Building Safety Act Compliance: Lessons learned from an architect's perspective

The introduction of the Building Safety Act has undoubtedly been one of the most significant changes to affect the construction industry in recent years. While I firmly believe it is a positive step forward for building safety, I would be lying if I said the transition has been easy. As a director and business owner, there have been moments of real uncertainty and more than a few sleepless nights as we've worked to understand the implications for our practice and our projects.

At Paddock Johnson, we specialise in residential architecture and were already working on Higher-Risk Building (HRB) projects when the new regime was introduced. Like many smaller practices, we had to react quickly and adapt our processes at pace. With a team of 18, we don't have the luxury of dedicated technical departments or large senior teams who can absorb significant amounts of non-chargeable work. As a result, much of the responsibility for understanding the legislation, developing new procedures and embedding compliance processes fell to me and our Associate CDM Principal Designer. 

The investment of time was substantial. It inevitably pulled us away from other aspects of running the business, creating additional pressure across the wider team. Looking back now, however, we chose to view the changes as an opportunity rather than a threat. By investing early in understanding the new requirements, we quickly became recognised as a knowledgeable resource for clients and project teams. While nobody could claim to be an expert in a completely new regulatory framework, that commitment helped position us strongly and ultimately led to new commissions and opportunities.

One of the biggest challenges wasn't necessarily understanding the legislation itself. It was gaining confidence that our interpretation was correct. We attended seminars, completed CPD sessions, read guidance documents and spent countless hours researching, but there was always an underlying question: are others approaching this in the same way?

For me, that's where the Architects Technical Leads Group (ATLG) became invaluable.

After meeting ATLG Chair and founder, Ben Oram at the RIBA Fire Safety Conference, I was encouraged to join the group, and it has been one of the most beneficial professional decisions I've made. The ATLG provides access to an exceptional network of technical specialists and practitioners who are dealing with the same challenges day in, day out. Having a trusted forum to discuss complex issues, sense-check approaches and learn from others' experiences has been hugely reassuring. It has helped turn what can sometimes feel like an isolating responsibility into a collaborative industry effort.

I am now fortunate enough to sit on the board of the ATLG, which gives me the opportunity to contribute to wider industry discussions and help ensure that the lessons being learned in practice are fed back into conversations about the future development of the legislation. 

One of the Building Safety Act's key objectives was to drive greater collaboration and accountability across the industry, and I have seen genuine evidence of that. Project teams are engaging earlier and more openly, while manufacturers are increasingly willing to provide detailed technical information, test data and project-specific support long before products are specified or ordered. That level of engagement has given designers greater confidence in their decision-making and improved the quality of information available to the entire project team.

My advice to any small or medium-sized practice still feeling overwhelmed by these changes is simple: don't try to tackle it alone. There is a wealth of support available through organisations such as the RIBA, CIC and ATLG. Start by honestly assessing your own competence and that of your organisation. From there, identify any gaps in knowledge and create a plan to address them. The challenges are significant, but so too are the opportunities. Most importantly, there are people across the industry ready and willing to help.