Insight 14

The John Rowan and Partners magazine | Issue14

INSIGHT Contents

Hospitality in Rome: five-star luxury in the Eternal City 20 Mash Meets...Vicky Savage

22 What does RAAC mean for building owners?

24 Building safety case reports: Are you asking the right questions? 26 Company update

“If you have a career in housing, the one thing that really matters is being able to provide a quality home for somebody. It is the most important thing you can do. It’s why the work of The Housing Forum is so important.”

Shelagh Grant, Chief Executive, The Housing Forum

and

Welcome to our latest edition of Insight magazine.

It’s been a year since I was appointed MD of John Rowan and Partners – time flies! – and this is my first time heading-up Insight, having taking the baton from Gurpal Virdee. This magazine is a real opportunity for us to share what we do and who we are.

So, what can you expect from this issue?

John Rowan and Partners are members of The Housing Forum – a member body of industry professionals from across housing who help drive improvement in the sector through collaboration, best practice and ideas – something we’re passionate about. I was thrilled to recently be elected as a board member, too. Keen to hear more about the Forum’s outlook within housing for 2024 and beyond, we sat down for a chat with chief executive Shelagh Grant (page 4).

Cue the drumroll…we’ve launched a new podcast series called Mash Meets… (search ‘Mash Meets’ on Spotify and YouTube). ‘People thinking about people’ is our motto and the idea behind the podcast series is to connect you to people within our business and those we work with. We’ve given you a snapshot of the podcast interview I recorded with Vicky Savage, executive group director of Development and Sales at Housing Association, L&Q (page 20) who I’ve known and worked with for a very long time. It was an insightful and thought-provoking conversation.

In this issue we showcase one of the latest renovation projects from the Hospitality and Leisure team, the rather luxurious Intercontinental Ambasciatori Palace Hotel in Rome (page 14). It’s a beautiful hotel in a wonderful location; I think you’ll agree!

Plus, we highlight the expertise of our people at John Rowan and Partners (page 12), as well as our sister companies Oakleaf (page 24) and Martech (page 22), who share some helpful advice and knowledge on key issues that are important in the building sector at the moment.

I hope you enjoy delving into this issue.

Mash Halai, Managing Director

QUALITY HOUSING MATTERS

The Housing Forum’s Chief Executive Shelagh Grant explains why a quality home for all is still the organisation’s overriding mission statement 25 years on.

A shortfall in housing, the quality of new builds, rising costs, sustainable buildings – these topics never stray far from the headlines for one reason or another. Yet, headline grabbing stories or not, they are always areas of focus (amongst others) for The Housing Forum (THF).

Founded in 1999, THF was an initiative set up after a report published by John Egan entitled Rethinking Construction. The report called for a housingfocused forum that would bring together industry experts across sectors to help drive improvement in the quality of housing through collaboration, best practice and ideas. Fastforward 25 years and the Forum, with its 150 plus members, continues to thrive and drive forward these principles.

Under her leadership, chief executive Shelagh Grant has built a high-quality group of members spanning a multitude of specialisms. John Rowan and Partners are members and our very own managing director Mash Halai recently joined the board.

Keen to find out what the future holds for THF we sat down with Shelagh to gain an insight into her role and her vision for the organisation in 2024 and beyond.

A unique view

With a career in housing at local level for authorities in the Northeast and Cambridgeshire and the chair of Cross Keys Homes and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing, joining THF seemed the next logical career step for Shelagh, who joined as chief executive in 2006. “Applying for the chief executive post was, for me, about wanting to improve outcomes on national housing issues,” explains Shelagh.

During her earlier career, Shelagh worked on big investment issues with a range of housing professionals, and high-level policy work with a plethora of trade bodies and organisations, all of which set her in good stead to lead the team, board and members at THF. “I made a lot of contacts and I’ve worked in so many different facets of housing that I felt I understood it and that’s really helped me in this role. I can speak fluently and confidently to senior people,” says Shelagh. And being able to bring together a broad spectrum of industry professionals is at the heart of the organisation. “The first principle of John Egan’s report was to create a body that represented the entire sector, which I think is the unique selling point of The Housing Forum,”

says Shelagh. The Forum’s diverse membership, from both the public and private sector, turnover £24bn in the housing industry.

“The body includes consultants and architects and designers, but also large residential developers, contractor developers, housing associations, manufacturers and suppliers, particularly those interested in offsite manufacturing energy solutions. We feel confident our members represent the diverse industry as a whole and provide a unique view of the entire housing supply chain.”

“A quality home for all –that’s been our mantra and remains so now.”

