Since the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022, all construction clients must manage their construction projects and appoint competent designers and contractors. If your project involves more than one designer or contractor working on the project, you have a legal duty to appoint in writing:

• Principal Designer to be in control of design work.
• Principal Contractor to be in control of the building work.

The role of Principal Designer for Building Regulations is distinct and separate to the role of CDM Principal Designer, with the two having very different roles and responsibilities.

The appointment of a PDBR is required for all construction projects from small domestic extensions to complex multi-million-pound developments. If your project is classed as a ‘Higher-Risk Building’ under the Building Safety Act 2022, then additional requirements apply.

Higher-Risk Buildings are those in England that are classed as being:

• at least 18 metres in height; or
• at least 7 storeys high; and
• which contain at least 2 residential units, including hospitals, care homes, and student accommodation.

Hotels, prisons and military accommodation are not classed as Higher-Risk Buildings due to having their own safety procedures and regulations.

It is important that all construction clients fully understand their legal duties under the new Act, and we can provide you with advice and guidance about this to ensure that you are fully supported.

Principal Designers must:

• Take reasonable steps to make sure all designers comply with their duties under building regulations.
• Assess design work to make sure all designers produce designs that comply with relevant building regulations.
• Work with the Principal Contractor and share information about planning, managing, monitoring and coordinating the design and building work.
• Assist the client in providing information to others, if requested.

Yes. Principal Designers must be competent and able to demonstrate relevant experience of having delivered the types of projects that they are being asked to work on. The Principal Designer must also be in control of the design, able to influence and coordinate design decisions. As such, it is unlikely that third-party organisations will be able to offer this service. The regulations are set up with the intention of the Lead Designer also providing the Principal Designer duties.

The British Standards Institute’s Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 8671 sets out the recommended competence requirements of Principal Designers and using PAS 8671 can help demonstrate and assess competence.

As a construction client, you must take all reasonable steps to appoint designers and contractors with the necessary competence or organisational capability to carry out their roles.

GSS have identified and assessed senior team members within our organisation’s competency in relation to the four core competency requirements of PAS 8671 as follows:

1. Behavioural competence.
2. Legislative and regulatory framework for compliance.
3. Management of design work compliance.
4. Technical framework for compliance.

Our Principal Designers will be able to assist and guide you navigating your legal duties under the Building Safety Act 2022 and will ensure that you fully understand your duties before design work commences.

If you would like to find out more about the Building Safety Act or would simply like a conversation about how it may apply to your project, please get in touch and we will be happy to assist you.