Events

The Construction Information Service (CIS) is a collaborative digital tool that offers access to an extensive library of over 28,000 industry-related publications from around 400 publishers. Join our next webinar to learn more about the CIS and how it integrates with the specification platform, NBS Chorus,  enabling users to easily access the latest standards and guidance, streamlining project timelines and mitigating risks.

Join our next webinar, "Specifying Sustainable Outcomes," designed for architects and construction professionals looking to create more sustainable projects. During the webinar, James Fiske, CEO of the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS), will demonstrate the cost, carbon, and lifecycle data that BCIS, as a partner, are enabling NBS to deliver to customers. This data is included in the new Early-Stage Specification library from NBS, which enables specifiers to align their design decisions with budget constraints and sustainability goals.

Watch our insightful live panel discussion about the Building Safety Act and what construction professionals must do to comply with the new regulations and manage project risk. Chairing this session is Richard Waterhouse, Non-executive director of the BBA, alongside a panel of experts from the world of architecture, construction, manufacturing, construction law, and specification.

Watch our first webinar of the year to learn how NBS can help you stay ahead of the curve and work more effectively in 2024. During the session, NBS Innovation Director Dr Stephen Hamil will demonstrate how our specification platform, NBS Chorus, and construction product data platform, NBS Source, work together to create robust project specifications, improve project coordination, and manage risk with high-quality and up-to-date data.

Join us for an insightful webinar as we take a deep dive into the latest findings from our Digital Construction Report — a comprehensive exploration of the ongoing transformation within the built environment. While the sector has faced criticism for its perceived slow pace of innovation, recent years have witnessed a significant surge in technological adoption and the emergence of new tools, shaping a more dynamic landscape for professionals.

Watch Dr Stephen Hamil, Innovation Director at NBS, present at the recent Construction Leaders' Summit. He looks at the challenges around developing building specifications across the industry today. Recent features and upcoming developments are then demonstrated for both the NBS Chorus specification platform and the NBS Source manufacturer product platform.

Jonathan Macdonald, an award-winning author and keynote speaker on the topics of change and digital transformation joined us to deliver a thought-provoking presentation. In the presentation, Jonathan explores digital advancements in recent years and also what to expect in terms of emerging technologies. He also discusses business change and practical tips about how to take colleagues on a digital transformation journey to help grow your business.

NBS recently hosted the Construction Leaders' Summit where Bauder provided an overview of the challenges facing manufacturers who want to provide information about the embodied carbon in their products, the importance of third party certification and ensuring that product data is verified, up-to-date and easily accessible to specifiers. The Bauder team also demonstrated how they use NBS Chorus to collaborate with specifiers on their projects, providing vital knowledge of their product range and simplifying a time-consuming process for their customers.

Building on the insights gained from the summit, this webinar aims to delve deeper into the developments shaping the construction industry. 

NBS recently hosted the Construction Leaders' Summit for over 250 architects, engineers, contractors, and manufacturers at the iconic Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Dame Judith Hackitt, the former Chair of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, took centre stage to deliver the keynote speech. Her presentation focused on the building safety regime, urging the industry to rethink, reset, and take responsibility for its actions.

Our exclusive event for architects, specifiers and building product manufacturers to come together and learn about the latest trends in the construction industry. During this event, we covered a wide array of critical topics that promise to shape the future of the construction industry. Check out the highlights from the day.

Discover new innovative functionality in NBS Chorus that enables specifiers and designers to seamlessly integrate models and specifications, speeding up processes and reducing the risk of information not being coordinated.

Join us for our upcoming webinar featuring industry experts Peter Rhodes, National Sector Manager at Dulux Trade, and Dr Stephen Hamil, Innovation Director at NBS.
During this session, Stephen and Peter will demonstrate how manufacturers should best position their technical product information to support the specification process and increase the likelihood of products being selected for projects.

NBS Chorus, the leading digital specification platform, is continuously being developed to ensure it supports the needs of its users and the industry. Join our webinar with Dr Stephen Hamil (NBS' Innovation Director) and David Morris (Product Owner at NBS) to discover the latest features in development and how they will enhance your specification writing process and streamline your workflows like never before.

