F10: BRICK/BLOCK WALLING Engineering bricks, BS 3921,

Category F, 215 x 102.5, class B;

in cement mortar (1:3)

➤ Figure B2. Bill of Quantities

36 BIM

BIM See Building Information Modelling.

Bimetallic corrosion A type of corrosion arising when two different metals are placed in contact in a corrosive environment (such as steel and aluminium). A small electric current fl ows from one piece of metal to the other (electrolytic action) accelerating the corrosion rate of the more reactive of the two metals. Bimetallic corrosion is sometimes found when new piping is added to old pipelines. The old pipeline covered by rust is cathodic to the new pipe, thus accelerating the corrosion rate in the new pipe.

BIM Maturity Levels The extent to which BIM is implemented as defi ned by Mark Bew and Mervyn Richards in their 2008 BIM Maturity Diagram.

Maturity levels include: Level 0, Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3.

Bio-fouling and Corrosion Control Bio-fouling and Corrosion Control are terms used in the engineering and oil and gas industry to limit risk of damage to equipment such as condensers and compressors.

Biomass Biodegradable organic material from plants, animals and micro-organisms, including gases and liquids that can be used as an energy source. For example, pellitized wood strips used as boiler fuel.

Biomass gasifi cation A process which involves thermally converting biomass to simple chemical building blocks that can be transformed to fuels, products, power and hydrogen. Components include feed preparation, the biomass gasifi er, and a gas treatment and cleaning train.

The initial syngas contains particulates and other contaminants and must be cleaned and conditioned prior to use in fuels, chemical or power conversion systems (eg catalyst beds or fuel cells). Increasingly used in secondary power generation. Biomass Gasifi cation Power Generation Technology converts agricultural waste (such as rice husk, wood chips, straw, domestic rubbish and silage) to combustible biomass gas by gasifi cation technology.

Birmingham Wire Gauge (BWG) A standard for the measurement of the sizes of wire and pipes. It is also known as Stub’s Wire Gauge. BWG is implied where gauge numbers are provided for a pipe without reference to a particular system.

BIS See Department for Business Innovation and Skills.

Bitumen A black, oily, viscous petroleum based material that is a naturally-occurring organic by-product of decomposed materials. Traditionally used in roof repairs and damp proofi ng masonry. Although the unqualifi ed term “bitumen” is usually understood to refer specifi cally to asphaltic bitumen, the word “bituminous” is habitually used to describe both surface coatings deriving from coal tar and those based on bitumen.

Bitumen felt A fl exible material for roofi ng incorporating bitumen.

Bituminous paint Used for waterproofi ng and to protect metals.

Bituminous paints divide into two main classes; those of petroleum origin and those of coal tar origin. Black bitumen solution is used for the general protection of iron and steelwork such as water tanks, gutters, down pipes and can also be used as protection against moisture and corrosive atmospheres on both steelwork and timber.

Black book The name given to a collection of guidance notes covering quantity surveying and construction activities, which are produced by the RICS Quantity Surveying and Construction Professional Group.

The Blue Book 37 Black start Black start gas is used for energising plant in gas treatment

plants and power stations.

Blank panel Opaque infi ll to a frame used instead of glazing.

Blast cleaning (or Blasting) A process of treating a surface by propelling a high velocity stream of abrasive or water towards it by forcing the stream out of a pipe with compressed air.

Bleed Valve Values used in any pressurised system or circuit to permit controlled “bleeding” of fl uids or gas. Common uses are in central heating, air conditioning and compressed air lines.

Blinding A layer of (usually) coarse sand, gravel or weak concrete applied to an area intended for construction activity or plant movement. It increases the bearing capacity and drainage characteristics of the ground and is used to even the surface of hardcore if a damp-proof membrane or reinforced concrete will be placed on top. _➤ Figures E3 & R2.

Blind nailing Concealed or secret nailing, so that nail heads do not show, particularly in fi nished work, on window and door frames.

Blistering (1) Bubbles in a paint surface caused by moisture or resin vapourising under the surface. (2) Swelling in fi nished plasterwork, a defect which may cause the fi nishing coat to fall away from the background.

Block diagram A type of fl ow-chart or diagram using blocks connected by straight lines to represent the relationship of the component parts.

