What clients order and architects deliver
The workbook for BIM project management: order results instead of prescribing methods.
Free sample
Print CHF 120
One-time licence by office size
- Team up to 25 people CHF 400
- Organization up to 250 people CHF 900
- Enterprise unlimited, one legal entity CHF 1'800
from Simon Dilhas
Architect, client representative, and lead of design-build projects. Now an entrepreneur and author. With abstract he builds the software construction projects are missing. As the BIM Pirate he pushes back on data graveyards, dictated methods, and requirements nobody can check.
Built for daily practice
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Prevent BIM fee disputes
Clear, value-driven data requirements end multi-million discussions and replace bloated BAPs.
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Order results, not methods
Each use case states the outcome, the process, and the attributes it needs. The method stays with the team.
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Define how elements are modelled
The catalogue states which elements a model contains and which attributes they need for the purpose.
All connected
One continuous framework instead of isolated islands - from the use to the concrete attribute:
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15
Uses
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140
Scenarios
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123
Use cases
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58
Building elements
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121
Attributes and properties
From practice
With Simon's support, we were able to deepen our BIM expertise in a targeted way and integrate it optimally into our office processes. Clear modelling standards and the element plan were the key to success. Model-based cost estimation worked smoothly right away and greatly strengthened BIM acceptance across the entire team.
Bernhard Flühler
Partner, Gähler Flühler Fankhauser Architekten
The element plan is a key component for us to specify data requirements. Our path was long: from an Excel sheet with version chaos and the difficulty of checking data deliveries, through collaborative work in a database and automatic IDS generation, to today's form where requirements are treated like code and have helped us keep simplifying requirements and communicating them better. The journey isn't over yet, but we're on it.
Giuseppe Acciardi
Head of BIM Program, armasuisse Immobilien
Trusted by leading AEC innovators
Questions
Questions
What is the pragmaticBIM Reference and what is the Elementplan?
The pragmaticBIM Reference is the open foundation for checkable project and BIM requirements — from building use, goals and constraints, and process requirements down to data requirements. The book What clients order and architects deliver is the curated German edition for architecture.
The Elementplan is the last stage of that information chain: the object and attribute catalogue of elements, attributes, and value lists that designers deliver in the model. It starts from the purpose, not from the model. Each requirement traces through uses, project goals, use cases, and information containers down to the attribute, so it can be ordered and checked.
The Reference unifies the result, not the working method. The Reference data is open under the PragmaticBIM Standard License at github.com/pragmaticBIM/pragmaticBIM-reference. The book is a curated view of that Reference data.
Who is the book for?
The pragmaticBIM Reference Architecture is for client representatives, architects, and project leads who order results instead of prescribing methods.
It is written for people who order, plan, model, coordinate, or check information requirements. The Reference is a starting point for project-specific decisions, not a checklist to copy in full.
- Clients and project leads: a basis to order needed results clearly and checkably
- BIM management and coordination: a structure to turn project goals into requirements, checks, and workflows
- Designers and modellers: a desk reference in the Elementplan for how an element is modelled and which information it needs
- Offices and project teams: a place to record decisions and reuse them
How much does the book cost?
The printed edition of the pragmaticBIM Reference Architecture costs CHF 120. The PDF is a one-time licence by office size: Team, up to 25 people, CHF 400; Organization, up to 250 people, CHF 900; Enterprise, unlimited, one legal entity, CHF 1'800.
The printed book is one copy. The PDF is a one-time office licence, not a subscription.
When is the book released?
The German edition of the pragmaticBIM Reference for architecture is released in Q1 2027. French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland come next, then building services (MEP).
Why do we need the Reference and the Elementplan when we have IDS?
IDS is purely for checking a delivery technically. The pragmaticBIM Reference derives which information is needed, why, and when, and the Elementplan defines the required elements, attributes, and value ranges.
A formal delivery check with IDS is only one way to work with the delivered data. The book also covers visual plausibility, further requirement checks, and calculated values. In the web application on pragmaticBIM.ch, the same foundations can be selected, adapted, and provided as a project-specific template (contract document, IDS file, or web view).
Do I need the web application to use the book?
No. The book stands on its own. The web application on pragmaticBIM.ch is optional when you want to select, adapt, agree, and provide the foundations for a project as a project-specific template (contract, IDS, or web view).
The web application takes no professional decisions, and the book does not replace a project agreement. Software also processes unclear orders efficiently. It does not make them clearer.
What is in the book?
The pragmaticBIM Reference Architecture follows the information chain through functional requirements (vision, use, room book), goals & constraints, process requirements (organization, use cases, containers), and data requirements (Elementplan).
It explains 15 uses with 140 scenarios, 123 use cases, 58 building elements in the Elementplan with modelling notes and IFC4 attribute tables, and 121 attributes with value ranges. The appendices document data structures, room names, and calculation logic.
The Reference is not a standard or a norm. It is a reasoned set from practice, so later a standard and eventually a norm can be built from it.
How does the pragmaticBIM Reference relate to ISO 19650?
The Reference follows the idea of ISO 19650 without taking over its document structure or vocabulary. Information is derived from goals and made orderable and checkable through use cases, containers, and the elements and attributes of the Elementplan.
It builds on buildingSMART, Bauen digital Schweiz, SIA, and KBOB without replacing them. KBOB recommends ordering concrete applications, services, and digital results from the client's goals, not a blanket method. The pragmaticBIM Reference takes those principles down to elements, attributes, and allowed values.
It does not claim formal ISO 19650 conformity and does not replace project-specific agreements.