BSI has published PAS 1958 and BS EN 18162:2026, adding two new reference points for built environment information management. Together, they aim to clarify how existing data standards fit together and set a baseline definition for digital twins in the sector.
PAS 1958 maps the standards landscape
PAS 1958: Built Environment – Data and Information Standards Landscape has been developed to help industry understand how current built environment data and information standards relate to each other.
The standard is the result of research by the government’s BridgeAI programme, delivered by Innovate UK. According to the source, that research found construction professionals wanted greater clarity on the relationship between built environment data standards and digital standards.
Emma Hooper, Co-author of PAS 1958 and Head of Information Management Strategy at RLB Digital, wrote on LinkedIn: “This guide aims at bringing together the large number of data/information management standards into one overall framework to start to work towards a connected bigger picture.
“It is principally aimed at helping those managing asset-related information understand which standards are relevant, putting information first in relation to how it flows and how it is structured.”
PAS 1958 is available as a free download. BSI also scheduled a webinar on the standard for 24 March.
New digital twin standard sets definitions
Alongside PAS 1958, BSI has also published BS EN 18162:2026, which sets out concepts and definitions for digital twins in the built environment.
The standard builds on ISO 30173 and forms the first part of a wider standards set intended to establish a framework for digital twins in the sector. According to BSI, it covers terminology, the relationship to BIM, and the qualitative specification of digital twins, including geometric, attributive, structural and infrastructural quality where relevant.
The standard defines a digital twin as: “A digital twin represents a virtual system that contains all relevant information about the target entity for the [twin]’s specific uses, and is not a static representation due to its synchronisation with its target entity over time.”
In a LinkedIn post, BSI Built Environment Sector Lead Dan Rossiter FCIAT wrote: “The most interesting bit may be the taxonomy section and how different types of digital twin can relate to the built environment sector.”
Source: BSI publishes PAS 1958 and digital twin standards via Construction Management
