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The following BSI references relate to the work on this document:
Committee reference FMW/1
Draft for comment 21/30433966 DC

Foreword

Publishing information

This British Standard is published by BSI Standards Limited, under licence from The British Standards Institution, and came into effect on 31 March 2022. It was prepared by Technical Committee FMW/1, Facilities management. A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its secretary.

Supersession

This British Standard supersedes BS 8536‑1:2015 and BS 8536‑2:2016, which are withdrawn.

Information about this document

BS 8536‑1:2015 and BS 8536‑2:2016 were developed to promote a smooth transition from the delivery phase to the operational phase of an asset by embedding soft landings, building performance evaluation and information management, using building information modelling. BS 8536‑1 focused on buildings and facilities management and BS 8536‑2 focused on infrastructure and asset management. Both have been well received, especially by public sector clients and industry, and have formed an integral part of the UK BIM Framework [1].

In order to accelerate the application of relevant practices in the delivery of sustainable assets, and also to reflect developments in the UK BIM Framework [1], BS 8536‑1:2015 and BS 8536‑2:2016 have been consolidated into this single, revised code of practice. This British Standard promotes a smooth process through the life cycle for the delivery and operation of assets. It covers:

needs in design, manufacture, construction and operation and use;
requirements for safety, security, efficiency and net zero carbon; and
awareness of end-of-life strategies for decommissioning, repurposing or demolition.

This British Standard emphasizes the importance of adopting a whole-life view of an asset and the need to realize value from it. In this regard, it is important to recognize that a vast amount of information and data about an asset are generated and exchanged during its lifetime and that a security-minded approach to the handling of such information and data needs to be adopted.

This is a full revision of the standard, and introduces the following principal changes:

alignment with the requirements of the BS EN ISO 19650 series of standards on information management using building information modelling, and with PAS 1192‑6 on health and safety using building information modelling;
alignment with the requirements of BS 40101 on building performance evaluation;
application of the principles for sponsoring, directing, managing and transitioning projects (see BS 6079) individually or as part of a programme or portfolio (see ISO 21500);
greater consideration of risk management across the project life cycle (see BS EN ISO 31000); and
further application of the principles and practices contained within The Soft Landings Framework [2] and Government Soft Landings [3] to the project context.

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Use of this document

As a code of practice, this British Standard takes the form of recommendations and guidance. It is not to be quoted as if it were a specification. Users are expected to ensure that claims of compliance are not misleading.

Users may substitute any of the recommendations in this British Standard with practices of equivalent or better outcome. Any user claiming compliance with this British Standard is expected to be able to justify any course of action that deviates from its recommendations.

Presentational conventions

The provisions of this standard are presented in roman (i.e. upright) type. Its recommendations are expressed in sentences in which the principal auxiliary verb is “should”.

Commentary, explanation and general informative material is presented in smaller italic type, and does not constitute a normative element.

The word “should” is used to express recommendations of this standard. The word “may” is used in the text to express permissibility, e.g. as an alternative to the primary recommendation of the clause. The word “can” is used to express possibility, e.g. a consequence of an action or an event.

Notes and commentaries are provided throughout the text of this standard. Notes give references and additional information that are important but do not form part of the recommendations. Commentaries give background information.

Where words have alternative spellings, the preferred spelling of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary is used (e.g. “organization” rather than “organisation”).

Contractual and legal considerations

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The recipient is advised to consider seeking professional guidance with respect to its use of this publication.

This publication is not intended to constitute a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

0 Introduction

0.1 Background

Design, manufacture and construction for operability focuses on those aspects of the delivery phase that are concerned with achieving the required operational performance of new, upgraded, repurposed or refurbished assets. These aspects can include: net zero carbon operation and use; energy use; greenhouse gas emissions; water quality, abstraction, consumption and pollutant prevention; soil and landscape quality and remediation; waste prevention or reduction, reclamation, reuse, recycling, treatment and disposal; asset availability, utilization, access, inclusiveness, health and safety, building safety, capability, capacity, quality, resilience, serviceability/maintainability and adaptability; and indoor air quality, thermal comfort, noise and vibration, and user well-being.

This British Standard considers matters relating to projects for the delivery of assets according to defined operational requirements, including maintainability and reliability, and performance outcomes. For the purpose of this British Standard, “delivery team” (see BS EN ISO 19650‑1) applies to the lead appointed party and its appointed parties engaged in the delivery of a new asset or the upgrading, repurposing or refurbishment of an existing asset. A project team comprising coordinated delivery teams offers benefits in terms of design and problem solving, as well as constructability and operational impacts. The “delivery team” does not extend to asset management or facilities management.