When used to represent electrical circuits, it is sometimes known as a Single-line diagram.

Blockmaker A machine for making concrete building blocks. Vary in applications from factory based to mobile units.

Blockwork Factory produced masonry (larger than traditional bricks) of precast concrete or derivatives in various densities. Used in the construction of walls, and in beam and block fl oors. Usually laid in cement mortar. Not typically used in “face” work.

Bloor Construction (UK) Ltd v Bowmer and Kirkland (London) Ltd [2000]

BLR 314: In the absence of a specifi c agreement by the parties to the contrary, there is to be implied into the agreement for adjudication the power of the adjudicator to correct an error arising from an accidental slip or omission or to clarify or remove any ambiguity in the decision which he has reached, provided this is done within a reasonable time and without prejudicing the other party (the “slip rule”). The slip rule has subsequently been codifi ed by s140 of LDEDCA. See also YCMS Ltd v Grabiner [2009] EWHC 127 (TCC); [2009] BLR 211.

Blow down In connection with boilers or cooling towers, the process of discharging or draining water to remove accumulated salts and other impurities or the name given to the water which is blown down or discharged.

Blowhole, superfi cial void A bubble of air trapped on the surface of concrete, not driven out during vibration.

The Blue Book (1) See Tree Preservation Orders: A Guide to the Law and Good Practice (2000).(2) The National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (or “the NAECI” or “Blue Book”) sets terms and conditions of employment for hourly-paid engineering

38 BLR

construction workers on major engineering construction projects and repair and maintenance sites throughout the United Kingdom.

BLR See Building Law Reports.

Blue pencil test The severability of a contract if the several parts are independent of one another and can be severed without the severance affecting the meaning of the remaining part. This is sometimes expressed by saying that the severance can be effected when the part severed can be removed by running a blue pencil through it. “This is a fi gurative way of expressing the principle, and like most fi gurative expressions may possibly lead to misunderstanding”: see Attwood v Lamont [1920] 3 KB 571, 578. The test is particularly applicable to contractual provisions which are illegal or unenforceable.

BMS See Building Management System.

Bodkin A hand tool used for the binding of legal documents with thread or ribbon. Also known as a “bodger”.

The Bolam test Mcnair J laid down the applicable test for the standard of care for professionals. Here, it was held that a doctor was not necessarily negligent if he conformed to a practice accepted as proper by some responsible members of his profession, even if other members would have taken a different view. Evidence of an accepted practice must be responsible and reasonable. Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957] 2 All ER 118. ■ See Negligence.

Bona fi de Latin: “in good faith”.

Bond (1) See Performance bond. (2) The adhesion of one material to another. (3) The pattern formed in brickwork by the confi guration of the bricks. A variety of face bonds are used although, historically, Flemish bond (alternate headers and stretchers in each course) predominated domestically, whilst English bond (alternate courses of headers and stretchers) was favoured industrially. _➤Figure B3

Bonded screed There are two basic methods of screed construction:

bonded to a concrete base or unbonded, both being covered by BS 8204-1.

Bonding (1) The adhesion of two materials; (2) The connecting together of all non-current-carrying metal parts to form an electrically conductive path that enables current to be conducted safely. ■ See Earthing. Bonding agent A treatment applied to a base substrate to increase the

adhesion of subsequent applications of materials.

Bonding plaster A backing plaster used on smooth surfaces which are diffi cult to bond to.

Bondsman The issuer of a bond (also known as a surety or guarantor).

The Bondsman is usually a bank, insurance company or specialist bonding company.

Bonus An additional payment, such as on to a contractor for early completion. The NEC contract provides for addition to the price payable for the work in certain circumstances.

Boom (1) The Jib of a crane; (2) A truck used to hoist heavy material up and into place.

BOOT See Build, own, operate, transfer.

Breach of contract 39

Boot lintel An L-shaped (boot-shaped) lintel, with the main body of the lintel inside the cavity wall, thereby reducing the depth of the lintel exposed on the external wall. Boot lintels can result in condensation and Cold bridging.

Bored piling Piling formed by pouring concrete into previously formed bores.

BOT See Build, operate and transfer. Bottom chord See Chord. _➤ Figure T4.

