A world-first construction assurance tool is to be developed to help NSW Fair Trading and insurance companies access the building standards used in the construction of residential apartment blocks.
Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation, Kevin Anderson said the Building Assurance Solution (BAS) would bring together the products and design certificates of compliance for each building to create a “digital DNA” so buildings could be compared, like-for-like.
“We expect this to be a genuinely world-leading piece of work that will help measure the quality and insurability of buildings by identifying which buildings are trustworthy, from measuring compliance with design and construction standards to traceability of materials all the way back to the manufacturer,” Mr Anderson said.
“With this information, aspiring homeowners will be able to make better decisions about what could be the most significant purchase in their life, before they buy,” he said.
Mr Anderson said the BAS tool would allow Fair Trading to easily identify and respond to defective products and take action against the riskiest practitioners.
“This tool will show us what products were used, who made them, what testing certifications are held and who installed and certified building work,” he said.
“Practitioners who build and design in NSW will now have a digital fingerprint that will attach to every project they have worked on.”
He said the tool would also allow insurers to easily compare buildings so they could better price insurance for buildings as well as the practitioners who designed and constructed them.
Mr Anderson said the BAS tool would be implemented as part of the Department of Customer Service’s NSW Project Remediate program, a three-year Program to help remove combustible cladding on an estimated 225 buildings.
