This document is a static snapshot of firebim.org/modeling-guideline, taken on 7 September 2026. It is produced for ITEA progress reporting only.
The guideline evolves with the ontology and more releases are in the pipeline. The mapping version referenced here is 2026.09.04 (draft, issued 2026-09-04). The newest version is always available online at firebim.org/modeling-guideline.
All links are live hotlinks to firebim.org and the FireBIM platform.
What a BIM modeller needs to put in an IFC model so that FireBIM can read the fire-safety information.
The authoritative table of which IFC class, property set and property to use for each FireBIM concept (current version 2026.09.04, draft, issued 2026-09-04). Filter by IFC entity, country or buildingSMART-standard properties, and download it as Turtle or CSV.
Note: the mapping above is the FireBIM default. Users and organisations may work with other mappings – the FireBIM platform lets every user maintain their own term mappings, and compliance checks follow the mapping you select. Whatever mapping you use, the modelling principles below stay the same.
Condensed from the five principles below — compiled for reporting, not part of the live page.
| Topic | IFC carrier | What must be present |
|---|---|---|
| Spatial structure | IfcProject → IfcSite → IfcBuilding →
IfcBuildingStorey → IfcSpace |
Every room, corridor, stair and shaft relevant for evacuation or compartmentation as an
IfcSpace, with Qto_SpaceBaseQuantities.NetFloorArea |
| Fire compartments | IfcZone (early design) or IfcSpatialZone.FIRESAFETY (detailed design) |
Spaces of a compartment grouped; the mapping table lists both options per concept |
| Fire performance | Pset_WallCommon.FireRating, Pset_DoorCommon.FireRating,
Pset_WallCommon.IsExternal, Pset_DoorCommon.SelfClosing |
Standard buildingSMART psets on walls, slabs, doors, windows; otherwise
CPset_FireBIM (e.g. CPset_FireBIM.Compartment) |
| Evacuation & access | Pset_DoorCommon.FireExit, Pset_SpaceFireSafetyRequirements,
IfcSite |
Exits and escape doors = TRUE; space types for stairs, corridors, refuges; fire
service site access on IfcSite |
| National terms | FBO-BE · FBO-DK · FBO-LT · FBO-NL · FBO-PT | Legal definitions and regulation articles per concept, linked to the European umbrella and to the IFC mapping |
Model the full IfcProject → IfcSite → IfcBuilding → IfcBuildingStorey → IfcSpace
hierarchy. Every room, corridor, stair and shaft that matters for evacuation or compartmentation must be
an IfcSpace with a floor-area quantity
(Qto_SpaceBaseQuantities.NetFloorArea) – many area-based FireBIM concepts are derived
from it.
Group the spaces of a fire compartment in an IfcZone (early design) or model the
compartment as an IfcSpatialZone.FIRESAFETY with geometry (detailed design). Which one you
use depends on the design stage and your software – the mapping table lists both options per concept.
Walls, slabs, doors and windows carry their fire performance in the standard buildingSMART property
sets (Pset_WallCommon.FireRating, Pset_DoorCommon.FireRating,
Pset_WallCommon.IsExternal, Pset_DoorCommon.SelfClosing, …). Where IFC has no
standard property, use the FireBIM custom property set CPset_FireBIM with the property names
exactly as given in the mapping table (for example CPset_FireBIM.Compartment to name the
compartment a space belongs to).
Exits and escape doors need Pset_DoorCommon.FireExit = TRUE; staircases, corridors and
refuges need the space types and Pset_SpaceFireSafetyRequirements values listed in the
mapping. Site access for the fire service is described on IfcSite.
National regulations define terms differently. The national FBO modules (FBO-BE, FBO-DK, FBO-LT, FBO-NL, FBO-PT) contain the legal definitions and the regulation articles behind each concept, and link every national term to its European umbrella concept and to the IFC mapping.
The guideline evolves with the ontology. Versions of the mapping are permanently available on the ontologies page.