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.
Writing clear and concise specifications is crucial on construction projects. A well-structured specification is not only essential for design success but can also prevent delays, unexpected costs and disputes. Here are five essential tips to help you get it right, from our Best Practice Guide to Specification Writing.
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By 2030, 60% of the world’s population is expected to live in mega-cities. How all those people live, and what their lives are like, will depend on important choices leaders make today and in the coming years.
Cavity wall insulation can be a great way of improving the thermal performance of a building, making it both warmer and cheaper to heat, but it's not always a suitable solution. We explore the pros and cons.
The NBS BIM Object Standard sets out what constitutes a high-quality BIM object – with the right levels of information, appropriate geometry, and a consistent, structured format. In this new series we explore the standard in detail.
Renewable sources of energy have surpassed coal in the past year to become the largest source of installed power capacity in the world according to a new International Energy Agency study.
Breakthroughs in virtual and augmented reality technology are expected to change the worksites of the future. Research scientist George Quezada muses on the construction jobs of tomorrow...
How can we put bacterial ‘builders’ to work on a new generation of construction materials? Martyn Dade-Robertson explores the potential of synthetic biology and its role in building the cities of the future…
Shih-Ho Chao, Associate Professor of Structural Engineering and Applied Mechanics at University of Texas Arlington, explores how building design has responded to the threat of progressive collapse...
BIM myths busted. We dispel some common misconceptions, misunderstandings and downright myths, when it comes to Building Information Modelling (BIM), and cut through the noise to seek out the truth about the digital construction revolution.
Introducing BS 8536-2: 2016. A new addition to the BIM Level 2 suite of documents gives recommendations for briefing for design and construction in relation to energy, telecommunication, transport, water and other utilities’ infrastructure to ensure that design takes into account the expected performance of the asset in use over its planned operational life.
We take a sneaky peek at 10 construction material innovations with amazing potential to change the world we live in. Enter the materials that save lives, repel germs, heal themselves and even 'sweat'...
What is the common data environment or CDE on a construction project used for? Who contributes? Who is responsible? Who owns the information within? Why use a CDE at all? We explore the idea of a central information repository that is at the heart of BIM implementation.
