What is LOD?
LOD is a system for explaining and controlling the data and geometry requirements of different objects at different phases of a project to provide clarity and control risk. Commonly known as Level of Development and Level of Detail, it is focused on the needs of design and construction teams, based on an assumption that the final fabrication model is what an Owner Operator requires to run their facility.
The reality, however, is that data and geometry do not follow identical paths through the process of designing, building and operating a facility. The geometry requirements to enable fabrication are far more exacting and complex than those required for maintenance and operations. Likewise, the data requirements for maintenance and operations are far broader and significantly more diverse than for fabrication.
Tying these two requirements together may initially have seemed a good idea but, as the BIM maturity of the industry grows, greater control over the data aspects…