The A-to-Z of building a new home... C

C - CDM - Construction Design and Management regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) came into force on the 6th April 2015, replacing CDM 2007 and cover the management of health, safety and welfare when carrying out construction projects.Domestic clients do have duties under CDM 2015, but their duties as a client are normally transferred to the contractor on a single-contractor project, or to the principal contractor on a project involving more than one contractor. A domestic client can choose to have a written agreement with the Principal Designer to carry out the client duties.The Principal Designer, usually the Architect appointed by the client is required to plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety in the pre-construction phase of a project, including eliminating or controlling foreseeable risks. They will prepare and provide relevant information to other duty holders including the Principal Contractor to help them manage health and safety in the construction phase. The responsibilities under CDM 2015 are passed on to the relevant duty holders as the project progresses.You can read more about the requirements under CDM 2015 at http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/2015/index.htm C - Concept Design- Usually the early stages in a project will focus on defining a brief, this document is used to set out what the client is seeking to achieve by completing the project, as well as any specific requirements they may have.A concept design is typically the early sketch designs which will be produced in response to the items set out in the brief document, it will seek to achieve the key items in a brief, but will challenge and explore the clients design criteria.The concept design may be presented as a series of options designed to identify what the clients really want, and it will speculate as to the size, scale, form and materiality of a scheme. As the project progresses this information will be refined and altered to provide the client with a resolved and comprehensive solution to take forward to construction.