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DTSA led, #CPD solution arrives on 8th Year Anniversary of Grenfell

  • Writer: Digital Twin Skills Academy CIC
    Digital Twin Skills Academy CIC
  • Jun 14
  • 7 min read




Today (14.06.25) marks the eighth (8th) year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, in which seventy-two (72) innocent people lost their lives. This well documented tragedy saw a recently refurbished tower block descend into a ferocious blaze that continued to burn, for sixty (60) hours.




Credit: BBC



In fact, it was the deadliest structural fire in the United Kingdom since the 1988 Piper Alpha oil-platform disaster and the worst UK residential fire since the Blitz of World War II _




Credit: BBC



Just yesterday, we were advised, again by the BBC that “more than 1,400 buildings are unsafe for residents to "stay put", the London Fire Brigade said. Stay put - which was the initial advice for Grenfell tower and which remains the fire policy in most high-rise buildings - relies on a building being properly constructed. Regulations should prevent fire spreading from one flat to another for at least 60 minutes…..”




Credit: BBC

 

 

'We need to create a legacy'

Mr Daffarn escaped from the 16th floor of Grenfell. He said: "Eight years ago, standing underneath the burning wreckage of Grenfell Tower, I was convinced it would be the catalyst for societal change; that something so awful, which resulted in the horrific loss of 72 lives, could not happen without things changing.

 

"And yet we sit here eight years later and people are still going to sleep in buildings that aren't safe. We need to create a legacy for Grenfell that means that people that live in social housing, people that live in high-rise blocks, are treated with respect and live in safe buildings."

 


 

Sharing his own opinion, and acknowledging the difficulty others feel in seeing the tower regularly, Mr Daffarn added: "I think the anniversary is made all the more poignant by the fact that this is the last time that we will meet with the tower in situ. We haven't got justice yet. It feels wrong to be pulling the tower down while so much remains unresolved."

 





According to a report issued by the BBC this morning, this will be the last anniversary that we as in the general public, along-side the family members (that remain), will see the building in its current form. In fact, what will replace this harrowing visual and physical reminder, remains to be seen and the subject of a hugely emotive debate.

 

“Bereaved families, survivors and local residents will come together in west London this weekend to remember the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. 

 

The Met Police investigation into what led to the "avoidable" tragedy in 2017 which claimed the lives of 72 people – 18 of whom were children - is still ongoing . In a few months' time, work will begin to take down the 23-storey building, so this year's eighth anniversary will be especially poignant. Many families and survivors believe the tower should stay until there are criminal prosecutions while some local residents say they find it difficult to see every day.” _ Credit: Ayshea Buksh, BBC London




 

'Seeing the tower gives us hope'

Raymond 'Moses' Bernard lived on the top floor of Grenfell Tower for over 30 years. He died while sheltering several of his neighbours in his one bedroom flat as the blaze took hold.

"That is my brother's resting place," says Raymond's sister Bernie Bernard looking up at the tower. "He was cremated in that building."


Bernie says Raymond's flat is likely to be one of the first to go when the dismantling work begins.  "I understand that resting place will be disturbed but it should be disturbed respectfully and not taken away completely." 

In February, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, told families she had made the "difficult" decision to "take down the tower to the ground level" _ Credit: Ayshea Buksh, BBC London

 



 

Grenfell Tower was originally built with reinforced concrete in 1974. The refurbishment with external flammable cladding and insulation was completed just a year before the fire.

 

Filmmaker and artist Constantine Gras worked with residents during that time and has documented the tower's history. "It's a tragic feeling to know the tower was at the heart of the community and it now symbolises a broken society," he said.


He found one of the original architects Nigel Whitbread and invited him to meet residents. Constantine said: "Nigel said his design was still solid and the building 'should last for at last for another 100 years'. He added: "We have to accept there will be this absence in the landscape but it always be a wound."

 

A structural engineers report from December 2024 said the tower was "stable" but it concluded the "underlying structure will worsen over time" because of "significant damage caused by the fire". Engineers advised it would "not be practical to remediate all or part of

the damaged structure" and the tower was "especially damaged above the 10th floor".


 




The relevance of the ‘Golden Thread’, now begins to make sense beyond question …. particularly for those, who are still wondering why the industry should even care to adopt new digital ways of working.