We know from our latest research report that specifiers want to select more sustainable products, but that this can be difficult when sustainability data isn't always provided. Join our webinar with Golnaz Ighany Sustainability Director at BDP, James Fiske the chair of the Built Environment Carbon Database (BECD) to explore how high-quality product data can lead to more sustainable projects.

We’ve just launched a new version of our leading specification platform NBS Chorus, designed for building services engineers who work on smaller, less complex projects. Join our webinar with Dr Stephen Hamil, NBS’ Innovation Director, to learn more about the new version and how it will benefit your projects.

We have just launched NBS Chorus for Students and Teachers, a brand-new version of our leading specification platform designed for teaching specification to students in universities and colleges. It will enable the next generation of built environment professionals to study the latest specification approaches and grow their competencies in specification writing.

When specifying complex building systems, our research has shown that over a third of specifiers want manufacturers to share their expertise to ensure that the system is specified correctly. Join our webinar to discover how a collaborative approach to specification can make the process safer, more efficient and more accurate. 

Learn about exciting new developments that will help with your specification and model coordination and improve your efficiency. During the session, guest speakers from Michael Laird Architects will join Dr Stephen Hamil, NBS’ Innovation Director, for a practical demonstration of how they use the NBS Plug-in for Autodesk Revit on projects. Stephen will also demonstrate the latest developments, including NBS Chorus Designer and some exciting new features coming soon.

How can offices become more appealing and enjoyable places to work? How can open plan, desk-filled spaces evolve into collaborative and creative environments that help teams work better together and still ensure that quiet, focused work and privacy needs are considered too? Offices may not be the first place we think of when focusing on health and wellbeing, but the complex combinations of temperature, lighting levels, noise reverberation and interior planning can have a significant impact on health and performance.

Join this unique webinar to discuss real-world case studies and practical examples of workplace wellbeing. 

Would you like to ask one of the NBS experts a question? We get lots of requests for more dedicated question time during our webinars, so for our next session, we are giving you the microphone to ask our panel of industry experts anything. The hosts will then provide live demonstrations throughout the session.

Our digital specification platform, NBS Chorus, enables specifiers and manufacturers to work together closer than ever before, helping to improve the safety, sustainability, and efficiency of construction projects. Join our next NBS masterclass with NBS trainer Nick Armitt to learn how Chorus is an essential tool for construction professionals to improve collaboration and project delivery. 

Join Dr Stephen Hamil, Innovation Director at NBS, and Tina Pringle, Director of Technical Information at NBS, to learn about NBS Chorus and the USMS content library and how it will benefit your global projects. Mark Schumann, Partner at global specification consultant Schumann International, will join the session to share his experience creating specifications for major projects in the US and the Middle East. 

Learn how NBS can help you to work more effectively across 2023. We will showcase both our specification platform, NBS Chorus, and construction product data platform, NBS Source and explain how they work together to create robust projects specifications and improved coordination across the project information set. See some of the recent NBS developments, including designer roles, new content libraries for projects outside of the UK, sustainability initiatives and an exciting new inspiration area in NBS Source designed to help you at the early stages of a projects.

Watch our webinar to learn more about NBS Chorus Designer and how it will benefit your organisation to work efficiently and collaborate seamlessly on projects.

Chris Dixon from Franklin Ellis Architects will join the session to demonstrate how his organisation uses NBS Chorus Designer to sync their information and speed up project delivery.

Join our webinar with Jaimie Johnston, Director and Head of Global Systems at Bryden Wood, to discover how the learnings from modern manufacturing processes have been applied to recent construction projects. During the webinar, Jaimie will showcase real-life examples of how adopting these methods can improve construction projects' quality, cost and delivery times. The session will finish with a question-and-answer session chaired by NBS' Innovation Director, Dr Stephen Hamil.

RIBA CPD Roadshows are a fantastic opportunity for architects, construction, and design professionals to gain an insight into the products on offer from members of the RIBA CPD Providers Network. By attending these events, delegates will gain up-to-date knowledge on a range of innovative products and technologies, earn CPD points and enhance personal proficiency in a wide range of subjects.

