BSI and ICE announce partnership to support engineers in the transition to the Eurocodes
The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) have amended the Building Regulations Approved Document A on structural safety to reference the current British Standards known as Eurocodes. By amending Approved Document A to reference Eurocodes, the construction industry is offered an alternative, up-to-date, technical solution for meeting regulatory requirements.
This move will open the next chapter on the UK’s adoption of the Eurocodes, in a journey has often been viewed as challenging, confusing and frustrating. In a bid to assist the engineering community in the transition, National Standards Body, BSI and ICE will be working together to support each engineer in their migration to Eurocodes.
The partnership marks the rekindling of the historic connection between BSI and ICE, as Sir John Wolfe-Barry, the man who designed London’s Tower Bridge instigated the Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers to form a committee to consider standardising iron and steel sections on 22 January 1901, this committee grew to become the BSI of today.
Mike Chrimes, Director, Engineering Policy & Innovation at the Institution of Civil Engineers said: “The goal of the partnership is to accelerate familiarization, minimize the impact on productivity and reduce the cost implications of the transition to Eurocodes.”
The collaborative efforts will concentrate the specific expertise required for making the Eurocodes transition, offering the opportunity to increase the engineers’ fundamental knowledge about the Eurocodes. This will provide an interactive bridge which allows them to discover fresh approaches to the use of these new structural design codes. As a result engineers will be able to make their transition cohesively, sharing knowledge and best practice developments.
John Tomlinson Sales Director, Standards at BSI commented: “With the synergy between our members and over 100 years history, we hope the collaboration will serve as a mechanism to help UK engineers share knowledge, save money and above all remain competitive.”
The partnership will see:
- Free supporting information on the transition to Eurocodes• Regular industry updates• Regional networking events with industry speakers
- Publications and guides from both ICE and BSI
- ICE and BSI members will have free access to the Eurocodes PLUS tool at regional offices across the UK, the tool will also be showcased at the various events over the coming months
What is Eurocodes PLUS?
In recognition of the complex nature of the Eurocodes, BSI developed Eurocodes PLUS, based on extensive market research and collaboration with a wide cross-section of representatives from construction and engineering companies.
The practical and easy-to-use tool digitises all 15,000 pages of the Eurocodes. Eurocodes PLUS will help organizations reduce the cost of implementing the Eurocodes by making them easier to understand and more accessible.
Brian Simpson from Arup, said: “Eurocodes and related Euronorms cover a wide scope and replace a lot of British Standards, so it is easy to get lost in the new system, searching through piles of paper. Having had a long term involvement in the development of Eurocode 7, I am convinced that a web-based system, providing easy links between the related clauses and documents, will be a huge benefit to users. The facilities of Eurocodes PLUS are very impressive, allowing individuals and companies to build their own system with references and comments.”
