{"id":23046,"date":"2026-08-27T10:34:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T08:34:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biblus.accasoftware.com\/en\/?p=23046"},"modified":"2026-08-27T10:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T08:34:10","slug":"what-is-ifcowl-and-what-are-its-benefits-in-bim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biblus.accasoftware.com\/en\/what-is-ifcowl-and-what-are-its-benefits-in-bim\/","title":{"rendered":"What is ifcOWL and what are its benefits in BIM"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ifcOWL translates the IFC data schema into the Web Ontology Language (OWL). Let’s see what is its structure and its characteristics<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

To make the BIM methodology operational<\/a> and develop a process of programming, design, construction and maintenance of a construction through the creation of a digital twin, it is appropriate that all professional figures constantly collaborate with each other.<\/p>\n

A standard format, a language common to all operators, is therefore needed to achieve interoperability. For this purpose, a new type of file format was created, allowing the secure exchange of information, the IFC (Industry Foundation Classes<\/em>). This file format can also be viewed and modified through an online IFC viewer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Did you know that an IFC file can be encoded in different formats?<\/p>\n

In this article we will discuss one of them together: theifcOWL<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What is ifcOWL?<\/h2>\n

The ifcOWL provides a representation of the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) data schema in the Web Ontology Language<\/strong> (OWL).<\/p>\n

We know that the IFC, ISO 16739:2013 standard<\/a>, is a structured data scheme; such data, aggregated according to a particular logic, gives rise to the information itself.<\/p>\n

This standard maps, in an objective and non-interpretable way, all the possible and knowable entities connected to any process in the construction sector: objects, relationships and properties.<\/p>\n

The schema is structured according to a descendant logic to which it is possible to determine a parent and child class and all are under a single IfcRoot entity class<\/strong> that is divided into:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. IfcObjectDefinition<\/strong>;<\/li>\n
  2. IfcPropertyDefinition<\/strong>;<\/li>\n
  3. IfcRelationship<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \"IFC

    IFC Data Schema Structure<\/p><\/div>\n

    The IFC format was created and developed starting from the EXPRESS<\/strong>language, the structure of the file is STEP<\/strong> (Standard for the Exchange of Product model data<\/em>), whose advantage, from an IT point of view, lies in the fact that:<\/p>\n