a mews house not a million miles disimilar to ours in Portobello...
L i n k
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
RE-UZE
"Don't Dump That is all about helping preserve the environment by keeping perfectly useful items out of landfill sites; with new local forums opening all around the United Kingdom it's getting easier and easier."
www.reuze.co.uk
www.reuze.co.uk
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Lorn Macneal
This extension by Lorn MacNeal is interesting - made me reconsider timber for the overhang in my own house...
and the view from the interior of the fixed window pane...
and the view from the interior of the fixed window pane...
Friday, June 08, 2007
Planning Advice Note PAN76: new residential streets
Successful places
A sense of place can be created in many ways. A strong influence is through the inter-relationship of buildings, the spaces around them and their wider context. Layouts, street patterns and specific dimensions are key elements in this relationship and need careful consideration alongside the design of the buildings. Streets also make up a significant proportion of the public realm in built up areas. It is therefore essential that they are well designed and make a positive contribution to the overall quality of the environment. Designing Places identifies 6 qualities which make a successful place. These qualities should be applied to all new streets.
Distinctive
New street designs should respond to local context to create places that are distinctive. We need to avoid designing new places that do not fit well with their surroundings.
Safe and pleasant
New residential streets should be designed with the aim of creating safe and attractive places. One way of achieving this is through controlling vehicle speeds. Creative layouts should be used to minimise vehicle speeds naturally. This will lead to street environments which are safer for pedestrians and drivers, and reduce the risk of road accidents. Road layouts should also pay attention to natural surveillance from buildings and passing traffic. This can help to ensure the safety of pedestrians. The best way to achieve this is through the comprehensive design of streets, buildings and public spaces.
Easy to get to, and get around
New streets should be easy to move around by all modes of travel. They should connect well with existing streets, walking and cycling networks, and allow for links into future areas of development.
The design of a successful place will begin with understanding how new housing can be connected to both the movement and settlement patterns of an area
Welcoming
Street layouts and design details should encourage positive interaction between neighbours. The street is not just about the footpath and the carriageway, but the proximity of the footpath, garden and front door. The street should allow for people to meet, chat and enjoy. Together, this can create a strong sense of community, which can foster a sense of pride and welcome.
Adaptable
Experience shows that street networks are enduring features of our towns and cities. It is therefore important to plan networks that are easy to move around and allow for future adaptation.
Resource efficient
New streets should use materials that are durable and easy to maintain. Solutions such as recycled materials and porous pavements, as part of a sustainable drainage system ( SuDS) are encouraged. Energy efficient layouts should also be considered. For example, they can be orientated to maximise shelter and take advantage of natural sunlight.
The six images in the order they are shown (presumably relating to the six points)
source
A sense of place can be created in many ways. A strong influence is through the inter-relationship of buildings, the spaces around them and their wider context. Layouts, street patterns and specific dimensions are key elements in this relationship and need careful consideration alongside the design of the buildings. Streets also make up a significant proportion of the public realm in built up areas. It is therefore essential that they are well designed and make a positive contribution to the overall quality of the environment. Designing Places identifies 6 qualities which make a successful place. These qualities should be applied to all new streets.
Distinctive
New street designs should respond to local context to create places that are distinctive. We need to avoid designing new places that do not fit well with their surroundings.
Safe and pleasant
New residential streets should be designed with the aim of creating safe and attractive places. One way of achieving this is through controlling vehicle speeds. Creative layouts should be used to minimise vehicle speeds naturally. This will lead to street environments which are safer for pedestrians and drivers, and reduce the risk of road accidents. Road layouts should also pay attention to natural surveillance from buildings and passing traffic. This can help to ensure the safety of pedestrians. The best way to achieve this is through the comprehensive design of streets, buildings and public spaces.
Easy to get to, and get around
New streets should be easy to move around by all modes of travel. They should connect well with existing streets, walking and cycling networks, and allow for links into future areas of development.
