Industry News


New building safety regulator to oversee new safety regime


subsequent Hackitt Review. Proposals just published by the Housing Ministry


T


say that all existing and new high-rise buildings will need to be registered with the new body. The regulator will issue certificates detailing the work that needs to be done to keep registered buildings safe.


The Government wants most of the new


system to apply to buildings over 18 metres high, which is more strenuous than Dame Judith Hackitt proposed, although it suggests retaining the 30-metre threshold for some of the new requirements.


he Government is to create a new national regulator for building safety as part of its response to the Grenfell Tower fire and the


An eight-week consultation on the proposals has


been launched with responses due back by 31 July. Other proposals include the need for


‘dutyholders’ – individuals who will be responsible for a building’s safety at different points in the building’s lifetime. This will generally be the building owner or the


management company, with a named board member being ultimately accountable for the building. During construction or any major refurbishment


of a high-rise building, there will be a different system in place. The proposal is for five dutyholder roles with the client, principal designer, principal contractor, designer and contractor all expected to name a dutyholder.


For an existing building, the dutyholder will be


required to provide a safety case to the regulator, which will outline any safety issues with the building and detail planned works to resolve these. The Government expects some additional costs


to be generated by its proposals and says these should be paid by leaseholders and landlords, but it is “examining other options to mitigate or provide alternative financing routes to meet such costs”. Other proposals include giving residents a bigger


role in the regulatory system, including ensuring that relevant information about a building is available to residents on request. This includes a full and current fire risk assessment, the fire strategy for the building and structural assessments – all are seen as a direct consequence of the Grenfell fire.


The challenges of renovating an existing boiler house to create a new council housing development in Hackney


Couch Perry Wilkes (CPW) has been appointed as the main mechanical, electrical and plumbing consultant on a unique new council housing development in Hackney, which will see an old boiler house transformed to create sympathetic new housing for the area. CPW were tasked to create a robust energy


strategy for the development, which has already satisfied planning considerations and will meet The London Plan. This included a 35 per cent reduction


in CO2 emissions which was achieved through the inclusion of photovoltaic panels to generate electricity onsite – which will save over nine tonnes


of CO2 each year – and electric vehicle charging points. As part of the project, CPW undertook enabling


works to redesign the existing boiler house which currently supplies nearby council properties. This involved careful planning to redesign the boiler house, including new boiler flues and a controlled turn down of the existing heating system to ensure that reduced hot water supply to local residents was minimised while the project timings were also unaffected. The development will replace a tired old boiler


house and create much needed genuinely affordable housing for the Borough of Hackney. It will comprise 26 units in total, half of which will be social rent and half of which will be offered as shared ownership. There will be a selection of one, two and three bedroom properties split between an eight story and three story building. The building thermal envelope was 50-70 per cent more efficient than the maximum allowable


specification levels in Building Regulations. As part of the MEP design, a high efficiency heat recovery ventilation system to all occupied rooms will ensure fresh air all year round in an energy efficient manner, while offering acoustic separation from the outside area. All lighting (internal and external) is LED with daylight linked and occupancy detection controls. A building-wide heat network design incorporates heat interface units to


26 | HMM June/July 2019 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


© Ash Sakula Architects


all apartments, ensuring accurate separate billing of hot water and heating using smart meters in accordance with Hackney Council’s design guide. There is also a rainwater capture system for irrigation purposes. The sympathetic new development has been


designed by architects Ash Sakula and includes new green spaces, which the surrounding housing stock will also benefit from.


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