Structural Engineers Registration Ltd

Scheme for Certification of Design (Building Structures) in Scotland

Structural Engineers Registration Ltd (SER Ltd) has been appointed by the Scottish Government Building Standards Division (BSD) to administer a scheme for Certification of Design (Building Structure). The Scheme was established as a result of a joint initiative by the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) This initiative was driven by new legislation introduced in Scotland – the Building (Scotland) Act 2003.

The Act encourages a holistic overview from design to completion of any building project by enabling an engineer who is a member of the Scheme as an Approved Certifier of Design (Building Structures) to certify the structural design of buildings in Scotland and to include a certificate with the application to Local Authorities for Building Warrant.

The certifying engineer is responsible for ensuring that all aspects of design of the structure of a project satisfy the requirements of the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004. The new legislation also makes engineers who are responsible for building structures specifically aware of their responsibilities and duties in the design, thus improving assurance of structural safety.

For these reasons, strict procedures are adhered to in accepting applications by individual engineers and firms for registration to SER Ltd. Details of this process can be found under the ‘Joining Information’ link.

The Scheme is described in the Scheme Guide, which should be read before making an application for membership.