Product Specification/Selection aided via digital data sharing.
Press Release Summary:
Specifiers' Properties information exchange (SPie) aims to help manufacturers deliver product information to specifiers and designers in digital format that facilitates comparisons. In addition to extending and cross referencing OmniClass(TM) product and properties tables, SPie applies Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) standard, already used for data sharing in building information modeling (BIM), to product specifications data.
Original Press Release:
Cutting out the Cut Sheet: SPie Streamlines the Product Specification and Selection Process
It won't be long until product specification sheets are a thing of the past. A new, easier way to select products, the Specifiers' Properties information exchange (SPie), is helping manufacturers to deliver product information to specifiers and designers in an easy-to-compare, digital format. Specifiers and designers can witness a free demonstration of how SPie works on December 6 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm, during the National Institute of Building Sciences Annual Meeting, held in conjunction with Ecobuild America in Washington, D.C.
"Establishing a consistent definition and use of materials, products, equipment and assemblies is vital to the exchange of building information," said Nicholas Nisbet, director of AEC3 UK Ltd., who is assisting the Institute and industry trade associations to implement the SPie standard. "We're working with trade associations to define the minimum properties for their members' products so that designers and specifiers can compare product information directly against their requirements."
The demonstrations in December will show how adopting the SPie standard can improve the specification/selection process as well as other downstream processes, such as:
- Lighting fixture specification and selection using standard specification software, allowing for the option of electronic purchasing,
- Electrical elements, including operation and maintenance (O&M) methods,
- Wall products and the impact of standard naming on quantity take-off (QTO) and estimating, and
- Cabinetry specification and the processing of submittals.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC), the Specifications Consultants in Independent Practice (SCIP), and the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) are spearheading the SPie project. Manufacturers and manufacturing associations, including the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industries (AWCI), the Woodwork Institute (WI), the Architectural Woodwork Institute (AWI) and the Architectural Woodwork Manufacturers Association of Canada (AWMAC) are active participants. During the December 6 demonstration, several industry associations will show how they are implementing the SPie standards and illustrate how SPie can extend into electronic purchasing, O&M, QTO and submittals.
"The focus of NEMA and its partner IDEA is to facilitate matching specific needs of building owners and designers to specific products in the marketplace. First, for the electrical industry. But, given the flexibility of the NEMA/IDEA solution, to those in other industries as well," said Jim Lewis, NEMA's manager for high performance buildings. "Working in conjunction with the National Institute of Building Sciences and other organizations on the SPie initiative, we are looking forward to presenting our joint contribution to the next-generation of building information modeling (BIM) solutions on December 6th."
SPie extends and cross references the OmniClass(TM) product and properties tables. It applies the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) standard, which is already widely used for data sharing in building information modeling (BIM), to product specifications data.
To register for the free SPie demonstration, visit www.aececobuild.com/register, select the "Exhibits and Keynotes Pass," and enter promotion code NIBSIE to waive the fee.
The National Institute of Building Sciences, authorized by Congress in 1974, is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that brings together representatives of government, the professions, industry, labor and consumer interests to identify and resolve building process and facility performance problems. The Institute serves as an authoritative source of advice for both the private and public sectors with respect to the use of building science and technology.
