The Building Confidence Report Implementation Plan (BCRIP) has been released, so what does it mean for the architecture profession, where are the opportunities and what are the challenges, asks the Association of Consulting Architects (ACA).
Also known as the the Shergold Weir report, it serves as an assessment of the effectiveness of compliance and enforcement systems for the building and construction industry across Australia.
It outlined a suite of recommendations, several of which affect architects during the design, construction and ongoing maintenance of buildings.
According to the ACA, the key issues identified include the registration of building practitioners; insufficient supervision, auditing and expertise in the industry; and a need for better documentation.
An important recommendation from the report was that the BMF prioritises the preparation of an implementation plan to enable all recommendations to be implemented within three years.
The BMF stipulated, notes the ACA, that a full list of agreed actions should be prepared, with jurisdictional performance against each one to be reported annually, allowing the BMF to monitor achievement.
In others words says the ACA, there is a need for industry consultation and pressure to ensure that these recommendations are fully implemented.
“Concerted, timely and consolidated advocacy is particularly important given that it is likely to be some time before the Building Ministers Forum meets again due to the upcoming federal election. This, combined with the delay in releasing a response, means that it now seems unlikely that the states and territories will be able to meet the original deadline,” says the ACA.
The ACA has also gone on record saying that it believes that implementing the report provides an opportunity for greater consistency across Australia and a chance for architects to re-establish and redefine their professional role in the construction industry.
“We look forward to working with our colleagues across the industry and government to help make this happen,” its says.
The full State-by-State summary of all the recommendations of the BCRIP can be found here.
