Madaster Glossary
Last updated: December 19, 2024
Definitions for terms used across Madaster’s tools
API
API (Application Programming Interface)
An application programming interface (API) allows interaction between software systems.
The Madaster API endpoint can be reached at https://api.madaster.com/.
Subscription & Setup
Subscription
Madaster offers several types of subscriptions. Click here for more information.
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European Union data protection and security law. The regulation applies to all organisations worldwide as long as their activities target or collect data from people in the EU. The regulation came into force on the 25th of May 2018.
For further information please visit https://gdpr.eu/what-is-gdpr/.
Roles (user types)
Users of the Madaster platform can have different roles/functions in a project, therefore it is possible to give them limited access to Madaster on account -, folder -, or building level.
Detailed information can be found here.
Building Information Modeling (BIM)
ArchiCAD
ArchiCAD is an architectural BIM CAD software developed by the company Graphisoft. ArchiCAD offers computer aided solutions for handling all common aspects of aesthetics and engineering during the whole design process of the built environment — buildings, interiors, urban areas, etc.
For further information please visit https://graphisoft.com/solutions/archicad.
CAD (Computer Aided Design)
Software applications for designing, constructing and presenting construction drawings, models and maps. Software solutions are Autodesk Revit, Archicad etc.
IFC (Industry Foundation Classes)
An open standard format in the building industry for the digital description of building models that can be freely used by everyone, similar to PDF or HTML. IFC files contain geometric data that define the appearance of objects, but also important component information data, such as material information, classification, energy values, fire protection, use, manufacturer data and the like. IFC are defined by buildingSMART International. IFC is defined by an international standard, ISO 16739.
For further information please visit https://www.buildingsmart.org/standards/bsi-standards/industry-foundation-classes/.
LOD (levels of detail)
Level of Detail (similar to Level of Completion or Level of Information) describes the information content of digital building models.
For further information please visit https://www.united-bim.com/practical-approach-to-level-of-detail/.
Madaster Smart View
BIMcollab Zoom is a software for viewing BIM models (IFC files) outside of CAD software. In order to enable a quick assessment of the data quality of your BIM model, so-called smart views can be created. They offer filters for dynamically displaying and color-coding components based on their properties. To check the quality of your IFC file for Madaster, download the Madaster Smart View and import this file into BIMcollab Zoom.
The Madaster Smart View can be found at https://helpcenter.bimcollab.com/portal/en/kb/articles/smart-view-sets-downloads#Example_Smart_views.
The BIMcollab Zoom can be found at https://www.bimcollab.com/nl/.
PSet (Property Set)
Properties define an IFC element (component of a model). They are the basis for the evaluation of components. When you create a component, you specify its geometry and thus the basis for quantity and mass determination. When evaluating a component, only the properties that are assigned to the component can be recorded and calculated. Any properties (attributes) can be assigned to each element. Some are defined as a minimum standard for the transfer of elements to IFC and are summarized in so-called Property Sets (PSet). A property set provides an additional structuring of the extensive, complete set of properties (attributes) and thus enables a better overview of all necessary and assignable component information.
Click for the Madaster Revit Property Set, and the Madaster ArchiCAD Property Set (both in zipped-file format).
Revit
Autodesk Revit supports Building Information Modeling (BIM) and provides tools for architectural design, building technology, structural engineering and construction. The individual disciplines can be coordinated for fast, safe construction.
For further information please visit https://www.autodesk.eu/products/revit/overview.
Tekla
Databases
Product databases
BMS (Building Material Scout)
The BMS is a service platform for sustainable building products. The Building Material Scout helps all stakeholders involved in construction - financiers, builders, project developers, architects, planners, construction companies, operators - to easily access healthy, smart and sustainable materials and building products.
The Building Material Scout can be found at https://building-material-scout.com/
NOBB
NOBB.no is one of the Norwegian construction industry’s largest product database for product information, and the suppliers’ window to the market. NOBB contains close to 1,000,000 articles from 700 suppliers. You will find a wide range of product information, e.g. timber, building materials, hardware, tools, fasteners, paint, house and garden, plumbing, electrical, etc. The product database is continuously growing.
