The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland has launched its approved certifier scheme for domestic buildings through its web resource at http://www.rias-regs.co.uk operational since 1 October.
Covering Section 6 (Domestic) of the Scottish Building Regulations, which comprises the energy performance aspects of design, the RIAS scheme is open to Chartered Members of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists and registered architects. Achieving accreditation will allow designers to self-certify their schemes and in the case of new build homes issue Energy Performance Certificates.
The door to self-certification by designers was opened by the Building (Scotland) Act 2003, which allowed for certification schemes to be set up for one or more sections of the regulations. The RIAS applied to the Scottish Building Standards Agency last year to operate a scheme, amalgamating its application with a similar one by BRE. Approval was given in August.
The RIAS is a Scheme Provider in its own right and expects its RIAS-Regs accreditation route to be attractive to substantial numbers of Architectural Technologists and architects operating in Scotland. RIAS-Regs is a web-based system encompasses registration, training, bespoke SAP software and certificate generation.
Once registered and accredited through the on-line assessment process, an Approved Certifier of Design (ACoD) will be able to:
- use a bespoke SAP calculator specifically designed for use in Scotland
- issue a Certificate of Design for Section 6 (Domestic) at the point of applying for building warrant, and claim a 10% discount on application fees
- generate an Energy Performance Certificate for new build homes from the SAP calculation.
More information, and registration, at http://www.rias-regs.co.uk