Well-written specifications are vital for everyone working on a construction project; they clearly set out every detail of the products and processes used. Good specifications can mean the difference between a successful project or delays, cost overruns and disputes.

Dr Stephen Hamil, Innovation Director at NBS, will be joined by Carl Collins, Head of Digital Engineering at CIBSE, to discuss CIBSE's sustainability and climate action initiatives. Louise Wille and Aidan Kelly from the multi-disciplinary practice XCO2 will also join the session to demonstrate how they use intelligent engineering to design more sustainable buildings.

This year’s RIBA Contracts and Law Report highlights that the foundation for a successful construction project is a clear, well-understood, timely and agreed contractual framework. Join our next webinar hosted by Dr Stephen Hamil to discuss managing challenges and risks in the construction industry. The webinar will be a deep dive into this year’s RIBA Contracts and Law Report and will feature industry experts that contributed to the report.

We have an NBS Chorus package specifically for architects, engineers, and designers who write specifications for smaller works and less complex projects. It includes all the powerful features available with a subscription to NBS Chorus but with a tailored library of content in a cost-effective package for small works. 

Join Paul Swaddle, Head of Technical Solutions at NBS, to learn more about NBS Chorus for Small Works and discover the benefits it can bring to your practice.

Join our webinar with Dr Stephen Hamil (Innovative Director at NBS) to learn more about how the NBS Chorus model integration feature works and how it can help your organization collaborate more effectively. Nigel Rayner from Sheehan Nagle Hartray Associates, will join the session to demonstrate how they use NBS Chorus and the Revit plug-in on their projects. 

As part of the webinar, an exciting new development that is currently underway will be revealed which has been developed specifically for those adopting this method of working.

Join our webinar with Sarah Delany MCIBSE and Dr Stephen Hamil from NBS to discover how digital specification and classification can benefit your projects.

A standard approach to classification is vital to a project-wide information management strategy. Sarah will showcase the Government funded Uniclass project and show how building services engineers can use it to classify buildings, spaces, systems, and products they design.

In today’s construction industry, it’s vital that specifications are robust and accurately reflect the safety and sustainable requirements of a project. As a result, more and more specifiers are reliant upon third party certification when selecting products, materials and systems In this webinar, NBS’ Head of Manufacturer Solutions Lee Jones will explain which certificates are being sought by specifiers for their projects. Lee will also be joined by a panel of experts to discuss the requirements manufacturers must meet in order to get their products certified.

Join us for our next webinar to learn more about NBS Source, how it integrates with NBS Chorus, and how to start using it on your projects. Speakers from Bauder and Concertus will join the session to demonstrate how they have worked collaboratively using NBS Chorus and NBS Source to get complex system specifications right first time and in a digital format to improve outcomes on projects.

NBS’ Dr Stephen Hamil and Lee Jones will take a deep dive into the golden thread of information and discuss how they it impact both specifiers and suppliers of construction materials. Throughout the session, practical examples will be provided to demonstrate how NBS can help support the industry to deliver safer buildings.

Uniclass is a unified classification system covering all sectors and roles for the built environment. It’s a way to organise everything required for built environment assets and provide a logical code for each general item, which anyone can use to identify and refer to it.

Join Nick Armitt (NBS Trainer) for our next masterclass of the year to learn how to use the new Summary Schedule feature in Chorus.

With Summary Schedules, you can highlight significant aspects of the work early in a project, create reports that describe systems that contribute to the outline specification as recommended when following the RIBA Plan of Work and CIBSE's BG56, and confirm with the project team the scope of specification writing.

We'll soon be launching a new feature in Chorus Pro, 'Summary Schedules'. You will be able to tag clauses in your specification for inclusion in a 'Summary Schedule'. This new feature allows you to highlight significant aspects of the work early in a project, create reports that describe systems that contribute to the outline specification, and confirm with the project team the scope of specification writing.

Renewal and refurbishment of existing buildings has been part of construction history for generations, and now retrofitting – combining design changes and technology to make older buildings more energy efficient – is a key part of responding to the climate emergency and hitting net zero targets, creating architecture that uses less energy, increases thermal comfort, and provides healthy environments to live and work in.

