Introduction

Construction Concepts

This site contains a collection of terms about concepts in construction. What makes this collection special is that the concepts can be 'understood' by computer applications, which makes them fit to be used as a reference in distinct applications, warranting the same meaning everywhere. The concepts are labeled with English and Dutch names.

The concepts are presented in a human readable representation; computer applications will use another representation, the Web Ontology Language (OWL) for interpretation, and will refer to a concept by means of a unique identification. By means of OWL applications can use the same concepts as a base for their own data. An OWL file is hard to read for non-experts, the browser on this site may act as a solution for this.

Concepts are general notions that can be specialized into more specific terms. Applications will mostly use the more specific terms; references to a defined concept will give these an explicit meaning, as far as the definition of the concept is adequate enough. Concepts are defined by means of allocated properties. Properties, as well as predicates are concepts themselves (see further explanation).

Construction Concepts is the successor of Semantic Concepts (SC), also a collection of concepts, based however on Object Orientation. In Construction concepts concepts originating from Semantic Concepts have been transformed to OWL. The library of Semantic Concepts has been transferred in 2014 to the Dutch Library of building concepts (CB-NL). SC is one of the sources for CB-NL. CB-NL is still under development, with OWL as the development platform. 'Construction Concepts' may be seen as a critical contribution to CB-NL, hoping that CB-NL can and will use it.

The collection of concepts is yet limited and meant as an example. The subject 'Door' is somewhat more elaborated, further development depends on CB-NL's reaction.

Kees Woestenenk, 2015-01-15.