LIDAR Magazine

USIBD Matters

A 309Kb PDF of this article as it appeared in the magazine complete with images is available by clicking HERE

In August, the U.S. Institute of Building Documentation (USIBD) announced a partnership with LIDAR Magazine to provide and share information to our respective audiences. Moving forward, you can count on this column to keep you apprised of what’s going on in the world of Building Documentation. I’ll utilize this month’s installment to explain how everything came together and what it is we do.

Starting with a shared interest in establishing standards and a level playing field in the fairly new industry of Building Documentation, a small yet diverse, dedicated group of professionals from around the country came together, and in 2012 to establish the U.S. Institute of Building Documentation (USIBD). The USIBD is dedicated to establishing Building Documentation as a distinct industry, providing an umbrella of resources for all stakeholders in need of documentation of the built environment, and to raising both the level of standardization and the professionalism of the business of this growing industry.

Building Documentation is more than just simply measuring and drawing building as-built plans and models. Building Documentation is very broad and can cover many things: from defining a Level of Accuracy (LOA), to viewing structures as they exist and as they might exist through technologies such as Virtual and Augmented Reality. It can describe processes used to facilitate the transfer of building information throughout the building lifecycle, and it can help us uncover mysteries of the past with regards to historic preservation and heritage documentation.

USIBD is building a network of stakeholders in the Building Documentation industry globally, including owner/operators, architects, engineers, contractors, surveyors, service providers, construction managers, educators, students, software and hardware developers. By including all of these stakeholders, the USIBD is breaking down the silos that exist in the industry to bring more comprehensive Building Documentation resources, including standards documents, establishing professional certifications, gathering information through surveys and research, defining best practices, and developing educational programs.

Four working committees in USIBD are tasked with developing the various programs and materials that represent USIBD’s mission. Participation in committee work is open to all USIBD members. These committees include:
Education, which presents programs to educate about USIBD documents, increase project excellence, and establish certifications.
The Standards Committee is writing the USIBD documents: standards, specifications, guidelines and best practices.
The Technology committee is working to gather and provide reports and resources in current and future technologies, and how different stakeholders use them.
The Symposium Committee organizes and produces USIBD’s annual conference. This year the USIBD is partnering with the BIMForum and SEI for a larger combined conference in Dallas in November.

USIBD is a non-profit membership organization. Membership is open to professionals all over the world who work in the various Building Documentation stakeholder groups. Visit our website to learn more about becoming involved: www.usibd.org

John M. Russo, AIA is an experienced architect with over 28 years of experience. He founded Irvine, California based, Architectural Resource Consultants (ARC) www.arc-corporate.com, a firm that specializes in building documentation. Mr. Russo successfully led his team in a nationwide competition for a 5 year, $30 million IDIQ contract with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) for Nationwide Laser Scanning Services. Mr. Russo is an active member of the Orange County Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and also is a member of the BuildingSMART Alliance. Currently Mr. Russo, together with other industry leaders, founded the U.S. Institute of Building Documentation (USIBD) www.usibd.org. Mr. Russo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton and an Associate of Arts degree in Architecture from Orange Coast College.

A 309Kb PDF of this article as it appeared in the magazine complete with images is available by clicking HERE

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