Despite regulation, many organisations continue to struggle with managing building information effectively — a challenge that introduces additional risks. Maria Hudson, Zutec’s chief marketing officer, shares insights from a recent snapshot poll of asset owners that reinforces this view and what can be done to overcome these challenges
The Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) has galvanised a transformative shift in technology adoption within the construction and property management industries. Its focus on ensuring safer buildings by mandating robust data management and compliance frameworks has placed technology at the forefront of achieving these objectives.
However, Zutec’s survey found that an overwhelming 85% of those polled are struggling to meet the digital requirements of the Building Safety Act (BSA).
The BSA was introduced to improve safety standards in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. It mandates that asset owners establish a “golden thread” of information: an accurate, up-to-date and easily accessible digital record of a building’s data and information throughout its lifecycle.
However, Zutec’s findings show 70% of asset owners struggle with building safety and maintenance due to disparate systems and formats, hindering effective golden thread management.
Alarmingly, only 27% reported having their asset information fully digitised and managed for compliance with the BSA.
Barriers to tech adoption: Organisations facing setbacks
While 56% of survey respondents feel well-positioned to embrace new tools, a significant 44% are still struggling with technology adoption.
Many organisations rely on platforms such as SharePoint or Dropbox, which, while useful for general file storage, are not designed to handle the unified data management or compliance demands required by the BSA. This lack of optimisation hinders the creation of the golden thread of information, a vital component of BSA compliance.
Legacy data further complicates the issue. A vast amount of building information exists in outdated formats such as paper, Excel spreadsheets and PDFs, none of which are meta-tagged for easy searchability.
As a result, 55% of respondents reported difficulty locating crucial information, 35% stated difficulty in managing information effectively while others shared their struggle to update (27%) or share data (27%).
Digitising this legacy data is one of the most significant hurdles for organisations, with 30% identifying it as a primary challenge. Coupled with the need to meet more comprehensive regulatory requirements, such as creating safety cases, organisations are finding it difficult to achieve seamless data management.
The complexity of integrating existing information into a unified, accessible system underscores the urgent need for purpose-built solutions that address these challenges.
The risks of fragmented data systems
Without overcoming these barriers, fragmented data systems will continue to jeopardise building safety compliance, leaving organisations vulnerable to regulatory non-compliance and compromising the safety of building occupants.
Incomplete or inaccessible information can result in lack of control, delayed maintenance, missed hazards and inadequate safety measures, putting building occupants at risk.
In the context of the UK’s ongoing building safety remediation efforts, the impact of fragmented data becomes even more apparent.
As of October 2024, 4,834 residential buildings over 11m in height have been identified as still having unsafe cladding. Half of these buildings have not yet started remediation work, and only 30% have completed the process.
Efficient data management could play a crucial role in understanding building structure and material used, as well as their impact, and help with expediting remediation efforts, ensuring compliance and enhancing overall safety.
The path forward: Future technology investments
The survey revealed a strong demand for software solutions that improve both accessibility and functionality in building information management.
Asset owners are increasingly prioritising features such as easy searchability (75%) and intuitive data storage and retrieval (67%) to enhance operational efficiency and ensure compliance.
Additionally, capabilities like audit trails (47%), real-time dashboards (40%), reports and analytics (40%), and information gap analysis (30%) were seen as crucial for empowering teams to respond effectively to regulatory demands, improve decision-making and maintain a proactive approach to safety.
Many indicated that a centralised platform with a single dashboard would significantly improve their ability to manage building data, providing quick access, clear audit trails and a reliable golden thread of accountability.
Organisations must invest in solutions for robust, transparent data management to meet regulatory demands and ensure building safety. A unified platform enhances compliance, speeds up responses and mitigates risks, protecting occupants.
Looking ahead, the industry has expressed clear intentions to invest in advanced solutions, with 22% of respondents prioritising tailored document management platforms or common data environments (CDEs), along with specialised fire safety tools. Digital tools for audits and inspections, such as fire door checks, were also identified as key investment areas.
Future technology investments are crucial for replacing fragmented systems with integrated solutions to streamline modern building safety and compliance.
By doing so, organisations will not only meet regulatory requirements but also enhance safety, reduce risks and improve long-term building management.
The stakes are high, and the path forward requires industry-wide commitment to digitisation, integration and collaboration.
