The Institution of Structural Engineers The Institution of Structural Engineers
Golden thread
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Golden thread

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The golden thread is both the information that allows you to understand a building and the steps needed to keep both buildings and people safe, now and in the future.

All new and existing Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs) will need to develop a Golden Thread of compliance and safety information.

The golden thread holds the information that those responsible for the building require to:

  • show that the building was compliant with applicable building regulations during its construction, ongoing management and refurbishment

  • identify and manage building safety risks to prevent or reduce the consequences of fire spread or structural collapse

  • covers both the information and documents and the information management processes

  • should be stored as structured digital information in line with the golden thread principles.

The institution is deveoping digital standards.

Building safety should include the fire and structural safety of a building and the safety of all the people in or in the vicinity of a building (including emergency responders).

The golden thread principles

The golden thread should be:

1. Accurate and trusted
2. Residents feeling secure in their homes
3. Culture change: an enabler for better and more collaborative working.
4. Single source of truth: all information together in a single place
5. Secure
6. Accountable: record changes.
7. Understandable/consistent
8. Simple to access (accessible)
9. Longevity/durability and shareability of information
10. Relevant/proportionate

A detailed explanation of each of the Golden principles can be found in the building regulations section of the UK Government website.

Useful information and resources

<h4>Building a digital workflow in practice</h4>

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<h4>An introduction to Building Information Modelling (BIM)</h4>

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This introduction to BIM will help structural engineers and technicians to understand how it can support their work. It clearly explains what BIM is and how it affects the structural engineering profession.

<h4>BIM Handbook, Third Edition</h4>

BIM Handbook, Third Edition

Provides an in-depth understanding of BIM technologies and the business issues associated with its implementation.