SAFETY IN CONSTRUCTION Golden Gateways
High-rise residential buildings will go through three “gateways” at key construction points. These are stop/go decision points at which there will be rigorous inspection against regulatory requirements:
Planning gateway one - applicants demonstrate that the planning application incorporates thinking on fire safety (where it relates to land use planning). Specialist fire safety expertise is provided to local planning authorities on a statutory basis.
Gateway two (technical design and construction phase) - bolsters the current building control deposit of plans stage with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) as the only option of building control body for in-scope buildings. A building control application will be required, and this gateway provides a ‘hard stop’ where construction cannot begin until the BSR has approved the building control application.
Gateway three (the current building control completion/ final certificate stage - will provide a ‘hard stop’ at which the BSR undertakes final inspections and issues a completion certificate. Prescribed documents and information on the as-built building will be required, and information must be handed over to the person(s) responsible for the building in use (accountable person in occupation).
MeetinG the Golden thread challenGe
As there are so many different parties involved throughout a building’s lifetime, relevant information sits in multiple silos. There is currently no one method for accumulating data from these various manual and electronic systems in one central depository that is accessible to all relevant stakeholders. Although Building Information Modelling
(BIM) or adherence to ISO 19650 is not mandated, applying ISO 19650 would be an effective way to meet many of the golden thread requirements. BIM is therefore a vital element of achieving a golden thread practice as it creates a digital record of a construction project that is shared collaboratively between all project parties. However, BIM does not address the full
building lifecycle management and there are a multitude of gaps, particularly following handover. Records relating to maintenance, renovation and demolition etc. sit in silos and are not accessible as an entire picture. This will not therefore offer the complete holistic
solution mandated by UK Government. A Building Asset Portal should therefore
also be used to gather, consolidate, store, manage and provide 24/7 availability of data with controlled access for all stakeholders related to a building’s construction and ongoing maintenance. By effectively and efficiently collecting, managing and analysing asset data, information gaps or inaccuracies can be identified so that informed decisions are made that also save considerable time and money. Data analytics and management across a building’s entire lifecycle will create a golden thread of information that will give stakeholders confidence and peace of mind.
While the Building Safety Bill is an
extremely positive step, as it aims to improve high-rise residential buildings safety, it does present a significant challenge for the construction sector. These new requirements must be complied with in a tight timescale and failure to do so can lead to significant financial penalties and or imprisonment. However, in the long-term, improving accountability for those involved in a building’s entire lifecycle will raise the bar for safety, quality and sustainability, ultimately reducing risk for building owners, managers and occupiers.
TÜV SÜD
www.tuvsud.com/ en-gb/buildings
InDuSTrIal ComplIanCe | maY/June 2022 29
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