EFObasen
The Norwegian electrical industry’s common product database (EFObasen), offer a common digital platform where all suppliers and wholesalers can enter their products with associated information and characteristics. The products are also assigned the industry ID (el number). This creates a market place for the products and facilitates the digitization of the entire value chain up to the operation and maintenance of buildings and facilities. The database contains around 250,000 unique products and handles the property standard ETIM, which is widely used in the building and construction industry.
Environmental databases
EPEA Generic
The EPEA Generic database enables country-specific, full-building calculations regarding material composition (mass), circularity, and embodied carbon (kg CO2eq). The database, which is expert-reviewed and verified by EPEA, is sourced through a combination of EPDs and other scientific and public literature.
EPD-Norge Digi
“EPD-Norge Digi” is EPD-Norway’s Digital EPD database, containing LCA-based data from Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) by manufacturers, digitalized in XML format and made available to the public. This makes it possible to apply digital data when calculating Life Cycle Assessments. It uses the API of ECO Portal / Soda4LCA.
ECO Platform – ECO Portal / Soda4LCA
ECO Platform aims for mainstreaming life-cycle assessments (LCA) for buildings and infrastructure projects by provision of reliable product data in an affordable and effective way.
KBOB
In the construction sector, KBOB wants to provide up-to-date and Switzerland-wide data on construction materials and building technology, energy systems and transport.
ÖKOBAUDAT
With the ÖKOBAUDAT platform, the German Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB) provides all stakeholders with a standardised database for the life cycle assessment of buildings. At the heart of the platform is the online database with LCA data sets on building materials, construction, transport, energy and disposal processes.
The ÖKOBAUDAT can be found at https://oekobaudat.de/.
Environmental
CO2 (carbon dioxide)
Different greenhouse gases contribute to climate change to varying degrees. Carbon dioxide is one of the most important greenhouse gases linked to global warming, because it absorbs and radiates heat. It also reacts with water molecules, producing carbonic acid and lowering the ocean’s pH. That is why it is important to look at the CO2 balance or carbon footprint of materials and to calculate embodied carbon of a building. In this way, materials can be compared and optimised with regard to lower the greenhouse gas emissions.
Detachability
Detachability considers how products are connected which each other and how easily they can be removed from a construction. The detachability indication in Madaster is based on the revised (2.0) version of the uniform measurement method for detachability, as described in the report ‘Circular Buildings – a measurement methodology for disassembly potential 2.0’, which was developed and tested by a consortium of, among others, the Dutch Green Building Council, Netherlands Enterprise Agency and W/E Adviseurs on behalf of the Ministry of the Interior and the Transition Agenda Circular Building Economy.
EN 15804
The EN 15804 is the EPD standard for the sustainability of construction works and services. This standard harmonises the structure for EPDs in the construction sector, making the information transparent and comparable. The first version was published in 2012, known as EN 15804+A1 “Sustainability of construction works – Environmental product declarations – Core rules for the product category of construction products”. A second version of the standard called EN 15804+A2 was published in 2019, with the main goal to align the standard-based EPDs with the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) formats. Some of the changes include more requirements of the life cycle stages covered, additional environmental impact indicators, new content regarding biogenic content, and a more explicit description of the functional unit and declared unit.
ECI (Environmental Cost Indicator)(Netherlands)
The majority of a product’s emissions do not occur at a production site, but along the supply chain. This can be measured by performing a life cycle analysis (LCA). Since the environmental data comes from many different sources, the impact categories measured vary widely. The environmental cost indicator (ECI) summarizes all relevant environmental impacts in a single value expressed in euros, which represents the environmental shadow price of a product or project.
Environmental Impact Indicators
- Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO2e)
- Biogenic carbon
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
An EPD describes building materials, building products or building components with regard to their environmental impact based on life cycle assessments as well as their functional and technical properties. This quantitative, objective and verified information relates to the entire life cycle of the construction product. Therefore, EPDs form an important basis for the sustainability assessment of buildings.
Incineration
Incineration is a method of waste treatment of organic materials. It is the act of burning something at a very high temperature to break as much of it down into ash as possible. Incineration and other high-temperature waste management processes are also called thermal treatments. Waste Incineration converts wasted materials into ash, flue gas, and heat.
