Navigating the new Principal Designer role: Adapting to amended Building Regulations

Navigating competency challenges

The required level of PD competency will vary depending on the nature, scale, and complexity of the project. The use of the same Principal Designer title under both Building Regulations and CDM Regulations might suggest an intention to unify roles, covering both health and safety (H&S) in construction and operation, and Building Regulations compliance. However, scepticism arises as the roles demand different capabilities. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) contemplates the integration, offering guidance and training for the Principal Designer role under both sets of regulations, but questions persist regarding the feasibility of a single individual having adequate competence for both roles, especially on commercial and complex projects.

Another challenge to address is how individual competence will be assessed. Organisations may offer independent verification or accreditation, and the RIBA has initiated such a scheme. However, accrediting competence universally raises questions, given the variability in project competence requirements. 

Competence of the organisation and individual proposed to fulfil the PD role should be assessed on a project-by-project basis, firstly by the employer as part of project team selection, and also by the organisation employing the individual.

To navigate these challenges, our approach focuses on developing robust processes and procedures to ensure organisational competence for the PD role. This involves documenting a competence assessment for the individual proposed for the PD role on each project. Our toolkit, readily available to the PD, serves as a resource to be drawn upon as needed to form part of their plan to fulfil the role.