CEN/TR 18180:2025
(Main)Building Acoustics - Data Dictionary
Building Acoustics - Data Dictionary
This technical report clarifies, provides and describes the building acoustic properties to be used in a building acoustic data dictionary. Each acoustic property is defined by its attributes as described in the standard EN ISO 23386:2020. The list of building acoustic properties with their attribute definitions is given in the annex of this Technical Specification. This list provides the essential, needed properties to design and to describe building acoustic performance of common building elements and buildings.
These properties are intended to be used as mapping properties for property providers and requesters. The mapping of the identifiers enables the exchange of building acoustic data within different databases.
Bauakustisches Datenlexikon
Akustika v stavbah - Podatkovni slovar
General Information
Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-november-2025
Akustika v stavbah - Podatkovni slovar
Building Acoustics - Data Dictionary
Bauakustisches Datenlexikon
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: CEN/TR 18180:2025
ICS:
35.240.67 Uporabniške rešitve IT v IT applications in building
gradbeništvu and construction industry
91.120.20 Akustika v stavbah. Zvočna Acoustics in building. Sound
izolacija insulation
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
CEN/TR 18180
TECHNICAL REPORT
RAPPORT TECHNIQUE
August 2025
TECHNISCHER REPORT
ICS 35.240.67
English Version
Building Acoustics - Data Dictionary
Bauakustisches Datenlexikon
This Technical Report was approved by CEN on 9 June 2025. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 126.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. CEN/TR 18180:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Acoustic group of properties and acoustic properties . 7
4.1 Acoustic group of properties . 7
4.2 Attributes of acoustic properties, their meaning and input instructions as used in the
building acoustic data dictionary . 7
4.2.1 General. 7
4.2.2 Group of properties (PA021) . 7
4.2.3 Symbol . 7
4.2.4 GUID of the property (PA001) . 7
4.2.5 Symbols of the property in a given property group (PA022) . 7
4.2.6 Unit (PA033) . 8
4.2.7 Method of Measurement (PA029) . 8
4.2.8 Name in ENGLISH and language N (PA016) . 8
4.2.9 Definition in language ENGLISH and language N (PA017) . 8
4.2.10 Data type (PA030) . 8
4.2.11 List of possible values in language N (PA039) . 9
4.2.12 Names of the defining values in language N (in case of an array) (PA034) . 9
4.2.13 Defining values (in case of an array) (PA035). 9
4.2.14 Connected Properties (PA020) . 9
4.2.15 Digital Format (PA037) . 10
4.2.16 Physical quantity (PA027) . 10
4.2.17 Dimension (PA028) . 10
4.2.18 Dynamic property (PA031) . 10
4.2.19 Parameters of the dynamic property (PA032) . 10
4.2.20 Visual representation (PA023) . 11
4.2.21 Text format (PA038) . 11
4.2.22 Boundary values (PA040) . 11
4.2.23 Relation of the property identifiers in the interconnected data dictionaries (PA014)
................................................................................................................................................................... 11
4.2.24 IT-related attributes about status, alterations, versions used in the embedded
calculation sheet . 11
4.2.25 Date related attributes used in the embedded calculation sheet . 11
4.2.26 Attributes about region of use and language used in the embedded calculation sheet
................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Annex A (informative) TR Excel file BIM Acoustic properties . 13
European foreword
This document (CEN/TR 18180:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 126 “Acoustic
properties of building elements and of buildings”, the secretariat of which is held by AFNOR.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body.
A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.
Introduction
Data dictionaries that comply with EN ISO 23386:2020 characterize properties in a precise and
standardized way through different attributes and attach a unique identifier to the property to allow its
computer readable identification for software applications, e.g. the use of building acoustic properties in
user interfaces can be kept concise and still well defined through computer readable links via these
properties connected unique identifiers to the building acoustic data dictionary.
In the digital built environment, there will not be a single data dictionary which comprises all the
definitions which are needed in all BIM domains. Different groups, possibly in different countries, will
create or have created separate data dictionaries, specialized for their needs, based on the legislation and
culture regarding their domain. We are, and will be faced with, various separate data dictionaries.
For the future of BIM, it is important to ensure that these data dictionaries can be interoperable in tools
and applications.
