Responding to yesterday\u2019s VCAT ruling relating to the 2014 Lacrosse building fire, the Australian Institute of Architects said the decision once again highlights the paramount importance of people\u2019s safety in the built environment.<\/p>\n
National President Clare Cousins said the Lacrosse fire has been a catalyst for important reviews into building regulation in Australia and their recommendations should be adopted.<\/p>\n
\u2018Yesterday\u2019s VCAT ruling underscores that people\u2019s safety must be of paramount concern in our buildings,\u2019 Ms Cousins said.<\/p>\n
\u2018It reinforces the need for reform to prevent a repetition of this type of event \u2013 or worse \u2013 in future.<\/p>\n
\u2018This is a landmark decision with significant ramifications right across the building and construction sector.<\/p>\n
\u2018The Lacrosse fire alerted government, regulators and industry in the starkest terms to the dangers of aluminium composite cladding.<\/p>\n
\u2018It prompted multiple examinations into the safety of our buildings, not just here in Melbourne but right around the country.<\/p>\n
\u2018The VCAT ruling is substantial and will take time to fully digest.<\/p>\n
\u2018The central message however appears clear, and that is that safety is everyone\u2019s responsibility.<\/p>\n
\u2018This is a message we fully support. We have been vocal advocates for reform and improved compliance and will continue to be.<\/p>\n
\u2018Last year\u2019s Shergold-Weir report, Building Confidence<\/em>, identified serious failures that are jeopardising public safety.<\/p>\n \u2018We want to see measures put in place to rectify these failings and we repeat our call for governments to implement, in a nationally consistent way, every one of the 24 recommendations contained in that report.<\/p>\n \u2018Like any other industry, building design and construction is constantly evolving and innovating, both in terms of practices but also the materials used.<\/p>\n \u2018Our regulatory environment and the building practitioners who operate within it, including architects, must keep pace with these changes.<\/p>\n \u2018That\u2019s why we have been calling for the registration and regulation of other building practitioners in the same way architects have been for decades.<\/p>\n \u2018We will be carefully reviewing the implications of the VCAT decision for the architectural profession.<\/p>\n \u2018It brings to the fore a number of critical issues that have been a growing concern for architects for some time.<\/p>\n \u2018Among these is the issue of non-conforming and non-complying building products and the issue of product substitution which formed the basis of a Senate Economics References Committee inquiry in 2017 that the Institute was actively involved in.<\/p>\n \u2018Changes to procurement practices and other factors have introduced a higher degree of risk in an already fraught environment and we are continuing to build the case for change on this front.<\/p>\n \u2018In a regulatory context, it is vital that risk is allocated to the party best placed to manage it \u2013 this is the best way to guarantee safety.<\/p>\n \u2018The safety and quality of our buildings must be prioritised above cost alone \u2013 doing otherwise should no longer be countenanced as a viable option.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"