New buildings are constructed with the most up-to-date technologies in mind, but many structures - especially older ones - are prone to be left behind when it comes to innovation, impacting the ability for teams to manage the safety of a building. Social housing is a victim of this lack of innovation.
According to
official government statistics, social housing provided homes for 4.4 million people across the UK in 2021, yet the nation only saw an approximate 25,000 net increase of these homes over the course of the year - a marginal rise of 0.63%. A significant amount of social housing stock exists within the UK. However, these are older buildings, and there doesn’t appear to be much of a push to construct new ones.
With a limited number of new social housing being constructed, and so many people relying on pre-existing, older buildings for their tenancy, estate management teams are missing out on the benefits of new technologies. While smarter buildings introduce the potential for better operational technology that improves management capabilities, more importantly, technology can play a pivotal role in the safety of a building.