Federated model

Current

Also: Model federation, Coordination model, Federation strategy, Volume strategy (historical)

A combined model assembled from separate discipline or package models, each of which remains owned and maintained by its author.

Explanation

Federation keeps responsibility clear: each Information container is still produced and revised by its task team, while the federated view is assembled (often in a coordination tool) for review, Clash detection and communication. ISO 19650 asks the delivery team to plan a federation strategy — how information is broken down into containers by discipline, volume, level or system — as part of the BIM execution plan. Shared coordinates, consistent units and agreed origin points are prerequisites.

Practical example

For an eight-storey office building, the federation strategy splits models by discipline and by tower versus podium. The weekly coordination model combines 11 containers; the MEP coordinator runs clash tests on it before the trade meeting.

Why it matters

Federation lets large teams coordinate without sharing a single editable file, preserving accountability and file performance.

Common confusion

A federated model is not a merged or "central" model. Merging can blur authorship; federation keeps each source container separate.

Historical context

UK guidance under BS 1192 referred to a "volume strategy"; ISO 19650 practice uses "federation strategy".

Standards and references

  1. ISO 19650-1:2018 — Organization and digitization of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM) — Information management using building information modelling — Part 1: Concepts and principles. ISO, 2018. Clause 3 (federation) and Clause 10.Original VDC Stack.io wording, based on the standard
    Supports: Federation as composite of separate information containers; federation strategy · Status: Stage 90.92 (to be revised). Revision ISO/DIS 19650-1 at stage 40.93 on 2026-08-18 (decision for new DIS ballot).
  2. BIM Harmonisation Guidelines for Works Departments — Appendix I: ISO 19650 Terminologies (v2). Development Bureau, Government of the Hong Kong SAR.Historical record
    Supports: Volume strategy replaced by federation strategy

VDC Stack.io writes its own explanations and does not reproduce copyrighted standards text. Consult the cited standard for normative wording.

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VDC Stack.io. (2026). Federated model. In VDC Stack.io Knowledge Dictionary. Retrieved from https://vdcstack.io/dictionary/model-federation/