The NSW government will track the performance of developers, architects and builders via a digital “dashboard” system designed to increase trust in the building industry and make it easier for consumers to avoid dodgy operators.
Eight months out from the implementation of the Design and Building Practitioner’s Act, NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler has outlined some of the measures the building regulator is working on to increase oversight of the sector.
He states that by late 2021, the NSW Building Regulator will be able to bring together real-time data on both buildings and practitioners that was previously spread out across 20 “data silos” to provide an immediate picture of any faults or deficiencies. The data will be displayed in digital dashboards in order to inform the market and point to practitioners that “need to lift their game.”
“Some of the least trusted players can now see how out in the cold they will be if they do not start to change now,” he writes. “Once we turn the spotlight on excellence for all to see, there is nowhere to hide.”
The dashboards will be created for developers, designers, constructors, manufacturers, installers and certifiers.
The Design and Building Practitioner’s Act is a much-delayed response to the damning 2018 Shergold Weir report into the effectiveness of compliance and enforcement systems in the industry.
Central to that legislation is the requirement that practitioners must submit a compliance declaration to declare that designs comply with the Building Code of Australia and that the building is built to code.
UNSW Adjunct Lecturer in Architecture Geoff Hanmer has criticized the bill for not implementing a greater inspection regime and allowing developers too much autonomy.
Chandler states that the greater transparency will lead to greater accountability and compliance, however. “It places direct accountability on developers to make good choices in commissioning adequate design to enable functional, trustworthy buildings to be delivered.”
“That accountability flows to the contractors they engage, and right through their supply chains.”
The Design and Building Practitioner Act comes into effect on 1 July 2021. The Office of the Building Commissioner has prepared a set of model clauses to show what will be required in construction contracts under the act.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