The design of a successful place will begin with understanding how new housing can be connected to both the movement and settlement patterns of an area
Welcoming
Street layouts and design details should encourage positive interaction between neighbours. The street is not just about the footpath and the carriageway, but the proximity of the footpath, garden and front door. The street should allow for people to meet, chat and enjoy. Together, this can create a strong sense of community, which can foster a sense of pride and welcome.
Adaptable
Experience shows that street networks are enduring features of our towns and cities. It is therefore important to plan networks that are easy to move around and allow for future adaptation.
Resource efficient
New streets should use materials that are durable and easy to maintain. Solutions such as recycled materials and porous pavements, as part of a sustainable drainage system ( SuDS) are encouraged. Energy efficient layouts should also be considered. For example, they can be orientated to maximise shelter and take advantage of natural sunlight.
The six images in the order they are shown (presumably relating to the six points)
source
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Ian Gilzean
Chief architect of the Scottish Execuitive's Architecture Policy Unit interviewed on a blog
http://www.scottisharchitecture.com/article/view/Ian+Gilzean
with a link to the Building Our legacy pdf (2.9MB).
http://www.scottisharchitecture.com/article/view/Ian+Gilzean
with a link to the Building Our legacy pdf (2.9MB).
Friday, May 25, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Monday, May 14, 2007
Friday, May 11, 2007
Scottish Slate
Full article (without the images) from here
Reopening the Foudland Slate Quarries
Date: 28 April 07
Author: Mark Chalmers
For many Scots, the Glens of Foudland are familiar only through winter road reports: over this wild stretch of country runs the snowbound A96 road, which links Aberdeen with Inverness. Some will look up to the north-facing slopes of the Hill of Foudland and notice the overgrown rock faces. Few will realise that these scars are man-made: spoil heaps created by the once-extensive quarries which supplied the North-east with roofing slate. Today, these slopes are being eyed with renewed interest.
From the first workings on Easdale in the 1550’s, until last two slate quarries at Ballachulish closed in 1955, quarries spread along the Highland Line supplied both domestic demand and the export trade. These ranged from the "Slate Islands" of Easdale, Seil, Luing and Belnahua; at Ballachulish itself; the "Slate Belt" running from Luss and Aberfoyle to Birnam and Craiglea; also in the "Slate Hills" above the Glens of Foudland. Now, whenever roof repairs are required to old buildings, matching slate has to be robbed from another structure; this path leads in ever-decreasing circles, since fewer and fewer old buildings are demolished, yet more and more need maintenance. Historic Scotland, the guardian of listed buildings, realised that this Catch-22 situation wasn't sustainable indefinitely, and instigated a search for sources of fresh slate.
Hill of Foudland in the snow
The obvious first step was to look at the quarries which were abandoned last century. So far, the Khartoum quarry at Ballachulish, and the Hill of Foudland quarries have been examined and blocks of slate removed for analysis at the University of Paisley. Although everyone believes they know the colour of "slate", its full spectrum speaks of subtly different origins: Ballachulish slate is a deep blue-black; Snowdonian is dark purple; Westmorland slate is a shade of sea green; Easdale is gunmetal grey; Birnam slate is almost violet in colour… and Foudland slate is midnight blue with a crystalline sheen.
The Foudland quarries were opened up in 1754– local knowledge having unearthed a belt of slate running along the west border of Aberdeenshire from Auchterless towards the Tap o' Noth near Gartly. At their peak a century later, the quarries produced almost one million hand-split slates per year– which is an amazing total given the harsh conditions on the hill. The quarriers sat on the ground whilst cleaving the slate: but they did at least have small shelters– scathies– with slate walls and timber roofs to hold off the worst of the weather. At up to 1500 feet above sea level, and facing north, the quarries shut down each year with the onset of winter.
The slate industry here was never heavily mechanised and although quarrymen from Wales were drafted in to train the local workforce, Scottish quarriers were actually more efficient, recovering twice the amount of quarried material as usable slates. Due to its often poorly-defined cleavage, Scottish slate is not capable of being split into the smooth, regular slates which come from abroad: blocks were cut to whatever size could be produced.
