A few months ago, I had the opportunity to speak with two of the leading IFC experts about the future of interoperability in AEC: Léon van Berlo, Technical Director at buildingSMART International, and Angel Vélez, Distinguished Engineer at Autodesk. The conversation revolved around old problems - and a new hope: the upcoming standard IFC 5.
You can watch the whole conversation on YouTube - in this article I summarize the conversation and give a few thoughts along the way.
Why a new IFC version is necessary
Despite its central role in open data exchange, IFC has been repeatedly criticized in recent years for being too cumbersome, too complex and too slow. In fact, the current standards are still based on STEP technologies from the 1980s. However, as Léon van Berlo emphasizes, maturity often stands for reliability: "If booking systems in aviation have been running on the same principles for decades, this is no coincidence.
Nevertheless, the requirements of the industry have evolved. Cloud-based workflows, multidisciplinary collaboration and AI-supported processes require a new technical basis - and this is precisely where IFC 5 comes in.
The existing weaknesses in interoperability
Three structural problems are slowing down the current IFC generation:
- Monolithic data packages: IFC files often contain much more than a user actually needs. A simple query - for example for specific components - often leads to the processing of huge files.
- Lack of collaborative mechanisms: Today, it is not possible to work step by step. If a specialist engineer adds new properties, the entire file has to be exported, edited and re-imported - a risky process in which data is often lost.
- Exaggerated expectations: The idea that IFC must enable completely loss-free data transfer between software systems is an illusion. As Angel Vélez emphasizes, all tools have their own logic - absolute equality would prevent innovation.
Quality as a foundation: The buildingSMART Validation Service
Before IFC 5 is fully introduced, buildingSMART attaches great importance to Data quality. The new Validation Service (under validation.buildingsmart.org) checks IFC files for conformity to standards, structure and compatibility with the bSDD - the buildingSMART Data Dictionary. This allows incorrect or incomplete exports to be identified at an early stage.
In addition, buildingSMART uses the collected test data to create scorecards. These transparently show how well different software products support certain IFC functions (e.g. geometry, properties, infrastructure) - a step towards objective, measurable interoperability.linkedin
IFC 5: Modular, granular, open for the future
IFC 5 will be more than just an upgrade - it marks the beginning of a new era of digital construction.biblus.accasoftware+2
- Granular data structure: The focus is on the Entity Component System (ECS), which breaks down objects into small, independent modules. Instead of loading huge models, users can call up only the information they need - such as the fire protection classification of individual walls.b
- Step-by-step updates: IFC 5 allows changes at component level. Specialist disciplines can therefore add or update small data segments without having to re-export the entire model.altersquare
- JSON instead of EXPRESS: The old EXPRESS syntax is replaced by lightweight JSON structures - this drastically shortens implementation times and simplifies working with cloud APIs.
- Modular publication: Instead of a monolithic „big bang“ release, IFC 5 will be released in stages. First the core, then specialist modules - an approach that enables rapid adoption and iterative feedback.biblus.accasoftware
- Cloud and AI compatible: The small-scale data structure provides an ideal basis for cloud workflows, machine learning and automated quality checks.
A common goal
IFC 5 is the result of close collaboration between buildingSMART, software manufacturers and implementers worldwide. This open, cooperative approach ensures that the new standard is not only technically elegant, but also practical.
As van Berlo emphasizes: "A standard is only as good as its implementation. And IFC 5 creates the conditions to achieve just that - through a modular structure, granular data and true collaboration.
Conclusion
The majority of the industry still relies on IFC 2×3 - a reliable, proven standard. But IFC 5 is paving the way for a new era: lightweight, modular, cloud-capable. It turns static exchange formats into a living data network that finally does justice to the dynamic reality of modern projects.
In future, interoperability will no longer mean sending files - but working together on the same, living data set. This is precisely the paradigm shift that IFC 5 promises.
Collection of links on this topic:
https://www.buildingsmart.es/2024/12/03/the-evolution-of-ifc-the-path-to-ifc5
https://github.com/buildingSMART/IFC5-development
https://technical.buildingsmart.org/services/validation-service/
https://altersquare.io/ifc4-vs-ifc5-what-the-upcoming-standard-means-for-your-roadmap/
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