The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) will today (Wednesday 27 June) give evidence to the Housing, Communities and Local Government鈥檚 Select Committee, in response to the consultation on the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety led by Dame Judith Hackitt. The RIBA has also today published a detailed response to the Hackitt Review鈥檚 consultation.
RIBA Executive Director of Practice, Adrian Dobson says:
鈥淭he RIBA very much welcomes a number of the Hackitt Review's findings and looks forward to working with Government and the construction industry to improve the regulatory system in order to assure quality and life safety.
However, the Institute remains extremely concerned by the absence of the simple, clear baseline prescriptive standards that we have consistently maintained would deliver much-needed clarity for the construction industry and, most importantly, provide protection for the public. There is no recommendation in the Review to ban combustible materials in external wall construction on high rise buildings and extend the use of sprinklers, nor for the provision of alternative means of escape, and desktop studies are retained as 鈥渁ssessments in lieu of test.鈥�
The relaxation of baseline requirements and an over reliance on unreliable processes, including desktop studies to assess fire performance, have been key factors that have led to the regulatory and systemic failures that prompted the Independent Review. We are calling on Government to radically overhaul the Approved Document guidance to include clear baseline prescriptive requirements for fire safety. It is vital that guidance is absolutely clear with no room for ambiguity.鈥�
Adrian Dobson will be giving evidence to the Committee today.
The RIBA鈥檚 full consultation response to the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety can be viewed .
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. For further information contact Abigail Chiswell-White in the RIBA press office, Abigail.Chiswell-White@riba.org +44 (0) 20 7307 3811
2. To read the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety in full click .
3. You can read the RIBA鈥檚 detailed response to the Hackitt Review .
4. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a global professional membership body that serves its members and society in order to deliver better buildings and places, stronger communities and a sustainable environment. Follow us on Twitter for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA
