This month’s guest is Civic Engineers associate director Sam Harland who talks to host Rob Hakimian about the Building Safety Act 2022 and how it is changing the way that engineers are working.

They talk about how it has introduced new processes, particularly for structural engineers like Harland, with the tightening of design competency requirements, the introduction of the gateway process and the creation of the Golden Thread for buildings. The discussion particularly focuses on what this means for works on existing buildings and how engineers now have to carry out extensive investigations to uncover their structural health and history. Harland also provides insight on how implementation of the Act has been difficult and how it might drive the future of the sector.

Prior to the interview portion, Rob is joined by NCE senior reporters Thomas Johnson and Tom Pashby to discuss some of the reporting they have been doing on the Havant Thicket Reservoir, water quality in the River Thames and the protracted consenting process for the Aquind Interconnector.