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
design-and-specification
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.
design-and-specification
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.
Five essential tips for writing effective specifications
A well-written and robust specification is vital to the success of construction projects. It is the document that details the product quality, the execution requirements, and the tasks and ...
Design and SpecificationUniclass
Reduce embodied carbon from the start
Measure, compare and reduce upfront embodied carbon using trusted UK data and pre-built assemblies.
Since the introduction of the Building Safety Act, architects, manufacturers and construction professionals, in general, face additional responsibilities when it comes to building safety. From the ...
Design and SpecificationConstruction Products
CAWS content updates for alteration, refurbishment and retrofit work
In 2024, over 50,000 refurbishment projects were undertaken in the UK, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (see the breakdown of sectors below). This constitutes around a third of all ...
Design and SpecificationResources
The Building Safety Act: Revisited - key learnings from the panel discussion
The recent NBS webinar The Building Safety Act: Revisited was chaired by Richard Waterhouse, Non-Executive Director of the British Board of Agrément (BBA). It brought together experts from ...
Design and SpecificationStandards and Regulations
2024 at NBS
Here’s what we got up to in 2024…
Design and SpecificationSustainability
Construction Leader’s Summit 2024 Event Recap
The Construction Leader’s Summit 2024 returned to London for its fourth event on the 25th September 2024. Over 250 construction industry professionals attended the event, with some of the country’s ...
Design and SpecificationSustainability
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Construction Leader’s Summit 2024: Five Key Takeaways
The Construction Leaders' Summit 2024 has already been and gone. Missed it? Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. Involving experts on both the specification and manufacturing side of the construction ...
Design and SpecificationSustainability
Specification discussions at the NBS roundtable event
Building safety The first topic discussed was building safety. The feeling in the room was that the introduction of the new Building Regulations ‘Principal Designer’ role as part of the new building ...
Design and SpecificationSustainability
Early-stage specification: new content for Uniclass and CAWS in Chorus
What is early-stage specification? The addition of early-stage content provides a place to record information that forms the basis for the design development, which is information that is essential ...
Design and SpecificationUniclass
Supporting specifiers adapting to the new building safety regime
Fundamentally, it starts with the client. The client must appoint a competent principal designer (under Building Regulations) who will then plan, manage and monitor the design work so that, when ...
Design and SpecificationBuilding Safety Act
‘Sound’ advice on air source heat pump specification
One factor that may be a concern to property owners is the replacement of a relatively quiet gas boiler with external equipment that is potentially noisier. NBS has teamed up with its partner, Quiet ...
Design and SpecificationConstruction Products
How standardised design can impact the future of construction
NBS’ Construction Leaders’ Summit 2023 brought together some of the brightest minds in the industry. Across a wide range of talks covering sustainability, safety, innovation and more, one message was ...
