Building safety Act: Rise of a two-tier compliance culture

Has introduction of the Building Safety Act created the start of a two-tier compliance culture across the UK’s construction industry? 

Only those working on Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs), defined as buildings with at least two residential units which are at least 18 metres in height or have at least 7 storeys, are subject to meet Building Safety Act’s Gateway 2 and 3 requirements. This has created a seismic step change for anyone working on a high-rise building in the UK, with the pressure on to package up and submit compliance to the regulator. 

So far, consultants working with us on the delivery of HRBs seem to be fully engaged, supporting the process, and driving positive discussions. In most cases the specialist design (CDP) is being procured earlier, with a focus on only developing work to evidence compliance, as opposed to drawings to support fabrication. This specialist design is either incorporated into the respective consultants’ overall responsibility and narrative of the strategies, or vice versa. Things appear to be moving in the right direction. 

On the other hand, as a Principal Designer, we often get little-to-no engagement from consultants when we issue a compliance tracker on a non-high-rise project. We are still required to demonstrate compliance, yet as the Gateway 2 process isn’t required for these buildings, there seems to be little change. There are two different sides emerging within the industry; those who are becoming very good at evidencing compliance and those just hoping to do enough to get by and relying on approved inspectors to identify the gaps.

The focus needs to shift from Higher-Risk Buildings to include all buildings.