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Technology Validation Guide
Regulatory Requirements BUILDING REGULATIONS Building regulations set standards for the design and construction of buildings to ensure the health and safety of people in or about those buildings. The Regulations vary across the UK and at the time of publication are as follows:
ENGLAND AND WALES The Building Regulations 2010 SCOTLAND Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 NORTHERN IRELAND Building Regulations NI 2012
In England and Wales ‘Approved Documents’ provide an example of compliant details and philosophies, whereas in Scotland requirements are set out in ‘Technical Requirements’ documents. For Regulations in Northern Ireland the requirements are set out in Technical Booklets. It should be noted that other methods of compliance with Building Regulations are available. Building Regulations vary by region – as an example England and Wales Regulations currently allow structures under 18m to include combustible materials in the external wall build up, whereas in Scotland this is set at 11m. It is therefore important that regions that the LSF system will be used is identified in advance of creating the validation process. Each build system using LSF technology must comply with the Building Regulations for the intended location which have ever changing requirements. When looking at validation of a build system, wherever possible this should be future proofed through testing. Whilst Building Regulations compliance is essential the requirements of insurers need to be considered as they are typically risk averse. The insurer my take a lead from more onerous regulations or even in the case of external walls, mandate that non-combustible materials are to be used at any height. Reference should be made to the ‘employers requirements’ to ensure their specific requirements have been considered.
Approved Building Control Inspectors Building Regulations compliance can be achieved by applying to the Local Authority for the district where the structure is to be built, but this can be a slow process if they are not familiar with the construction method being used. The use of Approved Inspectors should be considered here to simplify the application process. Approved Inspectors are businesses which work in the private sector as an alternative to Local Authority Building Control (LABC). They are registered with the Construction Industry Council. Approved Inspectors Register (CICAIR) to advise and assist clients in obtaining Building Regulations approval. Partnering with an Approved Inspector means that an inspector who is fully aware of and has assessed the build system can provide the Building Regulations approval. There are numerous providers of this service. For details refer to the register of approved inspectors at www.cicair.org.uk/approved-inspectors-register. However it should be noted that this will not be applicable to HRRB’s (higher risk residential buildings) once the Building Safety Act is in place.