“Having an industry that concentrates on building new homes and making the existing ones as good as they can possibly be is absolutely vital.”

Influence, interact and inform

Over the years, THF has grown significantly, providing a range of services to members on both best practice and policy. Shelagh has built a body of members that prides itself on forming collaborative partnerships and workable solutions in housing construction and regeneration. For example, cross-industry Forums regularly discuss successful housing approaches in major cities across the country, to highlight and share best practice.

She has also significantly grown the wide range of networks and services on offer, running over 30 events in 2023 alone and holding The Forum’s best attended national conference ever in October last year.

Enabling its members to openly share knowledge and expertise highlights The Housing Forum’s rich ethos of professional development, shared thought leadership and best practice. “To influence, interact and inform are really the main

things that we do,” explains Shelagh. “One of our local authority members said only the other day that the reason they joined was to engage and to learn about the sector from others, especially considering regulations in building safety and quality.”

Collaborative partnerships are paving the way for change

Having a cohort of members spanning many specialisms and expertise means that The Housing Forum can run several networks and groups that focus on issues specific to the sector. The Futures Network is one example.

Now in its third year it aims to mentor and provide leadership training to a group of prospective future leaders from member organisations. Mash is a mentor on the Futures Network, and Rob Worster, senior employer’s agent / quantity surveyor at John Rowan and Partners, has joined this year’s cohort, too.

Participants also get to undertake vital research for THF’s membership in areas such as new home building and most recently a skills study, looking at skills for the future and what challenges there are.

Over the last year THF has strengthened its offering in terms of policy and public affairs, too, which has had a real impact, as Shelagh explains: “We’ve been able to run a working group which produced two reports looking at the planning system with input from our local councils network and other members. By doing a survey of 40 different local authorities we collated some very good practical and common-sense approaches to planning validation requirements. That report has got some good coverage and traction.

The reports are streamlining planning to build more homes and are helping drive a move to a planning statement approach, instead of checklists.”

“We’ve also been working with the board, principally on a manifesto for housing, which we’ve been developing over the last year. And we’ve now got a call to action, which includes key focus areas: increase housing supply, improve quality, safety and sustainability and ensure affordable housing and choice for all – a good outcome of 2023 to carry forward.”

A community approach is key to the future of housing

Moving forward, Shelagh believes the key to a powerful housing infrastructure is getting all communities participating: “It’s about getting all communities involved and taking the politics out of it. A population-based assessment of planned needs is, I believe, more realistic.

“I think our members will call for a proper discussion about housing as infrastructure. We feel it should be looked at as part of the national infrastructure with a forward funding pipeline that goes beyond 30 years to 50 years in the public sector.”

A quality home for all

But, above all, providing quality housing to people matters to Shelagh and remains the overriding vision and mission of THF: “If you look back 10 or 12 years, we were producing reports about quality in the housing sector then,” remarks Shelagh. “That’s been our mantra and remains so now – a quality home for all.

“I think if you have a career in housing, the one thing that really matters is being able to provide a quality home for somebody. Making sure that the

houses and the environment, the community in which they’re placed, has a long-term future. It’s more important than anything else. It is the most important thing you can do. It’s why the work of The Housing Forum is so important.

“Having an industry that concentrates on building new homes and making existing ones as good as they can possibly be is absolutely vital. Let’s fund housing properly, let’s commit ourselves to it long term. It matters.”

“If you have a career in housing, the one thing that really matters is being able to provide a quality home for somebody. It is the most important thing you can do. It’s why the work of The Housing Forum is so important.”

People NEWS

Proud to promote our people

Nurturing and investing in our people, and their talents, is extremely important to John Rowan and Partners, which is why it’s always great to share the news of well-deserved promotions from around the business. Following the latest round of the company’s grade marking process, we promoted 11 team members.

Stephen Hart1 and James Roche2, who initially joined us through our graduate recruitment scheme, alongside Charlotte Comer3 and Matt Carter4 have all been promoted

THE PEOPLE IN OUR BUSINESS

Celebrating

to associate directors.

Rob Worster5, Will Thomas6 and Keval Shah7 have been promoted to senior surveyors.

In addition, as a further testament to the success of our graduate recruitment programme, Scott Stronach8, Caedmon Bradley9, Jack O’Boyle10 and Sahib Virdee11 have all received promotions.

Congratulations to you all!

Community spirit

Due to our work in the Borough of Barnet on various housing improvement and regeneration schemes, John Rowan and Partners were proud to be one of the sponsors of the annual Barnet Community Awards 2023, held earlier this year.

The awards celebrated neighbours who go above and beyond, young volunteers who are making a difference, and a local community group deserving of recognition.

