'Game changing' NBS BIM Object Standard embraced by industry
Oct 9, 2014 |NBS |2 Minute Read
Press Release 9 October 2014
The NBS BIM Object Standard was launched last month at an event attended by some of the leading figures in the UK BIM industry. Ian Chapman, Director of the NBS National BIM Library introduced the standard, which addresses one of the major barriers to BIM adoption, the lack of consistency in generic and manufacturers’ BIM objects.
The standard has been welcomed by the industry. Dale Sinclair, Director of Technical Practice at AECOM described it as a ‘game changing initiative within the industry’ and confirmed the demand for the standard saying: “It is absolutely essential that we have national standards that we can also push internationally.”
At the launch, David Philp, Head of BIM Implementation at the Cabinet Office spoke of the importance of ‘creating a conversation with industry to create a data set that’s open and engages with all members.’ The standard aims to improve efficiency and make it easier for high quality information to be shared and utilised to its full potential, which in turn will enable greater collaboration across the industry and assist adoption as the 2016 deadline for the use of Level 2 BIM on all Government funded projects rapidly approaches.
The NBS BIM Object Standard is available free on the NBS National BIM Library website and covers both generic and or manufacturers’ BIM objects. NBS will be working with people across the industry to continually develop the standard and is well placed as the leading supplier of technical information for construction industry professionals.
David Shepherd, BIM Manager at HOK reiterated the standard’s importance for the industry:
It gives us a consistent structure for all the information coming from the project, it can only be good for the construction industry.
Speaking at the launch event, David Wigglesworth, Managing Director at Assa Abloy said:
The industry looks for a standard, there is nothing better than the accredited body of RIBA and NBS to set that standard.
Further comment from David Philp, Head of BIM Implementation at the Cabinet Office can be viewed on the NBS National BIM Library.
Visqueen supports one of the first Gateway 2 approvals under the Building Safety Act
The Dyecoats development in Leeds marks a major milestone for the UK housing sector. The £100 million flagship Latimer Homes scheme being delivered by GRAHAM is one of the first high-rise new-build projects in the country to achieve Building Safety Act Gateway 2 approval, a crucial pre-construction sign-off confirming that the design meets all safety and regulatory requirements before work begins on site.
Building Safety ActSponsored
Five questions to ask when specifying insulated panels
Selecting an insulated panel system for an industrial building should start with the building and application requirements.
Design and SpecificationSponsored
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.