WJEC Vocational Award Constructing the Built Environment Level 1/2

KEY TERM RIBA: Royal Institute of British Architects; one of the professional organisations that represents the architectural profession. Drawings • Drawings are produced by the design team and specialist contractors to illustrate concepts, designs and what could be possible to achieve. • They form a vital and pivotal suite of documents that can be used in conjunction with all other contractual and relevant documents. • Drawings are often issued following a strict timeline of quality and scope known as the RIBA plan of works. This plan of works identifies key periods leading up to, during and after the works and is the product of decades of good and bad experiences together acting as a record of lessons learnt. • In most cases all other designers such as Structural and Civil Engineers, mechanical and electrical specialists and specialist contractors follow this plan in a collaborative effort to ensure all stakeholders deliver the overall design in a timely fashion (time to make changes if necessary). In doing so the project is more likely to be safer and more productive, as everyone has a chance to understand and comment on the completed design. Building Regulations • The Building Regulations form the set of institutional standards that buildings are constructed to in the UK. • These standards are often updated to take into consideration the rapidly changing and developing standards and demands of society to reduce the consumption of fuel, power and waste. • The standards are enforced by the local authorities which are supported by central government in ensuring they are imposed, and that buildings comply to some of the highest current standards of workmanship and materials. • The Building Regulations have existed since the mid-1960s and continue to develop, helping the UK to produce safer, more efficient and more sustainable buildings to cope with a rapidly demanding and growing population. • These regulations often apply to the refurbishment of existing buildings to ensure all building stock is consistently produced and used efficiently. Design brief • The design brief is a document often produced in the format of a report. • This brief is produced by the client or lead designer to summarise key aspects and aspirations of the project. • The brief often contains the following: 1 Reference to the client 2 Site information 3 Spatial requirements 4 Technical aspects 5 Material and component requirements 6 Project requirements. These are all discussed on the following page. 54 Unit 2 Developing Construction Projects