All our Building Safety Bill coverage in one place

Big changes are coming your way…

《建筑安全法案》为建筑师和整个行业带来了巨大的变化。

You’ll find a handy guide to all our coverage here.

It’s also why Building Design launched itsFuture of the Profession campaignto keep you abreast of all the changes and give you a voice. Make sure you have your say. Join in the debate in our forums, live events and on social media, using the hashtag #BDFutureProf.

The Building Safety Bill is the government’s attempt to reforrm the industry, make our buildings safe and prevent another tragedy like the Grenfell fire that killed 72 people in 2017.

You’ll find our forensic coverage of thekey evidence form the Grenfell Inquiry here.

The billhad its first reading on July5 and its second reading on July 21, when there was a short debate on the topline principles ahead of the summer recess. However the bulk of the parlaimentary debate and the detailed scrutiny of the bill will have to wait until September, giving campaigning organisations, trade bodies, industry figures and politicians the summer to refine their arguments and prepare their lobbying strategies to try and influence the bill in the autumn.

Watch out for more changes as Building Safety Bill makes progressThe coming months are going to be challenging for anyone with an interest in building safety and regulation. We must be alert to more rapidly changing legislation and guidance, writes Andrew Mellor

Arb asks architects to help shape new professional development systemFuture of CPD ‘cannot be designed in an ivory tower’

Government to quiz architects about future of the professionThree-month call for evidence includes questions on whether Arb is fit for purpose

On building safety, professional qualifications should countThe new safety bill aims to mandate competence, but it would make much more sense to mandate qualifications, writes Eleanor Jolliffe

Government’s EWS1 change has not ended confusion, research showsMost mortgage lenders and valuers continue to require safety assessments on blocks below 18m despite government announcement

Arb tells schools to put fire safety and sustainability on curriculum from SeptemberInterim guidance comes ahead of major review of education planned for the autumn

New fire safety tests for high rises come into forcePlanning Gateway One rules will ensure development proposals are assessed for fire risk at planning application stage

What does the decision to scrap EWS1 forms for some buildings mean?Expect a period of limbo while owners wait for more government guidance – and for insurers to respond, writes Andrew Mellor

Key principles of Hackitt’s ‘golden thread’ revealedWorking group publishes details and definitions to ensure implementation of Hackitt’s recommendations

Government ditches EWS1 forms for buildings below 18mMinisters and mortgage lenders back changes after research finds ‘no systemic risk of fire’ in smaller blocks

For many architects the cladding crisis is personalEleanor Jolliffe describes what it is like to design high-rises by day and navigate costly problems with your own home by night

Architects fear extra cost of building reforms will land on their shoulders£1bn cost of Building Safety Bill could be passed down food chain as viability threatened

Safety reforms set to make PI ‘even harder and more expensive’Architects face ‘shitty few years’, says leading insurance consultant

Alan Jones criticises Building Safety Bill for ‘not fully addressing’ industry’s shortcomingsFractured nature of construction threatens to undermine good intentions, RIBA president adds

‘Avalanche of claims’ could distract from effort to reform building safety, architect warnsIndustry told to brace for flood of historic claims unleashed by bill, as Arb gets new powers

Tory MP brands Building Safety Bill a ‘sticking plaster’Stephen McPartland accuses the government of lacking the will to fix cladding scandal

Building Safety Bill will give residents more time to pursue shoddy firms Long-awaited legislation published today will also give Arb power to strike off architects who fail competence tests

Accordia residents say they face financial ruin after block declared unsafeTimber structure falls foul of post-Grenfell rules

Planning gateway 1: What’s changing from AugustFive key points from fire safety experts at Building Designs’s Risk Regulations event this week

Let’s get this right – the future of our profession is at stakeSweeping changes are on the way but there are some fundamental questions about how, and indeed whether, the new competence regime will work, writes Eleanor Jolliffe

The fire safety scandal will not go awayThe government defeated the Lords’ amendment to protect leaseholders from cladding costs. Now it must come up with a credible plan, writes Lord Best

New building safety regulator to hire 700 staffBody set up following 2018 Hackitt report into Grenfell fire

Chief inspector of buildings named to head up new safety regulatorHSE veteran Peter Baker to lead ‘biggest change in building safety for a generation’

Why is the industry waiting for the threat of jail?Tough new building safety laws are on their way and they will shake up a complacent sector, writes Andrew Mellor

The adapt or die mantra still holds true for architects as a professionEleanor Jolliffe finds the existential preoccupations of a near decade-old RIBA report to be just as relevant today

Government is revising Building Safety Bill, says HackittChair of safety steering group says department wants ‘resolution’ for those trapped in unsafe flats

Hackitt warns industry to change now to survive new safety regulatorFailing to plan now ‘morally indefensible’, says chair of board setting up new building safety regulator

Can a single person be competent to sign off a complex building?And will insurers cover architects for the principal designer role, asks Andrew Mellor as he unpicks the rapidly changing rules

Design & build ‘could leave architects liable for others’ work’ under new lawRIBA warns of flaws in government’s draft Building Safety Bill

RIBA announces ‘biggest professional shake-up for 60 years’Architects may face revalidation every five years

Arb to quiz every architect in the country ahead of fundamental reformsResearch will guide post-Grenfell review of professional competence

Any surprises in the draft Building Safety Bill?Much of the draft legislation had been anticipated, Andrew Mellor says we have clarity on some important issues although not all the answers

The Grenfell Inquiry transcripts should be compulsory readingWe owe it to those who died to learn the lessons from the disaster now, writes Chris Brown

Arb will tell schools to put Building Safety Bill on syllabus Meanwhile RIBA says proposed legislation does not go far enough

Safety bill imposes tough sanctions for flouting building regsDraft bill confirms new Building Safety Regulator and reduction of building control powers