The professional architectural bodies representing England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland have joined forces to create a unified group, named The Belfast Group, aimed at providing consistent guidance on fire and life safety design for architects across the UK and Ireland.

This new collaboration is one of several steps being taken by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA), the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS), the Royal Society of Architects in Wales (RSAW), and the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI). These initiatives are a direct response to the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report, with a focus on raising standards in building fire safety.

The Belfast Group’s key goal is to ensure that fire safety expertise “go beyond national boundaries” and that architects, no matter where they practise, are “equally competent” to design buildings that meet the highest standards of fire and life safety.

The group’s members have jointly pledged to work alongside their respective Governments to advocate for architects to have “unfettered access” to all the national regulations, standards and technical resources needed to design buildings that prioritise safety in all five regions.

Beyond establishing standards for architects, The Belfast Group also intends to produce guidance to help ensure that all construction professionals have access to consistent fire and life safety information. This will support better decision-making around procurement and the resourcing of building projects.

Joint statement

"In a shared statement, the presidents of the five institutions – Muyiwa Oki (RIBA), John Lavery (RSUA), Karen Anderson (RIAS), Dan Benham (RSAW) and Sean Mahon (RIAI) – said:“The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report makes clear that more is required to ensure our buildings are as safe as possible. This is relevant for every architect. While each jurisdiction has its own regulatory framework, there are core competencies when it comes to designing for life safety that transcend political boundaries and project typologies.”

The statement continues:

“The Belfast Group will share Best Practice, knowledge and information in design standards for life safety. This co-ordination will ensure that appropriate training and competency standards are implemented across each nation.”

In closing, the five presidents added:

“We continue to work with our relevant Governments to ensure that our members have access to all the regulations, standards and technical information they need, while also providing guidance to clients on how to support the procurement and resourcing of projects such that life safety is at the heart of the appointment process. These steps will help in delivering safer buildings for all.”

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