Wilkinson Construction Consultants                           
Approved Inspector Building Regulations Fire Risk Assessment

The Government have today (26th May 2020) published new guidance that will require Sprinklers and Way finding signage in blocks of flats over 11m in height.

Critically this will also apply to airspace development where stories are added to an existing block.

The new rules require that blocks of flats with a top storey more than 11m above ground level  should be fitted with a sprinkler system throughout the building. Sprinklers should be provided within the indi...

Return to work

The construction industry is rapidly returning to work following the Prime Ministers announcement last night (10th May 2020).

This raises a number of issues regarding the health and safety of workers on the construction sites which are quite rightly being discussed on social media today.

However, one aspect that doesn't seem to have been considered is the problem of "material substitution", where one product is changed for a...

As promised here is our draft response for you to use and amend as you wish.

Building safer future

PDF

https://www.thebuildinginspector.org/Response%20to%20the%20Government.pdf

Word

https://www.thebuildinginspector.org/Response%20to%20the%20Government-2.docx

Time is of the essence as the consultation officially closes on 31st July but I’m sure they will accept responses at least until Friday and may even announce an extension of ...

This guide tries to explain the key points from the Governments huge 198 page consultation on fire safety in high rise buildings (see https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/806892/BSP_consultation.pdf)

The government are particularly keen to hear what people who live in high rise buildings think about the proposals, and you dont have to use the official response document, as they have promised that "All responses will be rea...

The Regs: Take safety into account when designing partitions

Geoff Wilkinson looks at the fire safety rules relating to alterations to offices

One of the questions we regularly get asked is whether or not Building Regulations apply to minor works to fit out offices, shops, and so on. In most cases the answer is ‘yes’ and there are quite a few regulations that you can fall foul of if you are not careful.

It will come as a surprise to many architects that even a s...

Response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s Final Report

Following the publication of Dame Judith Hackitt’s Final Report, ‘Building a Safer Future: Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety’, the Government asked to hear views as to how these recommendations should be taken forwards.We believe that the report does not go far enough and that we need "Hackitt Plus"

We have today responded to the report and provide a summary of that response b...

Geoff Wilkinson looks at problems arising from failure to identify where drains run

One of the most frequent problems we see with small projects arises from the failure to check whether or not there are drains running beneath the footprint of a proposed building or extension.

Building Regulation H4 requires that when building within 3m of a public sewer, or within 1m of a public lateral drain, you’ll need water authority approval before work be...

The Regs: How to get a highly glazed extension to comply with Building Regulations

If you have ever wondered how an architect got that glass box extension past building control, then Geoff Wilkinson has the answer

There has been a huge trend in demand for extensions that join internal living spaces to the garden by way of large areas of glazing and ever larger opening ...

Congratulations to our longest serving employee Chloe Still on her marriage to Dave Prentice on 24th May 2018.

The Wedding took place in the fantastic venue at the Lost Village of Dode and even featured both a Owl and a Magician.

We wish them both the very best for thier future together

The Regs: Don’t get your fingers burnt on a kitchen project

Geoff Wilkinson looks at the potential pitfalls of kitchen, utility and bathroom schemes

Work to a kitchen, utility room or bathroom can seem like the simplest of projects an architect can deal with, but they can be a minefield if you aren’t sure when you need Building Regulation approval.

A very simple refresh with new units and fittings does not generally require approval, however moving...