More than a third of construction issues raised by risk management surveyors during site inspections of tall buildings in the UK relate to external walls, according to a new report by warranty provider Premier Guarantee.

The InSite: Tall Buildings 2022 report reveals risk areas and trends in construction details by analysing five years of site inspection data for buildings at least six storeys tall.

The report also considers the growing trend to consider risk at earlier design stages, the rising influence of modern construction methods and the impact of the Building Safety Act on risk management and regulatory compliance in taller buildings.

Across all issues identified by Premier Guarantee’s risk management surveyors during construction:

• 35% relate to external walls, with steel frame showing a disproportionate number of issues identified during construction
• 9% account for roofs
• 5% for internal walls
• Foundations and basements total 4% each
• Balcony issues have fallen from 8% share in 2019 to 2% in 2022

Premier Guarantee noted an uptick in construction issues during construction found through the height of the Covid 19 lockdowns but the number identified by surveyors has since fallen back close to 2018/pre-pandemic levels.

All issues considered for the report’s data were subsequently closed by Premier Guarantee, showing that site workers rectified the construction details to the satisfaction of surveyors and the warranty provider’s technical standards.

Premier Guarantee is one of the largest providers of structural warranties in the UK and specialises in taller building construction developments through its Major Projects service. Projects have included Chalegrove Properties’ 76-floor Landmark Pinnacle, the tallest residential building in the UK.

Liam Devaney, Managing Director of Premier Guarantee’s Warranty Inspection Services, said: “As a warranty and building control provider, Premier Guarantee has a vital role to play in the construction sector, not just during the construction phase, but for the completed building and its eventual occupants.

“As an industry we have been presented with monumental challenges over the past four years, many of which are discussed by my knowledgeable colleagues in this paper.

“Working with the industry we must help shape the future by building safer, compliant and high quality tall buildings.”

Download Premier Guarantee’s Insite: Tall Buildings 2022 report here.

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Every care was taken to ensure the information in this article was correct at the time of publication (September 2022).