Most retailers, hoteliers and house-builders already have some form of Building Standards. These may be paper-based manuals, or even "electronic paper" which get distributed periodically to the parties who are responsible for implementing them on live projects. In many cases a Building Standard is deemed to be the working drawings from the last completed project which, when stripped of their "site specificness" become the new "Standard".

Even if clients have developed an "on-line" standards system it is often used as a big dumping ground where no-one coordinates the new information or removes out-of-date files. The information is often presented as little more than directory structure and file list, the contents of which may not be obvious. Consequently it is difficult for users to find what they are looking for, different files give conflicting information and there is no clear channel for queries.

Why ICON's Building Standards system is different

Our system is dedicated to providing a secure environment in which the client can brief the Design Team, External Consultants, Contractors, Suppliers and other in-house departments. It was developed specifically as a means of communicating the client's requirements, and not as a bolt-on to a Project Information Exchange system.

All information is comprehensively catalogued by format/brand, location, type, discipline etc. which means that any information can be located quickly and easily. Users can also customise their interface to display the type of information they are interested in, so that a Merchandiser for example doesn't have to wade through masses of Construction details to locate a shelving profile.

The system holds information relating to any aspect of the build and fitout process, and works equally as well with large and small quantities of data. Typically this would include construction details, planning & layout guidelines, operational principles, design and branding guidelines (signage, graphics, finishes etc), equipment & shopfitting specifications, engineering services and, in the Retail sector, merchandising guidelines.

ICON's Added Value

ICON does much more that simply sell you a system and leave you to it. Our experience in developing many different types of standards has led us to develop a system which can adapt to any situation, be it purely textual information or simply a set of CAD drawings.

We have also become skilled in enhancing a client's existing information and by using specially developed templates we help you and your information providers produce quality documentation which translates seamlessly to a web-based environment.

By asking the right questions our team of standards managers can actually help you define your standards. For example, by taking a typical layout we can establish a series of guidelines and principles which determine what modifications can be made if the "ideal" cannot be achieved - often we tease out information you didn't know you had!

At ICON we understand standards and help you make the most of yours.

The core Building Standards system provides: