When deciding which construction products and materials to specify, the initial challenge often involves spending a lot of time filtering through a wide range of solutions and options to select the right product for your project. With new products coming to market all the time and more global suppliers entering UK supply chains, combined with ongoing regulatory changes and uncertainty, there are more considerations and risks for specifiers now than ever before.
In today’s modern world, most suppliers have devised clever marketing campaigns designed to focus on the aesthetic, technical and performance related USP’s of their products, intended to persuade you that their solution is, in fact, the best one on the market. Getting to the facts can be more difficult than it should be.
So, taking all this into account, how can you be completely confident that the products or systems you specify will perform as expected and achieve compliance based on the latest British Standards?
Specifying a BBA approved product cuts through the mist of the clever marketing, it makes it easier to identify the specific performance properties that make a product suitable for a project, as they are independently verified as being fit for purpose.
What does the BBA do?
The BBA – British Board of Agrément – has been an established part of the UK construction industry for more than 50 years, formed with the very specific aim of providing specifiers, installers, users, regulators, manufacturers, insurers and the public with the reassurance they require that building products are safe, reliable, fit for purpose and correctly installed.
Delivering advantages for specifiers
For a product manufacturer, BBA certification will often be seen as a proud achievement, such an achievement delivers the impact of product confidence, industry approval and advanced market position – benefits that product manufactures can be proud to share with specifiers and clients.
Widely considered as a mark of excellence, a BBA Agrément Certificate is achieved by careful adherence to the most rigorous and recent National and European standards, testing to validate critical details such as a product’s composition, capabilities, limitations and intended applications, as well as clarifying and quantifying any suggested ‘unique’ features. For all those involved in what is currently a dynamic and highly complex construction industry, regardless of whether you are delivering a roofing system, building ventilation system or complete through-wall turn-key solution; securing and maintaining a BBA certification clearly demonstrates the manufacturer’s long-term commitment to innovation, product performance and the highest technical standards.
Recognised, clearly understood and often sought after by specifiers, architects and contractors; BBA certification reassures all parties. As a certificate holding product manufacturer, we can provide the reassurance that we are keeping up with the latest advances in building technology and working according to best practices. As a certificate seeking specifier, you can be sure you’ll be delivering a robustly tested, safe, high quality, highly efficient product for your build.
Certified long-term assurance
Products that have been tested and certified by the BBA as safe and fit-for-purpose are also subjected to continuous assessment through regular audits and inspections undertaken by qualified assessors on a monthly basis. For specifiers and building owners, this is an additional safeguard to ensure that the certified products remain safe, compliant and that they are manufactured consistently in line with approved quality plans for many years to come.
Immediately after a product has been certified, the BBA assessment team engages with manufacturers and building inspectors to make sure that standards don’t slip. BBA impartial inspectors are experts in their field and take pride in delivering unbiased information on a range of products and installation requirements.
Ash & Lacy BBA Certified Systems
Ash & Lacy products and systems are regularly tested by independent UKAS accredited organisations such as the Centre for Window & Cladding Technology (CWCT) and accredited by globally recognised bodies such as the British Board of Agrement. Through this continued investment in testing alongside innovation and product development, we strive to give our customers the peace of mind that Ash & Lacy products are not only compliant with the latest Building Regulations, but will also stand the test of time.
BBA CERTIFICATE 20/5787: MECHSLIP
Mechanically-fixed brick slip cladding system. Issued 30th July 2020.
Key Factors Assessed:
• Strength and stability.
• Behaviour in relation to fire.
• Air and water penetration.
• Durability.
BBA CERTIFICATE 20/5842: AXIAL SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Sub-frame to support cladding on the external wall structure of new or existing domestic and non-domestic buildings.
Key Factors Assessed:
• Strength and stability.
• Behaviour in relation to fire.
• Durability.
BBA CERTIFICATE 20/5773: NATURAL-X
Mechanically-fixed extruded brick slip cladding system. Issued 6th July 2020.
Key Factors Assessed:
• Strength and stability.
• Behaviour in relation to fire.
• Air and water penetration.
• Durability.
