The building industry needs to change its safety culture and embrace digital information in order to rise to the challenges of improved building safety, a new report from the Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC) says.
Published last month, the committee’s report picks up on Dame Judith Hackett’s concept of a ‘golden thread’ running through the lifetime of a building, as set out in her Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. The BRAC report fleshes out what the golden thread means in terms of providing and managing key information about a building’s potential fire and structural safety, and the digital recording and processing of that information. The provisions apply to higher risk buildings – those that are more than 18m or seven storeys high and comprise a minimum of two residential units.
The report emphasises that the golden thread is not just information about a building – it also includes how that information is managed and processed, to ensure it is both accurate and accessible. It applies to the whole life of a building, from design and construction through to occupation. Crucially, the golden thread will record any changes (such as amendments to information, documents or plans), when changes were made and by whom, to help drive improved accountability.
Credit: HENADZ/AdobeStock
The golden thread supports the safety case approach, where those accountable for high-rise and in-scope buildings must ensure reasonable steps are taken to manage fire and structural safety risks through prevention, control and ongoing management. They must set out and justify their approach in their safety case report, which will be assessed by the Building Safety Regulator. The intention is for the regulator and residents to be able to hold accountable those involved in the design, construction and management of a building.
The new regime will place legal responsibilities on those who commission building work, participate in the design and construction process, and those who are responsible for managing structural and fire safety in higher-risk buildings when they are occupied. As the report states: “The golden thread will ensure that the people responsible for these buildings have the right information at the right time to ensure that their building is safe.”
While the report is concerned with the principles of the golden thread, the Government intends to set out the specifics – such as the information that has to be stored in the golden thread and how the information must be kept – in secondary legislation. In design, construction and refurbishment, the golden thread should contain the information needed to demonstrate compliance with specified building regulations. When the building is completed, this information should be handed over to the person responsible for the building (the Accountable Person).
The legislation to enact the golden thread is contained in the Building Safety Bill, currently making its way through parliament. MHCLG will be publishing more detailed requirements in regulations, which will be supported by guidance.
The golden thread will also support a culture change in the industry, as it will require increased competence and capability, different working practices, up to date processes and an emphasis on information management and control. BRAC intends to promote the “development of a culture where building safety is the core priority for those interacting with a building throughout its lifecycle.”
As the report states: “In addition to legislation, significant and immediate industry ownership and culture change is essential. Implementation of a successful golden thread requires a culture of building safety to be at the forefront of safety and information management throughout the lifecycle of a building and embedded within organisations… The golden thread needs to be owned by industry.”
In terms of information management, the report envisages the use of existing British and international standards, as well as the UK BIM (Building Information Modelling) Framework.
In addition to improving building safety, BRAC believes that the golden thread can play a key part in wider digital transformation in the built environment, delivering economic growth, better public services, and greater sustainability.
Although the emphasis of the report is on high rise buildings in scope, the committee notes that the principles of the golden thread are also applicable and relevant to the safety of other buildings. It is hoped that these principles will start being applied to the design, construction and management of all relevant buildings, as the risk from fire is not confined to high-rise buildings.
The full definition of the golden thread by the Building Regulations Advisory Committee is as follows:
[Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.]
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