Finding the right fenestration products shouldn’t feel like archaeology. Yet too often, architects spend hours chasing technical data across disparate websites, piecing together performance specifications, and hoping the information is current.
NBS Source changes this entirely and Norrsken’s integration with the platform represents something more significant than product listings. It’s about giving you the tools to specify quality products with confidence.
Key Takeaways:
- NBS Source provides structured data for 28,000+ products from 1,100+ manufacturers in one searchable platform
- NBS Chorus creates specifications 70% faster through pre-authored clauses and real-time collaboration
- Direct integration allows architects to add products from NBS Source straight into Chorus specifications
- BIM objects download alongside specifications for seamless Revit, Archicad, and Vectorworks integration
- Verified, regularly updated data reduces specification errors and supports confident decision-making
- Norrsken’s Passive House-certified windows and doors (U-values as low as 0.64 W/m²K) include verified technical data and BIM objects
What NBS Source and NBS Chorus Actually Do
NBS Source functions as a centralised platform for construction product data, hosting over 28,000 products from 1,100+ manufacturers. Products come with structured, comparable specifications rather than marketing brochures disguised as technical sheets. Filter by performance or sustainability criteria, download BIM objects, and access third-party certifications – all in one place.
NBS Chorus takes this further by connecting product selection directly to specification writing. The cloud-based specification software, used by over 3,500 practices globally, enables teams to create technical specifications 70% faster through pre-authored master clauses and real-time collaboration.
When you find a suitable window system in NBS Source, you can add it directly to your project specification in Chorus and download BIM objects for seamless integration with design tools like Revit.
Why This Matters for Fenestration Specifications
Window and door specifications carry particular weight in project outcomes. Miscalculated U-values compromise the building’s energy performance as a whole. Overlooked acoustic requirements create comfort issues no amount of landscaping can remedy. Incompatible systems lead to installation delays and cost overruns.
These aren’t hypothetical concerns. The Architect’s Journey to Specification research found that only 52% of firms report effective specification processes, with specification writing remaining a major time drain despite its critical importance. For fenestration – where performance data directly impacts regulatory compliance, passive house certification, and long-term building performance – the stakes are particularly high.
Norrsken‘s NBS Source presence addresses this by providing architects with verified, structured data on our most popular Passive House window and door systems. Our architect tools include PHPP data and compliance documentation. We know that when you’re specifying for a low energy project, you need confidence that the data you’re working from is accurate and current.
The Partnership Approach
Listing products on a platform is straightforward enough. What makes the integration valuable is how it changes the relationship between manufacturer and specifier, providing structured data that flows directly into your specifications and BIM models.
Specification accuracy plays a role in protecting and enhancing your reputation. When a contractor questions the specification, when a client asks about performance claims, when building control requires compliance evidence – having immediate access to verified manufacturer data through NBS Source provides the confidence to stand behind your decisions.
NBS maintains and updates content regularly, meaning the specifications you’re writing today reflect the products and standards that will be relevant when the project reaches site.
Streamlining the Architect Workflow
The Old Way
Previously, specifying fenestration involved a familiar dance: search manufacturer websites, download PDFs, cross-reference performance data, manually enter specifications, update BIM objects separately. Then hope everything stays coordinated through design development.
The Integrated Approach
With NBS Source and Chorus, the workflow compresses significantly. Search for the performance criteria your project requires, compare options using consistent data formats, add selected systems directly to your specification, download corresponding BIM objects for your model, and maintain synchronisation as specifications develop. Time savings compound across projects while specification errors drop considerably
For practices working on passive house or ultra-low energy projects, this efficiency gain facilitates more precise coordination between thermal performance, airtightness details, and fenestration specifications. Having reliable, verified data at your fingertips makes the difference between confident specification and anxious second-guessing.
Moving Forward
Better information management isn’t coming to construction – it’s already here for practices ready to use it. For Norrsken, being part of this ecosystem means we can support architects more effectively – not just by making good windows, but by making them easy to specify correctly.
Whether you’re working on your first project or your fiftieth, having access to structured, verified product data shouldn’t feel revolutionary. It should be standard practice. That’s what NBS enables, and why our integration with the platform matters for anyone specifying high-performance fenestration.
See what architects are saying about our products and service on Trustpilot, and explore our complete range on NBS Source to experience specification as it should be.
