Building Safety Act Compliance & Building Safety Case Framework Development
Building Safety Case Framework
Golden Thread Evidence Review
Building Safety Act Compliance
Project Overview
Following the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022, Gilfillan Murray Consulting Ltd was commissioned to support the implementation of building safety management arrangements across a substantial portfolio of occupied Higher-Risk Residential Buildings.
The instruction involved reviewing existing building information and developing a structured approach to Building Safety Case preparation capable of being applied consistently across multiple buildings. The portfolio included a broad range of residential assets, varying in age, design, construction methodology and management arrangements.
The commission extended beyond the preparation of individual reports. A key requirement was the development of a repeatable framework that could support future Building Safety Case production, annual reviews, evidence management and regulatory engagement across the wider portfolio.
Higher-Risk Buildings Supported
Supporting Building Safety Case implementation across a large residential portfolio.
The Challenge
The principal challenge was the volume and condition of existing information available for review.
Building safety information had accumulated over many years through multiple consultants, contractors, managing agents and maintenance providers. Fire risk assessments, fire strategies, external wall assessments, compartmentation surveys, structural reports and maintenance records often existed independently of one another, with varying levels of detail and consistency.
Whilst substantial information existed, there was often no clear relationship between identified risks, existing control measures and supporting evidence. This made it difficult for building owners to demonstrate how safety-critical decisions had been made, how risks were being managed and whether available information remained suitable for ongoing compliance purposes.
The challenge therefore centred on transforming a large quantity of disparate information into a structured and auditable body of evidence capable of supporting future building safety management.
Our Approach
A systematic review process was developed to assess the information available for each building and establish a consistent reporting methodology.
Existing documentation was reviewed to identify safety-critical information relating to fire safety, structural safety, external wall construction, active and passive fire protection systems, maintenance arrangements and operational management procedures.
Information was categorised according to its status, allowing verified evidence, outstanding actions and information requiring further investigation to be clearly identified. Relationships between documents were mapped to improve traceability and create a clearer understanding of how individual reports contributed to the management of building safety risks. Existing reports, surveys, certification records and management information were reviewed to identify gaps, inconsistencies and areas requiring further investigation. Where information was unavailable or incomplete, this was clearly recorded rather than assumed.
A structured reporting framework was then developed to ensure that future Building Safety Case Reports could be prepared using a consistent methodology regardless of building size, complexity or ownership arrangement.
The approach was designed to support ongoing use and future review rather than simply producing a standalone compliance document.
Strategic Impact
The work was undertaken during a period when many building owners were still developing their understanding of Building Safety Act requirements and the expectations of the emerging Building Safety Regulator regime.
At the time, there was limited consistency across the sector regarding the format, content and supporting evidence required for Building Safety Case Reports. This created significant variation in reporting standards and uncertainty regarding what constituted a suitable demonstration of compliance.
The framework developed through this commission established a practical methodology that enabled large numbers of buildings to be reviewed using a common evidence structure and reporting approach. This provided a scalable solution capable of supporting portfolio-level implementation rather than treating each building as an isolated exercise.
The principles established through the framework were subsequently adopted and adapted by other organisations operating within the building safety sector, demonstrating the wider applicability of the methodology beyond the original commission.
Outcomes
The completed framework was successfully implemented across approximately one hundred Higher-Risk Buildings and provided building owners with a clear mechanism for organising, reviewing and maintaining safety-critical information.
The process improved visibility of building-specific risks, enabled outstanding actions to be prioritised more effectively and established clearer accountability for the management of safety information.
Clients gained greater confidence in the quality of the information supporting their compliance arrangements and were better positioned to plan future investigations, remediation activities and regulatory engagement.
Most importantly, the framework provided a practical foundation for ongoing Building Safety Case management, allowing compliance activities to become part of routine asset management rather than a reactive response to changing legislation.
