Following newsof extensive overhauls in building regulations by the UK Government, and pledges to shame housing developers who are non-compliant with current regulation;

Oliver Lockett, Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view on the how the industry must use the enforced COVID-19 downtime to embrace construction’s digital future:

“Huge risks from both supply and demand threaten growth in the industry, with GlobalData forecasting the UK’s construction industry to contract by -2.5% in 2020. However, downtime in the industry could prove to be an excellent opportunity for it to fully embrace the new technology, collaborative tools and skills that embody building information modelling (BIM).

“Building regulations have lacked transparency for a while, but in the wake of 2018’s Hackitt Review, changes will come. Building regulations will get more stringent, forcing firms to embrace technology and techniques that improve building efficiency and safety.

“Instead of seeing this time as a period to scale-down and streamline the workforce, those construction companies that can, should invest in the digital skills required to succeed in construction’s digital future.”