Our very own Marcel Goga, associate director, and William Thomas, senior building surveyor, had the exciting opportunity to attend and meet the Mayor of Barnet.

Marcel commented ‘‘Attending the awards which recognises local role models was amazing, and having the opportunity to meet the Mayor of Barnet made the night even more memorable.”

25-year milestone for Head of RDR Paul O’Connor

People thinking about people – that’s our company motto and it seems extremely appropriate as we say a huge congratulations to one of our long-serving people, head of our Residential Development and Regeneration (RDR) team, Paul O’Connor, who celebrates a 25-year milestone here at John Rowan and Partners.

A formidable career that started on the back of a letter Paul wrote to John Rowan and Partners, having spotted them in the Yellow Pages all those years ago, outlining his enthusiasm to pursue an HNC in surveying and the rest, they say, is history.

But what’s kept him working here for so long? Paul explains:

“I can honestly say when I first walked into the office for my interview 25 years ago, I felt an immediate connection with the warm environment and the genuine people.

“This feeling has remained unchanged over the years and the relationships I’ve cultivated with colleagues and clients are testament to the nurturing and family environment we’ve fostered.

“But it’s not all work, work, work; we have plenty of fun along the way – I even met my wife working here!”

Supporting the next generation

Recently, some of the team visited Brentside High School, in Greenford to help hold mock interviews for the school’s year 10 and year 12 students. The interviews were held on a one-to-one basis and were aimed at preparing the pupils for their working life. The interviewers also provided feedback to help them improve. It was a great day! Thanks to Jo van Rooyen and Liam Thorpe.

Thank you for your continued drive and dedication within the RDR team Paul, and the wider John Rowan and Partners family. You have been an integral part of our success and long may it continue!

PROJECT NEWS

A ROUND-UP OF PROJECT NEWS FROM ACROSS THE BUSINESS

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL OF OUR PROJECTS ON LINKEDIN. SEARCH FOR ‘ JOHN ROWAN & PARTNERS ’

Place secured on CHIC’s Newbuild Development Framework

We’re proud to have been appointed to provide consultancy services through the newbuild development framework operated by the Communities & Housing Investment Consortium (CHIC). The non-profit consortium has more than 200 members, mainly housing associations and local authorities, and is free to join.

The framework, which will last for four years, is an integral part of CHIC’s commitment to providing compliant procurement solutions and commercial support to its members.

Our involvement gives John Rowan and Partners the opportunity to help public sector organisations tackle the housing shortage via two workstreams.

Workstream 1 will see us provide project management services including employer’s agents and workstream 4 will see us as principal designer services. The achievement reflects our commitment to delivering high quality services and solutions in the housing sector, in collaboration with CHIC.

Huge framework win for safety compliance team

“The Framework Agreement for Asset Safety and Compliance has a £135m value which will be split across a total of 300 partner suppliers.”

John Rowan and Partners are pleased to announce a significant framework win. Our safety compliance team have been appointed to the Asbestos Consultancy of LHC Procurement’s new Framework Agreement for Asset Safety and Compliance (ASC1).

The four-year framework calls on our asbestos management expertise and encompasses the full scope of our specialist service. The services will be across a large variety of residential and non-residential

building types throughout the public sector.

This significant win was our first attempt at a major framework bid following the commencement of associate director and gead of safety compliance, Dan Bryan, leading our asbestos compliance team.

The Framework Agreement for Asset Safety and Compliance has a £135m value which will be split across a total of 300 partner suppliers.

New opportunities as John Rowan and Partners joins Crown Commercial Service

John Rowan and Partners has expanded its reach into the public sector having been accepted to join the Crown Commercial Service’s RM6242 Construction Professional Services

Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS).

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) is the biggest public procurement organisation in the UK. It enables central

government and public and third sector organisations to buy construction services via the DPS.

Through this DPS, we can provide services including but not limited to; employer’s agent, quantity surveying, building surveying, and principal designer across an array of projects such as new builds, refurbishments of buildings

PROJECTS IN BRIEF

Residential handover

The handover of all units at Longwick Road, Princes Risborough is now complete. We acted as the Employers Agent on this project on behalf of Peabody and worked alongside Star Contractors Ltd to deliver 24 quality Shared Ownership homes for residents. A great project.

and infrastructure, alteration and extension of buildings, and regeneration.

Executive director, Ken Morgan commented, “We are excited to have been accepted to join Crown Commercial Services and be able to work with them. This will be a great way to engage with new clients and gain new opportunities!”

