AECOpen Consortium

TECHNICAL FRAMEWORK

Infrastructure for Interoperability

The built environment depends on thousands of disconnected systems, standards, and workflows. AECOpen is exploring an open framework that helps information remain understandable, portable, and useful across organizations, platforms, and the full asset lifecycle.

01

Classify

Deliver OpenClass as the industry's common language through shared definitions, relationships, and governance.

02

Structure

Create a trusted information foundation where classified data can be validated, governed, analyzed, and prepared for consistent use across the built environment.

03

Connect

Provide open integration capabilities through APIs, SDKs, and interoperability services that allow software, workflows, and stakeholders to participate in a connected ecosystem.

How it works

Connecting projects, people, tools, and data

A simple conceptual flow shows how shared classification can support connected information exchange and better downstream insight.

OpenClass Standard

Defines the common language

User Systems

Create and classify data in their own systems

Connect via API

Send and receive classified data

AECOpen Platform

Stores, organizes, and analyzes the data

Insights & Value

Better decisions, consistency, and interoperability

Framework Components

How OpenClass creates value

01

What It Defines

  • Classifications / Nodes

    Project types, elements, spaces, systems, products, tasks, and built environment concepts.

  • Relationships / Edges

    How concepts connect across disciplines, lifecycle stages, and systems.

  • Labels & Identifiers

    Consistent names, codes, and reference structures.

  • Crosswalks & Mappings

    Connections to existing classification systems and standards.

  • Governance & Versioning

    Transparent stewardship and controlled evolution.

02

What It Does

  • Ingest

    Accept classified information from participating systems.

  • Validate

    Confirm alignment with OpenClass structures and governance.

  • Structure

    Organize information in a governed data foundation.

  • Analyze

    Support reporting, metrics, insights, and lifecycle understanding.

  • Export

    Provide information in open, machine-readable formats.

  • Extend

    Enable future growth without breaking compatibility.

03

What It Unlocks

  • Shared Understanding

    Consistent meaning across organizations and software.

  • Interoperability

    More reliable information exchange between systems.

  • Lifecycle Value

    Information remains useful beyond individual project phases.

  • Open Integration

    APIs and SDKs support practical implementation.

  • Innovation

    Organizations can build solutions on a common foundation.

Future extensibility

Open by design. Evolving by stewardship.

AECOpen is intended to provide a stable foundation for industry-wide interoperability while remaining adaptable to future needs. The framework will continue to mature through collaborative governance, stakeholder participation, and lessons learned from practical application.

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