Guidance

Guidance is advice intended to help resolve a problem or difficulty, or information about how to do something. Typically it is given or produced by a person or organisation in authority.

In relation to the designing of buildings the word guidance is frequently used to describe documents that range from purely advisory to those that give advice on meeting legislation that is obligatory.

For example the UK Building Regulations apply across England and Wales are set out in the Building Act 1984 while those that apply across Scotland are set out in the Building (Scotland) Act 2003. These are legal obligations in the construction of buildings. The Approved Documents to the building regulations are a set of guidance documents setting out ways in which the regulations might be (but do not have to be) satisfied.

In the UK context of the Building Safety Act, "guidance" refers to official documents issued by government departments, regulatory bodies, or other authoritative sources to provide advice, instructions, or recommendations on how to interpret and comply with the requirements of the Act. Guidance documents are intended to assist duty holders, such as building owners, developers, designers, contractors, and regulators, in understanding their obligations under the Building Safety Act and implementing effective practices to ensure building safety.

Guidance documents are not legally binding in themselves, but they are often considered persuasive and may be used as evidence of compliance or good practice in legal proceedings or regulatory enforcement actions. Duty holders are generally expected to follow relevant guidance to the extent that it is reasonable and practicable to do so, but they may also choose to adopt alternative approaches if they can demonstrate equivalent levels of safety and compliance.

Overall, guidance plays a critical role in supporting the effective implementation of the Building Safety Act and promoting consistent standards of building safety across the UK.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Approved documents.
• Approved inspector.
• Building codes.
• Building control body.
• Building regulations appeal.
• Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC).
• Building regulations completion certificate.
• Building regulations inspection.
• Building warrant (Scotland).
• Do the building regulations apply to existing buildings?
• Failure to comply with the building regulations.
• Independent review of the building regulations and fire safety.
• National Calculation Method.
• Northern Ireland building regulations.
• Simplified Building Energy Model.
• Scottish building standards.
• Standard Assessment Procedure.
• Statutory approvals.
• Statutory authorities.
• The Building Act.
• The difference between planning permission building regulations approval.
• Welsh building regulations.
• What approvals are needed before construction begins.