School reno project Hospital room install

We have completed a project at Tudor Grange Academy Solihull, which saw the replacement of 180 windows, entrance doors, access control and security installations. We took ownership of managing the design, feasibility cost plans, specifications tender process and turnkey project management.

We assist on many NHS projects and have recently completed projects at a health centre, refurbishing a room and fitting an x-ray machine. We also renovated a hospital room and installed a CT scan (pictured).

Asbestos management regulations:

HOW TO ENSURE YOUR SCHOOL IS COMPLIANT

The Health and Safety Executive announced its intention in 2023 to check how schools are complying with asbestos management regulations. But what does this mean for educational institutions? Here’s how to comply with tips from a recent project case study.

Asbestos, once a common material in school construction, was banned in 1999 due to its associated health risks. However, schools built before 2000 may still have asbestos present, often unbeknownst to teachers and staff. This is a significant issue, as Department of Education research indicates asbestos is present in four out of five schools.

Since the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed its intention to check how schools are complying with asbestos management, what can schools do to prepare for HSE visits and ensure compliance?

• Schools must appoint a ‘duty holder’ responsible for providing information and training to staff and contractors who might disturb asbestos.

• An up-to-date asbestos register should be maintained, detailing the location and condition of any asbestos.

• An asbestos management plan should be in place, outlining roles, responsibilities, safe work practices, and procedures if asbestos is accidentally disturbed.

Non-compliance can result in fines

Remember, managing asbestos is not just about protecting staff and students. Non-compliance can result in substantial fines. The past five years have witnessed more than 90 incidents of asbestos exposure in schools, with successful prosecutions leading to hefty financial penalties.

Some notable cases in recent times include a non-compliant primary school which resulted in a county council being fined over £200,000, a large secondary school being fined over £46,000 plus an additional £20,000 in fees, and contractors being fined a total of £1.2 million after workers were potentially exposed to asbestos while refurbishing a school in east London.

Seek support from expert services

It might sound daunting, but remember, there’s support available. The Department of Education (DoE) has guides and checklists, and expert services like ours at John Rowan and Partners can help manage this complex responsibility.

We offer support in identifying the duty holder, assessing existing registers and management plans, and providing UKATA-accredited training. We can also help schools create these documents if they don’t exist or need updates.

Following a re-inspection of the ACMs by our sister company Nifes Consulting Group, the Thomas Gainsborough School took the proactive decision to update their asbestos management plan with John Rowan and Partners.

A change in school status

The review conducted by our team revealed that the existing asbestos management plan at Thomas Gainsborough School lacked detail and did not account for significant changes that had occurred since its creation. This included the implications of the school’s transition from local authority ownership to an academy trust.

The recent move to an academy trust resulted in the ‘Duty Holder’ shifting from the local authority to the headteacher of the school, which meant that the school now had greater responsibility for managing any asbestos within the school.

Achieving compliance

John Rowan and Partners worked with the premises manager at Thomas

CASE STUDY: Thomas Gainsborough School

John Rowan and Partners has been working with Thomas Gainsborough School, a secondary school and sixth form located in Suffolk, to review and update their asbestos management plan (AMP). The objective was to ensure compliance with regulations and improve the school’s ability to manage asbestos containing materials (ACMs) effectively.

Gainsborough School to rewrite their AMP.

The new AMP now provides Thomas Gainsborough School with a comprehensive and detailed document. This new plan sets out exactly how they intend to manage their asbestos, monitor their staff training requirements, and undertake asbestos contractor reviews.

As a result of the revised AMP, Thomas Gainsborough School has significantly improved its compliance with regulations concerning ACM management.

Asbestos training services

The Thomas Gainsborough School also took advantage of our ‘Asbestos Staff Training’ service where key staff and stakeholders undertook both UKATA asbestos awareness training (AAT) and BOHS P405

management of asbestos in buildings refresher training.

The collaborative efforts of John Rowan and Partners and Thomas Gainsborough School resulted in solving the shortcomings of the existing AMP and delivering an updated and comprehensive plan.

In turn, the school achieved a more compliant position in managing ACMs, promoting a safer environment for staff and students.

This project highlights the benefit of regular AMP reviews, proactive engagement with stakeholders, and the value of external expertise in achieving effective asbestos management.

If you have any questions about your asbestos management plan or training requirements, talk to Dan Bryan, John Rowan and Partners’ head of safety compliance.

FIVE-STAR LUXURY

in the

Eternal City

John Rowan and Partner’s Hospitality and Leisure team has been hard at work playing its part in the delivery and renovation of the Intercontinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace, a luxurious five-star hotel in the heart of Rome.

© Cristell Studio

Standing proud on the glamourous Via Veneto boulevard, the hotel is steeped in history, having first opened its doors to visiting ambassadors in 1905.

