A wide range of interesting articles that help you make informed decisions and deliver the best projects for your clients authored by our team of NBS subject specialists and construction industry contributors.
Sustainability
NBS Guide: Embodied Carbon Calculations
Learn how to align your carbon assessments with BIM workflows. This guide to Embodied Carbon Calculations, developed by NBS and Circular Ecology, sets out a practical, standardised approach to calculating the embodied carbon of building materials and products, and how to apply this data to BIM objects.
Must Reads
The hidden cost of compliance: why architects are demanding a new era of product transparency
Few pieces of legislation have reshaped the UK construction industry as significantly as the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA). Introduced to improve accountability, traceability and safety standards ...
Design and Specification
Brick slip cladding systems – the need for robust specification
This article from the NBS technical team outlines specification for brick slip technology, including history, technology, design, safety and testing.
When product data creates risk, AluK delivers the clarity and support architects need
The need to build more homes, more quickly, has not changed. If anything, the pressure has intensified. However, the conversation around Modern Methods of Construction has evolved.
The adoption of Uniclass 2015 in Australia
Introduction from NBS Since the launch of Uniclass 2015, we at NBS have been delighted with its adoption by industry. We have updated the system quarterly now for the last five years, and have ...
Design and SpecificationDigital Transformation
Reduce embodied carbon from the start
Measure, compare and reduce upfront embodied carbon using trusted UK data and pre-built assemblies.
Most countries have some ambition when it comes to setting an exemplar approach for the development of sustainable buildings. Here John Gelder, formerly of NBS and now a lecturer in Construction for ...
SustainabilityAustralia
Uniclass 2: An update
Tables out for comment At the time of writing, Uniclass2 tables at www.cpic.org.uk/uniclass2 are still out for comment, strictly speaking, and have been since early 2012. We (CPI and NBS) receive ...
UniclassClassification
An introduction to renewable materials
This article provides a definition of renewable materials and considers some common characteristics – carbon sinks, flammability and biodegradability. It derives from PRO 10 Renewable resources: an ...
Sustainability
Ecobuild 2013 Round Table: State of the art
At Ecobuild 2013, John Gelder of RIBA Enterprises hosted a conversation with Sofie Pelsmakers of UCL and Architecture for Change, and Martin Townsend of BRE.
Sustainability
Record and operational BIMs
John Gelder, Head of content development and sustainability, contributed a chapter on BIM and FM to the new guide, BIM for the Terrified. This article is an extended version of that chapter.
Digital TransformationBook extract
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OmniClass™: a critique
It has been suggested by some that, rather than developing or implementing Uniclass2, we in the UK should switch to OmniClass, used in North America. John Gelder, Head of content development and ...
Classification
Enforcement: a short international survey
The false labelling of meat products (horsemeat being passed off as beef) has made the headlines recently in Europe, with repercussions from the UK to Romania. The food industry isn't the only one ...
Contracts and Law
Using Uniclass 2
Uniclass2 is nearing the final version of its first iteration, so it is time to look at how it might be used. John Gelder, Head of content development and sustainability, explores the issue.
Design and SpecificationUniclass
Developments in construction classification
Construction Project Information (CPI) and RIBA Enterprises ran a couple of workshops on the forthcoming changes to Uniclass, in Manchester and London on January 31 and February 3 respectively. The ...
UniclassClassification
Revising ISO 12006-2:2001
In this article from 2012, John Gelder here considers the Uniclass parent standard, ISO 12006-2, now being revised. John is on the ISO/TC 59/SC 13/WG 2 Task force, as the UK expert (reporting to BSI ...
Classification
Unifying Uniclass
Proposed changes to the UK construction sector's classification system, Uniclass, are outlined by John Gelder, Head of content development and sustainability at RIBA Enterprises.
