Building Regulations Unit 17

P1

The building regulation or building control has been influence throughout history; the Great Fire
caused building regulation to be implemented because the fire spread throughout the city rapidly
due being densely packed and closeness of the buildings and especially because of the building being
constructed of wood made the fire rage through London. Thatched roofs in London were banned by
the first mayor, Henry Fitzailwin and also gradually wood was replaced by other materials like stone,
bricks within urban locations. Building Act 1667 was implemented to stop house from being built in
wood and also restricted the height and width of the walls. And the streets had to be a certain width
to stop fire from spreading. This law was enforced by surveyor or discreet man.
http://www.buildinghistory.org/regulations.shtml

There was an outbreak of cholera in England this caused a loss of 15% in London population, the
disease began because there was not a drainage system in place which met people would throw
their waste out of their window, and eventually the waste got into the water table and
contaminated the water. After this laws where put in place to tackle the issues that caused problems
to arise like lack of ventilation and open sewage, they implemented Public Act 1848 this had little
impact on buildings but provided a framework for local authority. Eventually drainage systems were
created and also clean water.

The industrial revolution caused town and cities to grow rapidly this is because simple jobs like
farming were changed to mechanical which meant less people were needing to work the farms, this
resulted in people moving to the cities to get work which met London was overcrowded this met
legislations would need to be changed so bye-laws were created to set certain standards in terms of
the party walls, rights of light, drainage, fire resistance and fire exits.

The Ronan Point Disaster influences the Public Health Acts from the 19 – 20 century, the Ronan
point disaster is when a corner of a block of flats in Newham East London collapsed which killed
people this caused the national building regulation to be changed which met the regulation was
broken down into basic functional requirements.
http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/history_of_building_control

P2:

There have been amendments to the building act over the years the first piece of building regulation
was the building act 1667. This act was created after the great fire of London occurred and London
had to be rebuilt, this legislation was created by Sir Matthew Hale which saw roads increased in size,
buildings stopped from coming over roads. The building act 1984 was a legislation which was
implemented to provide power to the secretary of state to make laws for the purpose of:

 Ensuring health, safety, welfare and convenience of people in and around the structure and
also the people who can be affected by matters relating to the building.
 Advancing the way fuel and power are conserved
 Avoiding waste, unnecessary usage, or contamination of water
 Building Regulations Unit 17

The building act 1984 gives the local authority a duty in which they are to ensure building regulation
in their areas are followed and provides them powers to enforce this act. This legislation provides
the local authority the power to enter buildings, and enables them to prosecute owners that did not
follow the law.

The building legislation which is currently active is the Building Regulations 2010, the legislation
there are which this act is created from the 1984 act with the aim of setting the least standard for
the design of building. Within the 2010 building regulation there are 15 main points, every point is
supported by an ‘Approved Document’ which offers guidance with examples on how regulations in
common circumstances are met.
http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/buildingregulationsandotherlegis

The first health act to be implemented was the Public Health Act 1875. This act was created during
the industrial revolution which caused living condition to be poor. The dense and overcrowded areas
made diseases spread quickly which caused outbreaks like cholera. These events caused the
government to implement laws which improved the health, safety and welfare of the public. This act
covered various point’s drainage systems, water supply and housing. There was Act which created in
1848 but it was scraped 10 after implemented, it regulated food being sold, provided sewers and
inspected housing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/standard/history/1830_1930/public_health/revision/3/

Approved document A: Structure

Approved document B: Fire safety

Approved document C: Site preparation and moisture resistance

Approved document D: Toxic substances

Approved document E: Resistance to sound passage

Approved document F: Ventilation

Approved document G: Hygiene

Approved document H: Drainage and waste disposal

Approved document J: Combustion appliances and fuel storage systems

Approved document K: Protection from falling, collision and impact

Approved document L: Conservation of fuel and power

Approved document M: Access to and use of buildings

Approved document N: Glazing – safety in connection with impact, opening and cleaning

Approved document P: Electrical safety.

 Building Regulations Unit 17

Approved Document Q: Dwellings

http://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Approved_documents

M1:

Building regulations affect the design of a domestic construction from the pitch of the roof
(Approved Document A); the depth of stair treads to the gradient of the slop and even where light
switches are placed (Approved Document P). The building regulation has covered every aspect of a
building for example the windows (Approved Document N), building regulation ensures that the
glass being used is up to a certain standard (BS) and that it’s safe and energy efficient. When glass is
being implemented into a construction whether new, or refurbished the way the glass has been
created, delivered and installed has to be in accordance with Building regulations. The person that is
responsible for ensuring the correct glass is chosen is the end user, when changing windows it
means the replacement is suitable and complies with building regulations.

Building regulations affect the design by implementing minimum standards that ensure that any new
building being constructed has to reduce the amount of carbon being released (Approved Document
L). This is part of the government plan to reach zero carbon emission from all newly built homes, the
design be affected by the building having to have more windows to allow more natural light through
and less need for artificial lighting. The materials being used also has to be sustainable this could
mean that the materials would have to be local to lower the carbon footprint. Also building
regulation affect the type of workmanship required to complete certain tasks, this means that
anyone working on the construction site would need to have the right documents to be allowed
onto the site because construction sites are dangerous and not having the right licence could
increase risk of injury for yourself and people around you.

Building regulation also affects the way alteration work is carried out, if the alteration is work being
constructed by the owner then they are responsible for ensuring that work being completed is up to
standard and complies with regulation. If work is being carried out by an external source for example
a builder, then they have to ensure that work being constructed is in line with all building regulation
but a conversation should take place to confirm this because the enforcement notice would be
directed towards owner if work does not comply with regulation. Some construction work would not
require building regulation, but if building work has been planned then regulation would have to be
complied with.

The types of work that have to comply with regulation are:

 Construction/ alteration of buildings

 Installing/extending of services and fittings which are under regulation
 Implementing insulation in a cavity wall
 Work which affect the thermal properties of the building
 Building Regulations Unit 17

Also another alteration work that can be affected by building regulation can be changing the use of
the building, for example changing from residential to commercial this means the building would no
longer comply with regulation because there are certain requirements which will need to be met for
the new type of use. Changing from a home into a shop will require certain parts of the building to
be changed to comply with regulation this will involve fire precautions, hygiene, energy conservation
and the access and use of the building. The approved document that will cover this alteration is F, M,
G, and L.

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/responsibilities/buildingregulations/approvalneeded/
 Building Regulations Unit 17

Bibliography:

http://www.buildinghistory.org/regulations.shtml

http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/history_of_building_control

http://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Approved_documents

http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/buildingregulationsandotherlegis

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/responsibilities/buildingregulations/approvalneeded/