NotebookLM or Piloti?
Piloti brings Austrian building law with it; NotebookLM, which Google now calls Gemini Notebook, answers from the sources you add yourself. Both cite. The difference lies in who collects the sources and who keeps track of which version applies in the state.
NotebookLM (Gemini Notebook) details as stated by Google, read in September 2026.
In short
For Austrian building law, Piloti is the better choice: the state building codes from RIS and the OIB guidelines are already there, Piloti names the edition in force in the state, and it places the answer in the project work. NotebookLM (Gemini Notebook) fits collections you put together yourself.
What Piloti brings
With Piloti, the work starts with the question, not with collecting. The nine state building codes and related state law from RIS, the OIB guidelines, a register of standards and federal law such as the ASchG and the Workplace Ordinance are ready. Add your office archive, which no other office sees, and the project’s documents.
The answer starts with the result as a copyable value, followed by reasoning, assumptions and citation down to section, clause or page, for example “Pkt. 3.5.2 · S. 7”. Checks by building class appear as a table with source and result per row.
In detail
| Piloti | NotebookLM (Gemini Notebook) | |
|---|---|---|
| Principle | Austrian building law is already there, plus your office archive and your project documents | Answers grounded in the sources you add to a notebook |
| Sources | State law from RIS, OIB guidelines, register of standards, federal law; uploads as PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, CSV, image or whole folder | PDFs, websites, YouTube, audio, Google Docs and Slides; up to 500,000 words or 200 MB per source |
| State and edition | Draws on the state’s laws and names the OIB edition in force there | You decide which version you add; up to 50 sources per notebook on the free plan, 100 to 600 on higher plans |
| Evidence | Citation down to section, clause or page, checked against the source text before it is shown | Inline citations pointing to the passage in your source |
| Collaboration | Projects with versions, tasks, project memory and approval in the inbox | Notebooks can be shared |
| Training | No training on office data | According to Google, uploaded data is never used for training |
NotebookLM (Gemini Notebook) details as stated by Google, read in September 2026. If something has changed, write to us and we will correct it.
Where Piloti is ahead
- The sources are already there: nine state building codes and related state law from RIS, the OIB guidelines, and for Vienna also the Building Technology Ordinance 2023, the Garage Act 2008 and the MA 37 guidance sheets.
- The edition follows the state. According to the OIB overview the 2023 edition does not apply everywhere; Piloti names the edition in force in the state when it changes the value.
- Questions back when facts are missing: if the building class or the state is missing, Piloti asks or states its assumption.
- Questions become work in the project: tasks, in-depth research with a report, a file note sent for approval.
What NotebookLM is good for
- Collections whose sources you choose yourself: competition documents, lectures, the literature on a design topic.
- Many formats, including video and audio, such as the recording of a talk on an amendment.
- Ready to use, free or included in Google Workspace.
What a building-law notebook takes to maintain
Using NotebookLM for building law means building your own rulebook: the OIB guidelines in the edition in force in the state, the building code and building-technology rules of every state the office plans in, and guidance sheets. In Vienna that is the Bauordnung für Wien and the Wiener Bautechnikverordnung 2023, in Salzburg the Bautechnikgesetz 2015 and the Baupolizeigesetz 1997, in Tyrol the Tiroler Bauordnung 2022. Nine states, nine collections.
Then the maintenance starts. According to the OIB overview, the 2025 edition of OIB guideline 6 is so far in force only in Tyrol and Vienna, the 2027 edition is being prepared, and state laws are amended. Someone in the office has to notice each new version, add it and take the old one out of the notebook. Miss that, and the notebook cites cleanly from an outdated source. With Piloti you ask the question, and the project’s state law is already to hand.
Good to know
Responsibility for the design stays with the planning office. Piloti names the source of every answer so that you can check it, and asks when a deciding fact such as the state is missing. What the zoning plan fixes for your plot, Piloti reads from the plan in the project; if it is missing, Piloti tells you where to look.
Questions
Is NotebookLM the same as Gemini Notebook?
Yes. Google now offers NotebookLM under the name Gemini Notebook. The principle: answers grounded in the sources you add to a notebook, with inline citations.
Can I upload the OIB guidelines to NotebookLM?
Yes, as a PDF like any other document. You then choose the edition in force in your project’s state yourself, and replace it when that changes. According to the OIB overview, the 2023 edition does not apply in every state; what counts is the state’s building-technology ordinance or law. Piloti names the edition in force in the state on its own.
How many sources fit in a notebook?
According to Google, up to 50 sources per notebook on the free plan and 100 to 600 on higher plans, each up to 500,000 words or 200 MB. For building law the limit is rarely the quantity, rather the upkeep: which version currently applies.
Does Google use my documents for training?
According to Google, uploaded data is never used for training. Piloti does not train models on office data either, and drawings remain the office’s property.