January 2020

Quantum Insulation
QI SAYS KNOWLEDGE IS POWER AS
BUILDING REGULATIONS DEVELOP
With possibly the biggest changes to the Building Regulations in living memory on the
horizon, Quantum Insulation (QI) is making sure its customers have the knowledge required
to ensure compliance with this raft of changes. Total Contractor hears more...
As we enter a new
decade, the
construction industry
is bracing itself for what will
probably be the biggest
changes to the Building
Regulations in living memory.
2020 will see wide ranging
changes to the regulatory
and compliance
requirements placed on
roofing material
manufacturers and roofing
contractors. These changes will be significantly
led by the impacts of the Grenfell tragedy, the
investigations into its causes & effects, and the
next stage of the inquiry. Many, if not all of the
wide-ranging changes recommended in Dame
Judith Hackitt’s ‘Building a Safer Future’ report
will be brought to fruition. The Ministry of
Housing, Communities & Local Government
(MHCLG) will clarify some of the ‘grey’ areas
related to the fire performance of roofs within
Approved Document Part B, and there are
rumours that the requirements for buildings over
18m that were introduced in November 2018 may
be extended to cover all Relevant Buildings
regardless of height. And the
UK Government’s carbon
reduction targets will further
impact what we build and
how we build it. Each and
every one of these major
changes will impact
specialist roofing
contractors, and Quantum
Insulation (QI) will be
seeking to ensure their
customers are at the
forefront of the knowledge
required to ensure
compliance with this raft of ongoing changes.
Grenfell Inquiry
Phase two of the Grenfell
Inquiry will focus on the
choice of materials, material
testing, the adequacy of
building regulations, and the
management of the London
Fire Brigade (LFB). The chair
of the inquiry, Sir Martin
Moore-Bick, has promised
that the testing and
certification of combustible
“As your flat roof insulation supply partners, our
role is to ensure you have the right product for
each and every application, that you comply with
the regulatory requirements as they are today, and
that you are aware of the possible future impacts
regulation changes may have to your business”
materials will “lie at the heart” of his
investigation. As any specification change will be
investigated as part of the inquiry, all parties to
the construction process – client, specifiers,
main contractors, material suppliers and
specialist sub contactors – will be subject to
scrutiny through this process. QI will be following
the ongoing inquiry to seek to understand the
impact this will have on future roofing project
specifications.
Dame Judith Hackitt’s ‘Building a Better
Future’ report
Dame Judith Hackitt’s report contains eight key
recommendations, all of which will impact the
overall construction industry,
but the last three will
significantly impact not only
roofing material suppliers,
but also specialist roofing
contractors. The eight key
recommendations are:
1. A new regulatory
framework for buildings more
than ten storeys high. This
includes the creation of a
new Joint Competent
Authority (JCA) made up of
Local Authority Building Standards, fire and
rescue authorities and the Health and Safety
Executive. It will oversee the sign-off of HHRBs
with dutyholders having to show that their plans
are “detailed and robust”.
2. Clear responsibilities for building safety
through a clear and identifiable “dutyholder” with
responsibility for building safety for the whole
34 TC JANUARY 2020