News and Press

Keep up to date with the latest important developments within the company and the construction industry.

NBS and BDP join forces to improve generic carbon data in construction

Today, NBS (part of Hubexo), the platform for connected construction information, announces a long-term strategic partnership with BDP, a major global multidisciplinary practice of architects, designers, engineers and urbanists. The partnership recognises BDP's integral role in the development of NBS LCA, a new life-cycle carbon assessment platform providing professionals with high-quality, reliable and easy-to-use carbon data to ensure accurate tracking as construction projects evolve. BDP's primary contribution to NBS LCA has been the development of more than 1,300 pre-calculated generic assemblies, covering the most commonly used building fabric elements alongside key concrete and steel structural elements. These assemblies provide whole-element carbon data, giving designers consistent, UK-relevant carbon benchmarks from the earliest stages of project design. Users can easily and instantly apply carbon rates to a range of pre-configured common building elements, including walls, floors, and roofs. Developed by BDP and NBS, the assemblies remove the need for designers to manually build up material layers or calculate individual components at the concept stage. This saves significant time and effort, enabling proportionate and responsible carbon evaluation early in the design process, when decisions have the greatest impact on a project's overall carbon footprint. BDP also participated in collaborative workshops that directly informed the development of NBS LCA, helping to shape a tool that is practical, accessible and aligned with real-world UK construction workflows. Dr Lee Jones, Head of Sustainability at Hubexo, said: “BDP's contribution to NBS LCA has been invaluable. Their depth of project experience and technical knowledge has directly shaped the generic assemblies at the heart of the platform. These assemblies give designers a reliable, UK-relevant starting point for carbon assessment, without the burden of building everything from scratch. This is exactly the kind of collaboration that moves the industry forward, and we're proud to be working with BDP on a long-term basis.” Julia Yao, Associate, Sustainability Consultant at BDP, said: “Carbon assessment needs to be embedded in design from day one, not bolted on at the end. Working with NBS to develop its LCA product has been a genuine opportunity to put that principle into practice. The generic assemblies we developed draw on real project data and are designed to give designers meaningful, actionable carbon information at the concept stage. We're delighted to see them at the core of a platform that will be used across the industry.” With the UK Government outlining its commitment to responsible carbon reporting through its Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, professionals need reliable, easy-to-use tools to assess and report embodied carbon. NBS LCA addresses this need by integrating carbon calculations with live design work, drawing on structured data from Circular Ecology's ICE Database and more than 12,500 verified, specification-ready construction products with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) from NBS Source and ECO Portal. Over the coming months, NBS and BDP will continue to develop their partnership, with a shared commitment to improving the quality and accessibility of carbon data for construction professionals across the UK. NBS LCA is available now, with flexible subscriptions designed for all professionals. For more information, visit the website here.

Product update

Industry experts judge classroom of the future competition

Design experts from NBS, Ryder Architecture and Gateshead College have collaborated with year 9 pupils from three North East schools to take part in the “Future Classroom” contest.

NBS appoints new Director of Commercial

NBS, the leading global provider of technical information, specification and BIM tools to construction industry professionals, has announced the appointment of Ruth Bickerton as Director of ...

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RIBA and LDC Partner to Support the Future Growth of NBS

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group, have agreed a partnership to support the future growth of NBS. NBS is a market-leading ...

NBS connects UK, Canada and now Australia with structured information

NBS has updated its free-to-use BIM Object Standard and National BIM Library with content for use across Australia, adding to its existing UK and Canadian content.

NBS to bring iconic North East buildings to life with augmented reality technology

NBS has teamed up with 10 of their customers who have designed and engineered some of the best modern buildings in the region to create an interactive wall using augmented reality technology.

RIBA, LDC and NBS Partnership: Frequently Asked Questions

Who are LDC? LDC is the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group. It is a leading UK mid-market private equity investor, having backed over 600 management teams in its more than 35 year history. ...

BIM mandate was the right thing to do, but it now needs properly enforced

Confidence in BIM but no confidence in its enforcement is one of the sentiments to come out of the eighth National BIM Report from NBS.

Is digital construction helping foster better working relationships amongst the industry?

NBS released its fourth Construction Contracts and Law report this week, shedding light on how well the industry is getting along.

Gender Pay Gap Report 2018

At NBS we are committed to ensuring that all of our colleagues are treated and rewarded fairly for the important work that they undertake. As such we welcome the opportunity for more transparency on ...

Businesses get behind region’s newest super-school

North East Futures UTC, hosted its first Partner Breakfast at NBS’s Old Post Office building on Thursday March 22nd. The event was a chance for companies to learn about how they can engage with the ...

NBS signs on for another year to support Digital Union

Head of Digital Union, Rachel Peacock said: “Having NBS onboard has been a huge advantage for Digital Union. The team has been very supportive over the past 18-months helping us host events, ...