Wall Ties, Cavity Barriers and the Dog that did not Bark in the Night: Design Co-ordination and the Challenge of Culture Change

Matthew Cousins

October 2019

A paper based on a presentation to the Society of Construction Law at a meeting in London on 6th February 2018

The paper discusses building safety and argues that in addition to regulatory shortcomings, the reduced scope of the architect and consultant services combined with the increasing adoption of contractor-led procurement methods has led to the diminution of quality and consequently impacted on building safety on construction projects. The omission of critical building components such as fire cavity barriers and the incorrect installation of wall ties are amongst the many other construction inadequacies. The author suggests that culture change should come from an improved regulatory regime and by utilising the mechanisms within construction contracts more effectively.

Introduction - The challenge of culture change - Wall ties - Cavity barriers - Inspection -Implementing change

The author: Matthew Cousinsis an architect at Sense Studio and the author of the Architect's Legal Pocket Book.

Text: 8 pages