Cobuilder AS

Oslo-based Cobuilder AS is a major driver for digitization in the construction industry. Cobuilder believes making buildings and infrastructure more sustainable, carbon neutral, efficient and safe is only feasible if the construction value chain is enabled with better data management throughout the built asset lifecycle.

The Challenge: Modern construction projects need a common digital language

Modern construction projects need a common digital language that both machines and people can understand. Without it, all project members manage the same information but with their own styles, formats, and standards. For example, stakeholders might define the same window differently depending on whether they care about its geometry, environmental impact, or fire rating. This data chaos hinders collaboration, creating delays, miscommunication, errors, and waste.

To improve data management, Cobuilder created Define, a data dictionary tool for AEC projects. Define allows users to create high-quality digital information about all the components in a model, ensuring the data is standardized, machine-readable, and can be localized for regional project requirements. In addition to Define, Cobuilder Link is a tool which labels and structures the information so it can reach the right team member for the right purpose at the right project milestone.

But a gap remained. How would designers incorporate the data in their building information models (BIM) and share it with others? They needed a way to push the information into Autodesk Construction Cloud where it could be used beyond Revit modeling into construction and manufacturing workflows.

The APS Solution: Pushing structured data into the cloud for design and collaboration

Cobuilder used the Parameters API to enable customers to push Define’s object parameters and Cobuilder Link’s project information requirements to Autodesk Construction Cloud. There, the data can be accessed directly inside various solutions in the ACC environment. The integration gives collaborators access to dynamic live data that can be repurposed in multiple ways.

Designers can find object components automatically sorted into their correct Revit categories. As the project develops, other stakeholders can filter for the precise information they need to deliver for any component at any project milestone. The information needed for a window, for example, will depend on whether a fire safety engineer is calculating a building’s fire resistance, a sustainability expert is working on the building’s energy use, or a procurement specialist is ordering the window itself. The common language can even extend to the window’s manufacturer, erasing barriers between project designers and those who make project materials.

The integration eases the ability to meet requirements such as environmental lifecycle assessments. Designers won’t need to master the requirements of each code or certification because they will have the information at their fingertips. It also makes it easy to reuse data. Thanks to structured, machine-readable data sets, the information used to create one school or medical office can be copied and modified for the next project.

Business Outcomes: Common language smooths collaboration, reduces risk, and saves time

• High-quality data used by all project stakeholders smooths collaborations between architects, engineers, contractors, and manufacturers
• Standardization reduces risk of mistakes, waste, and rework
• Re-usable datasets save time from one project or project phase to the next

APIs and Services

Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) APIs

Parameters API