learn by building
BIM project briefs
Seven projects, one for each level of the BIM academy. Each one is a real campus type from our standard, so what you learn is what a design team does.
seven briefs
One project per level
L1 Basic: Name the parts of a mobile unit
Task. Label the parts of the mobile unit on a printed picture and say what each part does.
You hand in.
- A labelled picture with at least eight parts.
- Three questions a model of the unit could answer.
Level of development. No model yet. You read one.
Portfolio. Your labelled picture.
Paid work this opens. Site helper tasks: photo records with date and name.
L2 Awareness: Read the satellite pair model
Task. Open the satellite pair in a viewer. Find five elements and write their codes, sizes and levels of development.
You hand in.
- A table of five elements with code, size and LOD.
- One section through the room with one measurement.
Level of development. You read LOD 200.
Portfolio. Your element table.
Paid work this opens. Checking names and codes in other people's models.
L3 Foundation: Model the studio satellite to LOD 200
Task. Build the studio satellite from library elements: four modules, glass wall, two doors, ramp, movable wall and 30 seats.
You hand in.
- The model in an open format, named by the rule.
- Seat count of 30 from the model.
- A completed check sheet with no open item.
Level of development. You make LOD 200.
Portfolio. The model and its check sheet.
Paid work this opens. Layout models and seat counts for small rooms.
L4 Practitioner: Coordinate the full satellite to LOD 300
Task. Link the architecture, structure and services models of the full satellite. Close every hard clash and take off the element list.
You hand in.
- A clash list with owner and date for each item, all hard clashes closed.
- An element list within 3 per cent of a hand check.
- Ratings on every wall and door, with no maker names.
Level of development. You raise LOD 200 to LOD 300.
Portfolio. Clash list, element list and the coordinated model.
Paid work this opens. Clash checks and quantity lists, paid per floor.
L5 Specialist: Fabrication and build programme for the business-park campus
Task. Prepare the fabrication model for one stair bay and one terrace of the business-park campus. Link the 24 modules to a build programme and a cost list by element code.
You hand in.
- Part marks, sizes and tolerances for the stair bay.
- A build order that never blocks access.
- A cost list where every line points to an element code. Price data stays in a private file.
Level of development. You work at LOD 350 to 400.
Portfolio. Fabrication sheet, programme view and lift plan.
Paid work this opens. Fabrication models and 4D programmes for modular builders.
L6 Advanced: Execution plan and audit for a business-park campus
Task. Write the BIM execution plan for a new business-park campus in a climate of your choice, then audit a model with planted faults against it.
You hand in.
- A three-page plan: roles, formats, naming, levels per stage, exchange dates and hand-over.
- An audit report that finds at least eight of ten planted faults.
- The climate annex named, with its three checks answered.
Level of development. You set the level for each stage.
Portfolio. The plan and the audit report.
Paid work this opens. Model audits and execution plans for owners and builders.
L7 Super expert: Network standard and digital twin for a flagship
Task. Plan the three build phases of a flagship campus, write one local annex for a country of your choice, and specify the digital twin: ten data points, each linked to an element code and a decision.
You hand in.
- A phase plan that lets teaching start after phase one.
- A local annex that does not contradict the core standard.
- A twin specification that measures rooms and equipment, never people.
Level of development. You own LOD 500 and what happens after it.
Portfolio. Phase plan, annex and twin specification.
Paid work this opens. Standards and digital-twin advice for campus and building networks.
check your work
The same check sheet as the professionals
Every project is checked with the ten-point sheet in the LOD stage plan. A mentor signs it when no item is open.
anywhere in the world
Use the method on any building
- The method is the same for any building: a clear space programme, coded elements, a level of development for each stage, and a check sheet.
- Swap our element library for your own, but keep the rule: describe what a part must do, never who makes it.
- Add a local annex for the climate and the local rules. The core stays the same.
- Use open file formats, so a team in another country can open your model.
- Keep prices and private data out of shared models. Share quantities, not costs.
Learning material, not a design or safety instruction. Real buildings are designed and signed off by licensed professionals under local rules.