After the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower, which resulted in such devastating loss of life – including two young people training to become architects – RIBA responded immediately, establishing an expert group to drive forward necessary change, calling for a public inquiry and a strengthening of requirements on cladding, sprinklers and means of escape.

In Dame Judith Hackitt’s subsequent ‘Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety’, commissioned by Government and published earlier this year, she called for ‘greater transparency, accountability and collaboration’ from industry and we, at RIBA, have since been working to directly address this call. 

Taking the lead in shaping the industry’s response, we are now seeking views on a new Plan of Work for Fire Safety which has been developed to clarify where fire safety responsibility lies at each stage of a building’s life. Developed in collaboration with the Association for Specialist Fire Protection, the new process map and management tool sets a framework for best practice behaviours to ensure the life safety of building users - and it’s the start of a long overdue change to our industry’s processes.

But how exactly will a new Plan of Work for Fire Safety address Hackitt’s proposals for ‘culture change’ and make buildings safer for the people who use them?

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