About the Digital Buildings Council (DBC)

This page provides a comprehensive overview of the Digital Buildings Council (DBC), outlining who we are, what we do, and our detailed organisational structure and governance.

The Digital Buildings Council (DBC) is a member-led, not-for-profit industry body committed to enabling end-to-end digital transformation throughout the built environment.

Our Genesis: From Consensus to Collaboration

The DBC’s formation was catalysed by a pivotal roundtable discussion in February 2024, covered by Smart Buildings Magazine, conceived by Justin Kirby (our Executive Officer) and co-facilitated with smart building specialist Aleksandra Dasala. This gathering brought together a representative mix of design consultants, MEP engineers, contractors, systems integrators, technology vendors, and other key stakeholders at LMG’s London HQ. The aim was to foster an open dialogue, under Chatham House rules, on the overlapping challenges and upcoming trends faced by those at the sharp end of digital building design and deployment.

Crucially, this session achieved a clear consensus on shared industry frustrations and the urgent need for a more interconnected, collaborative approach. This shared understanding provided the compelling mandate for the participants to go on and become the founding members of the DBC. While the comprehensive articulation of the “project-operations gap” as our overarching challenge evolved later, it was this foundational consensus on inherent industry fragmentation that truly sparked the DBC’s establishment.

We believe the true potential of digital buildings demands an approach that transcends traditional silos and embraces the inherently cross-cutting nature of digital technology. Precisely what the DBC champions, our unified, cross-disciplinary focus enables us to fill critical gaps where others cannot.

The Challenges We Address

The growth of the digital buildings market has been constrained by a number of critical issues, many of which were first identified and discussed by our founders. The DBC was formed to systematically address these challenges:

  • Market Confusion: Overcoming conflicting voices, vested interests, and inconsistent terminology.
  • Promise vs. Reality: Bridging the gap between technological capabilities and real-world implementation.
  • Focus on “How”: Shifting the industry conversation from merely “Why” and “What” to practical “How-to” guidance for digital building implementation.
  • Holistic ROI: Demonstrating tangible return on investment through a comprehensive, value-driven approach.
  • Sustainability & Governance: Providing practical guidance on leveraging technology for enhanced sustainability performance, improved governance, and superior user experience.
  • Early Engagement: Ensuring early involvement of Cost and Project Management Consultants to align digital outcomes with costs and mitigate value engineering pitfalls.

Our Collaborative Approach

The DBC tackles these challenges through agile, representative, and focused Project Initiatives linked to our key Focus Areas. This enables us to effectively fill gaps in existing frameworks, improve best practices, and drive industry-wide progress for the common good where others may be less responsive due to their vertical specialisation. We’ve moved beyond setting up; we are now actively delivering impactful output through our collaborative workstreams.

Our initial aims include improving professional understanding through knowledge sharing, developing common language, and forging new approaches to engage all key stakeholders across the built environment.

Our Impact in Action

Our “doing” phase: DBC facilitates the flagship RIBA Smart Buildings Overlay 2.0 Review with its original co-authors. This initiative showcases our agile, collaborative model shaping industry standards.

This is a critical industry-wide effort, and we invite all interested professionals to contribute their expertise and help shape Version 2.0. Learn more and register your interest here.

Our Foundation & Credibility

The DBC’s strength lies in the diverse expertise and commitment of its founding organisations, established just over a year ago. These include leading developers, owner-operators (e.g., Canary Wharf Group), international technology providers (e.g., Delta Controls), and Tier 1 main contractors (e.g., Multiplex), alongside a broad spectrum of specialist consultants and solution providers. This deep industry representation ensures our work is pragmatic, relevant, and impactful.

To learn more about our diverse members and the tangible impact they are having, please explore our Profiles & Case Studies section.

Governance & Leadership

The day-to-day operations of the DBC are managed by our Executive Officer, Justin Kirby, who reports to the Executive Officers. Justin played a pivotal role as the catalyst for the DBC’s establishment, by conceiving and co-facilitating the February 2024 roundtable discussion that brought together many of our founding members and directly led to the DBC’s formation.