Bottom plate The lowest horizontal member of a framed partition which rests on the rough fl oor, to which the studding is nailed.

Box girder A hollow beam.

Brace A structural member (strut or tie) used to stabilise and stiffen a framework.

Braced frame A structural frame (columns and beam) with additional stability provided by diagonal cross-bracing. A structural system designed to work both in tension and compression.

BRE See Building Research Establishment.

Breach of contract A failure by a party to comply with a term of a contract. The term may be: a condition, breach of which would entitle the other party to regard itself as discharged from further performance (repudiation); a warranty, breach of which would only entitle the other party to damages or an innominate term, breach of which could have either

Flemish Bond

stretcher course header course

English Bond

perpend bed joint course

➤ Figure B3. Brick Bonds

40 Breakwater

effect, depending on the circumstances. ■ See Damages,Repudiation and Specifi c performance.

Breakwater A structure designed to protect a beach or harbour from the force of waves.

Breather membrane A membrane which repels water (for example, that which has penetrated the external lead of a Cavity Wall) but still allows water vapour to escape from the other side.

BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) BREEAM was fi rst launched in 1990 to provide an environmental assessment and labelling scheme for buildings. It is updated periodically to ensure that the scheme continues to represent best practice. BREEAM has been used to assess the environmental performance of both new and existing buildings. It is regarded by the UK’s construction and property sectors as the measure of best practice in environmental design and management.

BREEAM addresses wide-ranging environmental and sustainability issues and enables developers and designers to prove the environmental credentials of their buildings to planners and clients.

Brickbat (1) A piece of a brick, often used as a weapon; (2) A critical remark or comment.

Brick slip (Brick Tiles, Brick Cladding) Thin facing bricks used for cladding. May be used where the use of a full brick is impossible or impractical. They provide an actual brick fi nish but without the full depth of a traditional brick.

Brick veneer Thin facing bricks applied to a surface. Typically non-structural.

Bricklayer’s scaffold (Putlog Scaffold) A scaffolding for use by bricklayers supported by putlogs, which have a fl attened end to fi t into raked-out holes in the bed joints, the other end being carried on ledgers held up by the standards.

Brief A set of instructions or documents, or both, for an advocate.

Brise soleil A French word which literally means breaking, crushing or smashing the sun. In construction, it is a building component designed to prevent solar gain inside buildings. It consists of a shade positioned over a window in such a way as to prevent the sun from directly hitting the glazing. Unlike a blind or awning which can be extended or retracted, the brise soleil is a permanent structure. In summer, when the sun is high in the sky, the brise soleil blocks the sunlight from warming the inside of the building. In winter, however, when the sun is low in the sky, the positioning of the brise soleil is such that the sun passes beneath it and thus enables the building to benefi t from the sun’s energy.

British Board of Agrément (BBA) An independent assessment and approval body which can certify that a material or product is fi t for purpose. ■ See Agrément Certifi cate. An Agrément Certifi cate is awarded to a product only after it has successfully passed a comprehensive assessment involving laboratory testing, on-site evaluations and inspections of production, the latter to check that the manufacturer has a factory production control system in operation that will ensure that the specifi cation of the product will be maintained

Btu, BThU 41 consistently. The main focus of the Agrément process is the evaluation of the extent to which the product allows compliance with relevant building regulations and other statutory or non-statutory requirements to be achieved.

British Standards (BS) Standards established and approved by the British Standards Institution relating to the performance of products or services.

British Standards Institution (BSI) Independent national standards-making body. BSI is a non-profi t distributing organisation globally recognised as an independent and impartial body serving both the private and public sectors, working with manufacturing and service industries, businesses and governments to facilitate the production of British, European and International Standards. As well as facilitating the creation of BS, BSI is the United Kingdom’s National Standards Body (NSB) and represents the United Kingdom’s interests across all of the European and International Standards committees.

British thermal unit (Btu) The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by 1°F. This is the standard measurement used to state the amount of energy that a fuel has, as well as the amount of output of any heat-generating device.

Broom-fi nish concrete Smooth, levelled concrete which fi nished by drawing a broom across it to make it a slip-resistant surface. As known as

“brushed fi nish.”

