WOBO welcomes the proposals to improve the standard and compliance of designs throughout the development process and encourages its members and fellow professionals to review and comment on the proposals being considered by the Australian Building Codes Board.
A discussion paper addressing the process associated with building design documentation is out for public consultation.
Recommendations 13-16 of the Building Confidence Report (BCR) cover the process of design documentation, including the development and documentation of Performance Solutions and variations to the approved documentation. They seek to improve the standard and compliance of designs both as part of the building approval application process, and in relation to design variations made during the construction phase, and in some cases for constructed building work.
The recommendations are:
- Recommendation 13: That each jurisdiction requires building approval documentation to be prepared by appropriate categories of registered practitioners, demonstrating that the proposed building complies with the National Construction Code.
- Recommendation 14: That each jurisdiction sets out the information which must be included in Performance Solutions, specifying in occupancy permits the circumstances in which Performance Solutions have been used and for what purpose.
- Recommendation 15: That each jurisdiction provides a transparent and robust process for the approval of Performance Solutions for constructed building work.
- Recommendation 16: That each jurisdiction provides for a building compliance process which incorporates clear obligations for the approval of amended documentation by the appointed building surveyor throughout a project.
The BCR Implementation Team has developed a discussion paper to seek feedback on the proposed reforms in the above recommendations.
Providing comment
Responses to questions on the discussion paper, outlined in the consultation form, are invited until 11:59PM AEDT Sunday 7 February 2021. Only comments submitted using the online form will be considered.
If you have a question about this consultation, please contact bcrimplementationteam@abcb.