Navigating the gateways & understanding the evolving regulatory landscape…
Following the fire at the Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017, and the three-year anniversary of the Building Safety Act 2022 (“BSA”), building safety has been at the forefront of a significant number of conversations in and around the construction world.
Here at RED Group, we have worked hard to adapt to the new regulatory regime and understand the exacting requirements of the Building Safety Regulator (“BSR”) and this has enabled us to develop robust systems and strengthen our skillset in order to help our clients navigate the complexities of the Gateway 2 and Gateway 3 applications.
Speaking about the Group’s commitment to ‘compliance with confidence’, MD Mike Green explained why the team are driven by the overriding desire to ‘do the right thing’ post Grenfell: “At RED Systems, we currently have seven projects progressing through various stages of Gateway 2 under the Building Safety Act. Our clients can be reassured that we have the right organisational structure, policies, systems and competencies in place to meet these requirements -consistently and transparently. But for us, this is not just about compliance. My vision has always been that we do this because it’s the right thing to do. After the tragic fire at Grenfell, we believe we have a moral responsibility to ensure that building occupiers live in safe environments. That belief drives everything we do. From FIRAS-accredited fire safety oversight to our investment in digital platforms like Field View and Chime, we ensure every project is backed by real-time data, robust quality assurance, and a clear digital Golden Thread. Our technical submittals through REDline Facades are designed to meet Gateway 2 standards, and our team is trained and structured to deliver safe, compliant buildings ready for occupancy. We don’t just build facades-we build trust.”
But what does this mean in practice?
The BSA was enacted in 2022. It was billed as an Act of ground-breaking reforms to give residents and homeowners more rights, powers, and protections – so homes across the country would be safer.
Alongside widespread remediation orders, a new building control process for higher-risk buildings was set out that introduced two new ‘Gateways’, each of which is a hold point beyond which work cannot proceed without authorisation:
- Gateway 1 (Land use planning matters related to fire safety): The purpose of this gateway is to ensure that fire safety considerations are inherent within the design proposals of relevant buildings before planning permission is granted.
- Gateway 2 (Building control approval for higher-risk buildings): This gateway provides a ‘hold point’ where construction cannot begin until the BSR is satisfied that the design meets the functional requirements of the building regulations.
- Gateway 3 (Completion certificates): Only once Gateway 3 has been passed can the new building be registered and then occupied.
As the construction industry grapples to come to grips with the new regime, we have been at the forefront of change in the building Envelope Sector and worked on our STRUCTURE, SKILLSET & SYSTEMS to embed compliance into every aspect of the business, creating a mindset shift throughout our team… “We don’t build to finish – we build for safe occupancy.”
By embracing and adapting a range of cutting-edge systems, all our decision-making is data driven. This allows us to identify trends, increase efficiency and map the reality of every project we undertake.
Our ‘joined- up’ approach to design, procurement and installation, in one seamless digital flow, means we can capture key requirements (56+ standard measurements), which in turn has enabled us to build compliance into every aspect of our delivery.
To find out more about our work, or to request our full presentation click HERE