A hive of activity, Via Veneto’s bustling streets are abundant with elegant five-star hotels and renowned cafes and restaurants, set against a backdrop of beautiful classical architecture on every street.

The elegant Ambasciatori Palace is no stranger to transformation but for the last 40 years had remained untouched, as a family-run hotel. Supported by our hospitality team, the hotel has undergone an extensive renovation. Elevating the hotel’s traditional architecture and elegance with a touch of contemporary design has transitioned the hotel into the 21st century.

“Rome is a wonderful city, an amazing place to visit. The hotel is in a fantastic location on the famous Via Veneto, with beautiful rooms. It’s an absolute must if you’re heading to the city.”

© Mattia Aquila & IA Interior Architects

© Cristell Studio

From the magnificent marble staircase taking centre stage in the hall to the more contemporary blueprint of Charlie’s Bar, the rooftop hideaway, there are decadent details to admire from the top of the hotel to the bottom.

For anyone planning a trip to Italy, Rome and the Ambasciatori Palace is certainly a place to visit. Paul Sherwood, executive director and head of Hospitality and Leisure for John Rowan and Partners, agrees: “Rome is a wonderful city, an amazing place to visit. The hotel is in a fantastic location on the famous Via Veneto, with beautiful rooms. It’s an absolute must if you’re heading to the city.”

The majestic marble staircase (above, right) takes centre stage in the hotel’s hall.

All images © Mattia Aquila & IA Interior Architects.

Italy’s five-star hotel market is growing

“There are many five-star hotels being created in Rome at the moment,” says Paul. “It’s partly due to people travelling to flagship cities like Rome again, after the pandemic, and so there’s demand to support the market growth and investment. But, it’s also down to older hotels that have, in the past, been stars of the Italian hotel market such as the Ambasciatori, that have been neglected. This underinvestment brings development opportunity.”

A recent report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers on the Italian hotel market, Hotel Market Snapshot 2023, agrees. It also notes that historically the Italian hotel market has been dominated by family-owned properties but over the last few years international and Italian hotel chains have grown in numbers due to the notion of “worn supply” – the number of family-owned hotels full of charm and character that need renovating and reviving.

The report highlights that Rome is leading the hotel market in Italy. “Rome confirms its position as Italy’s leading hotel market in terms of demand recovery, RevPAR (revenue per available room) growth and recent investment volumes.”

© Cristell Studio

© Intercontinental Rome

A selection of bars and restaurants were renovated as part of the project, including Charlie’s Rooftop bar.

This interview was recorded as part of our Mash Meets podcast.You can listen to the full interview by scanning the QR code below:

We love finding out about the people we work with and in this issue of Insight our MD Mash Halai sat down with Vicky Savage, executive group director of development and sales at Housing Association, L&Q to talk about her time in the housing sector and delivering homes to the people that need them…

With a love for geography from an early age, Vicky Savage went on to study urban housing and housing studies then seamlessly started her career as a development assistant for a housing association. Now, Vicky is in charge of L&Qs housing development programme and is as excited and passionate about making an impact within social housing and regeneration today, as she was when she first started out.

So, the first question is how did you get into the affordable housing sector?

It’s funny when you talk to people in our sector – they often say, I just sort of fell into it. My path was a bit more directed because I always loved geography and always loved urban geography – learning about cities and settlements and how they all happened.

So, I went on to do a degree in urban planning. And then a lot of the urban planning degree was about housing, poverty and regeneration. Following that degree, I did a postgraduate just in housing studies. And then from housing studies, I went into a housing association as a development assistant. I worked really hard and volunteered for every project that was going and every few years got promoted to now being in my dream job, being in charge of L&Q’s development and sales programme, the biggest in the UK.

That brings me on nicely to working for L&Q, one of the most well-known and largest HA’s in the sector. So, what’s it like to be there?

It’s a really lovely place. We have a female CEO, which is quite unusual. The place is very warm, caring, friendly. Although it’s a big and complex organisation - we employ 4,000 people - the structures are pretty flat, so people can just get on with their job. And innovation is encouraged.

We’re brave, we’re visionary, we want to do new things all the time and people will work together to try and do new things. I have a fantastic team. We’ve got about 600 people in the development team. Quite unique in the sector that we have our own in-house build team as well. I’ve been blessed to have that team because they’re a trusted, talented group of people who can go in and just fix problems for us, as well as doing really exciting new builds. It’s a great team to be in charge of. I’m very fortunate.

And good partnership is vital.

