BRE IP15/01 PDF

Introduction

Sir John Egan's report, Rethinking construction [1], highlighted standardisation and prefabrication as being two of the key ways of improving quality and efficiency in the construction industry. In a research project funded by the Government, BRE has investigated the application of standardisation and prefabrication to wiring in buildings. The project's objectives were to demonstrate the benefits of a range of standardised, prefabricated and innovative wiring solutions, to identify current barriers to the more widespread use of the systems, and to determine ways of overcoming these barriers. Information was gathered from nine case studies (described in Part 2 of this Information Paper), backed up by industry input from three workshops, a seminar and an expert advisory group.

The standardised and prefabricated wiring systems that came within the scope of the project were:

• prefabricated cabling and rigid busbars for power distribution to lighting, HVAC systems and socket outlets. Currently the systems are not standardised – pre-fitted plugs and sockets from different manufacturers are not compatible;

• wiring for environmental monitoring and control systems for fire, security, lighting and air conditioning. The amount of control wiring needed can be reduced by using a common standardised data network to link the systems together, creating a so-called integrated system. The network cabling can be prefabricated;

• standardised, structured information technology (IT) networks for data and voice communications. Structured IT wiring is well established and, apart from the latest high performance variants, covered by a European standard. For performance and practical reasons, only short lengths of IT cable tend to be prefabricated.