LCA (Life-cycle assessment)
Life-cycle assessment is a process of evaluating the effects that a product has on the environment over the entire period of its life. It can be used to study the environmental impact of either a product or the function the product is designed to perform. LCA is commonly referred to as a “cradle-to-grave” analysis. LCA’s key elements are: (1) identify and quantify the environmental loads involved; e.g. the energy and raw materials consumed, the emissions and wastes generated; (2) evaluate the potential environmental impacts of these loads; and (3) assess the options available for reducing these environmental impacts.
(https://www.eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eea-glossary/life-cycle-assessment)
For further information please visit the https://eplca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/lifecycleassessment.html.
Life cycle stages and modules for the building assessment according to EN 15804.
LCI (Life-cycle inventory)
Life cycle inventory (LCI) is the methodology step that involves creating an inventory of input and output flows for a product system. Such flows include inputs of water, energy, and raw materials, and releases to air, land, and water. The inventory can be based on literature analysis or on process simulation.
LCIA (life cycle impact assessment)
A scientific technique for assessing the potential environmental impacts of industrial systems and their associated products. This technique is ‘cradle-to-grave’ in scope, meaning that it considers impacts at each stage of a product’s life-cycle, from the time natural resources are extracted from the ground and processed through each subsequent stage of manufacturing, transportation, product use, and ultimately, disposal.
MCI (Madaster Circularity Indicator)
The Madaster Circularity Indicator is designed to assign circularity scores (ranging from 0-100%) to buildings. The Madaster CI-score is in constant development, and it is Madaster’s aim to continuously play a leading role in developing and providing circularity measurement methodologies.
For further information please visit the Knowledge Base.
Primary material
Primary (raw) materials are natural resources. Apart from their extraction, they are unprocessed raw materials, for example fresh wood fibers for paper production, which were obtained from felled trees. Secondary raw materials, on the other hand, are obtained through recycling, such as wood fibers from waste paper.
Product
The final product as delivered to the construction site and incorporated in the works.
Reuse
Reuse is the principle of saving effort and material by using a thing that is no longer needed in one place in another. This approach saves the destruction of the thing no longer needed and the creation of a new thing.
Recycling
Recycling is the process of collecting and processing used products and materials that would otherwise be disposed of as waste and converting them into new products. This reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and protects valuable resources of primary raw materials. However, it uses energy and emits carbon in the process. It is a downcycling of the materials, as opposed to upcycling, which is better.
Renewable
A renewable resource is a natural resource which will replenish to replace the portion depleted by usage and consumption, either through natural reproduction or other recurring processes in a finite amount of time in a human time scale. Renewable resources are a part of Earth’s natural environment and the largest components of its ecosphere. A positive life-cycle assessment is a key indicator of a resource’s sustainability. Renewable raw materials are organic raw materials that come from agricultural and forestry production and are used by humans for further purposes outside of the food and feed sector. Another type of renewable resources is renewable energy resources. Common sources of renewable energy include solar, geothermal and wind power, which are all categorized as renewable resources. Fresh water is also an example of renewable resources.
Renewable feedstock sustainably produced
As a requirement of the EU Taxonomy, “Renewable feedstock sustainably produced” must exhibit an internationally recognized certification. Upon defining the % in this category, the user is prompted to choose from the following options:
• ISCC PLUS - Certification for the Circular Economy and Bioeconomy • RSB - Global Advanced Products Certification • PEFC - Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification • FSC - Forest Stewardship Council • NTA 8080 • Other
Recycled Content
Defined by ISO 14021 as the proportion, by mass, of recycled material in a product or packaging. Only materials consistent with the following usage terms shall be considered as recycled content:
• Pre-consumer material: Material diverted from the waste stream during a manufacturing process. Excluded is reutilization of materials such as rework, regrind or scrap generated in a process and capable of being reclaimed within the same process that generated it.
• Post-consumer material: Material generated by end-users of the product, which can no longer be used for its intended purpose. This includes returns of material from the distribution chain.
Recycling Efficiency
A metric to characterise technical performance of a recycling. The general approach to estimate efficiency is Input measured as the mass or volume of all fractions or materials entering the recycling process per time period (usually per year) and Output, including the mass of the useful recycled components, excluding any unrecycled material sent to refuse . Loss of the components to the refuse can be due to process inefficiencies, such as sorting losses, loss of slag, damages or loss of quality.