In this webinar, Ryder Architecture join NBS Head of Technical Solutions, Paul Swaddle, to look at case studies of retrofit projects, discuss lessons learned, and demonstrate how NBS Chorus can be used to specify these essential projects successfully.

We’ve created a new cost-effective version of NBS Chorus, which includes the preliminaries content for the most commonly used contracts by the lead publishers such as JCT and NEC. It’s perfect for Quantity Surveyors and Project Managers who want to use the powerful features available with a subscription to Chorus but don’t need access to the specification content libraries.

Join our webinar to learn how to write preliminaries with NBS Chorus. During the webinar, we will demonstrate how the platform will help you work more efficiently, collaboratively and reduce risk.

With lots of exciting new developments in the pipeline, 2022 is set to be another big year at NBS.

Join our first webinar of the year hosted by Dr Stephen Hamil, Innovation Director at NBS, to learn how NBS can help you to work more effectively in the new year.

Our first Chorus Masterclass of 2022 will focus on the new table functionality introduced to all Chorus subscriptions at the end of 2021. The new feature enables users to add tables to a project and can be used to display information in a clear and easily digestible format by allowing further control of the presentation of a specification.

The following presentation is taken from the RIBA's Emerging Practice Symposium. Dr Stephen Hamil, Innovation Director at NBS, presents the importance of specification and coordinated project information on small projects. Following Stephen's presentation, Jeremy Foster from J Foster Architects gives practical examples of how he produces specifications on small new build and retrofit projects. Jeremy talks about specification writing and also how the specification is cross referenced from drawings and cost management spreadsheets.

Concluding our Sustainability webinar mini-series, Lee Jones, Head of Manufacturer Solutions at NBS, and Paul Swaddle, Head of Technical Solutions at NBS, will summarise the main talking points from COP26 and examine the outcomes of the conference’s ‘Built Environment Day’. They will also discuss the plans set out by conference delegates to reduce emissions and fossil fuel use, how they will impact our sector, and the expectations for our industry as a result of the ‘Glasgow Climate Pact’.

One of the unique features and key benefits of NBS Chorus is the technical guidance provided alongside the specification content. Join our next NBS Chorus Masterclass to learn how to use the guidance available in Chorus and how it can help inform your project decisions.

Specifications are an essential part of any construction project to give teams a detailed overview of the project work, required performance, and product selections. Learn how the leading specification platform, NBS Chorus and manufacturer product platform, NBS Source can help you to work more efficiently, manage risk and enable digital collaboration on your projects.

Over the past decade, we’ve collected the views of the industry about building information modelling (BIM) and have seen how this has led to significant change in the ways people work, and the benefits that it has brought.

In the second episode of the NBS sustainability mini-series, Paul Swaddle, Head of Technical Solutions, will discuss sustainability goals and holistic specification in the face of the climate emergency with Richard Sabin of Biotecture. The webinar will look at practical examples towards achieving real sustainable outcomes like reducing air pollution and biophilia.

Our leading specification platform, NBS Chorus, helps engineers around the world to produce specifications up to 75% faster and manage risk on projects. It includes a library of MEP content and links to the latest standards and manufacturer product data in NBS Source.

NBS is the official specification and data partner for the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), and we provide tools, content, and resources for the engineering industry.

Episode four of the NBS sustainability mini-series looks at water, and how the climate emergency requires a better understanding of water sustainability and flood mitigation. Paul Swaddle, Head of Technical Solutions at NBS will consider water usage at global, national, and local scales.

To help you transition to Chorus, we’re hosting a webinar to demonstrate how to get the most out of the platform and the key features and content that will benefit your projects. We will also cover training options and resources available to you.

Join us for the first episode of the NBS sustainability webinar mini-series to explore the sustainability journey for businesses in the construction industry. Hosted by Lee Jones, NBS Head of Manufacturer Solutions, the session will discuss how to become a sustainable business including practical steps, some of the lessons we’ve learnt at NBS, and essential considerations.

Join our next Chorus Masterclass to learn more about two innovative Chorus Pro features, specification notes and organisation notes. During the session, we demonstrate how to use the features on your projects and how they can help to improve collaboration and speed up decisions.

