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5 things you may not know BRE can help you with

Having been around for over 90 years and being at the forefront of the built environment, BRE gets involved in a lot of areas.

You may well know of our world leading testing facilities, where we test products and materials against the elements – or perhaps you are aware of the most widely used environmental certification in the world – BREEAM. It could be that you’ve done one of our training courses to develop your knowledge in BIM, or that you are aware of some of our standards around fire and security for products through LPCB.

But did you know that we can help solve legal disputes when things go wrong in buildings? Or that we can help you increase productivity on your construction site through an app on your phone?

So, have a look at this short list below, and see how we might be able to help you in more ways than you might initially think…

1.    Fire safety engineering advice

BRE fire engineeringWhen it comes to designing a building (whether residential, commercial or mixed use) BRE understands that it’s important to make sure that it is energy efficient, cost effective, and that it looks great. But what about fire safety – is the rest all at risk?

The Fire Engineering team here at BRE sees this all too often, where a design team realises late in the design stage that they haven’t considered fire safety early enough, and they find fire safety imposes unwanted changes to the design – and unexpected costs.

Early consideration of fire safety during design gives you the opportunity to develop an integrated solution that works for your building, in a way that meets your design priorities.

So whether you’re a building owner planning your next project, or a designer needing to make sure your designs are not only cost-effective, but safe, find out how the BRE Global Fire Engineering Team can help you make your buildings safer from fire today.

2.    Leadership & management training programmes

BRE leadership and management trainingWhether you are an individual looking to develop your management skills, or a training manager needing to provide a full programme for management or those growing into management in your business, BRE Academy can help.

Working with some of the UK’s leading specialists in leadership and management, BRE Academy has developed online and classroom courses to help individuals be more effective leaders and managers – improving productivity and helping a business grow.

Find out more about these programmes and talk to us about how we can help you and your teams.

3.    The flood resilience house

BRE flood resilience houseNestled in Hertfordshire (just off Junction 6 on the M1 – if you’re interested) is BRE’S HQ. Recently launched on our innovation park (and featured on BBC’s Countryfile), sits a refurbished house – a house designed to be flood resilient.

Water resistant insulation has been installed within in the walls and under the floor, kitchen units and doors have been made from resin-bonded board, and fitted with all-ceramic worktops – waterproof magnesium oxide wall boards instead of plasterboard have been fitted, and the house has been decorated with ceramic tiled floors and loose rugs in place of fitted carpets.

These are the sorts of measures put in place at the flood resilience house – all designed to minimise the damage that a flood can do to somebody’s home.

It’s a fascinating refurbishment – so come and have a look next time you’re passing, and learn about ways you can build these sorts of measures into your upcoming projects in flood-risk areas.

4.    Expert witness support

BRE expert witnessWhen it comes to resolving disputes around buildings, often research must be completed to identify exactly what happened and (unfortunately) who is liable.

As there are a high number of globally-renowned specialists across BRE – many of whom have been involved in developing standards and government guidance – we are well placed to support insurers, clients, contractors or law firms in providing answers to issues such as fire and ignition sources, structural instability, and even areas like air quality/pollution (amongst others).

With the wide ranging and thorough experience and knowledge available at BRE across these areas, along with utilising BRE’s state of the art testing facilities where needed (such as the structures lab, the burn hall or the wind tunnel, and many more), BRE can get under the skin of what happened and where the causes behind a problem occurred, providing the vital evidence needed during disputes.

We hope you never have to use us, but it you do, we’re here.

5.    The ProcessHub tool

BRE SiteSmart ProcessHubThe big topic within the construction industry at the moment is productivity. How can those within industry be more productive, more efficient – without compromising quality?

When it comes to improving productivity, BRE has worked with consultants, contractors and clients for decades, advising them on ways to be more efficient on their construction projects through lean methodologies.

Utilising this knowledge, during the Summer of 2016, the team at BRE SiteSmart developed a tool to help companies identify areas of waste within their construction projects. The ProcessHub tool is an app, where you can log instances of wasted time (time spent dealing with over-ordered materials), and once logged, you can then view reports on the desktop version of the tool – where you can identify trends throughout your whole supply chain.

Once you have this information, you can improve processes as relevant to improve your productivity, or the Lean Construction specialists at BRE can work with you to develop a plan of action to achieve your goals.

Book in a free demo of the tool today and see first-hand how it could help you increase your productivity.