Building standards: research
A collection of building standards research publications.
Introduction
Research publications undertaken to support building regulations and guidance. You can find previous research reports in our website archive.
Research publications: 2019 onwards
- Centralized hub for verification of complex fire engineered solutions in Scotland: feasibility study
- Building Standards Year of Young People: attracting young people into a career in building standards
- Prevalence of CO2 from disused mineral mines and the implications for residential buildings: research
- Exploring the potential for a certification scheme for fire stopping: report
- Building standards - verification service: customer experience evaluation - future model
- Building regulations - new domestic buildings - modelling of proposed energy improvements: research report
- Building regulations - new non-domestic buildings - modelling of proposed energy improvements: research report
- Building regulations - overheating risk in new homes: research report
- External wall systems in existing multi-storey residential buildings - fire risk: advice note
- High rise domestic buildings: inventory
- Building standards - (fire safety) external wall systems: consultation analysis
- Building Standards verification performance framework - national customer satisfaction survey: survey findings 2021
- Building standards - verifiers management and training and development recording: review
- Building regulations – compliance and enforcement: consultation analysis
- Building standards - digital competency assessment system: options appraisal
- Building standards - non-domestic buildings - ventilation: research
- Building standards - ventilation guidance: research
- Building standards - Standard 2.15 Automatic Fire Suppression Systems: cost benefit analysis
- Building standards - managing fire risks associated with use of external wall systems: research
- CO2 mine gas - site investigation and risk assessment: best practice
- Building standard 3.3 - flooding and groundwater guidance review: research
- Automatic Fire Suppression System installations - traditional building conversion to hotels: cost benefit analysis
- Building standards - compliance plan manager role: cost benefit analysis
- Building standards - compliance plan manager role: development of scope
- Building standards - operating and performance frameworks for verifiers: research summary
- Combustible external wall cladding systems: extending the ban to hotels, boarding houses and hostels
- Traditional building conversions - Automatic Fire Suppression System installation: additional sensitivity analysis
Research projects: list 2018 onwards
Complete - list
- Building Regulations – Compliance and Enforcement: Consultation Analysis, This project undertook an analysis of the responses received from the consultation and provided a report which identifies the main issues raised by respondents.
- Fire Safety External wall systems: Consultation Analysis, This project undertook an analysis of the responses received from the consultation and provided a report which identifies the main issues raised by respondents.
- National Customer Satisfaction Survey 2020-21 to support the verification performance framework, An annual Survey on the Performance of Scottish local authorities, complete
- Verifiers management and training and development recording: review, This project explored how the recording of training needs identified through the Competency Assessment System (CAS) is managed by verifiers and how these systems and processes can inform the development of a learning and development hub for the building standards profession. complete
- Improvements to Energy Standards for New Buildings within Scottish Building Regulations 2021: Domestic Buildings, This project assesses and identifies the potential for further improvement in energy and emissions performance for new domestic buildings set via standard 6.1 (carbon dioxide emissions) and supporting guidance within The Scottish Government’s Building Standards Technical Handbooks, complete
- Improvements to Energy Standards for New Buildings within Scottish Building Regulations 2021: Non-domestic Buildings, This project assesses and identifies the potential for further improvement in energy and emissions performance for new non-domestic buildings set via standard 6.1 (carbon dioxide emissions) and supporting guidance within The Scottish Government’s Building Standards Technical Handbooks.
- Improvements to Energy Standards for New Buildings within Scottish Building Regulations 2021: Overheating in New Homes, Building on work undertaken elsewhere in the UK, this project assesses the likelihood of overheating risk in new homes in Scotland under improved standards of building fabric and in the context of projected temperature increases. It will inform the proposed introduction of an overheating standard into Scottish building regulations.
- Future model to evaluate the quality of the verification service customer experience, This project identified and proposed a preferred national customer survey model. The project reviewed the existing question set used to evaluate the quality of the verification service customer experience across all 32 local authority verifiers and made suggested changes.
- Scottish Advice Note: Determining the Fire Risk posed by External Wall Systems in Existing Multi-Storey Residential Buildings – Consultation Analysis, This project will undertake an analysis of the responses received from the consultation and provide a report which identifies the main issues raised by respondents.
- Exploring the potential for a Certification Scheme for Fire Stopping, This work identified if there was a demand for a certification scheme for fire-stopping within the current Scottish building warrant process.
- Causes of fire fatalities and serious fire injuries in Scotland and potential solutions to reduce them Phase 1: IRS Review (collaborative working), This work undertook a comprehensive investigation into the underlying conditions associated with fire deaths and serious fire injuries in domestic dwellings in Scotland for the period from April 2013 to March 2017.
- Analysis to create baseline information for a ‘Simple guide to energy compliance’, This project will undertake a literature review to provide and provide report which will act as a baseline level of information to be used to produce a ‘Simple guide to energy compliance’.
- Suitability and relevance of current legislation and guidance on the Building Standards Register. This work reviewed what information is held by local authorities on Parts 1 and 2 of the Building Standard Register.
- Developing a Workforce Strategy for the Building Standards Verification Service in Scotland, This project will develop a building standards verification workforce strategy.
- Assessment of options for improving energy efficiency and decarbonising heat in existing non-domestic buildings in Scotland, This project will inform the development of future standards to improve the energy performance of non-domestic buildings.
- Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) – Development of Smart Audit Rules, Project to improve the quality of the Scottish EPC data produced and retained on the Register.
- Investigating prevalence of CO2 from disused mineral mines and implications for residential buildings, In 2017 the NHS Lothian Incident Management Team investigated reported cases of ill health affecting residents of a recently built local authority housing estate. This research is looking for similar incidents and considers implications for building standards.
- Personal Development Framework, Development of a Personal Development Framework for the Building Standards profession.
- Building Standards Year of Young People: Attracting young people into a career in Building Standards, Project looking at why young people are not choosing a career in building standards. Develop a strategy to encourage young people into building standards.
- Analysis of the Building Standards Compliance and Fire Safety Consultation - Making Scotland’s buildings safer for people, Analysis of evidence received in response to the Building Standards Compliance and Fire Safety Consultation.
- Explore the feasibility of a Centralised Hub for verification of complex fire engineered solutions in Scotland, Project providing an independent opinion on the need, appropriateness, potential structure and operations of a central hub for assessing the verification of complex fire engineered designs in Scotland
- Inventory of the design of high rise housing accommodation in Scotland, Project to compile an inventory of existing high rise housing accommodation across both public and private sectors in Scotland (November 2021)
- Ability of decentralised mechanical ventilation to act as ‘whole-house’ ventilation systems in new-build dwellings, This research established if new build dwellings fitted with dMEVs in moisture producing rooms, coupled with a reduced area of trickle ventilation in apartments of 2,500 mm2, can maintain satisfactory IAQ throughout the habitable rooms of dwellings.
Contact
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