Knowledge

A summary of findings from the NBS National Construction Contracts and Law Survey 2013 and a free download of the full report.

As well as looking at the properties of rammed earth, or pise, this programme asks whether concrete should be added as a stabiliser, the issue of cost, and along the way we look at some high-profile failures and successes.

To illustrate recent changes in the law we look at two recent high-profile cases in which entire buildings were concealed in an attempt to evade planning control (one behind a wall of straw, the other within a barn).

Huw Evans explores the manin changes in the 2013 edition of Approved Document M.

Simon Lewis looks at how lessons can be learnt on a range of BIM projects.

Two students on a year placement at NBS reflect on their practical experiences at a local architectural practice.

Ideas of what, where and how to swot up on sustainability, and how to convince your HR department that it's worth it.

Rio 2016 will be the first Olympic Games to be held in South America. Here we assess the construction challenges Brazil faces.

At Ecobuild 2013 John Gelder of RIBA Enterprises hosted a conversation with Sofie Pelsmakers of UCL and Architecture for Change, and Martin Townsend of BRE.

Rob Manning explores the concept of Government Soft Landings.

A variety of speakers – covering architectural practitioners, advisers, designers, academics, contractors (in UK and USA) and engineers, etc – answer a range of questions on BIM to explain the practical benefits of BIM and the future realities. This is a really useful intervention for those yet to take up on BIM as it points out the cost benefits and time-saving in clear details. For those interested in developing their extant use of BIM it explores the future technological potential.

In July 2013 RIBA Enterprises gathered together experts from various disciplines involved in the construction industry, to debate the development of legal documentation in response to the increasing adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and in particular the BIM Protocol published by the Construction Industry Council (CIC) in February 2013.