Specifying sustainable products and systems using NBS

by Ian Chapman
NBS Head of Specification

Green issues have been included within NBS for many years, presented in a variety of ways:

• In general guidance to work sections, under headings 'Environmental issues' and 'Health, safety and the environment'
• In clause guidance, which deals with particular product attributes and cross-refers to general guidance where appropriate
• In the clauses themselves.

NBS guidance aims to draw the attention of specifiers to the main issues associated with a particular product or method of construction and direct them to further key sources of information. General guidance for F42 Straw Bale Walling Systems, for example, discusses many issues such as framed/ unframed types, design, durability and thermal performance and gives a comprehensive introduction to this topic. The screenshot below of the general guidance content list for F42 indicates the scope of this section.

Clauses are of most interest to specifiers wanting to control the green requirements for their projects. The NBS approach to green specifying is deliberate and avoids having green versions of clauses. Green specifying should not be considered special or different from conventional specifying, it should be integrated, and this is the approach NBS takes. Conventional product certification schemes such as Kitemarking, CE marking and Agrément certification can include green attributes as well as conventional ones, so the need for integration between the two is important. This approach allows all issues whether they are environmental, performance, appearance, maintenance or health and safety to be considered. Clause 270 below includes 'recycled content' alongside other product properties, and there is corresponding guidance created in conjunction with Waste Recycling Action Programme (WRAP) to help users fill in the blanks.

The range of sustainability information in NBS is broad; some is inherently green such as water reclamation, green roofs and composting toilets. Other content becomes green through its use on a project or in the manner by which the properties are configured. For example, WCs in England and Wales must not deliver a flush volume greater than 6 L, whereas several BREEAM models typically require flush volumes of 4.5 L or less for the award of a credit, so how the specification is completed determines the extent of its green credentials. The screenshot below shows an extract from the guidance to clause N13/ 300 WCs and cisterns, with the guidance associated with flushing volume highlighted.

For situations where a decision has not yet been made, NBS integrates with ribaproductselector.com to provide specifiers with the ability to search for products and manufacturers. Searching for green roof specialists, for example, yields a range of results including companies, products, case studies, and CPD material. The screenshot below shows the search box integration of ribaproductselector.com within NBS software.

The results of the search are displayed in a web browser as demonstrated in the screenshot below.

Once a specifier has decided to use a product then specification of it is easy thanks to NBS Plus − our library of manufacturers' product specifications. Selecting a green product or system couldn't be easier from within NBS, as clauses synchronise with only those manufacturers that are relevant to the clause, so the green roof clause in NBS has a selection of green roof manufacturers in NBS Plus to choose from. From there onwards it's a simple case of adding the product to the specification which is done with the single click of a mouse. The manufacturer's product clause can then be edited to suit the requirements of the project. The screenshot below shows an example product specification from the NBS Plus library in section Q37 Green Roofs.

NBS guidance provides lots of help but it's not a replacement for more in-depth research. To this end, NBS helps by including comprehensive cross-referencing of relevant standards, reports and other literature. NBS refers to over 5000 documents from around 400 publishers, many of which cover green topics, and this is integrated with The Construction Information Service, providing digital access to many of these documents.

NBS is constantly evolving and will continue to reflect green issues using a broad approach in general guidance, with detailed and precise content in the clauses and their guidance. The future for NBS lies in its ability to integrate with the geometric information models to provide a complete Building Information Model (BIM). Work is well underway to create a specification information model that covers all system and product properties - green and conventional. In the not too distant future, NBS will contain a complete set of system outline clauses, which will guide the specifier through all of the decisions necessary to create a project specification. Completion of the outline clauses determines how the rest of the specification is assembled, catering for both performance and full prescriptive specification methods. The outline clauses will eventually be used to provide cost indications – be they financial, waste or carbon, bringing green issues and information modelling together.

Related NBS information:

Articles:

• NBS and BREEAM
• NBS and WRAP
• Sustainability and the new NBS

Selected links:

• Green building

July 2010

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