Aipedia: Principal designers and building safety

AI design coordination for principal designers

Aipedia, by the Apex broking team · Last reviewed 2026-10-27

AI coordination tools can help a principal designer monitor multi-designer models, but they do not discharge the reg 11M duty to coordinate design so it would comply. The risk is a green dashboard that hides an unchecked fire safety interface.

Part of: AI in principal design and building safety

In short

Under Part 2A reg 11M the principal designer must plan, manage and monitor design work and coordinate it so the design would comply if built. CDM 2015 reg 11 sets a parallel health and safety duty. AI clash detection and compliance dashboards can help, but they only check what they are configured to check, and designers outside the model are invisible to them. The PD should know the limits of each tool, spot-check what it reports as resolved, and record the coordination decisions it actually made.

How PDs use AI for coordination

On a project with several designers, the PD's job is to make the pieces fit. AI is now built into many coordination workflows: automated clash detection across federated models, dashboards that track design deliverables and compliance status, and assistants that summarise issue logs and predict which packages are falling behind.

These tools can spot more clashes than a manual review and show progress at a glance. The difficulty is that a dashboard only reports what it has been configured to check, and a green status can stand in for judgement. Engineers face the same issue with AI clash detection. The AI for principal designers overview covers other PD uses of AI.

The duties that apply

Part 2A reg 11M: the PD must plan, manage and monitor design work during the design phase, coordinate it so the design would comply if built, take reasonable steps to ensure designs are coordinated, and liaise with the principal contractor.
Reg 11J: anyone carrying out design work must ensure it is planned, managed and monitored so that it complies with all relevant requirements.
Reg 11K(4): a designer doing part of the design must consider related design work and report compliance concerns to the PD.
CDM 2015 reg 11: the CDM PD must plan, manage and monitor the pre-construction phase and ensure designers comply with reg 9.

None of these says "use a tool"; all of them require the PD to understand the state of the design. See the guide to PD duties and AI for how these duties fit together.

What can go wrong

Illustrative scenario. A PD relies on an AI coordination dashboard that reports all clashes resolved and all packages compliant. The fire compartmentation lines were never modelled as objects, so service penetrations through compartment walls were not checked. The problem emerges on site, after ceilings are closed. The contractor and client claim the cost of opening up and remedial work from the PD, alleging it failed to coordinate fire stopping between the mechanical and architectural designs.

Typical gaps include:

rules that check geometry but not performance, such as fire resistance or acoustic separation;
designers outside the model, such as specialist subcontractor designers, whose work never reaches the dashboard;
status flags set by designers themselves, so "compliant" means "self-certified";
AI summaries of issue logs that drop open items marked as low priority.

How PI usually responds

A coordination failure is a classic professional negligence allegation, so PD cover will usually respond, subject to the wording. Coordination claims often involve several designers, and contribution between parties can shape who pays. Where the failure concerns fire stopping or compartmentation, fire safety restrictions in the PD's policy may apply. Apex's guide to PD cover on higher-risk buildings explains how HRB work can affect cover. There is no statutory PI requirement for PDs, so check that the PD role is declared on the proposal.

Practical controls

Write down what each automated check covers, and what it does not.
Map every designer and package, including specialist subcontractor design, and confirm each is visible to the PD.
Spot-check items the dashboard reports as resolved, especially fire, structure and access.
Do not let self-reported status replace PD review.
Record coordination decisions in design review minutes (see AI minutes of design reviews).
Check compliance outputs separately (see AI compliance checks).
Carry the coordinated position into any Gateway 2 package (see AI in Gateway 2 applications).

How Apex helps

Apex arranges PI for principal designers. A broker can check how your policy treats coordination of other designers' work and whether fire safety limits would affect a coordination claim.

Sources

Frequently asked

Does a coordination dashboard satisfy reg 11M?

Not on its own. Reg 11M requires the PD to plan, manage and monitor design work and coordinate it so the design would comply. A dashboard can support that, but the PD must know what it checks and verify the areas it does not.

Who is liable if a designer's model was wrong?

The designer remains responsible for its own design under reg 11K. The PD may also face allegations that it failed to coordinate or monitor. Responsibility is usually shared through contribution between parties, depending on the facts and the appointments.

Should AI tools be listed in the PD's appointment?

There is no legal requirement. It is sensible to agree how coordination will be carried out and what the PD will and will not check, so expectations are clear if something is missed.

Can dashboard records help defend a claim?

They can show that monitoring took place, but only if they reflect real review. A log showing every item turned green without any recorded PD scrutiny may suggest reliance on the tool rather than judgement, so keep notes of what was actually checked and decided.

Check your PI covers how you use AI

Tell us about your firm and the work you do. A broker will review how your current PI treats AI-assisted work, or arrange new cover. No fee for a quote. Or call 0117 325 0027.

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Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information about how AI is used in the profession and how insurance may respond. It is not legal, regulatory or insurance advice on your circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.