Knowledge

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

A specifier’s guide to BREEAM New Construction V7

Discover how specification can support BREEAM New Construction V7, with practical guidance from NBS and BRE on assessment requirements, evidence and more sustainable project outcomes.

Must Reads

  • Sponsored

    Designing sustainability into construction – proof over promises in sustainable construction

    With tightening regulations and growing client demand, the construction industry is under increasing pressure to demonstrate measurable progress against carbon reduction targets. For specifiers, that ...

  • Construction Products

    Dulux Trade launches new solution for high-humidity spaces

    Because of how they are used, kitchens and bathrooms experience more moisture, more contact, and more ongoing maintenance. Standard emulsions are not designed for this level of use. Over time, ...

  • 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 ...

Specifying your lock

On September 14th 2017, three neighbouring Staffordshire families woke up to the news that their cars had been stolen - including one model valued at over £35,000. Each house had been a victim of ...

Design and SpecificationConstruction Products
NBS-LCA

Reduce embodied carbon from the start

Measure, compare and reduce upfront embodied carbon using trusted UK data and pre-built assemblies.

Transforming construction from your smartphone

There are hundreds of gadgets you can use to measure, document and design more effectively on both large and small scale construction projects, but it was a very bright idea indeed to integrate these ...

Design and SpecificationConstruction Products

Phase change materials

What are PCMs and why do we use them? Phase change materials (PCMs) are substances with a high latent heat of fusion.¹ They store latent heat during the transition phase. A PCM absorbs thermal energy ...

Design and SpecificationConstruction Products

Should we be building our houses with LEGO bricks?

With its unique interlocking tube design and potential to build an infinite number of structures, it’s no wonder that the humble LEGO brick has stood the test of time. The original patent was signed ...

Design and SpecificationConstruction Products

Can BIM successfully deliver small construction projects?

The perceived value of BIM BIM is more than just developing a 3D model: it entails a collaborative way of working to deliver masses of information over a Common Data Environment (CDE) – a digitised ...

Design and SpecificationDigital Transformation

Specifications - the views from the industry

The findings in the NBS Specification Report 2017 provide us with a good understanding when it comes to the industry's experience of specifications and future expectations. Clearly, specifications ...

Design and SpecificationSpecification

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The alternative to last-minute specification writing

Challenges A specification is a key contract document, typically produced during the technical design stage of a project. It is issued as part of the tender documentation and used throughout the ...

Design and SpecificationSpecification

Passive fire protection: Specifying and maintaining fire doors

What is a fire door? How many of us fully appreciate the importance of fire doors as life-saving components in the buildings that we occupy and use every day, either at our place of business or home?

Design and SpecificationDigital Transformation

Are you BIM ready? What your business needs to do before 2016 (5/10)

The UK government has mandated that all centrally-funded work is to be undertaken using BIM by 2016. This is now less than 12 months away, and for those organizations that haven't yet done so, this ...

Digital TransformationSpecification

Are you BIM ready? What your business needs to do before 2016 (4/10)

The UK government has mandated that all centrally-funded work is to be undertaken using BIM by 2016. This is now less than 12 months away, and for those organizations that haven't yet done so, this ...

Digital TransformationSpecification

Are you BIM ready? What your business needs to do before 2016 (3/10)

The UK government has mandated that all centrally-funded work is to be undertaken using BIM by 2016. This is now less than 12 months away, and for those organisations that haven't yet done so, this ...

Digital TransformationSpecification

Are you BIM ready? What your business needs to do before 2016 (2/10)

The UK government has mandated that all centrally-funded work is to be undertaken using BIM by 2016. This is now less than 12 months away, and for those organisations that haven’t yet done so, this ...

Digital TransformationSpecification
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