Principal Design

A group of colleagues in personal protective equipment looking up at a building with scaffolding on it.

Managing risk, ensuring compliance and supporting safer project delivery from briefing to completion.

Since the Building Safety Act 2022 became law in England there are now two defined Principal Designer appointments required by law.

Principal Designer for the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM2015)

and the

Principal Designer for the Building Regulations – Building Safety Act 2022 –England only.

Both of these are crucial and important roles. Find out more below.

Principal Designer – CDM Consultancy

As Principal Designer, we’ll be responsible for overseeing, assessing, and striving to eliminate health and safety risks throughout your project.

The Construction Design and Management Regulations (CDM 2015) are the main set of regulations for managing the health, safety and welfare of construction projects. CDM applies to all building and construction work and includes new build, demolition, refurbishment, extensions, conversions, repair and maintenance.

At MLA we have a robust CDM consultancy offering.

Our team are CDM subject matter experts in construction health and safety and we can assist all CDM duty holders to help plan, manage and develop the effective integration of health and safety into the design and construction process. This encourages an open and effective health and safety project culture.

In addition, our expert consultants can offer foresight to avoid potential design problems. And if introduced at an early stage have the potential to save you money by designing out risk.

Services we provide include: –

Principal designer
Advisor to the Principal Designer
Client CDM Advisor
Designer/Principal contractor CDM Advisor
Construction site safety inspections

The Principal Designer’s role is to plan, manage, and monitor the co-ordination of the pre-construction phase. So, the Principal Designer must understand how health and safety is managed during the design process and be able to communicate effectively with all stakeholders of the project. Our team’s approach is both pragmatic and proportionate.

We also offer a tailored CDM advisory service to meet individual duty holder’s requirements. Based on their own experience, we ensure that they have comfort that all of their duties are being suitably discharged. Advisory services can be provided for all duty holders including Clients, Principal Designers, Designers, Principal Contractors and Contractors.

Building Regulations Principal Designer (BR-PD)

The Building Safety Act 2022 became law on 1 October 2023 for projects in England. This has changed the responsibilities of Clients and design teams in ensuring building compliance.

Clients are obliged to appoint a qualified person for this role.

As Building Regulation Principal Designers, we have the range of knowledge and experience to demonstrate the competence required to support and assist the design team.

As part of our process, we will set out a plan to achieve design work compliance, monitor and control changes to the plan, co-ordinate designers’ work and communicate with principal contractor and client.

What our clients say

“Jacqueline took over the project at a key stage with no fuss, just got on with it in a non-confrontational, supportive, and helpful way. Our client had certain reporting requirements and audit procedures to be adhered to. MLA provided clear support on this.”

Robert Lewis, Co-Founder and Director, Corran Properties

Need CDM Advice?

Whether you’re planning an office refurbishment, retail fit-out, industrial project or new-build development, MLA can provide Principal Designer services and practical CDM support throughout the project lifecycle.

email our CDM team for friendly, straightforward advice – j.smith@mlaarchitects.co.uk

or take a look at our ‘Frequently Asked Questions‘ section below.

CDM stands for Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. It is the principal health and safety legislation governing construction projects in Great Britain.

Yes. In almost all cases, the CDM Regulations apply to construction work, regardless of the size of the project. Whether you are carrying out a major commercial development, an office refurbishment, a retail fit-out or maintenance works involving construction activities, CDM duties are likely to apply.

At MLA we often find that clients assume CDM only applies to large projects. In reality, the regulations are designed to improve health and safety on projects of all sizes. The key is understanding what duties apply and ensuring the right team is in place from the outset.

A Principal Designer must be appointed whenever a project involves, or is likely to involve, more than one contractor. This applies regardless of project value or duration.

The Principal Designer is responsible for planning, managing and coordinating health and safety during the pre-construction phase, helping designers identify and eliminate risks before work begins on site.

MLA undertake the Principal Designer role, working closely with clients and consultants to ensure risks are considered early and managed through good design and effective communication.

An F10 is a notification submitted to the HSE for larger construction projects. A project becomes notifiable when it is expected to:

Last more than 30 working days with more than 20 workers on site at the same time; or
Exceed 500 person-days of construction work.

Many people confuse CDM duties with F10 requirements. While only certain projects require an F10 notification, CDM Regulations apply to virtually all construction projects.

Our team can advise clients at the outset whether notification is required and ensure the necessary paperwork is completed correctly.

The client has the greatest influence over project health and safety and therefore has specific legal duties under CDM. These include appointing competent designers and contractors, allowing sufficient time and resources, providing relevant project information and ensuring key duty holders are appointed where required.

Many clients are unfamiliar with their responsibilities, particularly if construction projects are an occasional part of their business. MLA supports clients throughout the process, helping them discharge their duties in a practical and proportionate manner while maintaining project momentum.

A Health and Safety File is a record of information needed for the future use, maintenance, alteration or demolition of a building. It is generally required where a project involves more than one contractor.

The file typically contains information such as ‘as-built’ drawings; key structural information; fire safety information; maintenance requirements and significant residual risks that future users should be aware of.

At MLA we coordinate the preparation of clear, practical health and safety files that provide genuine value to building owners and facilities teams long after construction has been completed.

Although the titles are similar, they are two separate roles with different responsibilities.

CDM Principal Designer (Scotland, England and Wales)

The CDM Principal Designer is appointed under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and is responsible for coordinating health and safety during the design stage of projects involving more than one contractor.

Their focus is simple:

“How can this project be designed to be built, used and maintained safely?”

Building Regulations Principal Designer (England only)

The Building Regulations Principal Designer is appointed under the Building Safety Act and Building Regulations regime in England. Their role is to plan, manage and monitor design work to ensure compliance with Building Regulations.

Their focus is:

“Does the design comply with Building Regulations?”

Yes. Where appropriate, MLA can undertake both appointments, providing coordinated advice on design risk management and regulatory compliance.