A demonstration of the additional features available with Chorus Pro and how they can help users collaborate internally and externally on projects, create clear audit trails, build master specifications, and set up print style sheets for your office.

Due to a global rise in demand and a tight supply of construction materials, the shortage of construction materials in the UK continues to impact the industry, which includes vital products such as bricks, steel, cement, timber, and paint. This has led to delayed projects and increased costs, compounded by other factors such as the blockage of the Suez Canal and the ongoing effects of Brexit. Join us for a panel discussion with industry experts on the UK construction materials shortage.

As the construction industry continues to recover from the turbulence of the last year, the Glenigan Construction Forecast comes at a perfect time to provide a clearer picture of what’s next for the sectors and regions you work in now, and to help identify wider opportunities that you could capitalise on.

Our desktop products NBS Building, Landscape, and Create, will retire on 30 June 2021. After this date, you will still be able to view your old specification files via the read-only viewer. To help you prepare, our next Chorus Masterclass will focus on how to import your existing specifications from Building, Landscape and Create straight into NBS Chorus.

Join our webinar to hear case studies from various organisations showcasing how Uniclass is applied to construction and asset management projects. Dr Stephen Hamil (NBS’ Innovation Director) will host the session and will be joined by guest speakers from the Environment Agency, the Palace of Westminster's restoration of the House of Parliament team, the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) and Geometry Gym. The speakers will showcase how they use Uniclass on their projects, in information management and the benefits it has brought to their working practices.

Join our webinar to learn more about Uniclass 2015, how it's used across the industry, and the benefits it brings to projects. Sarah Delany (NBS' Head of Classification) and Dr Stephen Hamil (NBS' Innovation Director) will host the session and will discuss the fundamentals of Uniclass and demonstrate how it's used within the NBS platform to create connected construction information.

Stephen and Sarah will be joined by guest speakers Fiona Moore (Director at Cirrus) and Rob Jackson (Associate at Bond Bryan), who will showcase the work for the Government & Industry Interoperability Group and demonstrate practical examples from Department of Education projects.

One of the key benefits of Chorus is the ability to develop your specification and design model together directly within the Autodesk Revit® environment, keeping your information coordinated and creating a seamless link between your design and spec. Join our next masterclass, hosted by Nick Armitt, NBS trainer, to learn how the feature works and how to make the most of it on your projects. There will be an opportunity for all attendees to ask questions throughout the session.

Revisions in NBS Chorus is a powerful feature which enables users to keep track of changes made to the contents of a specification and compare the changes against previous versions in the publishing history. Join our next masterclass, hosted by the NBS training team, to learn how the feature works and how to make the most of it on your projects. 

Urgent, radical change is required across the construction industry to respond to the climate emergency. Taleen Josefsson, Thrive Project Manager, joins NBS Head of Technical Solutions, Paul Swaddle, to discuss how architects and design teams can achieve health & sustainability goals through informed material selection, using practical examples and demonstrating their approach to environmental performance data.

In the world of construction today, more and more focus is on the necessity of improving safety, sustainability and efficiency of buildings, not only through design, construction and the supply chain but across the whole project. NBS platforms, Chorus and Source, are for both specifiers and manufacturers, providing a vital link between the specifier and the specified.

Join our final webinar of the year for a complete overview of NBS including; the detail of our technology platform and innovative software functionality, our connected technical information and high-quality product data produced with our partners, and various help, reports, and supporting resources available to anyone working in the design, supply and construction of the built environment.

Masters in NBS Chorus is a powerful feature that enables you to build up a library of commonly used clauses tailored to your organisation and your clients. Join our next masterclass, hosted by the NBS training team, to learn how the feature works and how you can start using it on your projects.

2020 has been a year like no other. Many design team members have spent the majority of the year working from home, leading to a greater need for digital collaboration. Due to this shift in working practices, NBS Chorus has become the specification writing platform of choice. Join our next webinar hosted by Dr Stephen Hamil, Innovation Director at NBS, to explore how digital collaboration has become an essential part of the specification writing process. Stephen will also be joined by Sally-Anne Balmer, Architect and Technical Content Team Lead at NBS who will provide insight into the content authoring process at NBS.

