Blog

As the UK’s national standards body, BSI publishes a plethora of standards to support those who operate within the built environment. Here, Dan Rossiter FCIAT, sector lead at BSI as well as vice-president technical at the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists, highlights three in particular.

Recently, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has published several further regulations under the Building Safety Act 2022. Reading through these new statutory instruments it is interesting to see how important the generation, structuring, and classifying of information is to support building safety. However, it is worth noting that the regulatory duty to provide information is nothing new. Historically, there has always been a duty to provide information.

As the built environment undergoes its digital transformation, there are several concepts which underpin this transformation. Whilst BIM and information management (via the UK BIM Framework) and interoperability (via the GIIG) have been explored in detail, metadata has remained a relatively unexplored topic.

When it comes to sharing information, no tool is as widely used as Portable Document Format (PDF). As a data format PDF is incredibly durable. This is likely due to its adoption within widely used software; making the creation and viewing of PDFs almost frictionless. PDF is also one of the few digital formats which has persisted across its decades of use.

It’s hard to overstate the significance of the new and emerging legislation and the effect it should have on every entity involved in the conception, design, creation, use and decommissioning of existing and new buildings and infrastructure work in the United Kingdom. As always, it’s beneficial to step back and widen our gaze to other sectors. Let’s look at how they have responded to comparable changes.

A new government report has called for the introduction of a consistent labelling and traceability system to improve the way products used in the built environment sector are marketed pre-installation. ‘Testing for a Safer Future: An Independent Review of the Construction Product Testing Regime’ outlines 20 detailed recommendations as part of a review of the whole system of construction product regulation.

In the built environment sector, having accurate and comprehensive product information is essential for the success of any project. The lack of complete and reliable product information, including specifications, certifications, materials passport and installation guidelines, can have wide-ranging consequences.

Circular construction is an emerging business strategy that promotes the reuse and recycling of as many raw materials as possible in a bid to minimise CO2 emissions and waste to landfill. Circular construction, as an important component of sustainable development, is focused on promotion of the maximum reuse and recycling of raw materials and products to reduce waste and CO2 emissions.

Poor building data is one of the biggest issues currently facing the construction industry. It results in costly delays, miscommunication and inefficiencies, resulting in a decrease in productivity and an increase in costs. Fortunately, digital ID technology’s use in furthering product traceability can provide a solution to this ongoing problem.

The built environment is transforming the way buildings are designed, constructed, monitored, maintained, and managed. However, one persistent challenge that continues to plague the sector is poor traceability and visibility, as well as the lack of correct/useful product information.

Dame Judith Hackitt has once again called for product traceability to form part of regulatory measures to increase building standards and safety.

Whilst many innovations are being suggested to realize building safety, there is no doubt that good quality product information will be key.

In the previous blogs in this series, I examined the progress our sector has made in the past decade or so. As explained progress is not the neat, linear path that we would maybe wish for, but that trial and error, despite being the most resilient path to change is seldom the most direct.

In this second blog, Andrew Krebs explores where the physical and digital worlds intersect.

Looking closely, there’s an uneasy link between the progression of technology and that of societies. It can be the society which drives the technology, or vice-versa. Usually there is an unquantifiable mixture of both meaning the march of progress resembles more of a stagger.

The word ‘change’ is frequently applied to construction, particularly in terms of the industry needing to adapt to smarter more sustainable ways of working and create safer, more energy-efficient buildings. But is the sector ready or even willing to embrace the opportunities that come its way thanks to advances in building technology?

The industry is facing many challenges and everyone will need to adapt accordingly. This adaptability is particularly pertinent to manufacturers as we rely on their innovations to help us create better buildings.

The ingenious service uses digital identifier technology to allow specifiers and installers universal access to proven, accurate, resilient product data. So, how does BSI Identify work, and why should manufacturers adopt this system?

It can be said that the chosen procurement strategy is the most significant factor in the success of a construction project.

Innovation and the implementation of breakthrough technologies in the built environment can crucially contribute to lowering its carbon footprint.

BSI Identify has published a digital whitepaper highlighting the need for improved building product traceability to improve standards in construction safety and sustainability.

Learn more about how digital technologies and smart engineering transform the built environment.

Learn more about digital platforms that could ultimately facilitate virtual design and construction of multiple building systems.

Hear from Dr Seyed Ghaffar on the digitalization of processes and products to improve efficiency and sustainability within the built environment.

In this blog, we are going to outline the challenges market actors face when dealing with the journey of constructions products through the supply chain.

How does the home of the future look like? Let's have a look at home ownership 2.0 and how digital traceability can transform our lives

Find out more about digital transformation in the built environment and how standards can help you.

Find out how to mitigate the impact of the lack of availability of constructions products following a pandemic and global conflicts.

Discover what challenges lie ahead in the digitalization of the built environment sector.

Find out more about the Insulfix story and how they are using BSI Identify.

Find out more about the Lexicon project and how it can work with BSI Identify to help the industry make product information accessible.

Read this blog to find out more about the DOI Foundation and how DOI technology can be applied to the built environment.

Why does product traceability matter? This is the question we set out to answer during our webinar with Barbour ABI on the issue of traceability in the supply chain.

In this blog, Oliver Perry, Co-Founder of The Guid3d Home outlines the main challenges faced by home builders and homeowners in the handover process.

An interview with the CPA's Peter Caplehorn and BSI's Dan Rossiter

Access the CCPI and discover the 4 clauses we can help with.