What does joining the RIBA Principal Designer HRB Register mean for AHR clients?

For our clients, this strengthens access to credentialled principal designer services on higher-risk residential buildings, helping project teams demonstrate robust governance, building safety leadership, and regulatory compliance across complex

What’s the difference between CDM 2015 duties and Principal Designer Building Regulations duties?

Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), the principal designer focuses on health and safety risk management during the design stage. The Principal Designer Building Regulations role adds specific responsibility for Building Regulations compliance, including coordinating design work so it meets the relevant regulatory requirements. Together with the Building Safety Act 2022, these frameworks make principal designer competence a legal requirement, not just best practice.

Practice News

David de Sousa joins RIBA Principal Designer Register for higher-risk buildings

Min Read

by AHR

Building safety is one of the most pressing responsibilities across the built environment right now. Getting specialist expertise in place, particularly for higher-risk residential buildings, is essential for meeting today's regulatory landscape.

We are delighted to share that David de Sousa has successfully completed the RIBA Principal Designer Higher-Risk Buildings (HRB) assessment and joined the RIBA Principal Designer Register, a significant step forward in building safety expertise.

It is a significant professional achievement, reflecting the depth of knowledge, care and professional judgement David brings to building safety and design compliance. It also signals what robust, accredited practice looks like for clients procuring design services today.

Understanding the RIBA Principal Designer Register

The RIBA Principal Designer Register gives Chartered Members a formally recognised route to demonstrate they meet the competence criteria for the principal designer role. At the Higher-Risk Buildings level, this applies to high-rise residential buildings of at least 18 metres or seven storeys.

The register assesses each architect’s skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours against a national professional standard. For clients and project teams, this provides clear confidence that the person leading on design safety has been independently assessed and is properly equipped to carry out the role.

The legislative backdrop

The Building Safety Act 2022 fundamentally reshaped how higher-risk residential buildings are designed, constructed and managed across the UK. It introduced clear dutyholder responsibilities, placing a statutory requirement on the principal designer to plan, manage, monitor and coordinate design work throughout a project’s lifecycle.

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM) and Principal Designer Building Regulations add further health and safety duties at the design stage. Together, these frameworks mean principal designer competence is now a legal requirement, not simply good professional practice.

For clients commissioning work on higher-risk residential buildings, having a registered, credentialled principal designer in the project team is increasingly important to demonstrate robust governance and regulatory compliance.

The assessment process was rigorous and genuinely stretching, but that is exactly the point. When people's safety in their homes depends on the decisions made at the design stage, the bar has to be high.
I'm proud to be on the RIBA PDBR register, this gives clients real confidence that building safety is being taken seriously — not just as a compliance exercise, but as a genuine professional responsibility. If anyone is thinking about starting the process, I'd encourage them to go for it and I'm very happy to share what the journey involves."

David de Sousa

Director, London

As a director, David’s registration strengthens AHR’s ability to support clients across the full range of dutyholder responsibilities providing a designated individual to oversee the most complex HRB projects.

Whether you are delivering a new high-rise residential scheme, managing a complex refurbishment or working through the implications of the Building Safety Act for your existing portfolio, our team can provide the specialist expertise your project needs.

To find out more about how AHR supports building safety and principal designer requirements, contact David here

Frequently asked questions

: The RIBA Principal Designer Register is a formal accreditation route for RIBA Chartered Members to prove they meet nationally recognised principal designer competence criteria. The Higher-Risk Buildings (HRB) level applies to high-rise residential buildings that are at least 18-metres or seven-storeys, giving clients confidence that the principal designer for building safety and design compliance has been independently assessed.
: For our clients, this strengthens access to credentialled principal designer services on higher-risk residential buildings, helping project teams demonstrate robust governance, building safety leadership, and regulatory compliance across complex
: The Building Safety Act 2022 reshaped UK delivery of higher-risk residential buildings by introducing clearer dutyholder responsibilities. It places a statutory requirement on the principal designer to plan, manage, monitor, and coordinate design work throughout a project’s lifecycle, making principal designer competence a key part of meeting building safety and compliance obligations.
: Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), the principal designer focuses on health and safety risk management during the design stage. The Principal Designer Building Regulations role adds specific responsibility for Building Regulations compliance, including coordinating design work so it meets the relevant regulatory requirements. Together with the Building Safety Act 2022, these frameworks make principal designer competence a legal requirement, not just best practice.