Photo Documentation

Why photo documentation matters

Construction work changes quickly. Important work is often covered up, altered or made inaccessible. A photograph taken at the right time can provide valuable evidence of workmanship, materials, installation, progress, defects, hidden works and compliance.

The problem is rarely taking the photograph. The problem is finding it later and understanding what it shows. Hundreds of unnamed images in phones, messaging threads or folders do not create a useful project record.

Project Book’s approach: each useful image becomes part of the project record — associated with the project, categorised, described and retained so it can be found and understood later.

Building Safety Act and Building Regulations context

The post-Grenfell building safety regime places much greater emphasis on dutyholders being able to demonstrate how work has been planned, managed and monitored and how compliance with the Building Regulations has been achieved. For higher-risk buildings, the statutory golden thread requires building information to be held digitally, kept up to date, securely managed and available to those who need it.

For smaller architectural practices, contractors and consultants without dedicated compliance or information-management departments, good evidence management needs to form part of normal project work rather than a separate exercise carried out afterwards.

Project Book is a tool, not a compliance certificate. Using Project Book does not itself make a project compliant. Legal duties remain with the relevant client, designers, contractors and dutyholders. PB is intended to make the information-management and evidence-recording parts of those duties more practical.

What Project Book records with site media

Project Book supports project photo and video uploads. Photographs can be organised by category, trade, element, location and notes. Categories include Progress, Snag, Completion, Hidden Works, Safety, General, Existing / Survey and Demolition.

Photographs can also be analysed to suggest a category and description, reducing manual administration. Suggestions should still be reviewed by the person uploading the evidence.

How to create a useful photographic record

Capture evidence at the right time. Photograph significant work before it becomes concealed or inaccessible.
Give the image context. Add the trade, element, location or category that will make it understandable later.
Explain why it matters. “Fire stopping complete before ceiling closure” is much more useful than an unexplained image.
Use several views where necessary. Include an establishing view and closer detail.
Keep it with the project. Do not leave the only record in a personal camera roll or messaging app.

Photographs that are particularly useful

Foundations, reinforcement and below-ground work before covering.
Insulation, cavity barriers, fire stopping and compartmentation before closure.
Structural connections and fixings.
Waterproofing, membranes, roof build-ups and drainage.
Services before walls, floors and ceilings are closed.
Products, labels, serial numbers and installation details.
Defects or departures from the design, followed by rectification.
Completed work where the finished condition forms useful evidence.

Good evidence is selective, not just plentiful

A large number of photographs is not automatically a good record. Capture enough context that another competent person could understand the evidence later without relying on the photographer’s memory.