Selfless Scotland Jeremy Grant on changes to building regs in Scotland

摘要

Architects working in Scotland need to be immediately aware of the recent Building (Scotland) Act 2003, which has been introduced with the aim of modernising the Scottish Building Standards System and which became operational on 1 May 2005. Practices elsewhere in the UK should also take note as the new Scottish model is expected to be extended, with potential impact on extended design time and cost implications. The legislation discontinues the self-certification system for structural design in Scotland. Instead, new regulations allow Scottish ministers to empower suitably qualified design professionals as 'Certifiers of Design'. The first such approval has been given on structural design to Structural Engineers Registration Ltd (SER Ltd).