Project decisions, including those related to design, have to be based upon accurate and relevant information and data, and their impact on operational and user needs has to be understood before they are finalized. The most effective way to comment on the suitability or effectiveness of a design is through formal reviews carried out during design. Testing assumptions during design is necessary to understand how the asset will perform in operation and use and achieve its expected performance. Whilst it is usually too late to comment on the design of the asset during manufacturing and assembly or once it is operational, systematic measurement, analysis, comparison and feedback can be useful in informing the design of future assets for both constructability and operational use.

This British Standard aligns with the principles and practices of The Soft Landings Framework [2] and Soft Landings and Government Soft Landings [4] published by BSRIA, which comprise three main elements:

setting project success criteria at the outset;
protecting and promoting the success criteria throughout the project; and
evaluating performance against the set success criteria.

The aim is to achieve a smooth transition from the delivery phase into the operational phase of an asset. Key to this is collaboration throughout the project between each delivery team and the operator or operations team, as appropriate, in matters affecting operations and users.

0.2 Asset management and facilities management

Asset management and facilities management have developed as two distinct management disciplines, despite both being concerned with managing the physical assets and services of an organization. Asset management and facilities management have developed their own standards and language of preferred terms. This document recognizes that both asset management and facilities management play their own part in the life cycle of an asset, but for simplicity the main body of text uses the term “asset” wherever practicable to cover both disciplines.

1 Scope

This British Standard gives recommendations on design, manufacture and construction for operability in relation to an asset(s) (e.g. buildings and infrastructure for energy, telecommunication, transport and water), taking account of the expected performance of the asset in use over its planned operational life.

This British Standard is intended to strengthen practices and procedures by:

promoting the early involvement of the operator or operations team, as appropriate;
improving the focus of the project team on the performance of the asset in use;
promoting programme and portfolio thinking by the assetowner and, where applicable, the project sponsor to ensure that the asset meets the wider requirements of the owner’s operations;
providing feedback on the expected functional and operational performance of the asset at each stage of the delivery phase;
extending the commitment of each delivery team to defined periods of aftercare post‑handover of the asset and its safe, secure, efficient and cost-effective operation in line with environmental, social and economic performance outcomes and targets;
embedding post-implementation review or building performance evaluation (BPE), as appropriate, in the operational phase based upon agreement early in the delivery phase regarding requirements;
embedding information management, using building information modelling, in the processes for the delivery and operation of assets;
emphasizing the importance of information and data quality; and
highlighting the need to maximize both the investment value and resource value of the asset (see BS EN 12973 and BS 8210).

It is applicable to the provision of information and data supporting a) to f) in a manner that maximizes the value that the assetowner can subsequently derive from the information and data over the planned life of the asset.

This British Standard outlines the primary activities, information, issues and deliverables to be addressed by the project team and each delivery team to support their work and to provide the assetowner and the operator or operations team, as appropriate, with as much certainty as possible in regard to the required functional and operational performance of the asset.

The requirements of inclusive design, managing design in construction and managing assets and their environments inclusively when operational have been incorporated (see BS 8300‑2). A defined project‑managed approach to the delivery of the asset is adopted throughout (see BS 6079).

This British Standard is intended for use by individuals and organizations preparing or contributing to design, manufacture, construction and operations, including organizations procuring a new asset and ownersupgrading, repurposing or refurbishing an existing asset.

This British Standard does not provide recommendations for design or construction, but is concerned with information and data that are needed to determine operability and performance requirements for the new, upgraded, repurposed or refurbished asset. It does not cover decommissioning or other end‑of‑life activities.

This British Standard does not give recommendations for:

asset management or facilities management in general (see BS ISO 55000 series and BS EN ISO 41001 respectively);
the procurement of design, construction, asset management or facilities management services (see BS 8534 and BS 8572); or
the maintenance of assets (see BS 8210).

2 Normative references

3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms

3.1 Terms and definitions

3.2 Abbreviated terms

4 Concepts and principles

4.1 Key principle

4.2 Roles, responsibilities and accountabilities

4.3 Project-managed approach

4.4 Objectives, outputs, outcomes and benefits

4.5 Processes

4.6 Post-project actions

4.7 Information management

5 Work stages

5.1 Strategy

5.2 Preparation and Brief

5.3 Concept

5.4 Definition

5.5 Technical Design

5.6 Manufacture, Construct and Commission

5.7 Handover and Closure

5.8 Use

Bibliography

BS 8536:2022

Design, manufacture and construction for operability. Code of practice

Current

Published:

31 Mar 2022