A consultation report published by the Scottish Government indicates that there is a serious disjoint between approved designs and actual building construction.
In a survey carried out for the report, 96% of respondents replied that they believe there is a compliance gap for certain building standards, particularly in energy, noise, fire and structural stability.
There is a need for greater certainty on compliance during construction, with respondents suggesting more inspections, air tightness testing and certification of construction schemes.
“This report shows what those in the building industry have long known: that buildings are frequently not built as designed, and that energy efficiency is usually the first building element to suffer,” says Chas Booth from the Association for the Conservation of Energy.
Booth warns that the findings of the report could indicate a “massive black hole” in the Scottish Government’s plans to reduce emissions 42% by 2020.
“This report is a massive wake-up call,” says Booth. “[Emissions reductions] simply won’t happen if builders continue to flout regulations.”
The Scottish Government says that it plans to improve compliance in the region by establishing a customer charter with building standards verifiers setting out what services and responsibilities should be expected.
Working with the Building Standards Division (BSD), the Scottish Government also plans to produce guides for those involved in building standards clarifying roles and responsibilities.
But Booth wants to see compulsory random compliance testing for all new buildings and the use of thermal imaging alongside airtightness tests to improve compliance on energy regulations.