Brown-fi eld site A potential building site which has previously been used for another purpose or has previously been developed on. Brown-fi eld sites are often located in industrial areas or city centres and therefore are often subject to diffi cult environmental issues such as contamination.

Brushability The ease with which a coating can be brushed.

Brussels Convention Shortened name for Brussels Convention on Jurisdiction and the Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters 1968. This is superseded by Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 of 22 December 2000 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters.

BS See British Standards.

BS 5606 Guide to accuracy in building – the level of accuracy required for survey work is based on BS 5606: 1990 – Guide to Accuracy in Building.

The accepted deviations in accuracy for site surveys when measuring with a steel tape the accepted range of deviation are as follows:

± 5 mm up to dimensions of 5m;

± 10 mm over 10 m;

± 15 mm for over 25 m,

irrespective of the measuring device.

BSF See Building Schools for the Future. BSI See British Standards Institution.

BSRIA A consultancy, test and research organisation providing construction and building services companies.

Btu, BThU See British thermal unit.

42 Buggeration

Buggeration Builders’ jargon for disruption and consequent uneconomic working. Sometimes used loosely to include prolongation.

Buildability The practicability of the work involved in realising a design by those likely to be employed to do it, in the conditions which can be foreseen, by the exercise of the care and skill ordinarily to be expected of them; fi rst recognised as an aspect of the designer’s duty in Equitable Debenture Assets Corp Ltd v William Moss Group Ltd [1984] 2 ConLR 1 (TCC).

Builder One who carries out building work: there is no statutory restriction on the term’s use.

Builder’s line A length of cord or rope stretched between two points which acts as a marker for building works.

Builder’s level A spirit level or a dumpy level.

Builder’s Work in Connection (BWIC) Work to be carried out by a main contractor to facilitate the execution of subcontract works (often in relation to services items: for example cutting small holes in concrete to allow services to pass). May be charged for as a separate item.

Building In addition to its well-known defi nition as a structure or edifi ce which provides protection from the elements, s336(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 defi nes a building as including “any structure or erection, and any part of a building, as so defi ned, but does not include plant or machinery comprised in a building”. This is particularly signifi cant in relation to planning issues and listed buildings. Furthermore, s2(1) of the Building Regulations 2010, SI 2010/2214 defi nes a building, for the purpose of these regulations, as “any permanent or temporary building but not any other kind of structure or erection, and a reference to a building includes a reference to part of a building”. ■ See Listed building.

Building Act 1984 Legislation which was enacted with the aim of ensuring that the health, safety, welfare and convenience of persons in or about buildings are secured. In addition, it aims to further the conservation of fuel and power and prevent waste, undue consumption, misuse or contamination of water. (See s1 of the Act) The Building Act 1984 only applies in England and Wales and does not extend to Scotland and Northern Ireland. ■ See Approved Documents and Building Regulations.

Building Automation System (BAS) A system for monitoring and coordinating building services by the use of computer programs.

Building contract A contract whereby one person, the builder, agrees to build or construct some work on behalf of some other person, the employer or building owner, usually to be carried out on that other person’s land. A building contract can also be described as a construction contract, and sometimes an engineering contract.

Building control Laws and procedures to ensure that buildings are built correctly. The main function of building control is to ensure compliance with the building regulations. This function is carried out by a Building Control Body (BCB), either the local authority building control service or a private sector approved inspector (AI). Certain types of building work can be self-certifi cated as compliant with building regulations by a member of a Competent Person Scheme without the need to notify a BCB.

Building permit (Building Consent) 43 Building Control and Management System (BCMS) See Building

management system (BMS).

Building control offi cer Main functions of a building control offi cer include the following: checking of plans and details of buildings to be erected or altered, regular inspection of work in progress to ensure that the building work is in accordance with building regulations, management of buildings and structures identifi ed as being in a dangerous condition, management of the demolition of buildings, management of improved access to buildings for people with disabilities, guidance and advice on all types of buildings and constructional problems including those not subject to building regulation control.

Building employer See Employer.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) The process of creating and managing information concerning a building, typically in a three-dimensional computer model which embeds data relating to its construction and uses

Building Information Modelling (BIM) The process of creating and managing information concerning a building, typically in a three-dimensional computer model which embeds data relating to its construction and uses