RMP Acoustics and Building Performance Centre staff of Edinburgh Napier University won the tender to project manage the Robust Standard Details (RSD) project in 2002. The project was funded by the Home Builders Federation. During the tender stage RMP were up against 9 of the UK’s leading acoustic consultancies and research organisations.

The RSD project was the largest research project ever carried out by the construction industry over such an intensive and short time period. Over 350 organisations were involved, 119 committee members representing almost every sector of the industry. The project web site received 2,800 regular visitors and over 20,000 documents were downloaded in the first five months. Over 600 innovative new build wall and floor test structures involving 1,200+ dwellings were constructed and tested in nine months by the house building industry.

The project was submitted by HBF to the government in the summer of 2003. In January 2004 the Government announced that they would allow the formation of Robust Details Ltd to run Robust Details for Part E of the building regulations (England and Wales) as an alternative to pre-completion testing.

Further information about the RSD project was published in 2006 in the Journal of Building Appraisal Vol. 2 No. 1. To download the PDF document click here.

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