 

 

 

 

Press Release CIH collaborates with Building Safety Alliance on publication of golden thread tools 27th May 2025

 

The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has collaborated with the Building Safety Alliance, a cross-sector initiative uniting industry organisations, associations, and regulatory bodies, to develop comprehensive guidance on the golden thread.

 

A core requirement under the Building Safety Act 2022, the guidance provides a standardised approach to the collection, maintenance, and accessibility of critical building safety information, supporting accountable persons and housing providers to keep residents safe in their homes. 

 


 


 

The work builds on the Construction Leadership Council's golden thread framework and reflects several years of expert input and voluntary collaboration. It is aimed initially at technical professionals familiar with the legislative requirements of the golden thread, with the aim of subsequently expanding it to a broader range of roles and stakeholders.






Commenting on the publication, CIH policy lead for asset management, building safety, and culture Eve Blezard said:

 

“The golden thread is one of the most important parts of the new building safety regime, and vital for ensuring we have the information we need to keep residents safe in their homes.






 

“CIH is pleased to have collaborated with other members of the Building Safety Alliance to produce this guidance, which we hope will support our members – as well as the housing sector as a whole – to fulfil their golden thread duties. “The publication of the guidance is a significant milestone, but not the end of this work. The safety and quality of our homes is the fundamental building block for good health and wellbeing, and CIH will continue to work with the Building Safety Alliance in developing guidance, good practice, and further tools to help our members navigate and effectively implement building safety legislation.”

 



 

Gateway Code _ a new 'CPD' solution

 

Almost five years after the tragic event at Grenfell Tower that took place on the 14th June 2017, the Building Safety Bill received Royal Assent on 28th April 2022 - becoming the Building Safety Act 2022. This new Act [BSA 2022] created a national requirement for asset owners to register their 'in scope' buildings onto a national register by 1st October 2023 and triggered a transitional period which ended on 5th April 2024. The principal aim of the BSA2022 (called the Golden Thread Regulations) took effect from 16th January 2024 with the overarching objective taking effect from 6th April 2024; being the legal requirement to create and maintain the 'golden thread' in a digital format. This ‘golden thread’ ensures safety and accountability is maintained from the initial design, through to the construction phases and into operational phase of any built asset.





The BSA2022 represents generational reform and can be observed via the link below, led by Dr Bola Abisogun OBE in partnership with the CITB (originally published on 18.07.24)


The construction industry continues to wrestle with the ‘practical delivery’ of this new legal requirement, particularly at Gateway 3 [i.e. during the construction phase, on site] and despite the severity of the risk(s) associated with non-compliance, the level of awareness across all circa 2.7million individuals that make up our industry remains pitifully low and the industry is in desperate need of a 'CPD' style training solution. In complete alignment, the (UK) insurance sector has also become increasingly aware of the need to find better ways of derisking their portfolios using ‘better’ information management.




 

Called the ‘Gateway Code’ building on from the longstanding and well documented campaign led by Dame Judith Hackitt, today on the 8th Year Anniversary we are publicly acknowledging our very own contribution to the sector in the form of a 60 minute micro-credential. Now that the UK Government has accepted, in principle all 58 recommendations contained in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Report, it is time to for the sector to meet its own ‘legal and moral’ obligation to upskill and embrace a new CPD culture.

 

Dame Judith Hackitt _ CM on 6th January 2025

 

 

Our proposed #EdTech solution, is designed to ensure that EVERYONE (including new industry entrants) involved in the design, delivery and commissioning (or decommissioning) of a built asset, particularly at site level, has an awareness of what the Golden Thread requires (from them), to succeed at the end of any ‘in-scope’ project.

 

The Act refers to 3 gateways which are:


Gateway 1 - land use planning matters related to fire safety

Gateway 2 - building control approval for higher risk buildings; and

Gateway 3 - completion certificates [following the construction phase]

 

All three (3) gateways introduce new digital ways of working but the DTSA led Gateway Code is specifically focused on what site-based operatives (& qualified professionals) need to know and do, in order to successfully deliver Gateway 3 compliant workflows, outcomes and ultimately, a successful and fully representative Golden Thread ……..

 



More details of the Gateway Code will follow ….. but for now, let us ‘quietly’ reflect on what the true significance of today means, both for those who have survived this tragic national disaster and their families, but also as an industry that simply needs to do better. We are all information managers now and we have to use the available digital tools to collaborate, without bias and/or prejudice.

 

Feel free to contact us for more information on the Gateway Code

 



 
 
 

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