The construction industry is generating more data than ever, yet more information does not automatically lead to better decisions. Julie Bregulla, chief operating officer at the British Board of Agrément (BBA), argues that the real prize lies in data quality, and in building a common language that lets trusted information flow across the whole building lifecycle
The construction industry is in the middle of a profound digital shift. As we design, build and operate in ever more connected ways, the volume of data we generate is growing at extraordinary speed, across design, specification, installation, maintenance and refurbishment, throughout the whole life of a building and across professions and remits. More data does not necessarily lead to better design decisions. In my experience, this is not a given and is often an oversimplification. One can be data-rich but information-poor, a phrase coined in the 1980s and resonating still.
The problem is not volume
The real challenge is rarely the quantity of information available. Equally, data robustness and integrity are increasing exponentially, coupled with rapid advances and refinements in processing, big data analysis, and presentation. Beyond data security, how data is interpreted, used, and deployed for diverse purposes, long- and short-term objectives and goals genuinely matter. Cross-disciplinary data skills, data literacy, assurance protocols, and awareness of biases are all vital to build powerful decision-making models and trust. For me personally, and most encouragingly, good outcomes are linked to effective multi-disciplinary decision-making, collaboration, and driving consensus.
Construction is poised to harness these benefits, as other sectors have. Pharmaceuticals and consumer technology have unlocked advances on many fronts, including gains in productivity, consumer safety, and access. Making data shared, structured and interoperable has been key. Construction as a sector is equally suited to achieving the same transformation, learning the lessons from other sectors and keeping focus on data underpinning our decisions is high in quality, and not merely ‘available’.
Construction needs a common data language and behaviours
Data from many sources is the norm in construction and integration is paramount. A manufacturer holds detailed information about their product, from test information to calculation routines, for typical applications. A specifier, designer, contractor and insurer will each have their own requirements for data, process, add to and store data, each for different purposes, in their own formats, on their own systems.
Blended datasets are the norm; just like our buildings and infrastructure, the single contributing components need to be reliable, consistent, structured and comparable, so a performance value and expectation mean the same thing to everyone who relies on it and can move meaningfully between systems. Encouraging work is already under way, from international data standards to data templates and product information schemes, all helping the industry describe products and their performance in a shared and integrated way. The goal is simple: synchronised information any stakeholder can access, validate and use to meet the shared obligations of our built assets to society.
What makes data valuable
A common language and approach to decision-making is at the centre of creating value. Construction information rarely sits in isolation: it is vital to achieving safety, demonstrates regulatory compliance, informs in-use performance, and guides how an asset is managed and adapted over time.
For data to carry that weight, four things matter. People must use it with the competence to interpret it. Its meaning, and its limitations, must be transparent to those relying on it. It must hold that meaning throughout the asset’s life, not only at the point of specification. And it must be independently verified, so that its reliability does not rest solely in one remit. Independent assessment and certification play an important part in supporting decision-making, translating complex, product-specific claims into a reliable, comparable form, supporting collaborative and effective group interactions, building confidence, and enabling meaningful exchange. The BBA’s Agrément Certificate content is presented in a consistent format, supporting its continued use.
Getting ready for an AI-enabled future
AI has already shown its potential to help us locate, compare and apply data to specific use cases at speed. It also carries a genuine risk. A system that produces a fast, confident-sounding answer from poor or poorly understood data can mislead, so understanding its limitations is vital. The issue is not confined to construction, with the FCA finding that four in five less experienced investors now use AI for investment guidance.
The safeguards apply across sectors and are familiar: clear benchmarking, honest communication about the need for validation, and the importance of competent, personal judgement. Continued attention to well-designed interfaces and competent oversight remain so important. In a world where machines increasingly read our data for us, a consistent language and behaviour matters more than ever.
A shared responsibility
No single organisation can deliver this alone. A genuinely connected, data-driven built environment depends on manufacturers, designers, contractors, insurers, regulators, standards bodies, certification bodies and the software platforms that carry the information, all working towards the same standards of quality and the same shared language. No one of them can assemble the full picture in isolation. It must be built together.
A future built on better decisions
The sector is at a pivotal moment. The demand for transparency has never been greater, and the appetite to use data better is tangible. If we can pair the volume of information now available with the quality, structure, and verification that make it trustworthy, collaboratively owned, and robustly overseen, we have a genuine opportunity to make the built environment safer, smarter, and more efficient.
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