Courtesy of Scottish Stone Liaison Group
Image courtesy of Scottish Stone Liaison Group
Foudland quarries supplied slate for buildings within a 50 mile radius– including Balmoral Castle– since this was the practical limit of horse-and-cart haulage. Paradoxically, the coming of the Great North of Scotland Railway from Aberdeen to Huntly should have allowed Foudland slate to be distributed further afield: in fact, it enabled cheaper slate to be imported. The turn of the 20th century saw a slump in the building industry– this recurs with monotonous regularity every few years– and the Foudland slate quarries closed 100 years ago, as depressed demand and competition robbed them of their market.
The early conclusion of the recent foray into the Foudlands is that major reserves of workable slate are certainly available, but the manner of working these old quarries has led to a collapse of their working faces. Quarrying started too high up the hill, and only the top of the strata were worked, all the time dumping spoil immediately below. Since the quarries at Foudland cover three square kilometres of hillside, we have literally only scratched the surface. In the largest of the old workings, the Gutter Quarry, all the faces have suffered erosion and weathering: the freeze-thaw action of a century of winters has created fantastic stratified patterns, and the waste tips are overgrown with heather. Another issue is that there is no water supply close to the most-promising of the old quarries– and water is essential for lubrication during drilling and cutting: ironically, water is in surfeit further down the hill, and dams were built to harness it to drive a mill which cut and polished the slate.
Gutter Quarry, Hill of Foudland
So, how to resolve Catch-22? A beginning may be "snatch" mining where useful slate is recovered from the waste tips– at Foudland, it is known that after the quarries closed officially, individual quarrymen continued to win slate at least until the Great War. Traxcavators would scrape back the overburden to expose a workable face– in the past, Foudland slate was quarried using a combination of timber wedges and iron pinches to lever blocks free, whereas black powder was used for blasting at Easdale and Ballachulish, to great destructive effect. Today, the advent of diamond wire saws and compressed air for drilling would reduce wastage.
There’s a strong economic case for re-opening, since the repair and refurbishment sector has high margins, and a Scottish slate producer would have a captive market. In addition, “architectural slate” for flooring and cladding are profitable areas, and a use has finally been found for the spoil: crushers can turn it into slate chips for hard landscaping. We should take pride in using materials whose subtle colour and tone is sympathetic to their context; which sustain our native industries– but most of all, which create buildings that look like they belong. The rebirth of Scottish slate may start here, in the lunar bleakness of Foudland.
Reopening the Foudland Slate Quarries
Date: 28 April 07
Author: Mark Chalmers
For many Scots, the Glens of Foudland are familiar only through winter road reports: over this wild stretch of country runs the snowbound A96 road, which links Aberdeen with Inverness. Some will look up to the north-facing slopes of the Hill of Foudland and notice the overgrown rock faces. Few will realise that these scars are man-made: spoil heaps created by the once-extensive quarries which supplied the North-east with roofing slate. Today, these slopes are being eyed with renewed interest.
From the first workings on Easdale in the 1550’s, until last two slate quarries at Ballachulish closed in 1955, quarries spread along the Highland Line supplied both domestic demand and the export trade. These ranged from the "Slate Islands" of Easdale, Seil, Luing and Belnahua; at Ballachulish itself; the "Slate Belt" running from Luss and Aberfoyle to Birnam and Craiglea; also in the "Slate Hills" above the Glens of Foudland. Now, whenever roof repairs are required to old buildings, matching slate has to be robbed from another structure; this path leads in ever-decreasing circles, since fewer and fewer old buildings are demolished, yet more and more need maintenance. Historic Scotland, the guardian of listed buildings, realised that this Catch-22 situation wasn't sustainable indefinitely, and instigated a search for sources of fresh slate.
