Building log book

Part L of the Building Regulations (conservation of fuel and power) requires that the building owner is issued with information about the building services to help them operate the building properly and efficiently. It is suggested that this is done by issuing a building log book to the building's facilities manager. Building log books are required for new buildings and for existing buildings where the services have changed. Whilst not a requirement of the Building Regulations, it is suggested that existing buildings would also benefit from a building log book.

The building log book is different to, but may draw upon, information in the building owner's manual, sometimes called the operation and maintenance manual (O&M manual), and the health and safety file. Unlike the building owner's manual it should be a concise document (20-50 pages for larger buildings and 5-10 pages for buildings under 200 sqm (the Carbon Trust's 'Building logbooks a users guide' page 8). It should be easy to understand, giving an overview of the way in which the building was originally intended to operate and any changes that have been made.

Building log books can be prepared following the guidance in the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) TM 31 Log Book Toolkit.

Building log books may include:

A description of key responsibilities.
A schedule of contacts.
A description of the overall building, including zoning and occupancy.
A description of the building's operational strategy.
A description of the building's services plant, controls and management systems.
Changes that have been made to the building.
Health and safety considerations.
Maintenance requirements.
Metering and monitoring strategy.
The data used to calculate the TER (target CO2 emission rates) and BER (building CO2 emission rates), see emissions rates.
The recommendations report produced along with the construction energy performance certificate.
Building performance in use investigations and targets.
References to other documents.

Preparation of the building log book should be co-ordinated by the lead designer. It should then be issued to the building's facilities manager at handover. If updates are required during the defects liability period, these will normally be made by the designers. The facilities manager should then take over responsibility for its ongoing development.

The building log book should be reviewed and updated annually by the facilities manager.

In addition to a building log book, it may also be prudent to prepare a non-technical 'building users guide' with information for users about environmental controls, access, security and safety systems etc.