36 THE CHANGING FACE OF CONSTRUCTION PRODUCT CERTIFICATION ROUND TABLE REVIEW ROUND TABLE REVIEW


The Changing Face of Product Certifi cation & Regulation


Building Insights LIVE All images © Kim Neville & Amy Madigan O


ne of the key industry shifts in the new building safety regime ushered in by the uilding Safety Act is a more robust product regulation and information culture, to drive a new level of rigour on product specifi cation. owever, a multi-disciplinary round table recently staged at the nstitute of Directors in ondon by netMAmedia heard a variety of challenging perspectives on the issue, which countered perceptions that the industry is well on the way to such culture change. The uilding nsights E round table, a valuable chance to gain expert insights from architects, Tier 1 contractors, product testing experts and consultants, suggested there was lack of knowledge on the changes and a lack of engagement with the process.


Attendees: Peter Caplehorn – Chief executive, Construction Products Association/Construction Leadership Council Bryan Cowey – Specifi cation Consultant/BIM Co-ordinator, SpecStudio Ross Newman – Technical Governance Manager & Regulatory Analyst, Warringtonfi re Seán McAlister – Pencil and Brick architects Chris Gaze – Chris Gaze Associates Mark Taylor – Technical Director, Allies and Morrison architects Mark Wilkinson – Senior Technical Manager, Construction Products Association Neville Grunwald – Director of Facades and Roofs, Wates Amanda Long – CEO, CCPI Ltd Paul Morrell – Consultant & former Government Chief Construction Adviser Gabriel Pierazzini – Head of Technical - Facades, Kier Group


Sponsor attendees: Mike Vaczi – Technical Director, Soprema Tony Ryan – Chief Technical Offi cer, Siderise UK


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The Act brings a new set of professional competencies for all projects overseeing design and construction, and a set of procurement ‘gateways’ for higher-risk buildings, mandating when project submissions must be made to a new national egulator. Alongside this is a potential new regime for product testing and certifi cation, under a further dedicated egulator, at the ffi ce of roduct Safety and Standards SS. This is changing the paradigm for both construction product manufacturers, and the specifi er contingent, with an overarching body to ensure the reliability of products’ certifi cation.


The round table set out some of the


benefi ts and challenges of the new regime, with product regulation and certifi cation having been called into question in the renfell inquiry and the overnment-commissioned Morrell Day report ‘Testing for a Safer Future.’ The round table reinforced concerns highlighted in the report, such as gaps in testing, and the fact that “up to two-thirds of products were unregulated” (due to not being governed by the onstruction roducts egulation.


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