Building Controls - Restrictive Innovative or Totally Free

Building Regulations have often been described as restrictive to innovative design. The Building Code of Australia and State Legislation does cater for innovative design by way of an application for a variation or modification or the rules to be referred to a Board or Committee of Referees. The major detriment to innovative design is not the rules but the people that administer them. Different people have different preferences and under the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator it can be seen that there is a high probability that Local Authority Officers will be sensate and judgemental. These types have difficulty with lateral thinking and taking risks. The regulators are enforcers, not facilitators, and hide behind the rules not taking risks and reducing their liability. The future will involve legislation that allows innovative design based on objectives, however, there will always be performance specifications and deemed-to-satisfy provisions in Building Regulations.