If your project involves more than one contractor, you will legally be required to have a Principal Designer, which we are always happy to take on alongside our role as Architect.
The Principal Designer is the person or organisation appointed by the client with responsibility for:
The role is statutory, prescribed by the CDM Regulations (2015) and the Building Safety Act (2022).
Appointment
We will explain your duties and obligations as a client under the regulations and agree on the extent of our role.
Designers
We will check that all other appointed designers have sufficient skills, knowledge, experience and organisational capability to carry out the work. We have a competency questionnaire for this.
Planning
We will plan, manage and monitor compliance with Building Regulations and health and safety in the pre-construction phase of the project. This will include identifying, eliminating or controlling all foreseeable risks and ensuring other appointed designers fulfil their duties. We will work with the appointed registered Building Inspector to prepare and submit the application for Building Regulations approval. If the project is a Higher-Risk Building (HRB), we will submit to the Building Safety Regulator.
Pre-Construction
We will compile the Pre-Construction Information (PCI), which will summarise the measures taken to mitigate risks and provide it to all parties, including tendering contractors.
Health & Safety File
We will prepare the draft Health & Safety File and review and update it as the project progresses.
Construction
We will liaise with the Principal Contractor to help in the planning, managing, monitoring and coordination of the construction phase, culminating in approving their post-construction Health & Safety File.
