1 min readLevel of Development and the Need for Data Exchanges

Globally, the building and construction industry is continuously struggling to find clarity around the usefulness and correct application of Level of Development (LOD).

Scott Beazley, digital technologies manager at Mitchell Brandtman, explains that “LOD is a measure of confidence and reliability of information at the various stages of the project. When LOD was initially introduced it filled a void and allowed project teams (particularly those downstream) to understand the content and reliability of the model data they could expect to receive.

“It has been exposed to broader interpretation in relation to its application and what it is expected to deliver since its acceptance as a standard of reliability and integration within BIM and 3D models.”

The LOD Specification document, published by the BIM Forum, which is derived from the AIA G202-2013 Building Information Modeling Protocol Form document, helps to add clarity to the LOD concepts by objects and their attributes. It has had a large uptake by many (including Mitchell Brandtman) as a default industry standard and used as a basis for contracts. However, this may be pushing the LOD specification a bit too far. The LOD specification is designed as a reference guide to assist industry to specify the reliability of the information at each stage of the project.

Beazley suggests that the “misinterpretation of the role and use of LOD perhaps masks the bigger issue associated with building model data exchanges.”

“For example, models are often now ill-defined as LOD 200 or LOD 300, rather than containing objects of a particular LOD level,” he said. “Industry needs to agree on how to exchange data effectively and consistently throughout the project phases on a discipline to discipline basis – both geometric and non-geometric.”

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