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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Eurocode 3 is the new standard for the design of steel structures. It is wider in scope than other Eurocodes due to the diversity of steel structures, the range of design options and the possible slenderness of construction. This programme mainly concentrates upon building structures and the first part of Eurocode 3.
This programme takes a look at principles of fire safety, along with common problems and solutions, but with a particular emphasis on passive fire protection that works through the compartmentation of buildings.
Parts L, J, F and G of the Building Regulations Approved Documents have been amended. From October 2010, energy efficiency standards, improved ventilation rates and significant carbon reduction criteria are mandatory. Domestic properties must also reduce their average water use by 10 per cent. Presented by the main authors of the Approved Documents and other leading experts in the field, this programme explains the key issues to be aware of and the various methods of compliance.
This programme looks at the roles and responsibilities of Approved Inspectors, how they differ from Building Control Officers, and the relative benefits of each.
BS EN 1991, Eurocode 1: Actions on Structures provides information and guidance on all the actions that it's usually necessary to consider in the design of buildings and civil engineering structures.
This programme investigates the recent changes to BS 8300 'Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people'. BS 8300:2009 is a full amendment to the 2001 version, and includes changes brought about by active lobbying from disability groups.
The European Urban Wastewater Treatment directive and other such pieces of legislation have steadily increased the required quality of wastewater discharges.
The programme provides an introduction to critical path analysis, including a comparison between 'critical paths' and 'critical chains' as well as the relative merits of Gantt charts. This is followed by a more detailed look at flow charts, giving a clear idea of their actual workings. PERT (Project Evaluation and Review Technique) and PRINCE2 (Projects in Controlled Environments) are touched on as project management tools, while the ideas of 'float' and 'contingency' are explained. There is also a brief look at the resourcing of projects and the issue of 'project crashing'.
