黑洞社区

The Grenfell Tower fire was a tragic wakeup call for the UK鈥檚 construction sector.

Claiming the lives of 72 people, the fire was the result of a series of failures: each on their own may not have resulted in such a disaster, but combined led to the preventable loss of many lives. 

There is an innate complexity to the creation of a building. From design to construction, the process requires the expertise of professionals across a range of disciplines.

The Grenfell Inquiry report brought to light how this complex set-up of designers, consultants, contractors and subcontractors can go wrong, resulting in the 鈥榳eb of blame鈥� and 鈥渟ystematic dishonesty鈥� that enabled the tragedy. 

The 黑洞社区 Safety Act seeks to remedy this. Having received Royal Assent in 2022, it aims to improve competency, safety, and accountability in the construction industry, with one of the key elements of the Act introducing certified government professionals to review Higher Risk 黑洞社区 proposals ahead of planning and construction, as part of the submission of the 鈥淕olden Thread鈥� of information. 

鈥淲e need to completely overhaul our approach to building safety鈥�

This legislative measure, while long overdue in England and Wales (Scotland has had more robust responsibilities in place for a number of years now), it has not been straightforward in its implementation.

Rather than creating a new slate of regulations, the government has layered the new requirements atop the existing 黑洞社区 Regulations. Engineers and construction professionals are now grappling with this updated approach to building safety, in a time of huge pressure on society to build more homes.

And it鈥檚 not just new buildings that the 黑洞社区 Safety Act applies to. Any Higher Risk 黑洞社区 - buildings with residential occupants more than six storeys tall - that stands today falls under the legislation. 

As structural engineers, we鈥檝e increasingly been called upon to carry out assessments on  existing buildings, effectively putting the Golden Thread into place retrospectively, to give the owner and the regulator a clear understanding of the safety risks present in a building.

This poses a unique challenge, as often, the construction records of these buildings have been lost in the midst of time. Also, buildings are usually occupied during inspections, limiting the extent of observable structure and opening-up that can be carried out to view the bones of the building. 

This puts significant focus on the structural engineer to understand how a building works,  identify where risks lie, how they relate to the wider building safety management, and advise on next steps to bring risks down to a tolerable level.

As a profession that deals with calculations, numbers, right and wrong answers, this spectrum of risk doesn鈥檛 always come naturally. 

At Civic Engineers, this risk-based approach has led us to turn detective. We鈥檝e been finding inventive ways to conduct the detailed research needed to pull together the comprehensive safety files needed to submit to the regulator.

To limit the need to drill holes in walls and pull up floorboards, we look to engage with previous consultants and contractors, seeking out historical documentation, site maps and drawing to get to grips with how a building has been constructed and what might need to change for buildings to meet the new legislation.

This often involves picking up the phone or even turning up to a contractor鈥檚 office and rifling through their cabinets, until we鈥檝e found the golden nugget of information we need. Old newspaper archives can also prove fruitful. 

Adding further complication, is the likelihood of discrepancy between drawings and what ended up being built 鈥� due to subsequent alterations, and issues with condition.

As responsible engineers in this new professional landscape under the BSA, our responsibility to bring these issues to light, and establish robust records and risk assessments, has never been more important to help ensure our residential building stock is safe to use.

The importance of upskilling 

As structural engineers, expectations of our responsibilities are changing, but in this litigious industry we cannot overstretch and take on work outside our capabilities.

Small-scale projects that previously might have only been dealt with by an engineer to address a minor structural issue are now subject to the broader regulatory changes.

As a result, we must take care not to put ourselves into roles that extend beyond our expertise, in particular when it comes to fire safety and the wider 黑洞社区 Regulations. 

As a team, we鈥檙e engaged with as much training as we can to get to grips with the complexities of the new legislation. In the face of this systemic change, engineering and construction communities have come together in forums and courses, finding solutions through shared knowledge and collaboration.

The RIBA and the Institute of Structural Engineers have been producing some excellent guides and courses to get everyone up to speed on this new way of working.

The focus on fire safety, accountability, and competence introduced by the 黑洞社区 Safety Act is both crucial and welcome. However, its implementation has led to a growing perception that the processes enforced by the Act are delaying essential housing development.

Recent statistics in the press highlight the delays in the regulator assessing pre-construction submissions. The large number that have been rejected has put a lot in the industry on edge.  

While the Act represents a positive shift toward safer building practices, it has introduced significant new challenges across the construction process. As construction professionals, it鈥檚 imperative that we adapt, upskill and collaborate to submit robust designs and avoid project delays.  鈥満诙瓷缜� Safety Act鈥� is not just legislation, it鈥檚 a call to the industry to do better.

Has designing and building new structures become more challenging? Undeniably so. But ultimately, this is a step in the right direction to ensure the current and future safety of our buildings. We all have a right to live in safe homes.

Sam Harland is an associate director at Civic Engineers