Yes, it is. I think projects are a bit like a marriage - your project will go through its highs and lows so you need a partner who understands our values and our processes. When I arrived at L&Q, I was very concerned about some of our projects. I got on the phone to you, and you said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll go down there, have a look, walk around and talk to people,’ so, you were almost walking in my shoes.

And I think you need partners who can walk in your shoes. Because we’re dealing with public money, we often do have a certain set of bureaucratic processes we have to go through. We don’t just go and sit in front of the MD and the MD says yes or no. We write reports, we have to go through processes so you need someone who understands that.

I do think the best of partners, John Rowan and Partners being one of them, you don’t just look at this project, you’re looking for the next project and future projects. We’re all in it together. And I think that’s what you need from a good partner.

We’ve known each other for almost 20 years and, like you, I’ve been in the sector for most of my career and I really love seeing regeneration. What do you enjoy the most about the housing sector?

We want to make change and deliver exciting new projects, so I think building new homes is a really fantastic thing to do.

Homelessness is at crisis levels. One in 23 children in the capital sleep in a temporary home each night. Local authorities are

spending £90 million in London collectively each month on temporary homeless solutions.

Now what a waste of money. You know, what we need to do is build more homes. That is the solution. That’s what motivates me to be in this sector. I do think quality homes are life-changing, if you give people good homes that can be the foundation for better lives.

As a sector, there was a time that we sort of lost our way a bit and we got tempted by very shiny new projects. But then we looked again at our core purpose, the needs of our customers and building really good social rented homes, building really good, shared ownership homes and looking after that segment of the residential buyer, you know, rather than getting carried away with things. So, I like that return to values, I think that that is a really good thing.

And finally, what’s the plan for the next 12 months and your vision for the next five years?

At L&Q, we have a fantastic development team. We also have a fantastic set of partners. You guys are there, you’re all ready to do more projects, build more homes.

So, I’m really looking forward to seeing how we can unlock this, how we can work with partners to unlock capacity and just keep building homes. The need is there, the demand is there, we need to just give the supply to enable people to have that foundation for life, that springboard for life that people need to get better outcomes.

WHAT DOES RAAC MEAN FOR BUILDING OWNERS?

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Advice on the ongoing RAAC crisis, with an expert perspective from our sister company Martech’s concrete expert Jerry Nichols.

Unsafe concrete, particularly in schools, continues to grab headlines. But behind the news stories is the human reality of building owners protecting their assets and livelihoods. Now enough time has passed for stakeholders to critically assess their options and make more informed decisions.

Here, concrete expert, Jerry Nichols, MD of Bellrock company Martech, shares his advice on what you need to know.

What is RAAC?

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is made of cement, lime, water, sand, and aluminium filings, reinforced with small-diameter rebars. It typically comes in plank-like panels, usually 600mm wide and anywhere up to 6 metres in length.

The material is relatively soft; you can easily mark it with a nail or screwdriver. On closer inspection, you’ll see the air pockets formed by the aluminium filings reacting with the cement, causing hydrogen gas bubbles. These evaporate, giving RAAC its distinctive honeycomb appearance.

“RAAC only ever had an intended service life of less than 30 years. In practice, this means that all RAAC currently installed is either approaching or past its safe operating condition.”

RAAC was lightweight, cheap, and easy to install, with good thermal properties. For these reasons, it was used widely in public sector construction from the 1930s to 1990s, particularly after the 50s.

Why does RAAC pose a safety risk?

RAAC only ever had an intended service life of less than 30 years. In practice, this means that all RAAC currently installed is either approaching or past its safe operating condition. Several failures have been reported since 2018, all in flat roofs where the material was most commonly used.

Worryingly, these failures have been known to happen with no prior visible warning. Jerry is keen to emphasise this aspect of the issue: “In normal concrete, you can see the signs over a longer period of time. Unless there’s something seriously wrong, there’s a period where you can see cracks appear.

With RAAC, because it’s honeycombed, you can get a leak and it’ll soak that water up like a sponge. You may see no outward signs of it doing so. Or the steel can corrode and, because of the aerated concrete, you get nothing happening at the surface… until it fails.”

Where was RAAC most often used?

Recent news has focused on RAAC being used in schools, where it undoubtedly saw widespread use. But it was also used in other public sector buildings like offices, hospitals, leisure centres, student accommodation, and theatres.

Could RAAC affect other types of buildings?

Despite mostly being used in the public sector, it’s possible that other types of building might contain RAAC.

In Jerry’s experience, there are factors clouding the issue of which buildings might contain RAAC: “For one thing, there are scaremongers out there. I saw someone suggesting it’ll be found in tower blocks next, and in my experience you don’t get it in those type of buildings.

