Features

The new Building Safety Act extends liability for safety defects out to 30 years, bringing far-reaching consequences for contractors. Joshua Stein investigates

When the Building Safety Act 2022 received Royal Assent at the end of April, it included a five-fold extension to liability for safety defects in residential buildings. The new…

As a low-carbon material, timber has a big role to play in achieving net zero, but fire-safety concerns and a lack of testing are holding back its use. Greg Pitcher reports

Imagine a scenario where the UK has met its goals and achieved net-zero carbon in construction. What does the built…

With demand for data-centre capacity set to increase tenfold between 2018 and 2025, opportunities abound for contractors – whether it’s building new sites or upgrading existing facilities. James Wilmore looks at the potential and the challenges

Many of the shifts in behaviour triggered by the pandemic have brought data centres to…

Automated remote monitoring of machines via telematics can unlock valuable insights, although collating transmitted data can bring its own hurdles, as Keith Cooper reports

Telematics technology looks like a great tool for construction firms. It allows data from machines – from vans and trucks to excavators and loaders – to be…

Next steps for embedding an inclusive and welcoming culture across the sector were explored at a Construction News roundtable, sponsored by Copper Consultancy. Steve Dale reports

On the panel Emilia Hardern, diversity and inclusion project manager, Network Rail Jenny Hinde, executive director, The Clear Company Faye Jenkins, head of social…

The construction industry is notorious for cost overruns and delays. Construction News assembled a team of experts to discuss how the use of technology could reduce both. Paul Thompson reports

On the panel Lydia Walpole, digital operations director, Costain Cliff Smith, executive director, Get It Right Initiative Nick Leach, head…

Scaffolding firms have faced unprecedented challenges and opportunities from Brexit and the pandemic. Chronic labour shortages worsened as EU workers returned home and COVID-19 sent a shockwave through the industry. The cost of timber and steel – the two core materials of the trade – became unusually and unpredictably priced,…

If you want to sell a construction business, there have traditionally been three options: sell it to another company, to the management or to the public through a listing on the stock exchange. Since 2015, a fourth option has gained in popularity: selling the business to the staff. The concept…

After a pandemic-induced lull in gender pay-gap reporting, and following dramatic changes to some firms’ working practices, James Wilmore explores whether the industry is making progress towards pay equality

When Taylor Wimpey appointed its first female chief executive in February, it sparked headlines. Jennie Daly, the group’s operations director, will be…

Since the onset of the pandemic, material prices have soared. Greg Pitcher recounts the story so far and examines whether the volatile market will calm down any time soon

Construction material prices rose in 11 of the 12 months of 2021, official data shows, with only the smallest of respites in…