The partnership should enable building professionals to have a better flow of information on the construction materials they use.
BPI Rating (BPI), the construction material data platform, has formed a partnership with global architecture firm Grimshaw on a co-developed solution to manage their material data through design and specification.
The partnership is designed to systematically integrate sustainability and responsible sourcing into the practice’s material selection. A key objective is to assist Grimshaw’s global ambition to reach a zero carbon impact, aligned with global efforts by Architects Declare and the World Green Building Council's call to action to reduce upfront embodied carbon.
Grimshaw recently committed to carbon neutrality in its practice by 2020, to design net zero carbon ready buildings and infrastructure by 2025 and to deliver socially and environmentally regenerative buildings by 2030. It has recently appointed a global practice leader of sustainability to meet these goals and BPI will be part of the Australian operations plan to get there.
Grimshaw partner Michael Janeke says, "BPI is an industry platform solution to solve a long-standing industry challenge. Our industry is under increasing pressure to improve our compliance and sustainability performance. This puts the burden on our team to carry out significant and time-consuming due diligence and documentation on each product. We look forward to working with manufacturers, clients and our builder partners to share the benefits of BPI. Product selection in design comes down to the knowledge and experience of the team. We want to bottle that, combine it with the wider industry data from BPI and share this valuable IP (Intellectual Property) across the business."
BPI aggregates and structures building product information on compliance and performance standards, sustainability, resilience and manufacturers' CSR (corporate social responsibility) credentials. By overlaying multiple industry data sources (including eco-label certifications Good Environmental Choice Australia – GECA, Global GreenTag and Declare, to name a few), the new system allows architectural practices like Grimshaw to research, compare, select products and then build technical specifications sheets and finishing schedules. It also aggregates product material data across all of its projects.
BPI is also working with a number of other industry stakeholders, including builders and developers, to ensure collaboration, control and transparency among all parties during the construction life stages – planning, design specification through to facilities management and maintenance. By building transparency at each stage, BPI aims to transform the design, specification and purchasing habits of the building industry.
The workflow tools and proprietary data from each client and project will reduce the hours of research and documentation on each building and allow Grimshaw to build its own data and IP.
BPI’s CEO and founder Jonas Bengtsson comments, "This partnership is an important step for BPI’s ambition for a safer, more sustainable built environment. Co-developing the functionality with key partners like Grimshaw ensures that the platform supports current process and tech. We can’t expect the industry to change unless we can provide tangible benefits. With Grimshaw, we have identified that we can drive significant efficiencies for its business – save time and costs and reduce risk. Sustainability is important, but BPI will also help it improve due diligence on its compliance, resilience and social responsibility specifications in line with specific procurement requirements. The platform will standardise its data so it can continue to build its IP, accessing that data for future projects and teams."
Sydney managing partner at Grimshaw Andrew Cortese adds, "BPI is an important and valuable tool that will help us to reach our zero net carbon goals. Grimshaw’s commitment is to demonstrate leadership and partner with effective, innovative solutions like BPI to effect immediate impact and change in construction carbon reduction."