FAÇADE REMEDIATION PROJECT VALUES OF £30M, EXPANSION OF LONDON HQ & FORTHCOMING STATUTE CHANGES PROVIDE POSITIVE START TO 2021

Published: 12/01/2021

2020 REVIEW

The headlines for Harris Associates for 2020 were dominated by our increased and expanded service provision in the Façade Remediation sector. Our Regulatory Advice & Compliance services were expanded back in 2018 to include specific services relating to Façade and Cladding assessments and advice. Since 2018 the expertise, skills base and service offering has grown exponentially. Our Client base in 2020 grew fourfold when compared with 2019 and with the myriad of statutory changes due in 2021 we see no signs of this letting up.

2020 HEADLINE FACTS & FIGURES

Staff number increase by +30%.
Completed deal to expand HQ office space.
Over 150 EWS1 Assessments completed.
Provision of cladding & façade consultancy for over 200 buildings/estates (across the UK).
Coordination of façade testing on over 50 residential & commercial buildings.
Assisting with 33 applications for the Building Safety & ACM Funds.
Lead Consultant for 25 full remediation schemes.
Appointed project manager for cladding & façade remediation schemes with an estimated value of in excess of £30m.
Appointed as lead adviser on multiple development assessment and liability claims.
Our Retained Building Surveyor estate services expanded across London and the Midlands.
Despite Covid-19, we oversaw a number of major external and internal renovation projects including Old Court House, Sandringham Court and Campden House.

LOOKING AHEAD FOR 2021

Our main London HQ is being expanded and refurbished and will be ready by the end of the first quarter.
We expect a continuation and expansion of the need for façade and cladding related services in not just the residential sector but the commercial sector too. As chartered building surveyors we are able to bring technical expertise and professionalism to the fore whilst ensuring total customer focus through the looking glass of transparency and in line with the ethical standards of the RICS.
Our in-house façade engineering expertise and team numbers will be expanded further in the first quarter of 2021 to meet the growing demands of both the provision of professional advice and the management and delivery of façade remediation schemes.
The development of more holistic approaches to fire safety regulations compliance including new technologies, better design, materials use and education/training, will pick up pace in 2021.
With the extension of the Building Safety Fund deadline to June 2021 there is the prospect that those who thought they had missed the boat are reinvigorated into getting their applications in. Do get in touch as we have extensive experience and the resources to match.
Statutory changes via the Building Safety Bill and the Fire Safety Bill will have significant consequences for the residential market in particular. Our Compliance services and our Transition services which we have had in place for years will dovetail nicely with the changes that are on the way. As chartered building surveyors we are also uniquely placed to advise clients on understanding the new regulations and how to interpret and plan for them.
Changes to the EWS1 process and a development of central government policy on cladding and façade remediation can be expected before the end of the first quarter.
Non-cladding works will see a continued uptick in activity with delayed projects and instructions being brought back on-line. It is our expectation that the more traditional building surveying service provision will be back to something resembling normal by early summer.

Other areas of our core service provision that we expect to see continued growth include the following:

Expert witness appointments in connection with Building Regulation compliance.
Commercial landlord & tenant advice & strategic portfolio assessments.
Portfolio due diligence & insurance inspections as part of risk reassessment.
Common parts upgrades in connection with compartmentation & fire integrity.
Life cycle costing.
Later living due diligence & development monitoring.

“And so despite the on-going challenges of Covid 19 I am genuinely and relatively upbeat about 2021. We are fortunate to be in one of those industries that has continued to be very active throughout the pandemic and we need to make sure that we make the most of the opportunities that are there for the taking. As always being flexible, nimble, and creative will be key to our on-going expansion. Thinking of new and effective ways of working and developing our services provision is a challenge that we can look forward to in 2021 and with vaccines now on the way, we can approach this coming year with a growing positivity.” Shaun Harris Managing Director