“But elsewhere, you see buildings which have changed hands and gone from public to private use. Maintenance records and instructions can get lost over time. People revert to treating these buildings like normal ones, not knowing they need to replace the planks.

“And of course, there was covid. The last RAAC advisory note was 2019, which is when things went wrong. A lot of places are still catching up from that.”

What do UK regulations say about RAAC?

Responsibility falls to individual building owners if they suspect their properties may contain RAAC. Failing to protect the health, safety, and welfare of those using your building is a criminal offence. Ignoring the risk posed by RAAC could translate into hefty fines and bad press for public sector organisations.

It’s worth noting that liability under UK Health and Safety legislation is triggered merely by the risk of harm. No injury or actual building failure needs to occur for a building owner to be potentially prosecuted.

In August 2003, the Department for Education released full guidelines for those responsible for state-funded education sites.

RAAC and asbestos

Given the overlap between periods when RAAC and asbestos were both used in building, many properties contain both. Asbestos is subject to its own extensive scrutiny and legislation due to the serious risk it poses to health.

Bear in mind that inspections for RAAC often find asbestos as well. You may be legally obliged to remove the asbestos before or alongside remedial works related to RAAC. Plan and budget accordingly.

How to find out if you have RAAC in your building

Building owners can conduct an initial RAAC assessment on their property themselves, according to Jerry: “First thing is really simple; how old is the building? You can rule out anything built before 1930 or after about 1995.

Next, do a walk round and look for other areas you can rule out, timber roofs for example. You’re narrowing the property down to areas you can’t see or aren’t sure about.”

What to do if you find RAAC in your property

If you’re responsible for a statefunded education site where RAAC is suspected or confirmed, you must immediately inform the Department for Education.

At Bellrock, we can provide a building surveyor in the first instance.

We’ll be able to assess whether RAAC is actually present in your building, before bringing in our dedicated concrete surveyors.

If needed, we can then recommend options for longterm management and project manage remedial work.

Some concrete might need to be replaced immediately. Other areas might require a steady, managed approach. In any scenario, we’ll be able to recommend a course of action to help you protect your building as effectively as possible.

Are you asking the right questions

ABOUT YOUR BUILDING SAFETY CASE REPORTS?

A change of thinking can refresh your approach to building safety case reports. Graham Oliphant, director of fire at sister company Oakleaf, explains why a softwaredriven partnership could be the answer you’re looking for.

2022’s Building Safety Act (BSA) sent a broad cross-section of our industry into some confusion. Of course everyone wants to comply, but what does that look like in the real world?

Often, we find clients skip straight to sourcing a building safety case report, sometimes throwing serious money at getting one. In doing so, they might be ticking a box but not really getting what they need. The real point of the exercise isn’t simply to demonstrate compliance; it’s to develop a robust safety management system and to be able to demonstrate this at any time.

What do we mean by that?

Well ideally, clients who adopt our solution are provided with the capability to generate a safety case report on demand. The report would capture the building as it is in that moment, a representation of the moving dynamic safety case.

But in reality, right now, many people are simply commissioning a document as part of their compliance efforts. One that doesn’t really pull its weight.

Almost as soon as it’s printed, the safety case it describes is no longer fully relevant.

“Asking the right questions is vital; even a great digital solution can’t become a working system without proper implementation.”

An example: Client X pays for a safety case report to demonstrate their building’s compliance at that point in time and immediately files it away. Three years later, the regulator comes knocking. Is a three-year-old report still relevant to the building? Unlikely. They then have to pay £144 per hour for the regulator to review the report.

Why did they pay for the report in the first place?! And what if their portfolio is as big as a typical Oakleaf client, some 50100 higher-risk buildings (HRBs)? This scenario could be playing out dozens of times at once, at a frightening cost.

There are more financially sustainable, frankly better ways to be approaching building safety case generation reports. A digital solution, with the right consultancy partner to help implement it, can give you a safety management system that works in real time.

“With a digitised system in place, monitoring becomes more frequent and safety standards improve. The digital golden thread is more easily maintained. Even producing safety case reports becomes as simple as pushing a button.”

Technology now inseparable from best practice

With a digitised system in place, monitoring becomes more frequent and safety standards improve. The digital golden thread is more easily maintained. Even producing safety case reports becomes as simple as pushing a button.

And while it feels almost cliché now to champion digital transformation, many large portfolios are still being managed haphazardly.

The focus has to be on systems which can address portfolios at scale. PDFs or folders full of years’ worth of emails and invoices might suffice for one or two properties. But for portfolios of dozens or hundreds of buildings, you need to:

• Choose a digital solution built around regulators’ marking criteria and relevant insurance frameworks;

• Partner with a consultant who can implement the solution and coach your people to use it effectively;

• Embed faster, more accurate reporting and compliance best practice throughout your team.

