Developing a classification of digital capabilities of designers and builders in NSW

The c4SMC received AU$5000 as grant funding from School of Built Environment Strategic Research Funds 2020 (Innovation Immersion Fund) to conduct an industry relevant research project titled ‘Developing a classification of digital capabilities of designers and builders in NSW’. This research is led by chief investigators Professor Srinath Perera and Associate Professor Xiao-Hua Jin and supported by researchers Kasun Gunasekara and Marini Samaratunga.

With the Design & Building Practitioners Act 7 of 2020 coming into effect, the NSW government is seeking to uplift the local construction industry by improving compliance, particularly for class 2 buildings (apartments/ flats) where more than 20% of the NSW population reside. Compliance is set to be improved through digitalisation of the design and construction processes. To achieve this, the current landscape and future possibilities of digitalisation have to be established to enable smooth and steady transition. Accordingly, this project is set to develop a classification of digital capabilities of designers and builders in NSW for class 2 buildings. Data regarding the digital capability of designers and builders that have worked on class 2 building projects in NSW will be obtained from NSW Department of Customer Service - Office of the Building Commissioner. Obtained data will be statistically analysed to create classifications based on the digital maturity of designers and builders which can be readily adopted to uplift the NSW construction sector. In the long run, the classification of digital capabilities can be used as a basis for developing a benchmark that can track the progress of improvement within NSW.