ABSTRACT
The safety and health of building users are the main influence on the present regulatory system for the built environment, although regulation has considerably tightened over the past 30–40 years on some issues involving energy efficiency. Some Western governments want to deregulate the regulation of buildings by reducing the role of the state and assigning more responsibility to market forces. A key challenge for building regulations is how to expand the focus from issues of inhabitant health and safety to include a wider remit of environmental health and safety. The early origins of building regulations can be traced back to the first signs of urbanization in most civilizations. A better understanding of the holistic building performance is needed if regulatory regimes are to achieve safe, healthy, sustainable and resilient buildings. The regulation of energy in buildings is undertaken on a gateway basis – usually through simulations or ‘deemed to satisfy’ solutions when the building is at the design stage.
