A Hull digital construction consultancy is now working with some of the country’s leading social housing organisations, architects and developers in a Government-led initiative to ensure there is never a repeat of the Grenfell Tower disaster.
Operance, based at C4DI, is providing both practical expertise and software to the Golden Thread Initiative (GTI), a collaboration of industry professionals launched to trial Government proposals.
It is a digital way of working to enable a systematic, controlled approach to the management of building safety information throughout their design, construction, refurbishment and management.
It was one of the key recommendations of the Hackitt Report into the failures that led to 72 people losing their lives in the 2017 tragedy.
The process documents decisions made and who by. In doing so, it will provide increased accountability and ownership of decision-making through the design, build and occupation phases.
Sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the eight-month initiative, led by housing association L&Q, launched in November and is split into specific working groups. It reports back later this year.
As a leading digital estates software developer and consultancy practice, Operance was invited to join the GTI and is represented across several of the working groups.
The company, known as Bimsense before taking the product’s name, is developing its own pioneering software to define, coordinate and audit building operations and maintenance information.
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Scott Pilgrim, chief product officer at Operance, now a member of GTI’s Information Management Platform working group, said: “It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to share our knowledge and expertise with the GTI to help transform the construction industry, making buildings safer and protecting lives.
“Our vision to create a digital golden thread is completely aligned to that of the GTI. A disaster like Grenfell must never be allowed to happen again and for that to happen, it’s imperative leading industry professionals come together in this way to drive fundamental and lasting change.
“As well as being able to provide our own insights through this forum, Operance’s participation in the project means we can listen and learn from all of those involved to understand fully what the industry needs.
“This will be a huge benefit to the development of our platform, ensuring it is truly revolutionary.”
A full release is planned for the summer, with testing ongoing now.