The front cover of Building (20 June) featured a picture of a window at the Scottish parliament building.
Barely two weeks after you commented on the HSE's concerns about designers' ignorance of the CDM regulations, we have an example that appears to vindicate this viewpoint. Simply from the photograph, I would comment as follows:
  • How are the fixed windows cleaned from the outside when they have bars in front of them?
  • How does a person get into and out of the window seat safely without banging their head?
  • How does an ambulant disabled person reach the window handles to open them?
  • Why are wheelchair-bound MSPs prevented from even seeing out of the window?
  • The event of fire trapping somebody in this room, will rescue by this window be possible?
  • Does the room meet daylighting standards? Even the site manager in the picture appears to be having trouble completing his suicide note.

Could somebody tell me where the planning supervisor, the HSE and Building Control were when these windows were being designed and installed? Or is this another example of a high-profile building being exempted from the hoops the rest of us have to jump through?

Postscript

Robert Menzies, Falkirk.