Scalable Product
A scalable product is a product within our database that has had a scaling calculation placed on it. This means that as a product increases in size based on a defined unit, referred to as the functional unit, another charcteristic of the product is proportionally increased with the increase of the functional unit. One example would be a pipe in which the length is defined as the functional unit, and with an increase of the length the thickness of the pipe increases proportionally.
Scarcity
A key concepts of economics, meaning that the demand for a good or service is greater than their availability, i.e. the gap between limited—that is, scarce—resources and theoretically limitless wants. Therefore, scarcity can limit the choices available to the consumers who ultimately make up the economy. Natural resources like (noble) metals or fossil fuels are naturally rare. When demand exceeds the supply, these resources become scarce and prices can go up.
Secondary Materials
Secondary (raw) materials, also called recyclates or recycled (raw) materials, are materials that are obtained from disposed material by reprocessing (recycling). They serve as starting materials for new products and thus differ from primary (raw) materials (obtained from nature). They are therefore substances that are used a second or repeated time in a cascade as part of the raw materials economy. The use of secondary materials conserves natural resources and contributes to sustainable development. Secondary materials are created when waste is recycled, but not when it is landfilled, recovered for energy or incinerated.
Exhaustion Risk
A resource that is concentrated or formed at a rate very much slower than its rate of consumption and so, for all practical purposes, is non-renewable. Finite resources from the Earth’s crust, oceans and atmosphere will one day run out. They can, however, be processed to provide energy and useful materials. Renewable resources are those which will not run out in the foreseeable future.
Socioeconomic Scarcity
A raw material is considered to be socio-economically scarce if it is in the upper right quadrant in the list of Critical Raw Materials for the EU. |||||| |-|-|-|-|-| |Antimony| Coking Coal | Indium | Natural Rubber |Tantalum| |Baryte |Phosphorus| Cobalt |Niobium| Titanium| |Bauxite| Phosphorite | Light rare earth metals|Platinum metals| Vanadium| |Beryllium| Gallium| Lithium| Scandium| Fluorite| |Bismuth| Germanium| Magnesium | Silicon metal| Tungsten| |Borates| Hafnium| Natural Graphite| Strontium| Heavy rare earth metals|
All other raw materials are considered to be socio-economically abundant
Waste
As we say at Madaster “Waste are materials without identity!”. Waste or garbage, also called refuse, is understood to mean all used materials and substances which no longer serve any immediate purpose. See also “Incineration” and “Landfill”.
Industry Standards
International
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method)
Is the leading validation and certification system for environmental and socio-cultural aspects of building sustainability. The entire life cycle of buildings is assessed using 9 categories and an overall score is then awarded. It is owned by BRE – a profit-for-purpose organisation.
For further information please visit BRE Group.
GLN (Global Location Number)
Global Location Number (GLN) can be used by companies to identify their locations, giving them complete flexibility to identify any type or level of location required.
For further information please visit GS1.
GTIN (Global Trade Item Number)
Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) can be used by a company to uniquely identify all of its trade items. GS1 defines trade items as products or services that are priced, ordered or invoiced at any point in the supply chain.
For further information please visit GS1.
GUID (Globally Unique Identifier)
A GUID is an acronyom that stands for Globally Unique Identifier, they are also referred to as UUIDs or Universaly Unique Identifiers - there is no real difference between the two. Technically they are 128-bit unique reference numbers used in computing which are highly unlikely to repeat when generated despite there being no central GUID authority to ensure uniqueness.
For further information please visit guid.one.
OmniClass international (table 21)
OmniClass® is a comprehensive classification system for the construction industry. OmniClass can be used for many applications, such as filing physical materials or organizing project information, but its chief application is to provide a classification structure for electronic databases and software, enriching the information used in those resources. OmniClass incorporates other extant systems currently in use as the basis of two of its Tables – MasterFormat® for Table 22 - Work Results and UniFormat ® for Table 21 - Elements. OmniClass provides a method for classifying the full built environment through the full project life cycle. It is the North American equivalent of Uniclass.
For further information, click here.
PCDS (Product Circularity Data Sheet)
The Product Circularity Data Sheet (PCDS) is a basic source of verifiable data. It can be used to establish how circular a product is and inform about the circular path it was designed and manufactured for. The PCDS offers a standardized format with trustful data without scoring or ranking of these aspects. The ISO/WD 59040 is currently under development.
For further information please visit PCDS.
