Standards within the house building and construction industries have been constantly evolving ever since the first home was built in ages gone by.
Whilst building control mechanisms and building regulations have been in place for many years, a relatively more recent newcomer to the industry has been the various entities offering certification and “stamps of approval” for the development processes.
Indeed, there are currently so many entities offering different stamps of approval within the house building and construction industry, it’s not always clear what they all mean, how they can be obtained and, importantly, what they say about a development.
A number of such entities have evolved following the establishment of The UK Green Building Council (“UKGBC“) is a UK based membership organisation, formed in 2007. One of its stated aims is to radically transform the way that the built environment in the UK is planned, designed, constructed, maintained and operated.
One of the main concerns of the UKGBC is about the impact of buildings and infrastructure on the environment, especially the use of water, materials, energy, the impact of greenhouse gas emissions, and the health of building occupants.
Before we take a look at some of entities formed as a result of the UKGBC being established, let’s have a brief look at the purpose of building control and building regulations:
Building control
The control of buildings is one of the oldest forms of Local Government responsibilities. In England it can be traced back to the 12th Century, although the modern system evolved from the aftermath of the Great Fire of London in 1666.
1984 saw the introduction of a national Building Act, some 144 years after it was first proposed and with it came a major shift from local to central control and from public to private administration.
Over time, there has been an increase in legislative measures to obtain adequate protection from buildings that constitute a danger in the event of a fire, unhealthy conditions due to dampness, lack of space, ventilation, sanitation and drainage and so on.
The main job of building control departments is to make sure that all buildings are safe and fit to live in for their occupants and regulations are enforced by local councils.
Building regulations
The first set of Building Regulations was published in 1963 and came into force in 1964.The current Building Regulations 2010 covers the construction and extension of buildings.
The building regulations process is entirely separate to and parallel with planning control, and some building works require Building Regulation Approval but not Planning Permission and vice versa. Most erections, alterations, extensions or conversions of buildings are subject to Building Regulation Approval, although certain minor works are exempted.
Site inspections are carried out at various stages of any works and a Completion or Regularisation Certificate is issued after final inspection when the works have been assessed as compliant with the Building Regulations.
Examples of work requiring building regulation approval include installing a bathroom which involves plumbing work, replacing roof coverings on pitched and flat roofs and replacing external windows and doors.
Some of the better-known certifications in the UK building industry
- HQM or Homes Quality Mark was established as it was apparent that new home buyers were being offered relatively limited information about their new home in terms of, for example, the longevity of building materials, quality of construction and longer-term running costs. Other consumer items which were much cheaper offered far more detail.
HQM is, therefore, an independent quality mark which aims to give buyers impartial information and suggestions on a new home’s design, construction quality and running costs, plus how the property can cope with the demands of a changing climate.
It has two elements, a five-star rating system that gives the overall review of a home’s quality, and a set of indicators on individual aspects of its performance, as well as potential health issues and benefits.
- BREEAM is one of the early pioneers of home certification and is an environmental assessment method that enables property investors, owners, managers and occupiers to determine and drive sustainable improvements in the operational performance of their buildings. It provides sustainability benchmarking and assurance for all building types.
Since its establishment in 1998 BREEAM schemes have certified over 16,000 projects or over 250,000 buildings and in excess of 45 million m2 of floor area.
There are a number of elements that determine the overall performance of a new construction project assessed using BREEAM certification. Currently, BREEAM ratings range from Acceptable (In-Use scheme only) to Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent to Outstanding and these ratings are reflected in a series of stars on the BREEAM certificate;
- WELL claims to be the leading tool for advancing health and well-being in buildings globally.
Spanning 108 features and 10 concepts, WELL is a roadmap for improving the quality of air, water and light with design decisions that aim to keep users connected but facilitate a good night’s sleep, support mental health and help achieve effective work experiences daily.
For those projects pursuing WELL Certification, points are earned based on performance outcomes for various policy, design and operational strategies. There are four certification levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum.
- Wired Score certifies buildings across commercial, Build to Rent residential properties and mixed-use neighbourhoods, giving each project a certification rating out of five based on point-based credits.
Wired Score certification measures the quality and resilience of the digital infrastructure of a building, mobile coverage, the choice of internet service providers, and whether the building’s critical digital infrastructure is safe and secure from any physical damage. The certification ensures the building has the infrastructure in place to adapt to future technological advancements.
Wired Score certifies buildings across four different levels, including Wired Score Certified, Wired Score Silver, Wired Score Gold, Wired Score Platinum.
Final thoughts:
A developer or property owner must identify what is important to itself in terms of compliance with modern build standards. Also how the relevant certifications can best help present their projects and ensure they are continually improving every time they work on a development or new project.
With the wide variety of certifications currently available, the benefits of each need careful research and study to ensure that such certification has tangible benefits.
Subscribe
Every Friday we send an email with that weeks published posts. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to make sure you don’t miss a thing.
