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But this is no easy feat. Even as digitalisation gathers pace, operators must navigate a complex mix of ageing assets, established processes and new technologies, making it difficult to know where to start. Dr Paul Phillips, Technical Director at Associated Asphalt explores why the‘ golden thread’ of information being implemented in the built environment could provide, in part, the answer.

▲ Dr Paul Phillips

Among its critical findings, the 2018 Hackitt Report highlighted how a highly fragmented construction approach, with most teams working in deeply entrenched silos, had contributed to a number of systemic building safety failures. Information was often lost as projects moved between clients, architects, contractors and sub-contractors, while key data was scattered across different teams and platforms, making it difficult to access up-todate, comprehensive building information. Put bluntly, without a cohesive whole, it was all too easy for standards to slip through the cracks.

In response, government reforms introduced the‘ golden thread’ requirement as part of wider building safety changes. This demands a continuous digital record of a building’ s design, materials, decisions and changes, accessible to all stakeholders to ensure safety, traceability and accountability throughout its lifecycle.

The result is more than a regulatory shakeup but rather a cultural shift in construction. For decades, construction projects have been shaped by fragmented communication, limited knowledge sharing and siloed working. Beyond inefficiency, this disjointed approach has left the sector vulnerable to miscommunication, misinterpretation and systematic failure. This new way of working addresses those issues by redefining transparency, accountability and traceability through a unified‘ big picture’ approach which, in effect, is redefining how infrastructure is designed, delivered and maintained.

So why does this matter for roadbuilding? While highways and roads, of course, are a very different type of asset, they are not immune to the same challenges of fragmented oversight, inconsistent data and limited lifecycle visibility. Arguably then, as we see it, the sector could benefit vastly from a similar type of approach.

Hurdles ahead

To understand the potential benefits of a golden thread in roadbuilding, it’ s important to first consider the current challenges.

Only recently, the Department for Transport( DfT) acknowledged that local road condition data is poor and outdated, leaving significant

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