Hill of Foudland in the snow
The obvious first step was to look at the quarries which were abandoned last century. So far, the Khartoum quarry at Ballachulish, and the Hill of Foudland quarries have been examined and blocks of slate removed for analysis at the University of Paisley. Although everyone believes they know the colour of "slate", its full spectrum speaks of subtly different origins: Ballachulish slate is a deep blue-black; Snowdonian is dark purple; Westmorland slate is a shade of sea green; Easdale is gunmetal grey; Birnam slate is almost violet in colour… and Foudland slate is midnight blue with a crystalline sheen.
The Foudland quarries were opened up in 1754– local knowledge having unearthed a belt of slate running along the west border of Aberdeenshire from Auchterless towards the Tap o' Noth near Gartly. At their peak a century later, the quarries produced almost one million hand-split slates per year– which is an amazing total given the harsh conditions on the hill. The quarriers sat on the ground whilst cleaving the slate: but they did at least have small shelters– scathies– with slate walls and timber roofs to hold off the worst of the weather. At up to 1500 feet above sea level, and facing north, the quarries shut down each year with the onset of winter.
The slate industry here was never heavily mechanised and although quarrymen from Wales were drafted in to train the local workforce, Scottish quarriers were actually more efficient, recovering twice the amount of quarried material as usable slates. Due to its often poorly-defined cleavage, Scottish slate is not capable of being split into the smooth, regular slates which come from abroad: blocks were cut to whatever size could be produced.
Courtesy of Scottish Stone Liaison Group
Image courtesy of Scottish Stone Liaison Group
Foudland quarries supplied slate for buildings within a 50 mile radius– including Balmoral Castle– since this was the practical limit of horse-and-cart haulage. Paradoxically, the coming of the Great North of Scotland Railway from Aberdeen to Huntly should have allowed Foudland slate to be distributed further afield: in fact, it enabled cheaper slate to be imported. The turn of the 20th century saw a slump in the building industry– this recurs with monotonous regularity every few years– and the Foudland slate quarries closed 100 years ago, as depressed demand and competition robbed them of their market.
The early conclusion of the recent foray into the Foudlands is that major reserves of workable slate are certainly available, but the manner of working these old quarries has led to a collapse of their working faces. Quarrying started too high up the hill, and only the top of the strata were worked, all the time dumping spoil immediately below. Since the quarries at Foudland cover three square kilometres of hillside, we have literally only scratched the surface. In the largest of the old workings, the Gutter Quarry, all the faces have suffered erosion and weathering: the freeze-thaw action of a century of winters has created fantastic stratified patterns, and the waste tips are overgrown with heather. Another issue is that there is no water supply close to the most-promising of the old quarries– and water is essential for lubrication during drilling and cutting: ironically, water is in surfeit further down the hill, and dams were built to harness it to drive a mill which cut and polished the slate.
Gutter Quarry, Hill of Foudland
So, how to resolve Catch-22? A beginning may be "snatch" mining where useful slate is recovered from the waste tips– at Foudland, it is known that after the quarries closed officially, individual quarrymen continued to win slate at least until the Great War. Traxcavators would scrape back the overburden to expose a workable face– in the past, Foudland slate was quarried using a combination of timber wedges and iron pinches to lever blocks free, whereas black powder was used for blasting at Easdale and Ballachulish, to great destructive effect. Today, the advent of diamond wire saws and compressed air for drilling would reduce wastage.