Our Organisational Structure & Governance

For an introduction to the individuals leading our administration, please see our ‘Meet the Executive Team Members’ post. You can also watch a podcast discussion, embedded below, where they delve into their roles, the council’s formation, purpose, and vision, hosted by our Executive Officer:

The Digital Buildings Council (DBC) is governed by a clear Constitution and guided by a dedicated Steering Committee. Our administration is managed under the leadership of committed Executive Officers. As a not-for-profit industry group, every member plays a pivotal role in our collective success.

Together, we achieve our goals through knowledge sharing, thought leadership, and vibrant participation in Project Initiatives and Working Groups focused on our key areas of interest. Our organisational, membership, and governance structure helps strike a vital balance between member autonomy in project initiation and top-down oversight, ensuring alignment with organisational goals and financial probity.

This structure prioritises agility and efficiency while maintaining strong governance and robust checks and balances. Membership selection emphasises diversity and collaborative commitment. All members shall abide by the DBC Code of Conduct in promoting the aims and objectives of the DBC.

Roles and Responsibilities:

The roles and responsibilities within the DBC’s three tiers are outlined as follows:

1. Corporate Members
  • Primary Function: To propose and lead Project Initiatives and Working Groups, leveraging the agile structure to work collaboratively with other members.
  • Project Autonomy: Corporate Members are given autonomy in deciding upon the nature of working groups and Project Initiatives.
  • Nomination Rights: Any Corporate Member can nominate an organisation to join the DBC and propose candidates for the Steering Committee.
2. Executive Committee
  • Primary Function: To run the day-to-day operations of the organisation, supporting members with their Project Initiatives, including external communications, engagement activities, and partnerships.
  • Human Resources: Responsible for human resources, including managing the Executive Officer and any other employees or contractors.
  • Project Initiative Approval: Possess the autonomy to greenlight Project Initiatives from working groups, provided they meet pre-defined criteria.
  • Membership Approval: Possess the autonomy to approve new members, provided they meet pre-defined criteria (prioritising diversity of stakeholder representation and a commitment to project work).
  • Resource Management: Ensure that sufficient financial and human resources are available to support member-led working groups.
  • Alignment and Conduct Filter: To filter initiatives, ensuring that all projects and activities align with the organisation’s mission, vision, and code of conduct, and do not bring the organisation into disrepute.
  • Escalation: Escalates issues that do not meet the organisation’s criteria or which require high-level scrutiny to the Steering Committee (e.g., Project Initiatives and Membership decisions).
  • Communication: Provide regular Project Initiative updates to the Steering Committee.
3. Steering Committee (Board of Governors)
  • Primary Function: To oversee the governance of the organisation. They are responsible for ensuring adherence to the organisation’s Constitution, principles, mission, vision, aims, and objectives.
  • Financial Oversight: Ensures the financial probity of the organisation, maintaining sound financial management.
  • Executive Committee Appointment: Appoints the Executive Committee, providing ultimate oversight of operational execution.
  • Steering Committee Appointment: Appoints members to the Steering Committee, prioritising diversity of stakeholder representation and a commitment to project work as highlighted by an annual review.
  • Final Control: Holds final authority over the organisation, particularly on matters of finance, the Constitution, strategic direction, and membership.
  • Project Veto: Possess the authority to veto Project Initiatives proposed by working groups if the Executive Committee raises concerns regarding alignment with principles, the code of conduct, sufficient resources to support them, or potential negative impact on the organisation’s reputation.
  • Membership Decisions: Holds final say on who becomes a member, if the Executive Committee cannot reach a consensus during their vetting process and escalates the decision.

Join Our Mission

We invite organisations committed to advancing the digital built environment to join our growing community. Stay connected by following the DBC on LinkedIn for the latest updates, events, and insights. To explore what our organisation and members are actively engaged in, please visit our News & Views section.

Reach out via our LinkedIn page to learn more about how to join our community and contribute to our mission.