Construction quality is under scrutiny after well-publicised safety concerns with defective high-rise apartment buildings and issues with combustible cladding in recent times.
The implementation of the recommendations of the Building Confidence Report and an industry-wide drive towards more accountability will all have an impact on how building projects are documented in the coming years.
Coinciding with this is a highly competitive market and growing pressure on specifiers to work quickly and accurately.
The industry calls for quality design documentation and standardisation in product data and that’s where digital tools come into play. Digital tools allow users to reduce mistakes at every stage and enabling designers to make appropriate choices.
In an age of increasing collaboration across disciplines and professions, architects, designers and building product manufacturers and suppliers are keen to learn from each other and through that, adopt smarter, more sustainable practices into construction project processes.
For product sourcing, this is only practically possible with standardised product information.
Specifiers and architects can literally spend hours looking for product information and then assessing suitability for specific projects.
Difficulty in obtaining accurate data can lead to inappropriate solutions being included within designs and then transferring to the actual finished building. Further risks can then also occur if products are substituted for lower quality items.
With NBS Source, architects and specifiers can find the right products for their projects, when they need them, without time-consuming searches, safe in the knowledge the information is accurate and up to date.
NBS Source is a unified digital platform featuring standardised product information stored on one central location for built environment professionals.
The information is easily accessible on the web or directly within the integrated NBS Chorus specification tool.
Thousands of construction products from manufacturers, pre-written in specification and BIM object format, all to NBS standards, are available instantly.
Not only is product information available via NBS Source, but it also combines everything specifiers need to make design decisions in one place—product properties, certifications, associated brochures and data sheets, specification clauses and digital objects.
From 1 July 2021, the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 (NSW) (DBPA) requires design and building practitioners to provide declarations as to whether building work complies with the requirements of the Building Code of Australia (BCA), on certain building works in NSW (Class 2 buildings or buildings with a Class 2 part).
In order to certify that a design is compliant with the BCA, certification for every product specified is necessary.
On NBS Source, manufacturers can upload Third Party Certifications to support their products, allowing architects and designers to make informed decisions when specifying products.
The NBS platform serves two sides. Manufacturers looking to widen their market, increasing not only potential customer bases but better serving current clients, can add their products to the platform via the online portal.
Equally, specifiers and architects who want to take advantage of this time-saving service can easily access it in real time, knowing all the information is accurate and of best-practice standard.
Across the sector, the use of software solutions for a range of age-old issues is increasing productivity and safety, fostering collaboration and ensuring projects are as cost and time efficient as possible.
With NBS Australia, built environment professionals can ensure their success and the betterment of the wider industry with accurate and compliant specifications.
Click here for more information on NBS Source.
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