Book a demo
NBS survey reveals a green and European future for specifications in the UK

NBS survey reveals a green and European future for specifications in the UK

Oct 24, 2011 |NBS |3 Minute Read

Press Release
24 October 2011

An industry-wide survey conducted by NBS has revealed that construction professionals in the UK believe that environmental performance requirements and a move to European standardisation are set to have the biggest impact on the future of specifications.

The survey, which had 500 respondents from a range of professions, companies and organisation sizes working in the construction sector, found that:

  • Two thirds (66%) of construction professionals believe that future specifications will have to conform to European specification standards - despite no known plans for this to happen
  • The integration of ‘green performance’ is paramount, with 87% of those surveyed agreeing that environmental performance requirements must be included in specifications
  • Specifications will support the Government’s efforts to drive efficiencies and collaboration in construction, with 60% predicting future specifications will live as long as the buildings they serve – i.e. specifications will be a mixture of types, including outline, performance and detailed
  • Specifications will remain the preserve of practices, with only 20% per cent of construction professionals surveyed agreeing that more specifications will be produced by contractors in the future.

Not surprisingly, in recognition of the increased adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM), almost all of those surveyed (90%) agreed that future specifications will be distributed digitally.

However, there was confusion amongst industry professionals about how the information would be integrated, with 47% wrongly believing that specifications will be automatically generated by a CAD tool or other geometry based modelling tool.

What was clear was the importance of specifications, with 73% agreeing they needed to rely on more than visual information. Commenting on the research, Adrian Malleson, Research and Analysis Manager at NBS said:

"The research provides a useful insight into the specification process and its potential to facilitate greater levels of collaboration, flexibility and efficiency within the construction industry. We can clearly see that specifications will be critical at all stages of a building’s life, not just the design stage.

As demonstrated by the last industry survey conducted by NBS, there is still a significant degree of confusion around BIM though, despite its high profile. People realise that specifications will continue to be an integral part of BIM but need educating on how this will happen in practice."

Download the NBS Specification Survey Summary of Findings 2011 (.pdf, 0.8Mb)

– Ends –

For further information please contact:

Katie Parker-Muir
T: + 44 (0)20 7392 1989
E: Katie@ing-media.com

Notes to Editors

NBS

NBS, specialist providers of technical information for construction industry professionals, offers essential, innovative products and services, highly valued by those working in architecture, construction, design and engineering.

The premier source of construction-related information, NBS has produced the recognised national standard specification system for the UK for over 35 years. It provides solutions for a broad range of new build, refurbishment, retrofit, landscaping and domestic projects for architects, services engineers, QSs and others. Delivered within a powerful software package, NBS’s specification products continue to develop, leading an evolution of the specification and procurement process for buildings in the UK and overseas. NBS also provides solutions for contract administration and project information management.

More than 5,000 offices across the UK subscribe to NBS products, including 96 of the top 100 AJ practices. NBS produces a range of information delivery products, including The Construction Information Service, a joint venture with IHS. Since 2005, NBS has published the Building Regulations’ Approved Documents for England and Wales.

The NBS Learning Channels provide specialist learning services for individuals and organisations working in the architecture, design and construction industry, offering unique high quality video content which is available across four distinct channels: The Architects’ Channel, The Civil Engineers’ Channel, The Planning Channel and The Surveyors’ Channel.

NBS is part of RIBA Enterprises Ltd, the commercial arm of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). RIBA Enterprises employs 250 staff and has offices in London, Newcastle upon Tyne and Newark.

Our latest news

All news

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.

Product update