurate and shared description of all work task and a clear indication of budgetary requirements is a fundamental element of project success. It’s amazing how many construction projects lack this basic foundation.
www.4BT.US