The right way to build each part

RCC (reinforced cement concrete)

A frame of columns, beams and slabs made by pouring concrete around steel reinforcement on site. The most common way to build homes and many other buildings.

Commonly used for: Houses, apartments, offices, schools and most multi-storey buildings.

What we check on site

• Work to approved drawings and their latest revision
• Reinforcement and formwork inspected before each pour
• Concrete pour and test records
• Curing, then stage measurements

Structural steel

A frame of steel sections that are fabricated, then bolted or welded together on site. It spans long distances and goes up quickly once the parts arrive.

Commonly used for: Large-span halls, multi-storey commercial frames, mezzanines and extensions.

What we check on site

• A named party responsible for the design
• Approved shop drawings before fabrication
• Traceable materials, coating and inspection records
• Anchor and interface checks, then the erection sequence and installation checks

PEB (pre-engineered building)

A steel building whose frame, roof and wall sheeting are designed and made as a system by a manufacturer, then erected on prepared foundations.

Commonly used for: Warehouses, factories, workshops and sheds.

What we check on site

• Design responsibility and approved drawings from the manufacturer
• Fabrication release and dispatch records
• Anchor bolt and foundation interface checks
• Erection sequence and installation checks

Precast concrete

Concrete parts such as walls, slabs or beams cast in a factory or yard, then lifted into place and joined on site.

Commonly used for: Repetitive buildings, boundary walls, and parts where site casting is slow or hard.

What we check on site

• An approved panel and element schedule
• Factory inspection before dispatch
• Dispatch and receipt records
• Lifting and assembly, then joint and weatherproofing checks

Modular prefab

Rooms or panels built off site and assembled on site. "Prefab" is not one material: each project names what the modules are made of, such as light steel, concrete or timber.

Commonly used for: Site offices, hostels, clinics, classrooms and quick-turnaround buildings.

What we check on site

• An approved module schedule that names the material and system
• Factory inspection before dispatch
• Interface and tolerance checks
• Assembly, then joint and weatherproofing checks

Masonry

Walls of brick, block or stone laid in mortar. Walls either carry the building's load themselves or fill in a concrete or steel frame.

Commonly used for: Low-rise homes, boundary walls and the infill walls of framed buildings.

What we check on site

• Material checks on the bricks or blocks delivered
• Line, level and bond checks as walls rise
• Openings, lintels and ties placed to drawings
• Curing and stage measurements

Hybrid

Two or more systems in one building, for example an RCC ground floor with a steel roof, or a steel frame with precast floors.

Commonly used for: Buildings where different parts are best built in different ways.

What we check on site

• A named owner for every interface between systems
• Sign-off at each hand-off from one system to the next
• Shared foundations and finishes counted once, not twice