eConstruction plans to restore consumer confidence

Supported by almost $23 million from the Digital Restart Fund, the eConstruction Program aims to digitally transform the building lifecycle to ensure NSW produces trustworthy residential buildings.

When it comes to apartment living, the term high-rise is often linked to high-risk. Recent research by the Office of the Building Commissioner found 39% of apartment buildings completed in the past six years had serious defects. Public confidence in new apartment developments is at an all-time low.

Consumers and investors currently have inadequate information about the risks associated with owning or leasing a strata property.  Decisions are being made without critical information when purchasing a property, or when managing or rectifying issues. This lack of transparency has been difficult to overcome due to siloed legacy systems across government departments that aren’t connected. This inefficient fragmentation has allowed companies and individuals to avoid compliance, making it challenging to enforce regulation.

This is where the eConstruction Program comes in. New digital platforms aim to improve functionality and quality assurance for customers, regulators, insurers, suppliers and builders, including:

• a public digital framework for capturing, storing and sharing building related data;
• a digital twin offering virtual representation for building products, practitioners and buildings;
• a building assurance solution to provide a register of certificates, aggregate composite risks and derive a Trustworthy Index for buildings.
   

Owners, renters, industry stakeholders and the regulator will have access to a single source of accessible information for all building documentation. Not only is this transparency expected to help inform decisions, it will also increase industry accountability to support regulators to better enforce standards.

Due to be completed by 2025, the eConstruction Program brings significant change to the NSW Government’s approach and role in regulating the sector.

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