Building Control Regulation - Should the Architect Pay for it All ?

[C. Flower]

The Broadsheet has covered the current proposals to shift responsibilities for building control to architects and engineers.

Most other countries have state inspection of building construction. Here, any old privatised nonsense will do, it seems.

Currently, the idea is to make the architect responsible for the way the contractor builds.

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2012/05/22/...-an-architect/

Andrew Judge writes:

As you may be aware the Department of the Environment are proposing to alter the Building Control Regulations so that architects (or another building professional such as engineers) will be required by law to sign a Certificate on completion that says:
“Notwithstanding the responsibilities of other person/s or firms/s in relation to the works, I accept responsibility and legal liability for the inspection of all works as necessary to ensure that they are neither defective nor contravene any requirements of the Second Schedule of the Building Regulations”. (See page 13, paragraph 4 – here)

I’m sorry, but how can one person guarantee that an entire building like a hospital or fire station is perfectly built and free from defects?

Building is much more complicated than that. There’s lots of people involved, not least the Building Contractor who is not even mentioned in the Draft Building Control Regulations.
The deadline for submissions to be made to the Department of the Environment is this Thursday 24th May 2012. It is vital that every architect and engineer make themselves heard. Email your views to buildingstandards@environ.ie

You can read more about the proposals here and here here.

[Slim Buddha]

An asinine proposal from a department headed up by an asinine Minister. Every stage of the construction should be inspected by qualified, authorised and competent employees of the local authority with the power to stop all activity if the legal requirements are not met.

THis happens in civilised societies where governing parties do not have corporate tents at race meetings where the doyens of the construction industry appear bearing brown envelopes and a list of their desired legislation for the following 12 months.

[fluffybiscuits]

An asinine proposal from a department headed up by an asinine Minister. Every stage of the construction should be inspected by qualified, authorised and competent employees of the local authority with the power to stop all activity if the legal requirements are not met.

THis happens in civilised societies where governing parties do not have corporate tents at race meetings where the doyens of the construction industry appear bearing brown envelopes and a list of their desired legislation for the following 12 months.

+1

There are contrators, designers and clients all with legal obligations. What this is seeking to do is in the wake of the pyrite affair with Priory Hall and other such buildings is to place the blame on to architects and get builders off the hook. It cant be applied retrospectively I hope? Its idiocy defined, such a ridulous notion that could only exist in the mind of some bored civil servant in the Dept of Environment.

[Slim Buddha]

Priory Hall was a result of the fatal connection between the Fianna Fail party and the construction industry. As it appeared mandatory some time ago, particularly in the Northern Ireland media, to refer to the Shinners as "Sinn Fein/IRA", it should be equally mandatory to refer to FF as "Fianna Fail/CIF" since FF were the political wing of the Construction Industry Federation and, for all we know, still are.

The intensely corrupt relationship between FF and the construction industry eroded any kind of regulatory overview and control over the industry as a whole and in return for bribes and "political contributions", FF more or less became the construction industry's ***** and the Galway tent was the most public manifestation of that diseased relationship. The tent may be gone but the long term consequences of that relationship is something the Irish people will be paying dearly for for a long time.

[C. Flower]

I would imagine that this would push architects and engineers insurance costs through the roof, and would put a lot of them out of business, given those left are limping along anyway.

A favoured few getting public contracts would mop everything up, and we would be told we are "too small a country" to have more than one or two architectural and engineering firms.

[homer]

I strongly support the architects case.

Watch the lending institutions on this - they may start looking for architects certification for everything before approving loan payment.

Regarding legal liability,, do some countries have legislation limiting liability to a defined multiple of the fee charged?

By tthe way that Judge item ? cartoon ? puts the message across most effectively

[Dr. FIVE]

Pyrite report published - with all the convenient timing you could wish for - at 2pm tomorrow

[Dr. FIVE]

Pyrite report available here

http://www.environ.ie/en/PyriteReport/

[riposte]

The people responsible for these appalling lapses in building standards are the Council officials who sat on their arses rather than carry out the inspections that they are paid to and are required to do by law.

Example...... the case of Bam in Inchicore where ......... after the Priory Hall incident ....... the council officials suddenly began checking up on the Fire Protection measures on other sites.

It just so happens that the plans for The St. Michaels Estate regeneration, including the fire protection measures were designed by ...... Dublin City Council Architects.

Caught with their pants down . they wanted the plans modified.... but didn't have the money to pay for it......... Panic ...... what to do? ...... answer .......shut the project down on a spurious health and safety scare.

Well ..... they met their match in the people of Inchicore

Dublin City Council and the construction company Bam were due to meet today over the threatened termination of a contract for the regeneration of St Michael's estate.

Council officials ordered work to stop on the site last week over health and safety concerns.

The council has denied that the action was taken because of a claim for over €5m in extra payments from Bam.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0220/regeneration.html

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0223/regeneration.html

[fluffybiscuits]

The people responsible for these appalling lapses in building standards are the Council officials who sat on their arses rather than carry out the inspections that they are paid to and are required to do by law.

Example...... the case of Bam in Inchicore where ......... after the Priory Hall incident ....... the council officials suddenly began checking up on the Fire Protection measures on other sites.

It just so happens that the plans for The St. Michaels Estate regeneration, including the fire protection measures were designed by ...... Dublin City Council Architects.

Caught with their pants down . they wanted the plans modified.... but didn't have the money to pay for it......... Panic ...... what to do? ...... answer .......shut the project down on a spurious health and safety scare.

Well ..... they met their match in the people of Inchicore




http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0220/regeneration.html

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0223/regeneration.html

Ironic isnt it! They are the ones who set the standards for buildings in this country and yet when they see the buildings they set the standards for look what happens rofl! Only in Ireland could this actually happen mate.

For comedy gold may I refer you to here

7http://planning.southdublin.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=175&Item id=223&lang=