Automated Code Plan Checking Tool--Proof-Of-Concept

TO LEARN MORE VISIT "AutoCodes Funding & Participation Prospectus"

View Target's video documenting the results they've seen!

In March 2011 the Fiatech Regulatory Streamlining Committee launched AUTOCodes, a proof-of-concept (POC) project to develop automated code-checking rule sets. The International Code Council (ICC), some U.S. jurisdictions, and independent software developers are collaborating on the initial phase of the project that will demonstrate the viability of using software rule sets to check the accessibility and egress provisions of the ICC International Building Code. To achieve this, the project team is conducting a comparative analysis between traditional, manual plan reviews and a BIM-based checking process. In April 2011, code officials and plan-check engineers from participating jurisdictions were given a set of 2D plans derived from a Target Corporation store prototype BIM. The jurisdictions were instructed to perform a standard accessibility and egress plan review. The results provided key insights into the way plan reviews are conducted and will be published in a final POC report. Long-term project objectives include the development of an extensive, open-source rule set library that will be approved and adopted by industry and regulatory bodies alike. The rule sets are to be used by technology developers in commercial companies and code officials for the next generation of design, construction, and facility management.

Benefits

Regulatory compliance remains a tedious, time-consuming, and costly discipline. While building officials, construction owners, architects, designers, and engineers have long understood the critical importance of timely, accurate, and uniform code-review, relatively little progress has been made on improving and modernizing this outdated regulatory process. Current economic conditions, however, have raised awareness within the highest levels of government. Applying new thinking and technology is gaining momentum. Numerous building and planning departments are investigating methods for streamlining processes, including faster, more consistent code checking. The growing use of 3D BIM technology presents a significant opportunity to accelerate code reviews and expedite permitting. Through the application of programmable software rules, BIM data can be queried and analyzed for the purpose of determining regulatory compliance. This method maintains and improves the fundamental safety and design integrity standards intrinsic to the regulatory process.

Opportunities/Status

This project affords both public and private sectors a mechanism to bring BIM data into the U.S. building regulatory process and thereby reduce plan review time from weeks to minutes. Fiatech member participation and support for this project can be found here. An initial review was completed in August 2011. The results are being analyzed as part of the development of AUTOCode accessibility and egress rule sets that soon will be used on the Target store prototype 3D model. The next task will be to develop stringent fire and life safety code rule sets.

Fiatech Staff Project Manager

Bob Wible, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Project Leads

Steven Wolf, Target
Thomas Phillips, Target

Participating Companies

Avolve Software, Hatch, International Code Council (ICC), Kaiser Permanente, Solibri, and Target

Deliverables

Development of open source rule sets for accessibility and egress and a report that documents the POC will be produced for national use by the public and private sector.

Completion Date

Early 2012