Traceability for Built Assets: Proposed Framework for a Digital Record

Abstract

In May 2018, the UK Government published an independent review of building regulations and fire safety in response to the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower. The Hackitt Review identified the need for traceability; a ‘golden thread’ preserving critical information about design intent and the as-constructed building in a proposed Digital Record (DR). This study proposes a framework for a DR for traceability of all built assets, new and existing. Three structured workshops including four working groups were held with industry practitioners and academics to collaboratively establish definitions of traceability and a DR. The key requirements of the DR were identified through development of 63 use cases. Building on traceability systems research in other industries, a framework for traceability of built assets was developed and analysed with industry. The framework, containing both information chains, supply chains and unique identification of traceable items, is outlined in this paper and its key components are discussed along with identification of areas for further research.