— The elements of the data dictionaries need to be described by the same attributes. If this is agreed
and done by all data dictionary providers, it is quite simple to map properties in one data dictionary
to properties in other data dictionaries. This can lead to reuse of properties and to harmonization of
properties across data dictionaries. In addition, this is an important step to allow BIM applications
to use a set of data dictionaries in a common way.
— The governance of the data dictionaries needs to follow the same rules with respect to the building
and development of the data dictionaries’ content.
The assumption is that whilst the data dictionaries are independent from each other, they are connected
in a coordinated network of data dictionaries (again, there exists several of these networks). Within the
network, the data dictionaries are related, which is visible, for instance, using a specific attribute which
maps properties and groups of properties of different data dictionaries to each other. Any data dictionary
in the network of coordinated data dictionaries is independent, i.e. it has its own processes and
committees to control the development and evolution of the data dictionary; meanwhile, they all follow
the same description and governance rules described in this document.
The standard EN ISO 23386 specifies the attributes to define properties and groups of properties of single
data dictionaries as well as the processes and commissions/roles for the governance of a single data
dictionary in a network of coordinated data dictionaries.
The unambiguous mapping and description of properties improves the data quality, reduces
misinterpretations and the processing time in digital environments. This document contributes to ensure
the quality and the unicity of building acoustic property descriptions in an acoustic data dictionary and
to avoid the creation of duplicates.
As the IT-formulation is important, imposed formats (e.g. in examples) in this Technical Report are
written in italic to differentiate them more clearly from the rest of the text. The italic notation itself,
character size or type are not part of the imposed IT-format in data dictionaries.
1 Scope
This document clarifies, provides and describes the building acoustic properties to be used in a building
acoustic data dictionary. Each acoustic property is defined by its attributes as described in EN ISO
23386:2020. The list of building acoustic properties with their attribute definitions is given in the annex
of this document. This list provides the essential, needed properties to design and to describe building
acoustic performance of common building elements and buildings.
These properties are intended to be used as mapping properties for property providers and requesters.
The mapping of the identifiers enables the exchange of building acoustic data within different databases.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN ISO 23386:2020, Building information modelling and other digital processes used in construction -
Methodology to describe, author and maintain properties in interconnected data dictionaries (ISO
23386:2020)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in EN ISO 23386:2020, and the
following apply.
3.1
attribute
data element for the computer-sensible description of a property (3.6), a group of properties (3.5)
Note 1 to entry: An attribute describes only one single detail of a property or a group of properties.
EXAMPLE 1 The name of a property, the definition of a group of properties.
EXAMPLE 2 unit is an example of an attribute of a property
EXAMPLE 3 date of creation is an example of an attribute of a property.
[SOURCE: ISO 13584-42:2010, 3.3, modified — In the definition and Note 1 to entry, references to "a
relation or a class" have been replaced with "a group of properties"; the example 1 has been updated,
example 2 and example 3 have been added.]
3.2
building information modelling
BIM
use of a shared digital representation of an asset to facilitate design, construction and operation processes
to form a reliable basis for decisions
[SOURCE: ISO 19650-1:2018, 3.3.14, modified – The word “a building asset” has been changed to “an
asset”; Note 1 to entry has been removed.]
3.3
data dictionary
centralized repository of information about data such as meaning, relationships to other data, origin,
usage and format
[SOURCE: EN ISO 23386: 2020, 3.9 modified – “Quantities” is added on the list. ]
3.4
globally unique identifier
GUID
unique identifier generated using an algorithm
Note 1 to entry: In ISO 16739-1 and ISO 12006-3 the compressed version of GUID is used.
Note 2 to entry: The GUID is generated in an uncompressed format using an algorithm, see ISO/IEC 11578:1996.
This machine-readable code will allow matching across databases, lists and data templates.
EXAMPLE The GUID for the weighted sound reduction index is 3c276f9b-fab7-42b9-9da5-18403e5fc93d
[SOURCE: EN ISO 23386:2020, 3.13, modified - Note 2 to entry and Example are added.]
3.5
group of properties
collection enabling the properties (3.6) to be prearranged or organized
[SOURCE: EN ISO 23386: 2020, 3.14 modified - Notes 1 to 4 to entry
...
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