The Building Safety Act paved the way for new regulations on buildings and the duties and competence of those who procure, design and build them, and for suppliers of the products and materials from which they are built. Hywel Davies summarises the various new and amended regulations that come into force on 1 October.
Tag: Building safety
Building Regulations update: inspections and information
Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of building regulations and fire safety exposed almost total failure to provide fire safety information under Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations. The changes to the Building Regulations which come into force on 1 October provide much greater clarity on provision of fire safety information as well as commissioning reports for all building work. Hywel Davies explains the requirements
Interview Dame Judith Hackitt: ‘A wake-up call to say quality matters’
With new Building Regulations coming into force on 1 October, Dame Judith Hackitt warns that those wedded to traditional ways of working risk falling foul of the law, and says a new generation of engineers have the chance to sweep away unacceptable practices. She tells Alex Smith why she won’t stop working until change happens
Transposing EU directives into UK law
How the government plans to improve the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme and regulate energy use, by Hywel Davies
Testing times
A report into product testing and certification raises interesting questions for manufacturers in relation to building safety. Hywel Davies considers how they will need to demonstrate their products conform to standards
Pipe dream or reality: true value engineering
Value engineering at an early stage will ensure the focus is not just on costs, but also on a better design outcome. This was the conclusion of an expert panel discussion sponsored by Geberit. Amanda Birch reports
Fire and façades: key guidance
To ensure the fire safety of building façades, designers should pay special attention to firestopping. CWCT’s David Metcalfe highlights the latest guidance on this key area and rounds up the most recent information on designing fire-safe façades
Dousing fire fear in museums
Museum owners are wary of fire sprinklers in sensitive spaces, but Arup’s Jake Cherniayeff says they should be considered along with gaseous suppression and innovative hybrid mist and nitrogen systems
Guide M update: maintaining healthy environments
Health and wellbeing is at the heart of the updated Guide M: Maintenance engineering and management. Chapter author Colin Goodwin describes the key topics that are addressed, such as lighting, water quality and infection control
Show your workings: complying with the building safety regime
Hywel Davies considers the implications of the new rules relating to competence