It’s time to think digitally about infrastructure and the built environment

The UK needs infrastructure which connects more people to more opportunities more quickly and more reliably. That means thinking digitally.

The need for a digital transformation of the built environment goes beyond its ability to deliver a step-change to productivity. It is a fundamental part of the drive to reduce carbon emissions and improve environmental sustainability. Most of all, it’s an opportunity to make what we’ve got work better and what we build deliver greater returns.

How? We need our built environment to generate data which allows us to better understand how it functions and how it’s used, and to use that data to develop dynamic, real-time solutions which enhance their performance both as economic arteries and as physical assets.

The scale of the opportunity has been alluded to by the National Infrastructure Commission in its exploration of potential for creating digital twins of the UK’s critical infrastructure. This is also what the wave of technological developments commonly known as ‘Industry 4.0’ can help us achieve – a dynamically-managed physical infrastructure which is more resilient and responsive to changes in society and environment.

This is a huge, perhaps transformational opportunity. It touches on technologies that are becoming more commonly known – artificial intelligence, machine learning, augmented reality, big data, internet of things, even blockchain – even if their potential is not yet fully understood.

Back in 2015, BWB took its first step to begin to understand how digital transformation will affect our industry by creating Deetu, our digital and development innovation hub. Deetu has since gone on to establish itself as a successful independent company, but remains connected to BWB in developing innovative digital and data products, services, solutions, apps and platforms tailored to our Clients evolving needs. Deetu is the digital thread that runs through BWB’s products and services, to help us understand, advise and adapt our services to be enablers of digital transformation.

For more information visit www.deetu.com