4Projects joins BIM forces with Solibri UK

4Projects, the Sunderland, UK-based SaaS collaboration technology provider (and subsidiary of Viewpoint Construction Software), has announced it is partnering with Solibri UK, the British outpost of the Finland-based software company that provides BIM model validation, QA and interrogation software. The news release says the partnership will:

“provide the UK building and construction markets an end-to-end BIM solution that enables validation and co-ordination of models with a scalable model collaboration infrastructure. Both 4Projects and Solibri solutions work with open BIM standards and their combination further demonstrates that reliable and comprehensive BIM workflows are being achieved using models from a variety of BIM authoring software.”

Matthew Harris, senior VP of strategy and corporate business development, says:

“The 4Projects collaboration solution provides project teams with a configurable Common Data Environment (CDE) that acts as the BIM workflow engine, enabling the entire project supply chain to ensure that the right BIM data is made available to the right people at the right time. By partnering with Solibri UK, we are able to provide project teams with a solution for both model validation/co-ordination and model collaboration.”

David Jellings, MD of Solibri UK, says:

“Effective adoption of BIM requires more than just a single solution…. AEC users can benefit from the flexibility of open standards based platforms which save time, money and resources. In working with 4Projects we have found a partner that supports our beliefs and works to ensure the delivery of real value to the industry.”

My view
David Jellings has been an active proponent of open BIM for some years, and I saw him talk at a BIM event in March 2012 where there was also a presentation about 4Projects’ 4BIM research initiative. Since then, 4Projects has continued to invest in its BIM capabilities, remaining focused on open technologies and a vision of a toolset that can be accessed through a standard web browser. The company has also been clear that it will not develop all the required capabilities itself, but will work with ‘best of breed’ partners whose expertise and experience is complementary to its own – 4Projects interim MD Steve Spark mentioned Solibri when he spoke at the MCS Priority1 user conference I attended last November.