High risk buildings - verification during construction: industry guidance

6. Projects in Scope

The term High Risk Buildings (HRB) describes the building types in scope of this guidance. These building types have been selected following public consultation and following high profile building failures. Public consultation also highlighted that project scale and complexity were important factors, and that for some work the full compliance plan approach would be disproportionate.

High Risk Buildings (HRB) include major works to create or alter either of the following:

• Domestic or residential buildings higher than 11 metres.
• Educational, community, sport buildings.
• Non-domestic public buildings under local authority control.
• Hospitals.
• Residential care buildings.

Measurement of buildings higher than 11m are to be made or calculated in accordance with schedule 4 to regulation 7 of the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004. In the case of defining an HRB, measurement of 11m threshold is taken to be height of the topmost storey above the ground.

Major works must be defined in terms of the impacts on life safety. Factors to be considered include the scope of all building standards, but particularly structure, fire and access/egress:

• Complexity.
• Scale.
• Value of works.
• Escape routes.
• Vulnerable occupants.
• Cladding alterations or new installations.

The final decision on whether or not a building warrant proposal is considered major works in terms of the applicability of the Compliance Plan Approach (CPA) rests with the relevant local authority building standards verifier.

Clearer definition of ‘major works’ is anticipated to evolve during the use of the guidance and feedback from all parties is welcome. It is important that actual impacts on life safety are a deciding factor, not a single arbitrary measure like area of cost.

As part of the Scottish Governments response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 recommendations the High Risk Buildings definition will be re-considered and defined before May 2026 in preparation for future legislative change.