What are London's buildings made of and how are they built? What type of construction systems and methods are used? What is the main material used for the building's core? Does it have solid brick walls, or perhaps a wooden, steel or concrete frame? How much is glazed? Has it recently been refurbished and retrofitted to help reduce carbon emissions and reduce energy costs?

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This type of information is useful to built environment professionals involved in the repair, management, conservation, retrofit, design and construction of London's buildings. However, it is not currently available for the city. The idea, over the next two years, is to use this category to help create a live, open repository for data about construction in London, in collaboration with the construction and property industry.

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Understanding what kind of material is stocked where in the city, and the location of different types of structural systems, is also relevant to many other types of research, from calculating potential energy and construction waste flows, to targeting funds for retrofitting programmes, to geolocating vulnerable construction systems. Spatial construction data can also help us explore questions such as: Are there health issues associated with specific types of building material or building system? Which types of system can be most easily repaired?  Which have the shortest lifespan and where are these located? Which are the most energy efficient? How can we use our collective knowledge of the operation of systems and materials to inform sustainable design and construction in London for the future?