BSR Seeks Built Environment Experts to Join Building Advisory Committee

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is searching for a range of professionals to join its Building Advisory Committee (BAC).

This is to strengthen the committee’s role in providing advice and ensuring continued and sustainable improvement to building safety.

The Building Advisory Committee, established under the Building Safety Act 2022, provides independent advice and information to BSR. It helps to ensure that evidence and critical thinking inform policy decisions that protect people and improve building safety standards.

It aims to:

• anticipate emerging risks
• enable safe innovation
• provide detailed technical support for a safer, more equitable and sustainable built environment

BAC’s recruitment seeks to broaden expertise and refresh membership as both BSR and building safety evolves.

It is an opportunity to contribute independent advice, systems thinking, equitable and innovative protection methods to the committee’s work.

Applications Sought

BAC is currently chaired by Dr Barbara Lane, who has 30 years’ experience in engineering and building safety and served as an expert witness to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

To expand and support the work of the committee, applications are being sought from a variety of sectors:

• academic
• design
• construction
• housing
• risk management
• safety and regulatory spheres

The committee will provide evidence, advice and information from across the built environment, reflecting the whole building life cycle, and the range of disciplines and trades upon which effective safety and risk management relies.

It is seeking dynamic individuals who can help shape the committee’s future work and contribute to improving outcomes across the built environment through independent advice, insight and constructive challenge.

About the Roles 

BSR is looking to fill the following positions on the committee:

• Risk expert – organisational/large scale (risk management professional). Contributing expertise in the identification, assessment and management of organisational, systemic and large-scale safety risks across the built environment.
• Building services engineer. Contributing expertise in the design, performance and operation of building services that support safe, comfortable and sustainable indoor environments.
• Building contractor (construction). Contributing expertise in the delivery of residential and commercial construction projects, including new-build, refurbishment and remediation works.
• Fire safety specialist. Contributing practitioner expertise in fire safety risks, resilience and engineering practice.
• Structural safety specialist. Contributing expertise in structural risk, resilience and engineering practice.
• Inclusive design (accessibility and inclusive design practitioner). Contributing expertise in accessibility and inclusive design across the built environment.
• Academic – built environment. Contributing expertise derived from leading education and research programmes relevant to the built environment sector, providing evidence-based insight into issues affecting the safety, sustainability and performance of the built environment.
• Construction industry practitioner (supply chain). Contributing expertise in the construction industry supply chain, including collaborative supply chain leadership, sector growth and stakeholder engagement.
• Public sector registered building inspector (class 3H). Contributing expertise from a registered building inspector operating within a Local Authority building control function.
• Building control – private. Contributing expertise from a Registered Building Inspector operating within a Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA).
• Local authority housing provider. Contributing expertise in the provision and management of local authority housing, including Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs).
• Private sector higher-risk buildings representative. Contributing expertise from the occupied private Higher-Risk Building (HRB) sector, including the commercial, investment and development considerations that shape the management of private residential assets.

Committee members will be appointed for 3 years and can expect a time commitment of 15 days per year. These are voluntary roles, but expenses will be reimbursed.

National Importance

Dr Barbara Lane, Chair of the Building Advisory Committee, said: “The building safety landscape is continuing to evolve, bringing new challenges, opportunities and expectations of the construction industry.

“Joining the Building Advisory Committee offers a unique opportunity to contribute to work of national importance and help shape the future of building safety.

“You will engage with experts from a broad range of disciplines, demonstrating the rigorous approach that drives well-founded independent advice. This will ensure better regulatory outcomes and improvements in safety for everyone in the built environment.

“The urgent need for both new homes and for work to remediate defective homes, requires a radical commitment to creating practical safety measures.”

Help Shape the Future 

Charlie Pugsley, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Building Safety Regulator, said: “The Building Advisory Committee is both practical and influential, and offers a unique opportunity to utilise professional expertise for real-world challenges and to help shape the future of the built environment.

He added: “Building on the appointment of Dr Lane as Independent Chair, we are looking for new members who will bring fresh thinking, deep expertise and constructive challenge.

“This will help to support BSR’s strategic aim of enabling the building of safe new homes, raising standards in existing homes, and helping to create a culture where safety and accountability, as well as transparency, are part of everyday practice in the built environment.”

See more information on each specific role and how to apply by 23 November.

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