About buildingSMART
Founded in 1994 as International Alliance for Interoperability by the Industry Consortium comprising of Autodesk, AT&T, Archibus, Carrier Corporation, Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum (HOK), Honeywell, Jaros Baum & Bolles, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Primavera Systems, Softdesk, Timberline Software Corp, and Tishman Research Corp with an common objective of a set C++ based classes for supporting integrated software development for the Construction Industry.
In 1995, IAI was converted into a not-for-profit organization. Further in 2005 IAI was renamed as buildingSMART (bS). buildSMART today leads the global discussion, drafting, detailing and certification relating to the industry accepted Neutral BIM File Format - IFC (Industry Foundation Classes). In addition, bS through a set of dedicated working groups & regional chapters, is actively exploring the extension of IFC File Format to a wider spectrum of construction industry to include the infrastructure verticals of Roads, Tunnels and Bridges.
Over the last decade, the IFC format has become the Open Data Exchange Format for the Construction Industry after its international recognition as a global standard by the International Standards Organization through the code ISO 16739:2013