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Centre for Digital Built Britain completed its five-year mission and closed its doors at the end of September 2022

This website remains as a legacy of the achievements of our five-year foundational journey towards a digital built Britain
 

The Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) will deliver key recommendations from the National Infrastructure Commission’s ‘Data for the Public Good Report’. In a speech today at the University of Cambridge, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Robert Jenrick presented the Government’s response to the report and launched the Digital Framework Task Group (DFTG).

The response tasks CDBB with the creation of the DFTG to draw together key organisations and initiatives to steer and guide the successful development and adoption of a digital framework for infrastructure data; and to work with the Alan Turing Institute on a series of digital twin pilots.
 
CDBB is pleased to announce that Mark Enzer, Chief Technology Officer for Mott MacDonald, has accepted the role of Chair and will convene the first official meeting of the DFTG in September.

“The Government is investing record amounts in the UK infrastructure to deliver the roads, railways, schools and hospitals we need for the future,” said the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Robert Jenrick. “There is vast amounts of data and information on the UK’s infrastructure, but more must be done to ensure it is used in a strategic, joined-up way that unlocks its incredible potential for meeting the country’s long-term needs.

“What we’ve announced today will support this ambition to deliver smart and coordinated infrastructure networks, so vital projects like transport, housing and superfast broadband complement each other and ensure we are building a UK fit for the future.”

“I am delighted with the appointment of Mark Enzer as Chair. Mark is a well respected champion of innovation in the construction and infrastructure sectors and his leadership will be a valuable asset to the Task Group."

“The Centre for Digital Built Britain welcomes the creation of the Digital Framework Task Group to lead a coordinated approach to the digital transformation of the construction and infrastructure sectors,” said Professor Andy Neely, Pro-Vice-Chancellor: Business and Enterprise and Director of the Centre for Digital Built Britain. “Mark Enzer is a respected thought leader and advocate of transformational change in the infrastructure sector. With strong relationships with academia and his peers in industry, he is well placed to lead the shift toward a common approach to data sharing.
 
“Digital technologies are shaping all industrial sectors and will have a profound impact on construction. The core aim of the DFTG is to ensure that the UK is well positioned to capitalise on the use of data for the public good in the UK’s economic infrastructure and the wider built and natural environments. To achieve this the DFTG will collaborate closely with industry, policy makers and academia to develop and encourage adoption of the digital framework for infrastructure data. The framework will unlock the potential of digital twins, and the next generation of digital construction and smarter infrastructure advances.”
 
“I’m honoured to accept the role of Chair and to help contribute to the vision set out by Government and the National Infrastructure Commission,” said Enzer. “The Government’s decision to commit to a national digital framework is a major step towards the digital transformation of the infrastructure and construction sectors.
 
“I look forward to collaborating broadly to deliver a framework that delivers benefits to Government, Industry, and most importantly, the citizens of the UK.”

 
Enzer was the leader of the Digital Transformation workstream of “Project 13” for the Infrastructure Client Group, which represents the UK’s major infrastructure client organisations. With an engineering degree from Oxford and an MBA from Cambridge, Mark is now a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers; he was the Lead Author of the Infrastructure Carbon Review, published by HM Treasury and co-author of the Cambridge Centre for Smart infrastructure and Construction’s Orange Paper on Smart Infrastructure.

In November 2016, The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the creation of a National Infrastructure Commission, to produce a clear picture of the future infrastructure the country needs and provide expert, independent advice on infrastructure priorities. The Commission operates as an Executive Agency of the Treasury under its Chair Sir John Armitt.
 
The Chancellor asked the Commission to undertake a study into how technology can improve infrastructure productivity. The Commission’s report on technology, 'Data for the Public Good’ was published on 14 December 2017 .