ARB Registration (Architects Registration Board) Building Regulations, Statutory Control and Building Safety Syllabus

Under which legislation are the Building Regulations 2010 made, and what is their purpose?

Made under the Building Act 1984. They set minimum standards for the design and construction of buildings to ensure health, safety, welfare, convenience, energy efficiency and sustainability of people in and around buildings.

What are the two main routes for obtaining building control approval under the Building Regulations?

(1) Full Plans application (plans checked before work) and (2) the Building Notice procedure (no detailed plans, suited to minor works). Note: as of the Building Safety Act, Approved Inspectors became 'Registered Building Control Approvers' and the private route is restricted for higher-risk buildings.

What is the legal status of the Approved Documents relative to the Building Regulations?

They provide practical guidance on ways to comply but are not mandatory — compliance can be achieved by other means. Following them creates a rebuttable presumption of compliance with the functional requirements.

Match the Approved Document letters to their subject: A, B, C, K, M, P.

A = Structure; B = Fire safety; C = Site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture; K = Protection from falling, collision and impact; M = Access to and use of buildings; P = Electrical safety.

What do Approved Documents L and O cover respectively?

Approved Document L = Conservation of fuel and power (energy efficiency); Approved Document O = Overheating mitigation in new residential buildings (introduced 2022).

What is the most recently added Approved Document and what does it cover?

Approved Document S = Infrastructure for the charging of electric vehicles (introduced June 2022). The series now runs A through S.

Approved Document B is split into two volumes — what does each cover?

Volume 1 covers dwellings; Volume 2 covers buildings other than dwellings. Both address means of warning and escape, internal/external fire spread, and access for the fire service.

What is the maximum travel distance permitted in one direction (single direction of escape) typically allowed under Approved Document B for an office?

Generally 18 m where travel is possible in only one direction, increasing to 45 m where alternative escape routes exist (figures vary by use/purpose group).

Define 'means of escape' and the principle of 'protected route' in fire safety design.

Means of escape is the structural means by which occupants can reach a place of safety unaided. A protected route (e.g. protected stairway) is enclosed in fire-resisting construction so it stays free of fire and smoke for the time needed to escape.

Following the ban introduced after Grenfell, what restriction applies to combustible materials in external walls of certain high-rise buildings?

Combustible materials are banned in the external walls of relevant buildings over 18 m (and now extended to 11 m for some uses) — materials must generally achieve European Class A2-s1,d0 or A1. Set out in Regulation 7(2) of the Building Regulations.

What is the purpose of Approved Document M and what are its volume splits?

Access to and use of buildings, ensuring inclusive access for all including disabled people. Volume 1 = dwellings (categories M4(1) visitable, M4(2) accessible/adaptable, M4(3) wheelchair user); Volume 2 = buildings other than dwellings.

What is 'inclusive design' in the context of the built environment?

Design that creates buildings and environments usable by everyone, regardless of age, disability or circumstance, without the need for special adaptation — removing barriers and providing choice rather than segregated provision.

What overheating assessment methods does Approved Document O permit?

Two methods: (1) the simplified method (limiting glazing areas and providing minimum free area for ventilation) and (2) the dynamic thermal modelling method following CIBSE TM59.

What metric does Approved Document L use to set the energy/carbon performance target for new dwellings?

Performance is assessed against Target Emission Rate (TER) and Target Fabric Energy Efficiency (TFEE), and now a Target Primary Energy Rate (TPER), calculated using SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure). The 2021 edition is an interim step to the Future Homes Standard.

Define a 'higher-risk building' (HRB) under the Building Safety Act 2018 for the in-occupation regime.

A building at least 18 m in height OR at least 7 storeys, containing at least 2 residential units (also includes hospitals and care homes during design/construction phase).

What are the three 'Gateways' in the gateway process for higher-risk buildings?

Gateway 1 (planning stage — fire safety considerations submitted with planning application); Gateway 2 (pre-construction — Building Safety Regulator approval before building work starts); Gateway 3 (completion — BSR approval before occupation, and registration).

Who must approve building work at Gateways 2 and 3 for higher-risk buildings, and what is the consequence of these gateways?

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR). They are 'hard stops' — work cannot start (Gateway 2) or the building cannot be occupied (Gateway 3) without BSR approval.

Name the dutyholders defined under the Building Regulations (as aligned with CDM) for the design and construction of buildings.

Client, Principal Designer, Principal Contractor, Designers, and Contractors. Each has defined duties to ensure compliance with building regulations and manage building safety risks.

What is the 'competence' requirement introduced by the Building Safety Act for those working on buildings?

Dutyholders must have the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours (SKEB) — and organisations the capability — to carry out their roles. Competence frameworks (e.g. PAS 8671/8672) support this for designers and principal designers.

