News Navigating the new landscape: Your guide to building safety cases

Navigating the new landscape: Your guide to building safety cases

Features

August 13, 2021

Every residential building with a floor level over 18m or seven storeys or over will require a Building Safety Case in the coming years. We have undertaken Safety Case Trials for L&Q, Origin, Peabody, NHG and Estuary. These have included a wider review of the Fire and Structural Safety of the building and the production of the Safety Case Statement to meet the emerging Building Safety Act requirements.

The Fire Safety Act and the Building Safety Bill will drive the need for a Digital Record and a Building Safety Case for relevant buildings. As part of PRP’s Safety Casework with L&Q and Peabody, we have been fortunate to be provided with early-stage guidance direct from MHCLG (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) and the HSE (Health & Safety Executive) on Building Safety Cases and what a Digital Record should contain.

Case Study: Watson Court, Watford for Origin

Watson Court is a development wrapped around Watford Football Club stadium. We led the assembly of a team of consultants consisting of structural and fire engineers and a contractor to carry out the intrusive works, and a surveying consultant to scan the building digitally. We develop our Building

Safety Case through a stage process, including:

  • Stage 1 - Desktop Assessment/ Gap Analysis
  • Stage 2 - Familiarisation Visit (Visual)
  • Stage 3 - On-site Investigation
  • Stage 4 - Safety Case Report
  • Stage 5 - Costs & Counterfactual Reporting

How we presented our findings

The development of the Watson Court Safety Case has been an insightful process. PRP and Origin felt the tools, techniques and methods adopted were appropriate for the type of building and the levels of risk identified. Our Building Safety Case report offers an overview of the building’s current condition and gives a profile of its residents, identifies any safety hazards or risks, and summarises legislation, guidance and advice relevant to the building.