Ownership of drawings and models: clarify it from the start
A modeling commission involves source drawings, delivered models and sometimes supporting libraries or other materials. These items should not be treated as one undifferentiated ownership question. Clarify what the practice can provide, what it will receive and how the delivered files may be used, keeping confidentiality and file deletion as related but separate topics.
Identify the source material
List the drawings, photographs, surveys and other references supplied for the assignment. Confirm the practice is entitled to share them for the intended modeling task, particularly where a client or consultant supplied part of the package. BIM12 states that the practice's drawings remain its own and are used only for its assignment. Record any project-specific restrictions before transfer. An external modeling brief should not silently expand the rights the practice received from the original author of a source document.
Define the delivered file rights
Agree the required model formats and the intended continuation workflow. If the team needs an editable Revit file, make that requirement explicit alongside the version and scope. Discuss the rights needed to use, develop and share the deliverable with the project team. Ask how any pre-existing libraries or third-party components are treated rather than assuming every item in a model has identical terms. The broad promise of a BIM delivery does not replace a clear agreement covering the files and uses that matter to the practice.
Keep access and ownership distinct
A web viewer can support review, but viewer access is different from receiving the model file needed for continued work. Confirm the handover package and where the practice will retain its copy. Discuss the handling of files if the service changes or ends, and coordinate any deletion request with internal recordkeeping. BIM12 offers deletion on request; that statement should not be expanded into invented terms about every possible system or third-party right. Seek project-specific clarification when the agreement does not address a necessary use.
An ownership discussion check
- Identify which source documents belong to the practice and which carry client or consultant conditions, confirming permission to share them for the agreed modeling purpose.
- Define the file formats and usage rights required for continued architectural work, asking specifically about third-party components or pre-existing materials where they affect the intended use.
- Distinguish viewer access, downloaded deliverables and later file deletion so the practice's continuation needs are covered by the actual agreement rather than by assumption alone.
Keep the commissioned scope, file formats, usage rights and confidentiality arrangements with the project record. Where the practice's contracts impose particular requirements, have the responsible adviser review the relevant wording. A clear agreement lets the team continue architectural work and collaborate with others without depending on assumptions about what a subscription, a download or a viewer login automatically permits.
General guidance: each project's scope is confirmed before commissioning.