Buildings undergo many changes during their lifespan. Ownership can change and elements of the structure itself can be modified or added to, maybe several times. In this article, we’ll explain how Kawneer has introduced a digital solution that will last the whole lifetime of a structure.
“Effective information management and audit tools are needed if data is to meet quality thresholds and add value in aggregation, while respecting the data protection priorities of all parties.” – RICS Built Environment Journal article: “Dealing with Data to Improve Reliability”.
Historically, one of the key issues in the process of change has been availability of legacy information of exactly what building components were used and, indeed, how they were installed and what were the key considerations that led to their specification.
All this is essential data, but where is it?
Key members of the original design and build teams inevitably move on and critical project records have all too often simply vanished in that process, potentially creating uncertainty in terms of future construction product compliance.
A lack of façade intelligence gathering can have a wide range of implications, impacting repair work, safety considerations and ordering replacement or additional components.
Legislation, including the Building Safety Act 2022 and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, plus CE Marking, PAS and BS Standards, calls for the retention of key project data for the lifetime of a structure, ultimately creating a “Golden Thread” of information.
Recognising the need for clarity and transparency in this area, Kawneer introduced KawneerTag. Using tag technology, it benefits all building stakeholders, including architects, contractors, subcontractors, occupants, and maintenance teams.
KawneerTag is a simple solution to sourcing vital information on our products and their use long into the future, providing a façade digital tag, holding a record of crucial data that’s literally part of the fabric of the building. This effectively creates a smart façade system, promoting truly circular construction.
Using a distinctive tag discretely applied out-of-sight to any Kawneer product, KawneerTag features a printed QR code that can simply be scanned on a mobile device, providing a link to cloud-stored information that not only identifies what the product is, but also the following:
Fully integrated within the Orgdata LogiKal software suite, KawneerTag can be continuously updated, starting at the manufacturing stage and going right through the fabrication process to building completion and beyond, if necessary.
The process of adding information to KawneerTag can be summarised as Upload. Sync. Install.
Upload – Relevant documents are uploaded to the correct position within LogiKal.
Sync – The position is synced to the appropriate KawneerTag via QR code, which is then fixed to the product.
Install – The product is installed into the building with information that can be accessed at any point in its lifecycle.
This helps to achieve some significant outcomes:
A logical question might be: “What if my project is already completed?”. The really good news is that the KawneerTag can easily be retroactively applied to existing projects.