In light of parts F and O, supplier perspectives

On the 15th of June 2022 a number of significant changes to the Building Regulations came into effect for England and Wales with the publication of new Approved Documents:

Approved Document F, volume 1: dwellings.
Approved Document F, volume 2: buildings other than dwellings.
Approved Document L, volume 1: dwellings.
Approved Document L, volume 2: buildings other than dwellings.
Approved Document O: Overheating
Approved Document S, Infrastructure for the charging of electric vehicles.

The changes follow the Government’s response to the Future Homes Standard consultation and are part of the plan to move to net zero by 2050. These are intermediate changes, with a detailed technical consultation for the Future Buildings Standard due to begin in 2023, and further changes to the building regulations in 2025. Here are two perspectives on those changes according to suppliers.

[edit] Windows and Part F

Window specifiers advising on compliance with new Part F are suggesting new innovations in trickle vent technologies may be required if window specifiers in the housing industry are to be properly supported following recent changes to the Future Homes Standard.

Under changes laid out by the Government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in the Standard surrounding Approved Document F, which looks at ventilation requirements for homes, measures must be taken to futureproof all new windows from 15 June 2022 onwards. With the upheaval this could create for Architectural Technology professionals and specifiers, technical experts at polymer systems window manufacturer REHAU are citing the importance of trickle vents as a solution.

“The changes to the Building Regulations under the Future Homes Standard have been long advertised, but this should not downplay the huge impact it will have on all aspects of a project, including frame and sash design,” explains Mark Gajda, Head of Technical Services and Certification at REHAU Windows. “Developers are under growing pressure to select products that adhere to increasing ventilation requirements set down by the Government, and window suppliers must be able step in to support them as best possible.

“In the immediate future, this means being aware of innovations around ventilation-minded window accessories such as trickle vents, and how they can combine with the most thermally efficient frames and sashes. These represent a readily available solution to meeting updated, mandatory Part F requirements on new and existing projects and installations. This is why suppliers like REHAU have developed accepted solutions in conjunction with plastic injection moulders such as Glazpart.”

Taking these evolving Regulations into account, REHAU has recently launched its ‘In the Frame’ initiative to help housing specifiers navigate the complex legislative landscape, technical specifications and sustainability targets surrounding windows. As part of this programme, the polymer system provider has published a series of fact sheets guiding sector professionals through changes made to ventilation and energy efficiency requirements under the Future Home Standard.

“The legislative updates contained within the Future Homes Standard were supposed to lead to clarity for the sector, but the situation can still be quite confusing,” concludes Mark. “Instead, specifiers are now being bombarded with multiple sources of conflicting advice. We hope these documents can help cut through the noise surrounding the Future Homes Standard and look at how solutions such as trickle vents can help projects meet stricter ventilation requirements.”

For more information and to download the free fact sheets, please visit: https://www.rehau.com/uk-en/rehau-launches-in-the-frame

[edit] Shading and Part O

The brand new UK Building Regulation came into effect on 15 June 2022, Part O deals with the growing issue of buildings being designed and constructed without due consideration to the building’s potential internal temperature, during our warmest months.

Importantly, and in difference to many other updates to the Building Regulations, Part O will be applied retrospectively, regardless of when a planning application was submitted or approved, if projects have not actually started construction before 15 June 2023, they will be required to comply with Part O. This twelve-month transition period allows for designers and developers to make changes to planned projects to ensure they comply before their construction commences.

Overheating of buildings is not a new issue. Previously, it has been partially addressed with assessment tools and guidance by various bodies, but for the first time, the UK Government, in the form of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has firmly addressed the issue. The management of solar gains in buildings is to be enforced under the revised Building Regulations 2022, specifically the new Part O, which came into effect on
15 June 2022.

Approved Document O covers the overheating mitigation requirements of the Building Regulations; designing and constructing buildings to limit unwanted solar gains in summer and provide an adequate means of removing excess heat from the indoor environment.

It applies to all residential and institutional dwellings, including care facilities and student accommodation, anywhere you would stay overnight (but excluding hotels), ranging from a single storey house to a high-rise apartment block.

Make no mistake, this is a significant change that will need to be acknowledged and adopted by all developers and designers with immediate effect, to avoid the risk of new homes failing to pass building regs.

Since December 2021 when Part O was released, Smartlouvre have been gathering feedback from those affected including house builders and housing associations. They have written a whitepaper to respond to this feedback, with input from designers, building physicists, simulation experts and members of CIBSE.

They have also been in contact with the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to ensure what they create is a rounded document, which de-mystifies the regulation and provides unbiased advice, whilst giving thought provoking comment as to how we in the construction sector can design in consideration of user comfort and health as a primary consideration.

To read the whitepaper please visit smartlouvre.com

This article appears in the CIAT journal AT issue 144, Winter 2022 as two separate articles; " Window specifiers advised on compliance with new Part F Regulations" by The REHAU Group and "Designers of residential builds - beware!" by Smartlouvre.

--CIAT