Overview

This month’s Lunch & Learn dug deep into a topic gaining increasing urgency across the built environment: the Golden Thread of building information. Together with Su Butcher – industry veteran, communicator, and all-around straight-talker – we unpacked not just the legislation, but the lived experience of trying to meet it.

Details

• Where It All Began – starting with the Grenfell tragedy in June 2017, followed by the Building a Safer Future (Hackitt) Report where the Golden Thread concept first emerged, through to the Building Safety Act and its raft of secondary legislation.
  
• Scope Creep – the 2018 Hackitt report envisaged that 2,000 – 3,000 buildings would require a Golden Thread of building information. This later ballooned to 13,000 buildings as a result of Government legislation and could rise further depending on how the Grenfell Inquiry phase 2 recommendations to review the definition of an HRB are handled by the government.
  
• Friction-Filled Reality – Su Butcher candidly described how the prevalence of SMEs in design and construction, the lack of digitisation and digital skills, and broken procurement cycles are hampering Golden Thread progress.
  
• As Built vs As Occupied – Matt Hodges-Long explained the complexity of information management in occupation due to missing information, management knowledge gaps, poor guidance and the practical reality of cost recharge to residents. Policymakers underestimated the complexity of residential property management.
  
• A Path Forward – an unbroken Golden Thread of building information is possible, but it will take coordination, investment and most importantly, time. All parties need to embrace information as a valuable resource, not just a compliance hurdle.

Summary

While we’re still a long way from a reliable ‘cradle to grave’ Golden Thread of building information, the industry needs to continue to develop standards, invest in technology and share best practices. Dame Judith was correct in her intentions and we all need to be realistic about the length of the journey.

Watch the video replay of the Golden Thread webinar here: https://youtu.be/-raF0fTfGZk?si=_ar9gBBfTWzPbSvH