There’s a strong economic case for re-opening, since the repair and refurbishment sector has high margins, and a Scottish slate producer would have a captive market. In addition, “architectural slate” for flooring and cladding are profitable areas, and a use has finally been found for the spoil: crushers can turn it into slate chips for hard landscaping. We should take pride in using materials whose subtle colour and tone is sympathetic to their context; which sustain our native industries– but most of all, which create buildings that look like they belong. The rebirth of Scottish slate may start here, in the lunar bleakness of Foudland.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
The Teng house by SCDA architects, Singapore
Very interesting treatment of the ground floor plane (something I have been wighing up for months and still not resolved)
Friday, April 13, 2007
Housing for Varying Needs
is a document produced by Scottish Homes at the request of The Scottish Office. It applies to social housing in Scotland and is available online here
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
copyright
EXPLORING CREATIVE COMMONS: A SKEPTICAL VIEW OF A WORTHY PURSUIT
by Niva Elkin-Koren
(quoted here under "fair use" ha ha)
The notion of property is rather intuitive. When something is owned by someone else, we know we must ask for permission to use it. We normally do not think the same way of stories, images or music. Sometimes we might not even be aware that we were using them in creating our own work. When we use such creative works we usually do not have to cross any physical barriers. The barriers are abstract restrictions imposed by social norms. Social norms are therefore particularly significant with respect to informational works that lack physical boundaries. These norms turn songs and stories into commodities. The commodity metaphor creates an abstract ”fence” around (abstract) informational goods. While we may easily build a fence to keep others off our land, we cannot keep others from playing a musical composition hundreds of miles away. We must convince potential users that they should exercise self-restraint and respect the legal restrictions we placed on the use of our works.
Achieving compliance with copyright laws by the general public therefore relies upon internalizing the commodity metaphor. When creative works are treated simply as commodities, we may assume that the basic property intuitions would apply to them.
Treating creative works as commodities protected by property rights strengthens the perception of informational works as commodities. Once we realize that everything we write, draw, or play could be licensed we may start conceiving our own self-expressions as commodities. Our email correspondence, a picture we took of a newsworthy event, and commentary we posted online are all subject to exclusive rights. They all may be viewed as separate, identifiable pieces which are subject to exclusion. We may think of our writings as economic assets, and view our own expression as chips to be traded, rather than ideas to be shared.
Reliance on property rights may weaken the dialogic virtue of information that is a key to individuals’ participation in the creation of culture. The creation process is a complex social phenomenon with conflicting features. Works of art are autonomous, on the one hand, but communal on the other. Creating works at a specific time and place, and using existing artistic language and skills, are part of our social dialogue and the process of socialization. It reflects a shared artistic language, an artistic canon.
It makes use of existing building blocks and state of the art technologies. When a work is created it becomes part of our cultural language. Communicating works contribute to their internalization by integrating them into our social code. Creative expression is shaped by the various audiences46 and the different generations of creators.47 For creativity to thrive, creative works must be shared and individuals must be able to freely engage with them, to create new meanings. Those are the dialogic virtues of information. Engaging with creative works does not consume them. Exchanging ideas is not a transaction. The conceptual framework of property does not capture this complexity. Property rules do not merely define rights and duties. They further carry a normative message, announcing which values deserve protection and how. Therefore, reliance on property rights in creative works is likely to reinforce the belief that sharing these works is always prohibited unless authorized. To the extent this normative framework affects our behavior, it may distort our natural practices related to information.
by Niva Elkin-Koren
(quoted here under "fair use" ha ha)
The notion of property is rather intuitive. When something is owned by someone else, we know we must ask for permission to use it. We normally do not think the same way of stories, images or music. Sometimes we might not even be aware that we were using them in creating our own work. When we use such creative works we usually do not have to cross any physical barriers. The barriers are abstract restrictions imposed by social norms. Social norms are therefore particularly significant with respect to informational works that lack physical boundaries. These norms turn songs and stories into commodities. The commodity metaphor creates an abstract ”fence” around (abstract) informational goods. While we may easily build a fence to keep others off our land, we cannot keep others from playing a musical composition hundreds of miles away. We must convince potential users that they should exercise self-restraint and respect the legal restrictions we placed on the use of our works.
Achieving compliance with copyright laws by the general public therefore relies upon internalizing the commodity metaphor. When creative works are treated simply as commodities, we may assume that the basic property intuitions would apply to them.
Treating creative works as commodities protected by property rights strengthens the perception of informational works as commodities. Once we realize that everything we write, draw, or play could be licensed we may start conceiving our own self-expressions as commodities. Our email correspondence, a picture we took of a newsworthy event, and commentary we posted online are all subject to exclusive rights. They all may be viewed as separate, identifiable pieces which are subject to exclusion. We may think of our writings as economic assets, and view our own expression as chips to be traded, rather than ideas to be shared.
