As the UK’s national standards body, BSI publishes a plethora of standards to support those who operate within the built environment. Here, Dan Rossiter FCIAT, sector lead at BSI as well as vice-president technical at the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists, highlights three in particular.
Last year, Rossiter highlighted several changes being made to the UK BIM Framework, the UK’s overarching approach to information management using BIM. This year he has chosen the standards he feels will have the biggest impact on the sector.
1. PAS 2080
In 2019, the UK became the first major economy with a binding target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Through mechanisms such as the Climate Change Act and the government’s own Net Zero Strategy, good practice relating to carbon management has continued to gather momentum. PAS 2080 was first published in 2016 in support of this outcome by establishing a carbon management process for infrastructure delivery.
Following work by the Institution of Civil Engineers’ The Carbon Project, several improvements have been identified that the 2023 revision will incorporate. With net zero being a key priority for many, and with initiatives such as Zero Construct gaining prominence, PAS 2080 will no doubt be key in the realisation of our net-zero targets. PAS 2080 is expected to be published in spring 2023.
“BSI Flex 1965 hopes to prevent specifications from ambiguously asking suppliers to conform to the UK BIM Framework.”
2. BS 8670
During 2022, there was no word more significant for the built environment sector than “competence”. With the release of PAS 8671 for principal designers, PAS 8672 for principal contractors, and PAS 8673 for the management of safety in residential buildings, good practice was made available for almost anyone who interfaces with higher-risk residential buildings.
These standards were underpinned by BSI Flex 8670, which is undergoing its formalisation into a British Standard, BS 8670. In doing so, it’ll incorporate several improvements as well as fortify itself should there be interest in potential internationalisation. BS 8670 is expected to be published in autumn 2023.
3. BSI Flex 1965
While the standards that constitute the UK BIM Framework are likely to remain static this year, the revision of BSI Flex 1965 will no doubt act as a catalyst for its adoption. BSI Flex 1965, first published in 2022, supports procurers to augment specifications and contract documentation with the characteristics of the UK BIM Framework. In doing so, it hopes to prevent specifications from ambiguously asking suppliers “to conform to the UK BIM Framework”.
Following our own research, as well as the public consultation, several improvements have been identified that the 2023 revision will incorporate. With information management being associated to productivity improvements, mandated by the government within the Information Management Mandate, as well its relationship to supporting building safety programme via the golden thread of information, BSI Flex 1965 will no doubt support the seamless integration of information management into construction works. BSI Flex 1965 is expected to be published in summer 2023.
Bonus: BS 99001
With plenty of research available, such as the Get It Right Initiative research report, quality has consistently been a concern within the built environment sector. With mechanisms such as the Construction Playbook asking for continuous improvements in the quality of delivery, it was clear an intervention was required. Published in 2022, BS 99001 has been produced to realise these improvements through the introduction of additional requirements to ISO 9001.
These additional requirements specifically relate to the built environment and its use of multi-organisational projects, ensuring that quality is valued throughout a project’s life cycle. BS 99001 is already available, with an expected corrigendum in spring 2023.
These are just some of the standards that BSI is publishing this year to support the built environment sector, and the wider UK economy. To discover what other standards relating to the built environment are being published this year, BSI is hosting a free webinar in April that also provides details about the standardisation process as well as how to get involved.
For further details about this webinar, and other free webinars BSI are hosting relating to the built environment, visit our events portal, which is updated regularly.
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