PRINCIPAL DESIGNER
AXIS, PRINCIPAL DESIGNERS
We are fully competent and very experienced in undertaking Principal Designer roles, and have being doing so for many years. If you wish to discuss our competency and engage our services please contact us here
PRINCIPAL DESIGNER
The new legislation implemented to address the Grenfell Tower Fire in London which killed 70 people and injured many more, is designed to make sure the UK Construction Industry learns from the various mistakes that allowed for such incident. Grenfell was the result of multiple faults undertaken and overlooked by all parties involved in the team. First and foremost, the UK Construction Industry plays the ‘blame game’ every time there is an issue. To rectify this, there are now very clear roles and responsibilities allocated to all parties involved in the construction team, otherwise called the Duty Holders.
THE DUTY HOLDERS:
WHO ARE THEY?
CLIENT: CDM 2015 defines a client as anyone for whom a construction project is carried out. The regulations apply to both domestic and commercial clients.
The client has overall responsibility for the successful management of the project and is supported by the principal designer and principal contractor in different phases of the project. For the successful delivery of a project, good working relationships between the duty holders are essential from the start.
PRINCIPAL DESIGNER: Designers appointed by the client. They can be an organisation or an individual with sufficient knowledge, experience and ability to carry out the role.
DESIGNER: Those who, as part of a business, prepare or modify designs for a building or product, or prepare or modify designs to systems relating to construction work.
PRINCIPAL CONTRACTOR: Contractors appointed by the client to co-ordinate the construction phase of a project where it involves more than one contractor.
CONTRACTOR: Those who do the actual construction work. They can be either an individual or a company.
WORKERS: The people who work for or under the control of contractors on a construction site.
THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE THREE MAIN DUTY HOLDERS
CLIENT: Ensures that the construction project is set up so that it is carried out from start to finish in a way that adequately controls the risks to the health and safety of those who may be affected.
PRINCIPAL DESIGNER: Manages health and safety in the pre-construction phase of a project. The role extends to the construction phase through the principal designer’s duties to liaise with the principal contractor and ongoing design work.
PRINCIPAL CONTRACTOR: Manages the construction phase of a project. This involves liaising with the client and principal designer throughout the project, including during the pre-construction phase
WHAT DO PRINCIPAL DESIGNERS DO?
To clarify, this is not an Architectural Role, however, Architects, if they can prove competency, are the best placed to act as Principal Designers. The tasks usually involve:
- Planning, managing and monitoring the design works, including compliance with relevant requirements.
- Coordinating design work and consultants.
- Raising any concerns with the client, principal contractor or any other parties should the works not comply or be substandard.
- Cooperating and if requested share information with other relevant parties.
WHAT IF I DO NOT UNDERTAKE MY DUTIES?
If you wish to discuss further, please contact us here
Breach of any of the above aspects could be considered a contravention of the Building Regulations and may require the application to be reverted to the Local Authority for enforcement.
For further guidance please refer to:
