diff --git a/scripts/model.py b/scripts/model.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..200a342
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/model.py
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+from compas_ifc.entities.buildingelements import BuildingModel
+
+model = BuildingModel(filepath="data/Duplex_A_20110907.ifc")
+# print(model.tree.get_hierarchy_string(max_depth=10))
+
+model.show()
+
diff --git a/src/compas_ifc/brep/__init__.py b/src/compas_ifc/brep/__init__.py
index 6d131ea..53956c2 100644
--- a/src/compas_ifc/brep/__init__.py
+++ b/src/compas_ifc/brep/__init__.py
@@ -7,11 +7,14 @@
 
 from compas.plugins import plugin
 from compas.scene import register
-
+from .buildingelementobject import BuildingElementObject
+from compas_ifc.entities.buildingelements import BuildingElement
 
 @plugin(category="factories", requires=["compas_viewer"], trylast=True)
 def register_scene_objects():
     register(TessellatedBrep, TessellatedBrepObject, context="Viewer")
+    register(BuildingElement, BuildingElementObject, context="Viewer")
+
 
     try:
         from compas_occ.brep import OCCBrep
diff --git a/src/compas_ifc/brep/buildingelementobject.py b/src/compas_ifc/brep/buildingelementobject.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e140509
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/compas_ifc/brep/buildingelementobject.py
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+from .tessellatedbrep import TessellatedBrep
+from compas_model.viewer import ElementObject
+from compas_model.elements import Group
+from .tessellatedbrepobject import TessellatedBrepObject
+
+
+class BuildingElementObject(ElementObject):
+
+    def __init__(self, **kwargs):
+        super().__init__(**kwargs)
+        if self.element.ifc_type == "IfcSpace":
+            self.opacity = 0
+
+    def create_visualization_object(self, **kwargs):
+        if isinstance(self.element, Group):
+            self.visualization_object = None
+        elif isinstance(self.element.geometry, TessellatedBrep):
+            brep_kwargs = kwargs.copy()
+            brep_kwargs["item"] = self.element.geometry
+            self.visualization_object = TessellatedBrepObject(**brep_kwargs, **self.element.ifc_entity.style)
+        else:
+            self.visualization_object = None
+
+        
+        global_transformation = self.element.transformation
+
+        if self.element.parent:
+            parent_global_transformation = self.element.parent.transformation
+            local_transformation = global_transformation * parent_global_transformation.inverse()
+        else:
+            local_transformation = global_transformation
+
+        self.transformation = local_transformation
+
diff --git a/src/compas_ifc/entities/buildingelements.py b/src/compas_ifc/entities/buildingelements.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..49d1d1d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/compas_ifc/entities/buildingelements.py
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+from compas_model.models import Model
+from compas_model.elements import Element
+
+
+class BuildingModel(Model):
+    # This class will maintain and update a IFC file underneath.
+
+    def __init__(self, filepath=None, **kwargs):
+
+        from compas_ifc.file import IFCFile
+
+        # The model will start an empty IFC file if not provided.
+        super().__init__(**kwargs)
+        self.file = IFCFile(None, filepath=filepath)
+        self.load_hierarchy()
+
+    def load_hierarchy(self):
+
+        self.project = self.file.get_entities_by_type("IfcProject")[0]
+
+        def load_recursively(entity, parent=None):
+            for child in entity.children:
+                name = f"{child.Name}[{child.is_a()}]"
+                element = BuildingElement(ifc_entity=child, name=name, model=self)
+                self.add_element(element, parent=parent)
+                load_recursively(child, element)
+
+        load_recursively(self.project)
+
+    def show(self):
+        from compas_viewer import Viewer
+        from compas_viewer.components import Treeform
+
+        viewer = Viewer()
+        viewer.ui.sidebar.show_objectsetting = False
+
+        viewer.scene.add(self)
+
+        treeform = Treeform()
+        viewer.ui.sidebar.widget.addWidget(treeform)
+
+        def update_treeform(form, obj):
+            treeform.update_from_dict({"Attributes": obj.element.ifc_attributes, "PSets": obj.element.ifc_psets})
+
+        viewer.ui.sidebar.sceneform.callback = update_treeform
+
+        viewer.show()
+
+
+class BuildingElement(Element):
+    def __init__(self, ifc_entity=None, model=None, **kwargs):
+        super().__init__(**kwargs)
+
+        self.model = model
+        self.ifc_entity = ifc_entity  # Read-only, underlying IFC entity.
+
+        # self.material = None # There needs to be some mapping mechanism between the material class and Qtos in IFC.
+
+        # links to parents
+        # self.storey = None
+        # self.building = None
+
+    @property
+    def ifc_attributes(self):
+        return self.ifc_entity.attributes
+
+    @property
+    def ifc_psets(self):
+        return self.ifc_entity.property_sets
+
+    @property
+    def ifc_type(self):
+        return self.ifc_entity.is_a()
+
+    @property
+    def geometry(self):
+        return self.ifc_entity.geometry
+
+    @property
+    def transformation(self):
+        # TODO: this is not 100% correct
+        return self.ifc_entity.frame.to_transformation()
+
+
+
+# TODO: Transparent way to work with grid and storeys etc.
diff --git a/src/compas_ifc/model.py b/src/compas_ifc/model.py
index 42c0120..817accb 100644
--- a/src/compas_ifc/model.py
+++ b/src/compas_ifc/model.py
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ def parse_entity(entity, parent=None):
                 obj = viewer.scene.add(entity.geometry, name=name, parent=parent, hide_coplanaredges=True, **entity.style)
                 obj.transformation = transformation
             else:
-                obj = viewer.scene.add([], name=name, parent=parent)
+                obj = viewer.scene.add_group(name=name, parent=parent)
 
             obj.attributes["entity"] = entity