The Building Safety Act has reshaped how the construction and property sectors approach safety and accountability. Brought into law after high-profile building failures, the legislation aims to ensure that safety is embedded at every stage of a building’s lifecycle. It applies primarily to higher-risk residential buildings and introduces new responsibilities for owners, developers, and professionals across the supply chain.
For clients, the Act can appear complex, with its new terminology, additional duties, and heightened expectations around competence and documentation. As a multi-discipline engineering design and sustainability consultancy, Syntegra Group helps clients navigate these requirements. Our expertise in M&E design, sustainability, and certification ensures projects not only achieve compliance but also align safety with energy performance and environmental goals.
Key Takeaways
- The Building Safety Act places safety and accountability at every stage of a building’s lifecycle
- Higher-risk residential buildings (18 m / 7 storeys with ≥2 units) are within the Act’s scope
- New dutyholders including Accountable Persons, Principal Designers, and Principal Contractors carry clear responsibilities
- Three Gateways enforce safety and oversight at planning, before construction, and at completion
- Syntegra Group’s engineering, sustainability, and certification services help clients meet safety + performance requirements
Did you know? The Act requires a digital “golden thread†of information to be maintained for higher-risk buildings to support safety transparency and traceability.
What the Building Safety Act Is
The Building Safety Act 2022 is the UK government’s flagship reform of building safety legislation. It was introduced to address systemic failures identified in the Grenfell Tower tragedy and to create a culture of safety, transparency, and accountability.
At its core, the Act establishes the Building Safety Regulator, operating within the Health and Safety Executive. This regulator oversees the safety of higher-risk buildings, enforces standards, and monitors competence across the industry.
The Act also strengthens resident protection, ensuring that leaseholders have clearer routes to raise concerns and are shielded from bearing the full cost of historic safety defects. It brings in measures to improve construction product regulation and building control, meaning professionals involved in design and construction must demonstrate compliance with rigorous new standards.
By setting a new framework for governance and oversight, the Act requires dutyholders to prioritise safety from planning through to long-term occupation and management.
Key Provisions of the Act
The Building Safety Act introduces a series of significant measures that affect the entire lifecycle of higher-risk buildings.
Definition of Higher-Risk Buildings
- Residential buildings at least 18 metres in height or seven or more storeys with at least two residential units fall within scope.
- Hospitals and care homes meeting these thresholds are also included.
The Three Gateways
To ensure scrutiny at key stages, the Act introduces three “gatewaysâ€:
- Planning Gateway One: fire safety considerations integrated into planning applications.
- Gateway Two (before construction): approval required from the Building Safety Regulator before work begins.
- Gateway Three (completion): building control approval and a comprehensive safety case are mandatory before occupation.
Dutyholders and Accountable Persons
- Principal Designer and Principal Contractor roles must be formally appointed.
- Accountable Persons, often building owners or landlords, have ongoing responsibilities for resident safety.
- A “golden thread†of building information must be maintained digitally for transparency and traceability.
Enforcement and Sanctions
The Building Safety Regulator has wide-ranging enforcement powers, from issuing compliance notices to pursuing prosecutions.
Overview Table: Key Elements of the Act
| Provision | Requirement | Who it Applies To |
| Higher-Risk Building definition | 18m+ or 7+ storeys, 2+ residential units | Developers, owners |
| Gateways | Approvals at planning, before build, at completion | Dutyholders, regulators |
| Accountable Person | Safety management in occupation | Building owners, landlords |
| Golden Thread | Digital record of safety information | Design & construction teams |
Who the Act Involves
The Act brings new clarity to who is responsible for safety at each stage of a building’s lifecycle.
Developers and Clients
Developers and commissioning clients must ensure compliance from the earliest design phases. They carry legal duties to fund safe design, construction, and remediation where needed.
Building Owners and Landlords
Owners and landlords become Accountable Persons once buildings are occupied. They must register their higher-risk buildings with the regulator, manage resident safety, and prepare safety case reports.
Design and Engineering Professionals
Architects, structural engineers, and M&E engineers all play central roles. The Principal Designer ensures design risks are identified and mitigated, while M&E engineers provide solutions that meet safety standards in areas such as fire systems, ventilation, and electrical infrastructure.
Contractors
The Principal Contractor leads on construction-phase compliance, ensuring competence of subcontractors and accurate record-keeping for the golden thread.
Regulators
The Building Safety Regulator works alongside fire and rescue services and local authorities to oversee projects, approve submissions, and enforce compliance.
Residents and Leaseholders
Authorities now formally recognise residents as stakeholders. They must be provided with safety information and routes to raise concerns, reinforcing a culture of transparency and accountability.
What It Means in Practice for Clients and Consultants
For clients, the Building Safety Act means greater responsibility to engage competent consultants early in the project lifecycle. For consultants such as Syntegra Group, it creates opportunities to support projects with integrated expertise.
M&E Design
Our multi-discipline M&E design services ensure systems such as fire detection, smoke ventilation, and electrical installations are compliant with the new standards while delivering efficiency and resilience.
Energy Compliance and Certification
Safety is now part of a broader compliance framework. Our team delivers services ranging from Energy Performance Certificates to energy strategies, ensuring that buildings meet both safety and sustainability targets.
Specialist Assessments
- Acoustics: we provide a full spectrum of acoustic services including pre-completion sound testing, plant noise assessments, and construction noise and vibration monitoring.
- Air Quality: we deliver indoor air quality plans, monitoring, and dispersion modelling to protect occupant health.
- Sustainability Ratings: we support BREEAM and LEED assessments to evidence performance across environmental and health criteria.
By combining safety, compliance, and sustainability expertise, Syntegra Group helps clients manage risk while delivering high-performing, future-ready buildings.
Conclusion and Next Steps
The Building Safety Act decisively shifts how we design, construct, and manage buildings. By setting new standards for accountability and oversight, it places responsibility on every stakeholder. Syntegra Group stands ready to guide clients through compliance, from early design through to long-term occupation, ensuring that projects are safe, efficient, and sustainable.
Contact us today to ensure your project meets all requirements of the Building Safety Act with expert engineering, certification, and compliance support.
Further Reading
- Key updates to the Building Safety Act for 2025: Overview of new regulations and requirements taking effect in 2025 under the Building Safety Act.
- Building Safety Act Frequently Asked Questions – RICS: FAQ guidance covering definitions, roles, and compliance obligations under the Building Safety Act.
New provisions of the Building Safety Act now in force: Details of recent Commencement Regulations that bring new duties into force under the Act.
