The challenge for building control

When a façade is constructed, the insulation used for fire, thermal and acoustic performance is often hidden so its impact from a building control point of view is very difficult to see writes William McDowell, Business Development & Product Manager, SIDERISE. Whether the insulation is there or not, it is extremely hard to determine if it has been installed correctly. Building control therefore has an unenviable task to ensure buildings comply with building regulations and local agreements.

One of the biggest difficulties is that building control officers are covering a wide range of building performance criteria. Materials are constantly evolving and enter the marketplace on a frequent basis while challenging designs are commonplace. This means that building control are presented on a daily basis with situations that they don't 100% know. Invariably, they default to a very conservative position.  If ‘x' is required then they won't move from that standpoint even if there is a good argument to suggest that allowance needs to be made. Understandably, they end up being very conservative in their approach and only react on the information they have.

To help building control, it's very important that manufacturers of building products are able to technically support their products with a great deal of knowledge and a comprehensive database supported by appropriate and current test data. If building control were to speak to the technical team at SIDERISE for example, they can respond with confidence and knowledge, to help steer them toward a sensible conclusion.  Building control officers won't be swayed by a salesperson; they will be speaking to a technical expert who can show them they understand the application. They can demonstrate they have the appropriate technical knowledge and test data to support the argument which in turn can help building control move towards a viable decision.

Furthermore, manufacturers have a responsibility to demonstrate how to use their products by offering installer's toolbox talks and providing product literature that demonstrates how products should be correctly used. It's not uncommon to learn that someone has installed something incorrectly because they didn't know how to install it in the first place.

With building regulations lagging behind the development of new materials and their impact on design, it has become increasingly important for manufacturers of construction products to provide advice and assistance at every stage of a project's process, from conception through to construction and after.

Visit: www.siderise.com