Implementing the LexiCon for practical use

"The LexiCon can be regarded as an Object Library for the construction industry, similar to STEPlib for the process industry, which is based on STEP part 221, and the POSC/CAESAR library for the off-shore industry. The model behind the LexiCon, however, is much simpler than the models of the other libraries, allowing for construction experts to take an active part in populating the LexiCon with objects which are of interest for the construction industry. The LexiCon has been introduced at several occasions: the ECPPM ’98 conference in Watford, UK, the ICIS Delegates Assembly 1999, Prague, the CEC99 conference in Espoo, Finland, as well as the IAI, ISO TC184/SC4 (STEP) and ISO TC59/SC13. SC13 earlier formulated the work item 12006-3 “Building construction – Organization of information about construction works – part 3: Framework for object oriented information exchange” and installed at its meeting in June 1999 in Vancouver Working Group 6 for this task. SC13 also established a ‘Standing Conference’ of interested parties on the subject, such as IAI, ICIS, ISO TC184/SC4/WG322, ISO TC10/SC8, CIB and aecXML. The Standing Conference had its first meeting in June 1999, in Vancouver and a second one in October 1999 in Munchen, Germany. WG6 had its first meeting in October 1999, in Ede, The Netherlands. The LexiCon structure is accepted as a starting point for the proposed framework, together with the Epistle Version 3 model and the Swedish BAS-CAAD model. The idea behind the LexiCon is to provide a ‘common language’ for storing and exchanging data between applications, between participants in construction processes and between owners and users of products resulting from construction activities. This paper will discuss how applications can use the structure of the LexiCon as well as the contents. It will show that data about a ‘Built Object’ can be stored within the LexiCon structure troughout the whole lifetime of that Built Object, from brief, design, assembly and use till dismantling or demolishment. Doing so, broadens the meaning of the terms ‘brief’ to ‘demolishment’ from project-related to object-related, or in other words, it will show that these terms apply to the life stages of every single (Built) Object. On the other hand, applications will continue targeting distinct processes. Thus an application targeting the client’s brief for a building will differ from an application specifying the requirements of a curtain wall (which also could be regarded as a kind of client’s brief, but this time with the curtain wall as the subject), while still using the same data structure. Applications based on the LexiCon will instantiate the Built Object classes in the LexiCon or may instantiate their own classes derived from the LexiCon classes, using the LexiCon’s Functions and Quantity classes. Another usage of the LexiCon will be the provison of general information, such as building regulations, product information, cost data and quality assessments. Using the LexiCon will assure that for a single Built Object class all relevant data will be easy to find, as long as the application takes care of associating these data with that class. "