COBie: operational data as a set of spreadsheets

Why a spreadsheet and not a model

The idea behind COBie is that a building’s operational data must remain readable, even without modelling software. Spaces, equipment, manufacturers, types, maintenance information and documents are held in linked worksheets. Anyone who can open a spreadsheet can check the handover.

That is also its limit: COBie carries the alphanumeric half of the data, not the geometry. It replaces neither the model nor the drawing, but complements them.

Where it is required

COBie is used mainly in internationally oriented projects and by clients with ties to the British or American market, where it originates from public procurement requirements. It is increasingly appearing in German tenders, mostly where a corporation standardises its requirements across national borders.

Where COBie is required, we derive the tables from the same source data as the room book and the plans. That is the real point: all forms of handover carry the same truth, because they come from one survey and not from three rounds of rework.

What has to be clarified beforehand

COBie is a framework, not a finished list. Which types of equipment are captured, how detailed the typing is and which documents are included is for the client to specify. Without this, the result is a formally correct spreadsheet with empty columns.