ACADEMICS at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) have secured funding to explore how to best digitise Scotland’s building standards system.
Currently, the process of applying for approval documents – such as building warrants and completion certificates – varies between a digital and paper-based system, which prompted researchers from GCU’s Built Environment Asset Management (BEAM) Centre to collate the needs of all those who need to engage with the process.
The building standards division of the Scottish Government is funding the project, with Built Environment – Sustainable Transition (BE-ST) acting as programme leads, supported by several other Scottish Universities. GCU has received £132,200 for its part.
Professor Billy Hare, co-director of the BEAM Centre, said, “We will ascertain the needs of all system users, from local authority building standards officers to architects and contractors, to members of the public.
“This will help the Scottish Government with the implementation of their digital strategy for the building-standards system, ensuring whatever digital solution that is developed in the future, is tailored to help as many stakeholders as possible to easily and effectively access and use the system, to help move away from a paper-based system.”
Dr Michael Tong, principal investigator and head of department for construction & surveying at GCU, added, “This research aims to improve the value of data within the building standards system. We will be focusing on the establishment of a national register of approvals and compliance information for high-risk buildings, a national digital building standards register and digital compliance for SMEs.”
The project team is scheduled to report its findings by October this year, with new systems potentially being rolled out over the next couple of years, GCU said. The GCU team consists of Professor Hare, Dr Tong, Tony Kilpatrick, Dr Farhad Sadeghineko, Dr Michael McGuire, Professor Craig Thomson, and Dr Kenneth Lawani.
