Aims to drive digital information strategies, management and modelling across the built environment
Emma Hooper, vice-chair of buildingSMART UK&I, is to head up BuildData Group’s new Research Institute. Hooper will be responsible for research and development (R&D) across the group’s brands, Zutec & Createmaster.
The BuildData Group Research Institute will focus on the importance of information as data, its role today and tomorrow as a valuable asset, and devise strategies and concepts to build out an information theory that will drive better building outcomes.
“Our belief is that the industry requires a centre of excellence that looks at the bigger picture of information management and a common data framework, acting as think tank to help educate and shape data strategies,” says Hooper.
“Our findings will feed into the wider work of BuildData Group to help provide the communications, services and products which will benefit one of the least digitised industry in the world — construction. However, crucially it will feed into the industry itself and how we can take an integrated approach to ensure better connected and structured data which has a consistent digital language as the industry moves towards a golden thread of information.”
The BuildData Group Research Institute has launched with a paper written by Hooper: “Rethinking Information Management and Modelling”, which focuses on whether the golden thread of information, a requirement of the Building Safety Act, is a product of good information management, asking the question and reviewing what needs to happen to improve the management of information across the built environment?
BuildData Group operates a suite of companies designed to derive meaningful value from data throughout the entire building lifecycle.
The Group recently renamed its Bond Bryan Digital brand to Createmaster Information Management to help improve the way building information is specified, delivered and managed across the whole life of an asset.
Prior to her new role, Hooper was associate director, head of research and development at Bond Bryan Digital, which was spun out Bond Bryan Architects in 2016.
Hooper was central to AEC Magazine’s IFC Special Report, produced in collaboration with buildingSMART United Kingdom & Ireland.
Her presentation at AEC Magazine’s NXT BLD – Information models and the future of IFC – can be seen below.
