NEWS
Building Regulations review
suggests a significant shift in building safety for the future, there is more to be done now to ensure our buildings are safe. What needs to happen next is clear, and the core areas for improvement are outlined in Dame Judith’s report.’
LGA Lord Porter, chairman of the Local Government Association, commented: ‘Today’s interim report reinforces our warnings about the complexity and confusion in the current system of ensuring buildings are safe, so tragically exposed by the Grenfell Tower fire. The Government needs to endorse the report’s findings without delay and work with councils and the industry to take the process of reform forward in the way Dame Judith has set out. ‘This will obviously need to
include rewriting the documents relating to the installation of cladding and insulation on external walls of buildings so they are easier to understand and comply with. What happened at Grenfell Tower can never be allowed to happen again and no-one should have to live in fear about their safety, be that in the buildings they live in, work in or visit. ‘It is clear that all types of landlords also need urgent clarity about how they should be replacing materials on their high-rise blocks affected by fire safety test fails, while we have raised wider concerns about the general safety of other clad buildings. Councils have acted quickly to put in safety measures in their high-rise blocks to reassure residents.’ He added: ‘With the majority of high-rise buildings affected by fire safety test fails owned by private landlords, councils continue to work hard to support building owners in their area to deal with the issue and to try and confirm with the owners of thousands of private high rise residential buildings the cladding and insulation systems on those blocks.’
RIBA The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) welcomed the report but
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review, which highlight many of the inconsistencies within the design and build process, and we support the general direction of travel outlined in the report. ‘I am pleased to see that
Dame Judith has recognised the poor practices surrounding “value engineering”, the lack of proper procedures for handover of fire safety information on completion, and the need to tighten up controls on “desktop studies”.
‘She also highlights a need for
‘highlighted the need to go much further, specifically in terms of making real and meaningful change to the core building regulations guidance covering fire safety, which is needed as a matter of great urgency’. Other areas of focus welcomed included roles and responsibilities, independent oversight of construction work, stronger compliance and raised levels of competence. It also noted it was ‘good to see
a recognition’ of the ‘importance of the “golden thread” of original design intent, the integrity of which must be maintained in any building project or subsequent refurbishment – in order to avoid fragmentation of design responsibility which risks poorer quality outcomes’. However, RIBA found it ‘disappointing that whilst the report recognises the complexity and lack of clarity’ in current guidance, it ‘shies away from introducing immediate and effective changes to the current fire safety guidance’. RIBA would like to see an
‘immediate prohibition on the use [of] any combustible materials in the external wall construction of high-rise buildings’, a ‘greater role for sprinklers as an active life safety measure in residential buildings’, and ‘requirements for at least two staircases, offering alternative means of escape in high-rise residential buildings’.
ASFP
Niall Rowan, chief operating officer of the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP), commented: ‘The ASFP welcomes the findings of the
FEBRUARY 2018
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fire risk assessors to be qualified, and the confusion surrounding the testing, assessment and certification of fire protection products [which are] all issues of great concern for the ASFP. ‘To address the competency
issue, the ASFP is working with the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) to provide training and competency evaluation for all stakeholders involved in the design, specification, installation and maintenance of passive fire protection.’ He added: ‘The programme in
development will enable trainees to obtain an IFE qualification in passive fire protection. Furthermore, working together with RIBA, the ASFP has been developing a Plan of Works for Fire. This aims to ensure that there is a detailed specification for fire protection at the design stage and a schedule for fire throughout the construction process. ‘The process being developed
will include mandatory sign offs as construction progresses, with all information reaching the end- user to support adequate fire risk management. ‘We hope these initiatives will
form useful input to phase two of the review, and look forward to working with Dame Judith and all industry stakeholders to develop a regulatory system that more clearly sets out the requirements, responsibilities and competencies required at each stage throughout the building lifecycle, including changes and refurbishments later in the building’s life.’
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