NEWS
The ACA continuously looks for opportunities to provide updates on industry developments; our news articles cover a broad spectrum of topics; membership may be required for full access to some articles.
New mandatory role
Patrick Inglis explains the new mandatory role of Building Regulations Principal Designer A key part of the Building Safety Act 2022 came into effect on 1 October 2023. From this date a new mandatory role of Building Regulations Principal Designer (not to be confused with the separate role of principal designer under the CDM regulations), will be required for any construction projects which are subject to building regulations approval.!A [...]
Permitted Development Rights consultation: the ACA response
The ACA responded to the latest Government consultation on permitted development rights. Previous experience suggests it is very likely that the proposed changes will be implemented regardless of what consultees say. Here’s a summary We do not agree that prior approvals for design or external appearance in existing permitted development rights should be replaced by consideration of design codes where they are in place locally because good design codes [...]
Fees and mental wellbeing – a close connection
The effects of low fees and long hours on mental wellbeing in the architecture profession is becoming increasingly clear, but if fees went up, would the time or the profit trickle down? ACA Australia National President John Held explores the issues. Most practice owners know that sinking feeling when work has dried up, the forward cash flow looks precarious, and in a few months’ time there won’t even be [...]
Infrastructure Levy: the ACA response
The ACA’s planning group responds to most of the government’s consultation papers related to planning. As an example, this is an abridged version of the response made to the recent proposals for the capture of value uplift when planning permission is granted, to eventually replace CIL Do you agree that the existing CIL definition of ‘development’ should be maintained under the Infrastructure Levy, with the following excluded from the [...]
Avoiding ‘exclusions’
The current worry for the profession is that the PI insurance market for architects is not particularly large and it appears that insurers are taking the view that whilst they don’t want to exclude architects entirely, they are worried that some aspects of architectural practice are too risky to be profitable. The problem is that some of the areas that underwriters are trying to side step are actually fundamental [...]
‘We’ve been sold a pup’
If the public were asked to board an aeroplane, designed and constructed to the standards of the buildings that our industry delivers, planes would fly empty, says Paul Hyett. I gave a talk at an international conference late last year entitled ‘We’ve Been Sold a Pup’. It caused an extraordinary stir and, to my surprise, split the room into two apparently irreconcilable factions, more of which later, writes Paul [...]
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