work smart..
..collaborate

IFC hub glues it all together

IFC hub key features

IFC hub is an on-line IFC (ISO 16739) IFC4 compliant data server for your BIM projects (i.e. a BIM server or IFC server). It has a state of the art system architecture that underpins collaboration through concurrency. For the techies amongst you, dig and you will find the only optimistic replication capable server available in the market today. IFC hub is a product that connects users and systems to project information during the design, construction and operation of your project.

It looks after the integrity of your BIM data, ensures it is always highly available and supports your aspiration of maintaining an up-to-date non-proprietary digital record. IFC hub is full of technically unique capabilities that truly deliver the benefits of BIM including collaboration through concurrency (optimistic replication), trust through semantic reconciliation. It is fully ISO 16739 (IFC) compliant and being meta-model based we guarantee seamless support for all future IFC schema’s.

Delta computation

Incremental changes are stored as difference records, doing so reduces the amount of disk space required and forms the basis for updates to API connected applications.

Optimistic replication

Concurrent collaboration. No file or object locking; the only BIM server capable of offering full concurrent working.

Revision control

As the BIM is updated, changes are managed, versioning provides milestone records as your project progresses

Semantic checking

Data quality is vital, errors lead quickly to corruption; our leading techniques allow us to offer you a data integrity guarantee.

SAAS

Software as a Service means access over the internet. Simply consume, no installation and up and running in a fraction of the time.

Merge

Unite outputs from different IFC authoring systems such as CAD and estimating systems.

ISO 16739

Full 2x, IFC4 IFC schema support. It is tightly integrated with the IFC schema and gaurantees rapid support for future schema’s across all of its functions.

High performance

Horizontally and vertically scalable, providing an effective platform for projects of all sizes.

API

The principle method of interactions with IFChub is to use our extensive API (Application Programming Interface). Using JavaScript language we support open standards such as BIMsie API

Web interface

A web interface is provided for administration, data management and reporting.

For AEC projects and stakeholders

IFC hub is a construction industry IFC [ISO 16739] compatible information server (common data environment) that stores and enables the sharing and updating of project information.

BIM adoption is growing globally across both industry and government stakeholders. The driver, to improve and modernise delivery and operation with the key objective of reducing capital and operation costs by 20% +. BIM standards have the ability to optimise process and collaboration to unlock new more efficient ways of working at all stages of the project life-cycle.

Mixed messages and false assumptions swirl around us and dilute the meaning of BIM; the “International Alliance for Interoperability” is re-branded buildingSMART and the central tenants of BIM are relegated leaving many scratching their heads wondering how benefits can be achieved. BIM Level 3 introduces the standards that will ultimately be key to realising the benefits, IFC hub is a BIM Level 3 ready BIM (IFC) server that uniquely meets the challenges of concurrent collaboration; not at the file level but rather the object level.

Storage and sharing of IFC data should be at the heart of any organisation seeking to accelerate away from the industry’s trailing edge. The benefits are many, we invite you to seize them today.

join up facets of information
improve the quality of decision making
promote information re-use
achieve consistent quality
non-proprietary format
no software vendor lock-in
BIM level 3 ready!

For software developers and platform integrator's

Your software does not natively use the IFC schema at its core, you can not afford to deal with the complexities of the IFC schema or take responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the data as it flows through your system; how you handle change is perhaps not fully defined despite the huge value it will bring to your customers.

You need to address these issues to maintain or grow your customer base in an industry that has clearly stated its expectation to go BIM. You don’t want to spend all your time or money implementing IFC interoperability, not least because it diverts your attention from delivering great solutions and user experiences.

If this resonates then perhaps IFC hub is the solution, the platform assumes a relatively easy migration path from existing single-site applications to advanced multi-modal collaborative environments. It can accelerate your development towards compliance without it taking over all development activity.

store and serve IFC data.
compatibility without the expense
guaranteed IFC integrity
merge data
compute changes
promote a concurrent working environment
industrial grade solution

BIM – what is it?

An organisation originally named the International Alliance for Interoperability now called buildingSMART are the worldwide authority driving the transformation of the built environment through creation & adoption of open, international standards. BIM is an acronym that has come to describe this initiative. The meaning of BIM has often been misrepresented and diluted but is commonly used to represent three separate but linked functions:

Building Information Modelling: Is a BUSINESS PROCESS for generating and leveraging building data to design, construct and operate the building during its lifecycle. BIM allows all stakeholders to have access to the same information at the same time through interoperability between technology platforms.

