RIBA principal designer register

[edit] Industry's first Principal Designer Register lets architects take the lead on building safety

As part of its commitment to drive a culture change in building safety, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today, Thursday 26 October 2023, opened applications to the industry’s first Principal Designer Register, allowing architects to demonstrate their competence for this crucial new safety role.

Under England’s new Building Regulations, published in August 2023, every building project must now have a Principal Designer. This is an individual or organisation appointed by the client to take the lead on planning, managing, monitoring and coordinating health and safety and building regulations compliance during the design of a project.

The RIBA Principal Designer Register will enable individual UK RIBA Chartered Members who have the necessary knowledge, skills, experience and behaviours to prove their competence through a three-stage assessment process.

It will also enable clients to find a suitably qualified Principal Designer by searching the RIBA Principal Designer Register.

The Register will include a higher competency level for those working on Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs), defined as 18m or more in height or having at least seven storeys, and containing at least two residential units.

[edit] Comments for the chair of board

RIBA Chair of Board Jack Pringle said:

“Demands for stronger building safety regulations and higher professional competence has never been greater – affecting not only architects, but all those involved in the design and construction of buildings. The RIBA Principal Designer Register, the sector’s first competency database, provides professionals with a means to demonstrate appropriate professional expertise and, more broadly, to fulfil new Building Safety Act requirements. It’s a practical step in the right direction – a fundamental piece of work that supports the greater, industry-wide culture change to ensure the highest standards of building safety.”

[edit] Comments from an accredited principal designer

Mike Oades, a Director at Atomik Architecture and someone who has been through the accreditation process to join RIBA’s Principal Designer Register, says he has no doubt that architects are best placed to be Principal Designers.

“We typically provide a full service, so it would be short-sighted to try and pass this responsibility to a third party, and it’s not in the spirit of the legislation,” he argues. “Architects are always complaining about being marginalised within the industry. Here is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate why the architect, as lead designer, is the obvious choice for the role.”

He continues: “We were also concerned that if the role becomes a box-ticking process for overzealous project managers, it could exclude architects from providing the Principal Designer role on their own projects if they are not on the register.”

Mike points out that preparing for assessment for the register is a good way for architects to gain a thorough working knowledge of the legislation, and helps to demystify the roles and processes.

“The primary benefit [of the register] is that it should make all our projects safer, as it gives Principal Designer architects a clear mandate to maintain best practice and behaviours within the industry – ultimately this should reduce the risks in buildings,” he says.

“I have seen several architects complaining about the perceived risks and cost of joining the register, particularly for smaller practices. As designers, we all have statutory obligations under the act, whether we are the Principal Designers or not.

Mike concludes that there are efficiencies for a practice if the Principal Designer is kept in-house and it potentially benefits the client, too, by removing the complexities of having a third-party in the role. And for a chartered architect who is on the register, the service should come with a premium, he says.

[edit] How to join the RIBA Principal Designer Register

Individual RIBA Chartered Members can now apply to join the register. The assessment process comprises:

• A knowledge test
• Submission of written evidence of your knowledge, skills and professional experience
• An interview stage
• A subscription fee will apply, and members will need to re-apply after 5 years.

Applications will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and applicants are encouraged to take their time to complete the knowledge test and submission of evidence before the final interview stage is scheduled. Applicants have 12 months to complete the assessment.

This article was issued via Press Release from the RIBA as 'Industry's first Principal Designer Register lets architects take the lead on building safety', dated October 2023 along with the last section from the article 'Building Safety Act: how does RIBA’s new Principal Designer Register help architects working with domestic clients?' Dated May 16, 2024.

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