COBie fundamentals
What is COBie?
COBie is a structured method for exchanging information about facilities, spaces, systems, and maintainable assets from a project team to an owner or operator.
COBie organizes non-graphical building information so it can be checked, transferred, and loaded into facilities-management systems without retyping an entire handover package.
It is data, not a drawing
Building models show geometry. COBie focuses on the information operations teams need to identify spaces and assets, locate equipment, find supporting documents, understand warranties, and prepare maintenance work.
The familiar spreadsheet is one representation of that structured information. Thinking of the workbook as a small relational database makes its references and quality rules easier to understand.
What COBie is not
- It is not a replacement for BIM or IFC.
- It is not automatically useful just because a file passes structural checks.
- It is not best left until the final weeks before handover.
From Revit model to COBie workbook
Much of the data already lives in Revit, but turning it into a usable workbook still takes asset scope, property mappings, references, validation, and review. BIMRelay handles that COBie 2.4 workflow and keeps model data and your team's edits in one place.
Where to go next
See how to get COBie from Revit, or read about the COBie 2.4 standard and its worksheets.
This independent explanation links readers to official publications for normative requirements.
National Institute of Building Sciences: COBie 2.4