When I speak to dentists they are always able to tell me exactly what changes they would like to make to their practice. However achieving this vision can be a complex journey, whether for financial reasons or simply the limitations of the building it is difficult to achieve the perfect practice.
Last year saw the biggest changes to the building regulations for some considerable time with amendments to parts B, K, M, P and the contents of part N being transferred to part K.
Minor changes were also made to part A and C of the Building Regulations towards the end of 2013. Part A: Structure, includes amendments on foundations in shrinkable clay soils, the recovering of roofs and the updating of references to British Standards. Part C: Site Preparation and Resistance to Contaminants and Moisture, includes updates to references to the structural design and ground investigations and also updates to radon mapping.
Set for change in April 2014 is Part L: Conservation of Fuel & Power. The change will affect dentists who are looking to buy a new practice or build an extension on an already existing building. However, they may be able to take a sigh of relief as the Government has dropped the proposed changes to the Building Regulations scheduled for April 2014, for the time being at least, to include “consequential improvements” in all existing non-domestic buildings to which building work is carried out, regardless of the size of floor area.
Part L is split into four parts, Part L1a deals with new dwellings, L1b deals with existing dwellings, whilst Part L2a covers all other new building and L2b all other existing buildings, including dental practices. Since its introduction in 2006, Part L2b notes: “the construction of an extension triggers the requirement for consequential improvements in buildings with a total useful floor area greater than 1000m²”.
The consequential improvements referred to are measures that should be taken to ensure that the energy efficiency of the building is improved, should certain building work be undertaken on the building. This can include such elements as upgrading heating systems more than 15 years old, upgrading thermal elements to improve u-values, upgrading cooling or lighting systems or installing double glazed windows, that is providing the improvements are technically, functionally and economically feasible with a payback period within 15 years.
Whichever elements are chosen for improvement, the combined total should not be less than 10 per cent of the total cost of the proposed principle building work. Although consequential improvements on existing buildings with a floor area less than 1000m2 has been dropped for the next round of changes, they may be introduced in proposed changes scheduled for 2016 either by reducing the floor area threshold to 500m2 or removing the threshold altogether, both of these proposals have been talked about for some considerable time. As very few practices are larger than 1000m² this would have a big impact upon the dental profession. The removal of this threshold will mean that performing any building work on a practice will become more expensive.
Those who work from an older practice should not be alarmed if they do not intend to make any changes to their practice, consequential improvements are only required if building work is desired. However, if it is likely that the building is going to need work in the near future, owners should be fully aware of the potential cost it may incur. Of course, anybody looking to buy a practice must also consider this. If interested in buying an older practice because it seems like a more economical decision, this may not be the case if it is going to need work done to it. When the changes are bought in, older buildings may no longer be a viable location for a dental practice.
The reason for such a change is to make all existing non-domestic buildings more energy efficient. As part of the Government’s drive for energy efficient buildings, they are also proposing all new buildings to have zero emissions by 2019.
The proposed changes to part L2b for existing non domestic buildings for April 2014 are now limited to:
- New lighting circuits to be more efficient,
- An increase in the minimum efficiency of chillers,
- An increase in the minimum efficiency of fan coil units.
New build non-domestic buildings under L2a will see a nine per cent improvement over the 2010 Part L2a and a six per cent improvement for new dwellings.
The push by the Government for zero carbon in non-domestic buildings by 2019, will have a serious effect on the dental industry. Any practice owners may be a little confused by this change in the regulations and wonder what they should do next, especially if their practice is not very energy efficient. Seeking the assistance of an architectural design services company may be the answer. A specialist in the building and design of dental practices will be able to offer comprehensive and astute advice on how the changes to part L of the building regulations will impact upon a practice and how much an extension may cost.
References available on request.