To support the launch of the new custom stylesheets feature in NBS Chorus, our expert training team are hosting a Stylesheets masterclass to demonstrate how the feature works and how you can start using it on your projects. There will be an opportunity for all attendees to ask questions throughout the session. This session is suitable for existing Chorus customers.

On 20th July 2020, the Government published the draft Building Safety Bill: the most radical proposed overhaul of building safety regulations for decades. In the wake of Grenfell, much work has been conducted under Dame Judith Hackitt’s leadership to propose a better, safer future for buildings and their occupants, defining responsibilities, and enabling the digital ‘golden thread of information’. Join Paul Swaddle, Head of Technical Solutions at NBS, for our next webinar to explore the draft Bill in more detail and understand what it could mean for specifiers.

We've just launched NBS Chorus for Small Works, a brand new package created specifically for architects,engineers and designers who write specifications for smaller works and projects. Join this webinar to learn why we've developed NBS Chorus for Small Works, the benefits it will bring to your working practices and how to use it on your projects.

Join Paul Chatham (Director at Peregrine Bryant) and Charles Stirling (Technical Author at NBS) as they focus on conservation strategy; why it’s required on projects and the importance it brings to the built environment. During the session they will look at how conservation must be integrated into the specification at each stage of the project.

Join Mike Riley (Associate Architect at BDP) and Chris Vickers (Technical Specialist at NBS) as they explore the delivery of information exchanges in response to client requirements and best practice industry standards. During the session they will demonstrate how NBS can help to structure and classify technical content, and ensure consistent information can be delivered at each stage of a project.

Join Jane Simpson (Managing Director at Jane Simpson Access) and Astrid Lund (Technical Content Team Lead at NBS) as they explore how inclusive design must be integrated into the specification as the project develops and how to deliver this through the project stages. They will demonstrate how the NBS software can be used to achieve an inclusive design. 

Following the success of our online conference, The Construction Leaders’ Summit: Building for the Future, we are hosting a series of webinars to revisit some of the most thought-provoking content from the event. The first in the series will look at Gary Clark’s (Principal, HOK) presentation on sustainable outcomes, as well as the sustainability panel discussion.

Join Sarah Susman, Head of Technical Development at Scott Brownrigg Architects and Roland Finch, Technical Author at NBS for the fifth webinar of the Plan of Work 2020 series. They will focus on the health and safety strategy and to deliver this through the specification project stages.

Join our next webinar with Lee Jones, Head of Manufacturer Solutions at NBS, and Daniel Stine, Director of Design Technology at Lake Flato, as they explore the benefits of BIM content and 3D visualisation on construction projects. During the webinar they will explore the benefits of BIM and BIM libraries, mistakes and misconceptions, how you can link the model and the specification with Autodesk Revit and look at a case study highlighting the importance of collaboration in construction. 

Join Patrick Crocock, Specification Lead at AHMM and Paul Swaddle Head of Technical Solutions at NBS for the fourth webinar of the Plan of Work 2020 series.They will focus on specification, including practical examples that can generate information exchanges required by the RIBA Plan of Work.

During this webinar we will explore how a fire safety strategy must be integrated from the point at which a building project is identified and continue through to operational stage of a building, providing a ‘golden thread’ of information through the project timeline.

Join Gary Clark, Principal at HOK, and Michele Lucarelli, Technical Content Quality Assurance Manager at NBS, as they demonstrate and share practical examples to ensure that sustainable outcomes can be achieved. During the session we will demonstrate how to use the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 as a guide to the delivery of sustainable buildings

Join Stephen Hamil, Innovation Director at NBS, and Dale Sinclair, Director of Technical Practice at AECOM, as they explore the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 – the definitive model for the design and construction process of buildings.  During the webinar they will give an introduction to the RIBA Plan of Work 2020, share industry feedback on the 2013 plan, as well as updates to the 2020 plan.

With the majority of the industry now working from home, it's a good time to make the most of the online resources available to you. Join Joni Tyler, Head of CPD at RIBA, as she shares her knowledge and expertise on how to make the most of free online RIBA-assessed CPD.