Reliance on property rights may weaken the dialogic virtue of information that is a key to individuals’ participation in the creation of culture. The creation process is a complex social phenomenon with conflicting features. Works of art are autonomous, on the one hand, but communal on the other. Creating works at a specific time and place, and using existing artistic language and skills, are part of our social dialogue and the process of socialization. It reflects a shared artistic language, an artistic canon.
It makes use of existing building blocks and state of the art technologies. When a work is created it becomes part of our cultural language. Communicating works contribute to their internalization by integrating them into our social code. Creative expression is shaped by the various audiences46 and the different generations of creators.47 For creativity to thrive, creative works must be shared and individuals must be able to freely engage with them, to create new meanings. Those are the dialogic virtues of information. Engaging with creative works does not consume them. Exchanging ideas is not a transaction. The conceptual framework of property does not capture this complexity. Property rules do not merely define rights and duties. They further carry a normative message, announcing which values deserve protection and how. Therefore, reliance on property rights in creative works is likely to reinforce the belief that sharing these works is always prohibited unless authorized. To the extent this normative framework affects our behavior, it may distort our natural practices related to information.
CDM 2007 Regulations
CDM 2007 replaces the 1994 regulations (1995 addopted) on 6th April 2007. The new regs look much improved in their focus on actually reducing the risks rather than just producing the paper work that says you reduced the risks...
4
The effort devoted to planning and managing health and safety should be in proportion to the risks and complexity associated with the project. When deciding what you need to do to comply with these Regulations, your focus should always be on action necessary to reduce and manage risks. Any paperwork produced should help with communication and risk management. Paperwork which adds little to the management of risk is a waste of effort, and can be a dangerous distraction from the real business of risk reduction and management.
Reading the document, my house is not notifiable as I am a domestic client:
31
Domestic clients have no client duties under CDM2007, which means that there is no legal requirement for appointment of a CDM co-ordinator or principal contractor when such projects reach the notification threshold. Similarly, there is no need to notify HSE where projects for domestic clients reach the notification threshold. However, designers and contractors still have their normal duties as set out in Parts 2 and 4 of the Regulations, and domestic clients will have duties under Part 4 of the Regulations if they control the way in which construction work is carried out (see paragraph 9).
But of course we still have obligations:
7
Part 2 covers general management duties which apply to all construction
projects, including those which are non-notifiable.
9
Part 4 of the Regulations applies to all construction work carried out on construction sites, and covers physical safeguards which need to be provided to prevent danger. Duties to achieve these standards are held by contractors who actually carry out the work, irrespective of whether they are employers or are selfemployed. Duties are also held by those who do not do construction work themselves, but control the way in which the work is done. In each case, the extent of the duty is in proportion to the degree of control which the individual or organisation has over the work in question.
The key issue will be the demolition part, the doc says this:
20
Although there is no requirement for the formal appointment of a CDM coordinator or principal contractor and for a construction phase plan for non notifiable projects, regulations 5 and 6 do require co-operation and co-ordination between all members of the project team. For low risk projects, a low-key approach will be sufficient. In higher risk projects, for example those involving demolition, a more rigorous approach to co-ordination, co-operation and planning will be needed. Guidance given to CDM co-ordinators and principal contractors in this document gives an indication as to what is needed, but any action taken should be in proportion to the risk which the work creates. The architect, lead designer or contractor who is carrying out the bulk of the design work should normally co-ordinate the health and safety aspects of the design work; the builder or main contractor, if there is one, should normally co-ordinate construction work.
21
It is vital that those doing the work understand the risks involved and what to do about them. If the risks are low and the precautions well understood by those carrying out the work, then there will be no need for a written plan. In other simple cases a brief summary that clearly sets out who does what and in what order will be enough. Where the risks are higher, for example where the work involves:
(a) structural alterations;
(b) deep excavations, and those in unstable or contaminated ground;
(c) unusual working methods or safeguards;
(d) ionising radiation or other significant health hazards;
(e) nearby high voltage powerlines;
(f) a risk of falling into water which is, or may become, fast flowing;
(g) diving;
(h) explosives;
(i) heavy or complex lifting operations;
then something closer to the construction phase plan will be needed.