UID (Unique Identifier)
A unique identifier (UID) is a numeric or alphanumeric string that is associated with a single entity within a given system. UIDs make it possible to address that entity, so that it can be accessed and interacted with. Unique identifiers can be assigned to anything that needs to be distinguished from other entities, such as individual users, companies, machines or websites. These distinctive values are usually assigned depending on the needs of the specific application, but can either be randomly auto-generated with an algorithm, allocated incrementally or chosen by the user.
For further information please visit TechTarget.
Belgium
NL/SfB coding
NL/SfB is the most widely used classification for building components in the Netherlands. Construction and installation companies code layers and objects in BIM and CAD systems with this open standard, and use NL/SfB for organizing information from suppliers. In order to make NL/SfB future-proof, work is underway to expand the electronic use of the standard. A logical consequence of this is that a connection will immediately be sought with (the further development of) open standards with a similar purpose such as IFC, CB-NL and bSDD.
For further information please visit BIM Loket.
BB/SfB coding
BB/SfB is the official Belgian version of the international classification system CI/SfB which is specifically designed for the construction sector. SfB is the abbreviation of the Swedish committee ‘Samarbetskommitten for Byggnadsfragor’, which developed the system in 1950. Originally, SfB consisted of three tables. It was subsequently supplemented by RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects), which added two new tables (Tables 0 and 4) and renamed the system ‘CI/SfB’ (CI stands for Construction Index). CI/SfB went international and was adapted in several countries where-in each case the first two letters - CI - were replaced to indicate the adopting country. For example, the Belgian SfB, which conform* to the latest CI/SfB version of 1976 was developed, has the letters BB as identification. These refer to ‘Belgian Construction/Bâtiment Belge. BB/SfB was published by the Régie des Bâtiments in 1990 and made available in Dutch and French (most recent version).
For further information please visit BIMportal
Germany
DIN276:2018-12
DIN 276 applies to cost planning in the construction industry, in particular to the determination and classification of costs. It covers the costs of buildings, civil engineering structures, infrastructure facilities and open spaces as well as the associated project-related costs.
For further information please visit BAU Index.
Netherlands
NEN2699:2017 nl
This standard gives a classification of working costs and life cycle costing of buildings of real estate, that is: areas, buildings with sites.
For further information please visit NEN.
NL/SfB coding
NL/SfB is the most widely used classification for building components in the Netherlands. Construction and installation companies code layers and objects in BIM and CAD systems with this open standard, and use NL/SfB for organizing information from suppliers.
For further information please visit BIM Loket.
CB’23
CB’23 stands for: Circular Building in 2023. The platform contributes to the transition to a circular construction sector by focusing on establishing national, construction sector-wide agreements.
For further information please visit Platform CB’23.
Norway
NS 3451 Building Elements
Norwegian standard for Table of building elements and table of codes for systems in buildings with associated outdoor areas . The standard determines the division into building and installation parts as well as systems for systemization, classification, coding etc. of information that includes the physical parts of buildings with associated outdoor areas and external facilities, as well as their identification.
NS 3720 Method for greenhouse gas calculations for buildings
standard for Method for greenhouse gas calculations for buildings. Madaster provide calculations results according to the standard, based on provided EPD information on applied products, but does not cover the entire method.
Switzerland
eBKP-H (Elementbasierter Baukostenplan Hochbau)
The eBKP-H enables clear and transparent cost determination in building construction. It is the working tool for accurately recording, comparing and evaluating construction costs - from the start of planning to commissioning. Thanks to the element-based structure, construction cost planners can quickly identify the components with the highest expenses and where there is potential for optimization. In addition, uniform definitions for terms, costs and reference values are available - the prerequisite for transparency. Cost planning in building construction with eBKP-H means having costs under control in every project phase and for every element.
For further information please visit CRB.
Austria
ÖNORM B 1801-1
The ÖNORM B 1801-1 assures the necessary consistency of the information and data and is applicable to the planning and structuring of quality, costs, deadlines, as well as the structuring of the documentation for construction measures in all project phases of the construction of the property. By defining terminology and distinguishing characteristics, it establishes the conditions for the comparability of outcomes in terms of quality, costs, and deadline. The field of building construction is the primary focus of the planning system described in the ÖNORM B 1801-1 and the corresponding classification systems.
For further information please visit Austrian Standards
