Does your building project require a peer review?
To grant a building consent, Council must be satisfied on reasonable grounds that the proposed building work will comply with the building code. In many cases, this involves reviewing specific engineering designs prepared by design professionals, such as structural, geotechnical, façade, or fire engineers. While we have some in-house technical capability, we cannot reasonably maintain specialist resources to review every aspect of a complex engineering design.
We place significant reliance on the competence and quality assurance processes of design professionals. However, where a proposal involves higher-risk features or complex engineering design, additional assurance may be required. In these situations, we may request an independent peer review of the design to help establish reasonable grounds that the building code will be met.
Engage with Council early
If your project includes any of the factors listed below, these should be considered a starting point for discussion with the Council.
You and your design team are encouraged to arrange a pre-application meeting as early as possible. This provides an opportunity to:
- Discuss the proposed design with relevant Council officers.
- Identify complexity or risk factors.
- Confirm early whether a peer review will be required to support your building consent application.
Early engagement helps to reduce uncertainty, avoid delays, and ensure that appropriate information is provided at lodgement.
Structural and geotechnical engineering
- Importance Level 3 or 4 buildings.
- Buildings with four or more storeys.
- Complex structural design, for example, irregular building forms or load paths.
- Complex geotechnical design, for example, deep ground improvement with uplift-resisting piles.
- Alternative solutions, for example, the use of non-standard materials or methods.
Façade engineering
- Wall cladding systems on buildings greater than 10 metres in height.
Fire engineering
- Fire designs requiring a Fire Engineering Brief (FEB) process, including designs using C/VM2 or significant alternative solutions.