When carrying out demolition, regulation 29 requires those in control of the work to produce a written plan showing how danger will be prevented.
i.e. so long as we appoint a decent demolitions contractor this whould be their remit.
4
The effort devoted to planning and managing health and safety should be in proportion to the risks and complexity associated with the project. When deciding what you need to do to comply with these Regulations, your focus should always be on action necessary to reduce and manage risks. Any paperwork produced should help with communication and risk management. Paperwork which adds little to the management of risk is a waste of effort, and can be a dangerous distraction from the real business of risk reduction and management.
Reading the document, my house is not notifiable as I am a domestic client:
31
Domestic clients have no client duties under CDM2007, which means that there is no legal requirement for appointment of a CDM co-ordinator or principal contractor when such projects reach the notification threshold. Similarly, there is no need to notify HSE where projects for domestic clients reach the notification threshold. However, designers and contractors still have their normal duties as set out in Parts 2 and 4 of the Regulations, and domestic clients will have duties under Part 4 of the Regulations if they control the way in which construction work is carried out (see paragraph 9).
But of course we still have obligations:
7
Part 2 covers general management duties which apply to all construction
projects, including those which are non-notifiable.
9
Part 4 of the Regulations applies to all construction work carried out on construction sites, and covers physical safeguards which need to be provided to prevent danger. Duties to achieve these standards are held by contractors who actually carry out the work, irrespective of whether they are employers or are selfemployed. Duties are also held by those who do not do construction work themselves, but control the way in which the work is done. In each case, the extent of the duty is in proportion to the degree of control which the individual or organisation has over the work in question.
The key issue will be the demolition part, the doc says this:
20
Although there is no requirement for the formal appointment of a CDM coordinator or principal contractor and for a construction phase plan for non notifiable projects, regulations 5 and 6 do require co-operation and co-ordination between all members of the project team. For low risk projects, a low-key approach will be sufficient. In higher risk projects, for example those involving demolition, a more rigorous approach to co-ordination, co-operation and planning will be needed. Guidance given to CDM co-ordinators and principal contractors in this document gives an indication as to what is needed, but any action taken should be in proportion to the risk which the work creates. The architect, lead designer or contractor who is carrying out the bulk of the design work should normally co-ordinate the health and safety aspects of the design work; the builder or main contractor, if there is one, should normally co-ordinate construction work.
21
It is vital that those doing the work understand the risks involved and what to do about them. If the risks are low and the precautions well understood by those carrying out the work, then there will be no need for a written plan. In other simple cases a brief summary that clearly sets out who does what and in what order will be enough. Where the risks are higher, for example where the work involves:
(a) structural alterations;
(b) deep excavations, and those in unstable or contaminated ground;
(c) unusual working methods or safeguards;
(d) ionising radiation or other significant health hazards;
(e) nearby high voltage powerlines;
(f) a risk of falling into water which is, or may become, fast flowing;
(g) diving;
(h) explosives;
(i) heavy or complex lifting operations;
then something closer to the construction phase plan will be needed.
When carrying out demolition, regulation 29 requires those in control of the work to produce a written plan showing how danger will be prevented.
i.e. so long as we appoint a decent demolitions contractor this whould be their remit.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
NPPG1 planning guidance 2000: sustainability
The Scottish Executive is committed to integrating the principles of sustainable development in its policy agenda. The Scottish Ministers expect the planning system to support and inform this wider policy agenda linking principles and actions to enable sustainable development.
source
source
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Architects Certificates and the NHBC (etc) schemes
The Rias provides guidance on the use of architects certificates as a replcaement for building insurance, such as NHBC or Zurich cover. In short the advice is "do not use architects certificates as a replacement for building insurance"
Guide to architects certificates available here click on left border to dowload pdf
Certificates for Building Societies and Lenders issued by architects and others.
