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 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 ...
Reduce embodied carbon from the start
Measure, compare and reduce upfront embodied carbon using trusted UK data and pre-built assemblies.
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.
Design and SpecificationConstruction Products
Rethinking MMC: delivering speed without increasing risk
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.
Uniclass - April 2026 update
This is the second of our quarterly updates for Uniclass in 2026. It includes improvements across six tables, a result of external input from users and internal development roadmaps.
UniclassClassification
Biophilic design: translating wellbeing principles into specification practice
As ESG targets, indoor environmental quality benchmarks, and wellbeing standards become embedded within project briefs, architects are increasingly expected to evidence how buildings support both ...
Best practice specification for modular construction products
Executive summary Modular construction aims to deliver projects more efficiently, with improved quality and a lower environmental impact. Its success, however, depends on careful specification at ...
Design and SpecificationStandards and Regulations
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Fire safety compliance in modern façade design: Protecting curtain walling systems
Modern building design has seen a focus on lightweight construction for mid-to-high rise buildings with curtain walling becoming an increasingly popular choice – driving aesthetically-led projects ...
Uniclass - January 2026 update
This is the first of our quarterly updates for Uniclass in 2026. It includes improvements across eight tables, a result of external input from users and internal development roadmaps.
UniclassClassification
Our top webinars in 2025
In 2025, we hosted dozens of free events and webinars throughout the year to help construction professionals keep pace with regulatory change, sustainability expectations and digital transformation. ...
Design and SpecificationSustainability
2025 Recap: The tools, insights and events moving construction forward
From advancing digital best practice and delivering new sustainability tools to driving industry conversations, this year at NBS has been defined by progress. Across our products, insights and ...
Design and SpecificationSustainability
Specifying water efficiency
Introduction It is a common observation that the UK still thinks of itself as a ‘wet’ nation with ample reserves of fresh, flowing water. However, the droughts and significant water scarcity events ...
Design and SpecificationSustainability
Crown Paints brings colour expertise and innovation to Material Source Studio London
Located in the heart of Clerkenwell, the new studio extends Crown’s existing partnerships in Manchester and Glasgow, creating a nationwide network of inspiration and collaboration for architects, ...
