SMACNA Adopts Software Interoperability Policy to Eliminate Waste, Duplication

Acknowledging that incompatible software programs result in industry wide duplication of efforts, significant loss in productivity, and increased project costs, the Board of Directors for the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) adopted an interoperability policy statement for the association at its July meeting. “The public and private development of open standards and platforms for information exchange, without infringing on private industry proprietary innovation is a challenge to which SMACNA is contributing,” SMACNA President John Lindemulder said. SMACNA believes that achieving interoperable, open standards in the AEC and facilities management industry software communities will contribute to the elimination of significant waste and inefficiencies in building design, construction, and indeed, the entire building life cycle. SMACNA is reaching out and engaging industry and software partners in its efforts to make interoperability a reality. Currently SMACNA, the National Institute of Building Sciences, (NIBS) the Mechanical Contractors Association of American (MCAA) and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) are working together to address interoperability issues in the mechanical, electrical and plumbing sectors. These groups have agreed to further open BIM (Building Information Modeling) standards in the MEP sectors by defining model view definitions and information delivery manuals in accordance with the U.S. National BIM Standard.