Building Standards

  • The advantages of certification during the COVID-19 recovery period

    23rd July 2020 by

    A guest post from SELECT and Stirling Electrical Services Ltd As an Approved Certifier for 15 years, Scott McLean knows the many advantages of certification – and is now seeing first-hand how it’s helping the construction industry recover from COVID-19 too. The experienced electrician believes the scheme has brought its own unique benefits during the...

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  • Building Safety Month 2020 – Safer Buildings, Safer Communities, Safer World

    6th May 2020 by

    Building Safety Month is an international campaign in May to raise awareness of building safety. It is run by the International Code Council (ICC) in the USA, which is one of our partners in the building regulations network the IRCC https://www.ircc.info/. The purpose of the Inter-jurisdictional Regulatory Collaboration Committee (IRCC) is to promote effective international...

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  • Responding in a crisis

    4th May 2020 by

    The restrictions on usual business practices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have posed tough challenges for all of us.  I want to start by recognising the fast response by local authorities to ensure the building standard service has been able to continue and commend everyone involved for going the extra mile to maintain...

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  • Making better use of digital technologies

    25th March 2020 by

    A guest post by Frank Doherty, The Highland Council While considering this blogpost, we have entered a period of Global Pandemic, with Coronavirus impacting us all in ways we haven’t seen before. Delivering a Building Standards service has traditionally been a paper and personal contact exercise, so where does this leave us, and how can...

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  • Building Resilience to Flooding

    3rd March 2020 by

    A blog by Thomas Lennon Following storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge no one can be in any doubt that the flooding of our towns, cities and properties is on the increase. Flooding cannot be prevented, it is estimated that in Scotland 284,00 homes and properties are at risk of flooding. Around 229,000 of these properties...

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  • House Builders Survey

    18th February 2020 by

    A blog by Eilidh MacPherson Building Standards Division (BSD) is currently undertaking a research project around compliance of Section 6 Energy, of the Technical Handbook, focusing on the building fabric performance. In 2019, The First Minister declared a global climate emergency and there are increased demands to rapidly reduce carbon emissions across all sectors of...

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  • Section 63 of The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009

    12th February 2020 by

    A blog by Gillian McCallum Climate Change is one of the most critical issues the world is facing and, in response to the global climate emergency, Scotland has set the most ambitious statutory climate change targets in the world; committing to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Later this year Glasgow will host the UN...

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  • Developing the Building Standards Workforce Strategy

    4th February 2020 by

    A Partnership Approach by Gordon Gilchrist You might know that Building Standards Division (BSD) is currently developing a workforce strategy for the building standards verification service. We intend for the strategy to deliver positive outcomes and changes locally and nationally that will help local authorities continue to build successful teams and ensure the service is...

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  • Graduate Placement at Building Standards Division

    18th December 2019 by

    A blog by Eilidh MacPherson For the last year I have been working for Building Standards Division (BSD) in a graduate placement role.  My background isn’t actually in building standards or any related field.  Prior to joining Scottish Government I was at Abertay University for five years where I studied Forensic Science and then moved...

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  • Changing Places Toilets

    21st November 2019 by

    Post by Thomson Dyer of Building Standards Division A toilet is not just a toilet. It’s a life-saver, dignity-protector and opportunity-maker. Whoever you are, wherever you are, access to sanitation is a basic human right. However for many people in Scotland with complex care needs, access to this most basic human right is not as...

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