The Association of Consultant Architects has launched the Building Safety Act principal designer register.

Following the Grenfell Tower fire, the government updated the building safety regulations requiring a Principal Designer on all building projects.

The ACA has reviewed the competence required to undertake the new Principal Designer role set up by the Building Safety Act, concluding that the architect is best placed to carry it out. The Act requires that it has to be done by the designer in control of the design phase of the project.

In order to assist clients and others with responsibility for appointing a Principal Designer, the ACA has created a register: www.PrincipalDesigner.uk. This will allow them to confirm that the Architect appointed to the project has the required qualifications and competences to fulfil the BSA Principal Designer role. They can search the register by name, practice name or post code.

Architects have to be principals or directors of the practice and can register very simply provided that they are ACA members. This allows their practice to undertake the role. Membership of the ACA is free for registered architects who are directors or principals: they join at ACArchitects.co.uk/join-the-aca/

Architects register at www.PrincipalDesigner.uk for an annual fee of £100 plus VAT.

ACA President Patrick Inglis says:

“The new regulations make the client responsible for appointing suitably qualified entities to the new roles of principal designer and principal contractor. I am delighted that the ACA has launched the principal designer register for architects. This will allow ACA members to register as principal designer for building regulations and will allow their clients, potential clients and others to find them in the Register”.