Local Authority Building Control (LABC) and the Modern Masonry Alliance (MMA) have worked together to produce a suite of 250 registered masonry construction details, designed to minimise heat loss through the weak junction points in a building’s outer envelope.

The scheme was launched by LABC chief executive Paul Everall on Tuesday (21 October). The Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG), Zero Carbon Hub, and many industry trade organisations and manufacturers have been pushing for packaged construction details showing how the design, specification of materials and construction of construction joints should be accomplished.

LABC and the MMA plan to deliver this to customers free of charge. Users will include architects, plan drawers, developers, housing associations, SAP assessors, local authority building control surveyors, quantity surveyors, clerks of works, contractors and builders.

“We welcomed the Modern Masonry Alliance when they approached us,” said Mr Everall. “We have many SME customers and we know they need packaged advice that has already been calculated and examined. We are able to provide help in this and it will streamline the plan checking and site inspections performed by our building control surveyors.

“Architects and contractors have a huge desire to get things right and this will help them in a very practical way without increasing their costs. Everybody wins, including the building owners and eventual users.”

Mike Leonard, chief executive of MMA, added: “Greater participation of local builders is vital if we are to see the massive uplift in new home delivery by 2020. We need to address the growing housing crisis. This scheme will make it easier for builders of all sizes to select registered construction details that offer cost-effective compliance with the recent changes to regulations.

“We know that LABC provides a service to many thousands of local builders throughout England and Wales and we hope to encourage those designing, specifying and constructing buildings to use pre-registered solutions.”

LABC Registered Construction Details can be found at http://www.labc.co.uk/registration-schemes/construction-details.