The concept of a golden thread, or digital golden thread, of information for buildings was initially recommended by Dame Judith Hackitt in her 2018 report, Building a Safer Future. This recommendation aims to aid duty-holders in the design, construction, and management of their higher-risk buildings as holistic systems. It represents a major shift in the approach to safety and compliance in construction following the Grenfell tower disaster in 2017. Essentially, it encompasses the building's development and its ongoing safety and maintenance. The digital golden thread focuses on accuracy—ensuring compliance with building regulations, transparency—documenting who did what and when, including any changes made during or after the design phase, and accountability—confirming that the construction matches the intended design and is safe for occupancy, including safety ratings, with all this information being captured and shared digitally.
Following a two-year transition period, the Building Safety Act came into force on 6 July 2024, Designed to improve the safety of all buildings, but high rises (HRB) in particular, by mandating registration with the new Building Safety Regulator. The duty to ensure arrangements are in place to keep and manage the digital golden thread rests with the client or someone on their behalf. It's concerning that one influential trade body last week reported in Building magazine that after almost 12 months construction clients haven’t shown interest in engaging with the new legislation and that if anything pressure to deliver projects faster and more cheaply is increasing due in part to lack of enforcement with contractors who apply more rigorous safety assessments being priced out of projects.
Duncan Cartlidge FRICS
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