1973

This blog normally focuses on the software behind the NBS. But at a recent customer focus event a member of the panel handed me a copy of the original NBS from 1973.

I include a few photographs below...

Fig 1 - The original NBS in 1973

Fig 2. Illustration showing how the NBS specification fits with reference documents, the drawings and the quantities

Fig 3. Making the national master spec content project specific through striking items out and adding values by hand.

Fig 4. Manufacturer advertisement showing pictures of inspirational buildings

And a few extracts from the Preface written by the Chairman of NBS Ltd, Sir Robert Matthew,

Publication of the first edition of NBS is the culmination of a long period of intensive effort by many people and organisations in the building industry...

...The NBS presents architects, structural engineers and quantity surveyors with a unique opportunity to re-appraise and develop their specification practice. The benefits will come to them and to the industry as a whole in the form of better and more efficient building. I strongly recommend its use.

Using NBS with AutoCAD, Revit or Microstation

The 2010 releases of NBS Building, Engineering Services and Landscape include new export functionality.

It is now possible to export to Autodesk AutoCAD Architecture and Revit Keynote format. It is also possible to export to Bentley Microstation Keynote format.

This can be done from the Export dialog. Clauses from project specificiations and office standards may be exported.

Fig 1. Exporting the clause information from an NBS project specification. Excluded clauses not relevant to the project are not exported.

Fig 2. The exported database may be edited in Notepad or MS Access to remove clauses that are not required for annotation

Fig 3. The project specific keynotes may be easily attached to elements in the Building Information Model (BIM). Within the CAD software these keynotes allow easy reporting, scheduling and quantities to be generated.

Fig 4. The element now in the BIM model has the NBS keynote as one of its key properties

Note:

In the UK the Construction Project Information Committee recommends that CAD models are annotated with the clause numbers and titles from project specifications.

Compacting your Specification.

I received a specification file from an architect via FTP this week that was 60MB in size.

Running it through the "Compact specification" tool within the NBS Building software it reduced to 12MB.

Why is this operation necessary?

The database format used for NBS Building is MS Access. When you delete a record from a MS Access database, the space allotted for that record continues to be held in reserve by the database and it is not released for reuse. To avoid generating excess amounts of wasted space, you should compact your database periodically.

The NBS Software Support article on this is:
http://www.thenbs.com/support/softwaresupport/knowledgebase/kb10038spec.asp

A Microsoft help article on this is:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/HP051874491033.aspx

Working with Revisions

One item of functionality in the current software that is slightly hidden away is the Revisions functionality. NBS Building users that make use off this often give us great feedback on how they they use it to go good effect.

The good news is that this functionality has now got better for the 2010 release of the software.

Screenshots are used below to demonstrate this.

Fig 1. The user applies revision stamps against a work section as it changes over time

Fig 2. The work section cover sheet clearly shows which clauses have been modified in the latest revision

 Fig 3. Now in the 2010 version of the software, the revision details are indicated in the work section itself

Note:

One further tweak has been made to the revisions functionality - you now no longer need to have modified a clause to apply a revision label. Many customers told us they were having to "fool the software" by adding a full stop or similar to apply a new revision stamp when nothing had changed. 

Searching NBS

The enhancements for the 2010 NBS Building, Engineering Services and Landscape software include a new search function that allows the user to search NBS libraries and also office standards and specifications.

Fig 1. The NBS work section and prelims libraries can be searched. Items may be previewed and then used to create a project specification

Fig 2. User specifications and office standards may also be searched. Items found may be previewed and opened for editing

I asked our Technical Team what are the most common items that users cannot find in NBS. Here is the list below. The new search tool will make it very easy to find these items and add them to your project spec.

• Line marking
• Road marking
• Fire stop pipe sleeves
• Steel frame systems
• Fascias and soffits
• Underslab insulation
• Fall arrest systems

2010 Software now with Beta Testers

The NBS Beta Testers now have their preview version of the 2010 software. This will be with customers in March 2010. I'll blog more about each of the enhancements in detail over the coming months, but for now here are some screenshots as tasters...

1. Searching and previewing the clause content of specifications, office standards and NBS libraries:

2. The NBS Annotator, allowing clause references to be easily added to CAD models and schedules:

3. Printing and publishing improvements such as highlighting of revised clauses in the printed document:

4. The ability to add a tender summary and then work with these costs through the construction phase

5. Seamless links to The Construction Information Service - no need to enter username and password each time:

6. Interoperability so that a single project specification can be produced with prelims, building fabric, landscape and engineering work sections:

Update 13 April 2010 - This 2010 software is now being dispatched to all customers. Please note that the interopability work did not make it into this release. However all of the other features did. Interopability will be considered for a future release.

Design and Build Contract Administration

The main improvement for the 2009 release of NBS Contract Administrator is the inclusion of the forms for use on the JCT 05 Design and Build Contract.

The forms for this contract have been one of the most requested enhancements to the product over the last few years from users. This now means that NBS Contract Administrator can be used on more projects and there will be also maybe be some new converts to the product who work mainly on Design and Build projects.

The new software has been designed in a way that allows the relevant Design and Build forms to be used whether working on behalf of the employer or on behalf of the contractor. This means that unlike the other contract administration forms – where the forms themselves don’t change, but the person issuing them does – users will be presented with a different set of forms depending on which role is selected.

NBS and CAD - The Plan

One of the things most designers would really like from NBS is the ability to easily access their clause numbers and titles from NBS project specifications for annotation purposes.

At NBS we have been working on this through 2009 following a very encouraging customer focus group meeting in January.

We recognise that it is a big challenge to fully integrate the CAD model and the specification. However, an outline of the short term plan is detailed in this post. This functionality will be ready for the 2010 releases of NBS Building, Engineering Services and Landscape in March. NBS Scheduler users will get this functionality in April.

1. NBS Annotator Windows Application
This will be a standalone application that will be included free with all NBS desktop products. It will have the following functionality:

• Open any NBS-based project specifications/schedules of work to select clause numbers and titles for annotation purposes
• Fix NBS Annotator as the top-most application so it remains above your CAD window
• Quickly copy and paste annotations from your project specification into your CAD model
• Search, find and open the referenced clause within the project specification
• View and browse NBS guidance and NBS Plus content (subject to subscription).

2. NBS Annotator component for .Net/COM developers
This software tool kit will allow third party CAD packages to integrate NBS Annotator into their software. NBS will provide this free to the industry. This will extend NBS Annotator functionality as follows:

• "One click" addition of annotations to your CAD model
• Navigate from annotation within your CAD model to a clause in an NBS specification
• Reporting of the status of annotations to ensure that all annotations are up to date.

3. NBS Annotator component for Windows API developers
This will be a similar tool kit to the above but will allow third-party CAD packages that cannot use .Net/COM to work with the NBS component.

4. Export to AutoDesk and Bentley Keynote format
It will be possible to export a project specification clause list from all NBS specification software for use with AutoDesk AutoCAD and Revit Keynote format.

NBS Beta Testers will see these proposals, prototypes and will have a chance to comment from October 2009.

Developers who would like advance documentation on the NBS Annotator component should email support@theNBS.com.

Stay tuned to this blog for further details nearer release time. For further reading on best practice for annotating drawings/models in the UK seeCPIC's CPI conventions (see www.cpic.org.uk/en/publications/production-information/attributes.cfm - under 2.2.3 Annotation of drawings/ Specification references).