AbstractBuilding information modeling (BIM) creates tremendous value for civil engineering through information integration. Not only does it make the formulation of data storage strategies more important at the beginning of a civil engineering project, but it also shows the potential value of further research into a unified BIM model that highly integrates all information in the project life cycle. However, it is not easy to store all the information in the project life cycle into a unified BIM model. To achieve this goal, this study proposed a shareable BIM back-end data system object-oriented database for BIM front-end applications (BIM-OODB), and established its complete system configuration. Based on the database design theory, three main aspects of BIM-OODB design are discussed, namely use case design, architecture design, and schema design. Then, four demonstration cases were selected to discuss the system implementation process of BIM-OODB in building and infrastructure projects. The results show that BIM-OODB has the potential to enable all participants to work around the unified shareable data system throughout the project life cycle. This study provides a reference for civil engineers to formulate data storage strategies in the early stage of a civil engineering projects and IT engineers to develop civil engineering data applications.
