buildingSMART

What the GS1 and buildingSMART collaboration could mean for BIM, product data and the future of asset information.

The Growing Importance of Trusted Product Information

For years, Building Information Modelling (BIM) has helped project teams understand a building before it is constructed.

Where is a component located? What system does it belong to? How does it connect to other building elements? Are there clashes that need to be resolved before installation?

BIM has transformed how project teams coordinate designs, identify potential issues and communicate construction information.

But as digital delivery continues to evolve, another question is becoming increasingly important:

Can we trust the information behind the products and materials represented in our models?

A BIM model may show the location of a pump, door, light fitting or cladding panel. It may also contain dimensions, technical properties and system relationships. However, does it provide consistent, reliable information about the actual product, its manufacturer and its associated data?

Can that information be shared between designers, engineers, contractors, suppliers, asset owners and facility managers without unnecessary duplication or rework?

This is where the collaboration between GS1 and buildingSMART becomes particularly relevant.

Their work highlights an important development in the construction industry: moving beyond the coordination of digital models towards better-connected, more consistent information throughout the asset lifecycle.

Who Are GS1 and buildingSMART?

Although GS1 and buildingSMART operate in different areas, their work addresses complementary information challenges.

buildingSMART: Connecting Built-Asset Information

buildingSMART International develops open standards that support digital collaboration and information exchange across the built environment.

One of its best-known standards is Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), which supports the exchange of structured building and infrastructure information between different software applications.

OpenBIM helps project stakeholders share and use information across different platforms, reducing reliance on a single software environment.

For BIM teams, this supports more consistent collaboration between designers, engineers, contractors, owners and operators.

However, successful information exchange still depends on appropriate modelling practices, data requirements and implementation.

GS1: Identifying Products and Connecting Information

GS1 develops global standards for identifying, describing and sharing information about products, companies, locations and other entities.

Many people encounter GS1 standards every day through product barcodes used in retail, manufacturing, healthcare and logistics.

These standards help organisations identify products consistently and connect them to relevant information across supply chains.

In construction, this creates opportunities to improve how building products and materials are identified, tracked and referenced throughout their lifecycle.

While buildingSMART focuses on the structure and exchange of built-asset information, GS1 provides standards for identifying products and connecting them with relevant data.

Together, these approaches create an opportunity to connect product identity with the digital information used to design, construct and operate buildings.

Two Standards. Two Complementary Roles.

GS1 and buildingSMART address different parts of the same broader challenge: ensuring information can be consistently identified, exchanged and used by the people who need it.

  • GS1 helps identify and connect: Products, companies, locations, documents and supply chain information.
  • buildingSMART supports the exchange of built-asset information: BIM models, buildings, infrastructure and lifecycle information.

When these approaches are aligned, there is potential to connect the physical products used in construction with the digital information representing them.

The benefit is not simply a more detailed BIM model. It is the opportunity to create more consistent, traceable and reusable information that supports decisions beyond the design and construction phases.

Where GS1 Comes In

Construction projects involve thousands of products sourced from different manufacturers, suppliers and distributors.

Each product may have its own specifications, technical documentation, identification methods and data formats.

While BIM models can contain product information, the quality and consistency of that information can vary considerably. Different naming conventions, inconsistent properties and disconnected supplier records can create challenges throughout design, procurement, construction and operations.

GS1 provides globally recognised identification standards that can help address part of this challenge.

For example, a globally unique product identifier, such as a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) where applicable, can help distinguish a particular trade item and connect it to relevant product information.

When implemented appropriately, this can help project teams reference the correct product and access associated information more consistently.

Potential benefits include:

  • Improved product identification and traceability
  • More consistent procurement information
  • Better visibility of product specifications and documentation
  • Support for product substitution and recall processes
  • Stronger connections between physical products and digital records

However, identifying a product is only one part of the process. The quality, accuracy and currency of its associated information still depend on the source data, the systems used and the processes in place to maintain it.

In simple terms, GS1 can help organisations identify which product they are referring to, while providing a foundation for connecting that product to relevant information.

Where buildingSMART Comes In

Identifying a product is valuable, but that information also needs to be understood and exchanged within the wider project environment.

This is where buildingSMART’s work becomes important.

OpenBIM standards support the structured exchange of building and infrastructure information between different software applications and project stakeholders.

A BIM model can contain substantial information about building components, including their location, dimensions, relationships, properties and technical requirements.

However, that information only delivers its full value when it can be shared, interpreted and maintained by the people who need it.

For example, information created during design may need to be used by contractors during construction, transferred to an asset owner at handover, and accessed by facility managers throughout the building’s operational life.

Without consistent information structures and suitable exchange processes, valuable data can become fragmented, duplicated or difficult to maintain.