Building Information Model: Is the DIGITAL REPRESENTATION of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. As such it serves as a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility, forming a reliable basis for decisions during its lifecycle from inception onward

Building Information Management: Is the ORGANIZATION CONTROL of the business process by utilizing the information in the digital prototype to effect the sharing of information over the entire lifecycle of an asset. The benefits include centralised and visual communication, early exploration of options, sustainability, efficient design, integration of disciplines, site control, as built documentation, etc. – effectively developing an asset lifecycle process and model from conception to final retirement

BIM can realise many advantages for its consumers, placing it at the heart of any business strategy will drive the supporting IP and technology forward.

It supports a transparent, open workflow, allowing project members to participate regardless of the software tools used.
It creates a common language for widely referenced processes, allowing industry and government to procure projects with transparent commercial engagement, comparable service evaluation and assured data quality.
It provides enduring project data for use throughout the asset lifecycle, avoiding multiple inputs of the same data and consequential errors.
Small and large (platform) software vendors can participate and compete on system independent, ‘best of breed’ solutions.

At the heart of BIM are three related paradigms, IFC, IDM and IFD. IFC is the lingua franca, a data schema that allows different facets of construction related information to coexist in a single related model. IDM is a means of defining subsets of the IFC model specific to project stages and project roles. IFD provides a means of translating product information to facilitate searching and selection of products across international boundaries. The adoption of these standards coupled to the processes defined in the PAS1192 series of “specifications for information management” will form the basis for your adoption of BIM.

our pricing

Whether you are an end user (Client, Contractor) or a solution provider, IFC hub can support your business needs.

SaaS (monthly)

*£1,500per month

For customers wishing to check the adherence of their data to standards, merge models and store their data on a short term basis.

SaaS (yearly)

*£10,000per year

Charged yearly with increasing discounts up to 50%. Hosting prices calculated separately
Hosting prices calculated separately

Buyout

£25,000Perpetual

For customers wishing to store, validate, manage and maintain their BIM’s over long term durations.

*Hosting fees calculated separately.

Corporate agreements.

Organisations wishing to standardize their use of IFC servers across projects. Discounts charged from 1^st year with project years discounts applied in addition.

10+ 15% discount

50+ 30% discount

100+ 50% discount

Maintenance.

For buyout licence purchases an annual maintenance fee will be charged. Maintenance will provide version updates available during your contract period.

£1,500 p.a

Solution providers

Software development companies who wish to better support their customers ambitions, adapt their products to be ready for the inevitable changes happening to the systems architecture of projects and gain an early bird advantage in doing so without the expense doing so themselves.

Your participation as a partner will bring with it rewards by getting access to our team of knowledgeable developers who will be able to advise you on the best way forward.

Our pricing is based on a yearly maintenance agreement which provides access to all our applications to develop against and technical support. We then agree a distribution royalty schedule for every instance of our product shipped to your clients.

Hosting

IFC hub hosting plans are tailored to suit your specific usage needs. These include the number of stakeholders engaged on your project and the scale of your project. We will advise and enable you to scale up and down according to your immediate requirements.

Hosting period minimum of 1 month. Subject to 1 week intention to cancel notice.

a bit about us

Our company

IFChub is a UK registered company offering IFC server technology to the AEC industry globally.

IFChub is the product of over 10 years research and development, it incorporates significant and unique intellectual property to deliver a comprehensive solution to the industry.

We believe that quality can never be compromised, our working practices support this from design through development and into testing.

Whilst the market is relatively nascent we understand the different customer needs and can flexibly offer our product from single months, years on a SaaS basis through to perpetuity with simple to understand flexible terms to suit our customers.

We will work with technology partners who like us believe in data collaboration, interoperability, concurrency and integrity.

IFC hub is a privately owned and operated company, we are not an open source project and firmly believe in achieving commercial stability to support the long-term choices of our customers.

Our mission

We believe that IFC is more than just a data schema, we believe it is critical to achieving interoperability and not along traditional lines, rather we believe in concurrency and therefore high availability of data. We are therefore pioneering the use of “optimistic replication” in our IFChub product.

High availability is great but we know that in such environments you cannot ignore data quality and so we also promote semantic consistency to ensure that data remains consistent at all times.

Finally we are committed to delivering highly scalable solutions by understanding change (delta computation) created in 3rd party applications for which we supply plugin’s

Stephan Jones

get in touch

Whether you are a software business needing quick IFC support and integration or a construction owner, developer or contractor who wants to collaborate and store information using the IFC data schema, we can help. Contact us by completing the form below and we will be delighted to answer your questions and provide you with the support/information you need.

To get in touch please use the form below.

tell us your ideas!

We think collaboration is the key to successful projects, all of our components and features are designed with this in mind. If there is anything we’ve missed or you have ideas that drive towards our goals we would really like to know!

Submit an idea!

work smart.. ..collaborate