The Golden Thread of building information is currently being defined as part of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) sponsored ‘Golden Thread Initiative’ project.

The Operance team is invited to participate in the project and share our experience and software to help define the information requirements and provide the first working example for the Golden Thread.

The final requirements of the Golden Thread will be defined in secondary legislation.

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What we know now is that your Golden Thread needs to contain accurate, up-to-date information about the design, construction and ongoing maintenance of buildings.

It’s likely that the legislation will require information about:

• Building Safety
• Fire Safety
• Structural Safety

However, it’s anticipated that, over time, more information will be required, such as Asset Information for assets that don’t fall within one of the above categories.

The Golden Thread is essentially a digital way of working that enables a systematic, controlled approach to construction, refurbishment and management of occupied buildings, to manage building safety information.

The best way to comply is to create a standardised digital package to make sure all your buildings and the assets within your estates develop uniform building safety information.

We’d recommend creating and controlling this data at the component level (the assets and elements of which make up the building) in three ways:

• What – What information is required. Use templates and checklists to define and audit standardised information.
• When – The timing of when and who supplies the information. Software platforms such as Operance O&M linked to master project programmes need to be used to plan and coordinate your information in a timely manner.
• Where – Where the information is stored. Implement an easy-to-use, open format and non-proprietary software (meaning that information and data can be easily accessed and shared between other digital platforms).

The specifics of what you need to include in your Golden Thread depends on the phase of your project. Below is a breakdown of the two Golden Thread phases and specific gateways at which you need to supply information.

Before construction can commence, the dutyholder must submit key Golden Thread information to the Building Safety Regulator.

This information includes but is not exclusive to:

• Specifications – detailed construction products, materials and component information, including important fire performance capabilities.
• Plans relating to how fire and structural safety risks will be managed.
• Models – digital 3D BIM representations of the building ‘as planned’.
• Fire Statement – details on fire service access and fire fighting water accessibility, which forms the foundation of the fire and emergency file.
• Construction Control Plan – how compliance with Building Regulations will be achieved and how changes will be controlled and recorded.

Major changes affecting any of the above items in relation to safety need to be agreed upon with the principal designer and client and approved by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) in advance.

In order to obtain and validate the information in a timely manner, the new Building Safety Bill process includes the introduction of three ‘Gateways‘:

• Gateway 1: before achieving planning permission.
• Gateway 2: before construction begins.
• Gateway 3: before handover.

The gateways are compliance ‘hard stops’, which require the responsible dutyholder to demonstrate to the new Building Safety Regulator (BSR) how they are actively managing risk. If they do not adequately comply, the BSR can stop the project from proceeding to the next stage of development.

The gateways during the Concept, Design and Construction phases align with the eight RIBA Plan of Works 2020 stages as follows:

The key golden thread information listed above must be submitted to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) before the planning application is submitted.

The updated key Golden Thread information listed above must then be re-submitted to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) before construction begins.

The updated key information is again presented by the dutyholder. Once the final gateway approval certificate is obtained, the Design and Construction phase dutyholer hands over their specific duties to the Accountable Person (AP). This ensures that the regulatory requirements beyond the gateways are met during the next stage: the Occupation Phase.

With all the information updated and reviewed throughout the Design and Construction Phase, the Golden Thread is presented to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) for review. Once satisfied, the BSR issues a Building Assurance Certificate (BAC), which permits occupation.

Note: This certificate could include certain conditions, such as requiring last-minute test certificates before a certain date. The certificate and safety case (identification of hazards and how to control inherent risks) is subject to review every five years.

Your responsibility for the Golden Thread never stops. It’s an ever-evolving process that spans across the facility’s full life story.

The Golden Thread is not something you can develop and complete, you can not employ someone to create it and ‘hand it over’. In fact, the recording and updating of building safety information continue up until the final decommissioning and demolition of the building.