What is the 'golden thread' of information under the Building Safety Act?

The accurate, up-to-date digital record of information about a higher-risk building's design, construction and ongoing management — created at design, maintained through construction and occupation — ensuring the right people have the right information to keep the building safe.

State three key principles the golden thread of information must satisfy.

It must be digital, kept up to date (a single source of truth), accessible to those who need it, accurate, secure, and structured/standardised so information can be found and used to manage building safety.

Who is the Building Safety Regulator and within which body does it sit?

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is the national regulator for building safety and standards, established by the Building Safety Act 2022 and operating within the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

List the three main functions of the Building Safety Regulator.

(1) Overseeing the safety and performance of all buildings (with special focus on higher-risk buildings), (2) raising the competence of those working on buildings, and (3) implementing the new regulatory regime for higher-risk buildings.

What event prompted the Hackitt Review and the subsequent building safety reforms?

The Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017, which killed 72 people, exposed systemic failures and prompted Dame Judith Hackitt's Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety (2018).

What was the central conclusion of the Hackitt Review 'Building a Safer Future' (2018)?

That the regulatory system was 'not fit for purpose,' driven by a 'race to the bottom,' fragmented responsibility and weak enforcement. It recommended a new outcomes-based regulatory framework with clear dutyholders, the golden thread, and a single regulator.

Name two key systemic failings identified by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

Use of combustible ACM cladding and insulation that fuelled fire spread; a 'stay put' strategy that failed; inadequate testing/certification and product mis-selling; and fragmented, unclear responsibility across the design and construction supply chain.

Under the CDM Regulations 2015, what does CDM stand for and what is the regulations' purpose?

Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 — they manage health, safety and welfare on construction projects from concept through to maintenance and demolition, ensuring risks are designed out and managed.

What are the duties of the Principal Designer under CDM 2015?

To plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety during the pre-construction phase; identify, eliminate or control foreseeable risks; ensure designers comply; and prepare/provide pre-construction information and the health and safety file.

How does the CDM 2015 Principal Designer differ from the Building Safety Act Principal Designer?

The CDM Principal Designer manages health and safety in the pre-construction phase; the Building Safety Act Principal Designer is responsible for coordinating compliance with Building Regulations across the whole design. They are distinct legal roles that may be held by the same or different parties.

When must the CDM 2015 client notify the HSE of a construction project (form F10)?

When the construction work is scheduled to last longer than 30 working days and have more than 20 workers simultaneously at any point, OR exceeds 500 person-days.

What does the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 regulate?

Works to party walls, party structures, boundary walls, and excavations near neighbouring buildings. It provides a framework for preventing and resolving disputes between adjoining owners (it is not part of planning or building regulations).

What notice periods are required under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 for party structure work versus excavation/new walls?

2 months' notice for works to an existing party structure (s.2); 1 month's notice for new walls at the boundary (s.1) and for adjacent excavation (s.6).

What is a 'party wall award' and who prepares it?

A legally binding document settling the rights and obligations of the parties, the works permitted, access, and cost allocation. It is prepared by the appointed party wall surveyor(s) when a dispute is deemed to have arisen (i.e. notice is not consented to).

What is a right of light and how can it be acquired?

An easement giving a landowner the right to receive natural light through defined apertures. It can be acquired by express grant, or by prescription after 20 years of uninterrupted enjoyment under the Prescription Act 1832.

Define an 'easement' and give a common example relevant to property development.

A right benefiting one parcel of land (dominant tenement) over another (servient tenement) without possessing it — e.g. a right of way, right of light, right of support, or right to run services/drainage.

What is the difference between a boundary shown on a Land Registry title plan and a legal boundary?

The Land Registry title plan shows only the 'general boundary' (an approximate line) and is not definitive; the exact legal boundary is determined by the deeds, physical features and, if disputed, by a determined boundary application or the courts.

What is the primary legislation governing health and safety on construction sites, and who enforces it?

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA), enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). It places general duties on employers, employees and others to ensure health, safety and welfare 'so far as is reasonably practicable.'

What does 'so far as is reasonably practicable' (SFAIRP / ALARP) mean in health and safety law?

That the degree of risk must be balanced against the time, trouble, cost and physical difficulty of mitigating it; measures must be taken unless their cost is grossly disproportionate to the risk reduced. Risk is reduced to 'As Low As Reasonably Practicable.'

What is a 'method statement' and a 'risk assessment' on a construction site, and which regulations require them?

A risk assessment identifies hazards, who may be harmed and control measures (required by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999); a method statement (RAMS) sets out the safe sequence of carrying out the work. Both underpin safe construction practice.