These are intended for reliance upon by the Banks and Building Societies when lending to small developers and self-builders, as evidence that the works have been satisfactorily completed before release of funds.
The RIAS has, for several years, published a standard form of ‘Architects Certificate for Building Societies’. Currently RIAS produce a pro forma required by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). The CML is the watchdog body for the mortgage industry. The new CML form extends the architect’s liability to subsequent owners for a limited number of years.
Unfortunately, many legal and selling agents do not understand the limitations of these architects’ certificates and assume that they are a form of defect guarantee or insurance relating to the builders work similar to the NHBC defect liability insurance.
The RIAS has reproduced the CML form (by permission). It should be stressed that
1 The wording of this form is that of the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), extracted from the “CML Lenders Handbook for Solicitors and Independent Qualified Conveyancers Scotland (2002)”
2 Architects are recommended to check that their insurers will provide extension of Professional Indemnity cover in the terms of the form, prior to provision of the service.
3 This form should not be regarded as a substitute for defects liability insurance such as that provided by NHBC, Premier Guarantee, Zurich Insurance or similar. The RIAS recommends that developers make appropriate arrangements for that cover.
4 Developers, sellers and seller’s agents should not promote this form as providing that cover.
5 This certificate is not a design certificate such as might be issued by a structural or other engineer
6 This certificate is not a certificate of work completed and due for payment as would be required under a standard form of construction contract
7 This is not a certificate of compliance with the Building Standards Regulations.
8 It should not be assumed that architects have a duty to sign this form as part of their normal service.
9 Provision of this form should be subject to specific agreement between architects and clients before commencement of the service.
10 A suitable fee and expenses should be agreed.
The forms can be purchased from the RIAS Bookshops at
15 Rutland Square, Edinburgh EH1 2BE - Tel 0131 229 7545
and are available as free downloads for Practice Service Subscribers.
Guide to architects certificates available here click on left border to dowload pdf
Certificates for Building Societies and Lenders issued by architects and others.
These are intended for reliance upon by the Banks and Building Societies when lending to small developers and self-builders, as evidence that the works have been satisfactorily completed before release of funds.
The RIAS has, for several years, published a standard form of ‘Architects Certificate for Building Societies’. Currently RIAS produce a pro forma required by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). The CML is the watchdog body for the mortgage industry. The new CML form extends the architect’s liability to subsequent owners for a limited number of years.
Unfortunately, many legal and selling agents do not understand the limitations of these architects’ certificates and assume that they are a form of defect guarantee or insurance relating to the builders work similar to the NHBC defect liability insurance.
The RIAS has reproduced the CML form (by permission). It should be stressed that
1 The wording of this form is that of the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), extracted from the “CML Lenders Handbook for Solicitors and Independent Qualified Conveyancers Scotland (2002)”
2 Architects are recommended to check that their insurers will provide extension of Professional Indemnity cover in the terms of the form, prior to provision of the service.
3 This form should not be regarded as a substitute for defects liability insurance such as that provided by NHBC, Premier Guarantee, Zurich Insurance or similar. The RIAS recommends that developers make appropriate arrangements for that cover.
4 Developers, sellers and seller’s agents should not promote this form as providing that cover.
5 This certificate is not a design certificate such as might be issued by a structural or other engineer
6 This certificate is not a certificate of work completed and due for payment as would be required under a standard form of construction contract
7 This is not a certificate of compliance with the Building Standards Regulations.
8 It should not be assumed that architects have a duty to sign this form as part of their normal service.
9 Provision of this form should be subject to specific agreement between architects and clients before commencement of the service.
10 A suitable fee and expenses should be agreed.
The forms can be purchased from the RIAS Bookshops at
15 Rutland Square, Edinburgh EH1 2BE - Tel 0131 229 7545
and are available as free downloads for Practice Service Subscribers.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
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