So… who’s responsible for managing a building’s safety?

A critical job, but whose job is it? The Building Safety Act created two new roles; accountable persons (APs) and principal accountable persons (PAPs). Invariably they can be corporate entities rather than individual people.

What should the PAP be asking a consultant?

As with every other product and service on the planet, quality varies from provider to provider. Asking the right questions is vital; even a great digital solution can’t become a working system without proper implementation.

Your consultant needs to be a trusted partner who understands how to drive positive change for businesses. These questions will go a long way towards determining if a prospective provider is capable of doing that for you:

1. Do they have enough professional indemnity insurance?

2. Are they on the Cladding Safety Scheme approved list of providers for Fire and Risk Assessment External Wall Surveys (FRAEWS) like Oakleaf?

3. Have they got experience with this type of work specifically?

4. How are you going to action a report once the provider steps away? Our solution provides an ‘on demand’ generation safety case report which, over time, always provides a ‘real time’ demonstration of the risk management status of the building.

Of course, it’s impossible to boil the whole selection process down to four questions. And reports aren’t static documents, they need to live and breathe alongside your operations. It’s a journey. If you’re in any doubt whatsoever whether you’re headed in the right direction, we’d love to help.

The Insider

SEAN TOBIN

In this issue’s company update, executive director, head of public sector regeneration Sean Tobin gives us the inside scoop on good-news stories from across the business.

While the last 12 months hasn’t been without its challenges, we have seen so many positive stories from across the business, a snapshot of which have been highlighted on our People and Project News pages in this issue of Insight.

My personal highlights

Last year was a milestone year for me as I celebrated my 25year anniversary at John Rowan and Partners.

I was recently asked what my favourite moment has been and I have to say I’ve got so many on my list! My time is best described by my favourite value – ‘have fun working hard and work hard at having fun’. I’m a people person and I love the people, clients, supply chains that I get to work with across our projects. We have a fantastic social side to the business

which has always been a big part of my life here and later on in my leadership roles I’ve really enjoyed helping others to achieve their career paths and achieve their goals. It gives me a real sense of purpose!

My professional insight

One of the biggest shifts I’ve seen in the market this year is how the focus of work has changed from new buildings to retrofit. And how new legislation, such as the implementation of the Building Safety Act and specifically Building Safety Case reports and the forthcoming

Future Homes Standard regulations that will come into effect in 2025, is impacting how our clients need to think and act to comply.

And this is where we excel. We’re proud to be able to advise and assist our clients with the expertise and knowledge our talented teams have. Being part of the Bellrock Group offers us huge opportunity to provide our clients with even more services, dedicated to help deliver what they need.

Here’s a round up of news from across the business…

// AWARD WIN FOR HOSPITALITY…

We’re extremely proud to announce that our Hilton Metropole refurbishment projects have won the HAMA Europe Asset Management Achievement Award 2023. The HAMA Europe Award is a celebration of the work that goes into hotel asset management and the winner was announced at last year’s International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF) in Berlin.

John Rowan and Partners provided project management and quantity surveying services on both the Hilton London Metropole and Hilton Birmingham Metropole, alongside the additional role of principal designer for the projects.

// CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER…

As our motto is ‘People thinking about people’ I want to take this opportunity to offer our congratulations to our colleagues who have raised the bar by achieving academic success:

• Keval Shah passed his APC and is now a qualified Chartered Building Surveyor and Member of the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors;

• Paul Murphy is now a Member of The Institute of Clerk of Works and Construction Inspectorate;

• Ritu Arora Johnson is a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM);

• Laura Willden achieved BOHS P405 Managing Asbestos in Buildings

• and Will Whitehouse has a Level 5 Diploma in Retrofit Co-ordination & Risk Management.

We’re particularly proud of the London Metropole’s HAMA win as the work was delivered through the pandemic with minimal disruption to the running of the hotel itself, that traded throughout.

// NEW SISTER COMPANIES, JOIN THE GROUP

The Group’s growth, acquiring Capital & Provincial (C&P) and Mobiess most recently, only adds to the diverse portfolio we can provide. With C&P we gain great expertise in the commercial sectors with more than 20 years of experience in the corporate, hotel, hospitality, private residential and education sectors. With Mobiess, a leading provider of integrated mobile data collection solution, we get access to new mobile data collection solutions to support our client work.

John Rowan and Partners

E: jrp@jrp.co.uk

W: jrp.co.uk