Open standards provide a foundation for reducing these challenges, supporting information that remains useful even when project teams, software platforms and operational requirements change.

What Happens When They Work Together?

The opportunity becomes clearer when trusted product identification is connected with open BIM information standards.

In 2018, buildingSMART International and GS1 signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore how their respective standards could support better product exchange, identification and transparency in the construction industry.

This was followed by an Australian agreement between buildingSMART Australasia and GS1 Australia in 2019.

In 2021, the organisations published a joint white paper exploring how GS1 identification standards and openBIM could work together to improve product information exchange and traceability across the built environment.

More recently, in September 2026, buildingSMART International and GS1 held a webinar examining how their standards can connect the digital and physical worlds.

These developments demonstrate the continuing industry interest in improving how product information connects with digital construction and asset information.

You can explore the original material here:

What Could This Look Like in Practice?

Imagine a BIM object representing a pump, fan or other building component.

The model may contain its location, dimensions, system connections and technical properties. A globally unique product identifier, where applicable and correctly linked, could also help connect that object to relevant manufacturer information.

Rather than relying entirely on manually entered product details, project teams could potentially use these connections to access more consistent information about the physical product represented in the model.

This creates opportunities to strengthen the connection between the digital model and the actual product, supporting activities such as:

  • Product identification and traceability
  • Procurement and product substitution checks
  • Construction documentation and digital handover
  • Maintenance and asset management
  • Product recall and compliance processes
  • Lifecycle information management

As digital twins and connected asset management systems develop, these connections may become increasingly valuable.

It is important to recognise, however, that these outcomes are not automatic. They depend on reliable source data, appropriate information links, agreed project requirements and processes that maintain the information throughout the asset lifecycle.

The standards provide a foundation. How organisations implement and manage that information determines the value they achieve.

Why Information Standards Matter More as BIM Evolves

The construction industry has spent years improving model quality, coordination and visualisation.

The next challenge is ensuring that the information within those models remains reliable, accessible and useful beyond the immediate project.

Asset owners may require structured information that supports maintenance, replacement planning and operational decision-making. Facility managers need information they can understand and use long after construction finishes. Contractors and engineers need consistent product information to support procurement, installation and handover.

As a result, the conversation is expanding beyond a simple question:

“Do we have a BIM model?”

Towards a more important one:

“Can we trust the information inside it, and can the right people use it when they need it?”

Without consistent methods for identifying products and exchanging information, organisations risk creating disconnected data silos that limit the long-term value of their BIM investments.

Open standards, appropriate information management and reliable data sources can help reduce these risks.

The objective is not simply to produce more information. It is to make information more useful, consistent and accessible across the different stages of an asset’s life.

What Does This Mean for BIM Teams Today?

For most BIM teams, the growing relationship between product identification standards and openBIM does not mean existing workflows need to change overnight.

Instead, it highlights the importance of thinking beyond geometry, visualisation and model coordination.

BIM professionals are increasingly working in an environment where information quality, interoperability and downstream usability matter alongside technical modelling skills.

It is worth asking a few practical questions about current project workflows:

  • How is product information structured within our models?
  • Where does that information come from?
  • Are product identifiers and specifications consistent with the relevant source information?
  • Can information be exchanged reliably between the systems used by project stakeholders?
  • Will the information remain accessible and useful throughout the asset lifecycle?
  • Can downstream stakeholders use the information without unnecessary re-entry or rework?

These questions are relevant today, regardless of whether a project uses GS1 identifiers or has implemented a specific product-data integration.

Establishing clear information requirements, consistent modelling practices, reliable documentation and appropriate quality checks provides a stronger foundation for future developments.

For BIM teams, the opportunity is to ensure the information being created today can continue to deliver value tomorrow.

What This Means for Project Delivery

A coordinated BIM model is an important part of digital construction, but the model itself is only one component of effective project delivery.

The information behind it also needs to be accurate, consistent, coordinated and suitable for the people who will use it downstream.

For engineers and contractors, this begins with clear design information, coordinated models, consistent properties and reliable construction documentation.

For asset owners and facility managers, it extends to information that remains useful after construction is complete.

At Draftech, this connects directly to the importance of coordinated digital engineering, quality-controlled documentation and practical project information.

Identifying coordination issues early, maintaining consistent information and producing usable documentation can help project teams reduce avoidable rework and make better-informed decisions.

As industry standards and digital workflows continue to evolve, the ability to connect reliable project information with wider product and asset data will become an increasingly important consideration.

The longer-term opportunity is to move towards digital information that does more than represent a building. It can help people understand, manage and maintain the physical assets throughout their lifecycle.

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