Sustainability

The incoming government needs to urgently address the negative impact of the new post-Brexit standards regime on the building products market, finds Greg Pitcher The year was 1993. Inflation ran as low as 1.6 per cent, Manchester United won the inaugural Premier League and the CE mark was introduced in…

Mat Lown is head of ESG and sustainability at TFT Consultants Among the biggest issues currently facing the UK construction industry are the risks associated with global supply chains. We are all aware of the contributing factors and the impact they can have on construction projects. In particular, rising development…

Shawn Galliers is director of sustainability at property and construction consultancy Ingleton Wood As a northern hemisphere nation that is closer to the North Pole than the equator, Britain was built to deal with (and moan about) the cold – not the heat. But, perhaps the summer of 2022, when…

Graham Harle is chief executive of Gleeds Worldwide While everyone is struggling with how best to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, output from the construction sector has fallen for the first time in 18 months, according to the purchasing manager’s index. Gleeds’ own market survey found that eight in 10 contractors…

Toby Gill is chief executive of IPG, a company that is developing a renewable alternative to the diesel generator The current energy crisis unfolding in Europe and the increasing frequency of global climate events demonstrate the importance of reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. Expanding wind and solar generation is the…

Andrew Lerpiniere is a director at Webb Yates Engineers  The construction industry has, for a long time, talked about the benefits of collaboration, about joined-up design and how that improves coordination and buildability. But it is far from the only benefit. Integrated design has the potential to deliver truly sustainable,…

Tom O’Brien is partner and head of building consultancy at Glenny LLP Prices have been going up across the board, and with headlines dominated by the rising cost of living and sky-high energy bills, many industries have been feeling the sting. In the built environment, the BCIS Materials Cost Index estimates that…

Tim Marlow is founding partner of Chronos Consult Last week, the UK saw its hottest temperature ever, with an official high of 40.3o. The Meteorological Office says this is likely to happen again within weeks. As always, the industry has shown its resilience, with most sites remaining open. But, even…

Tristan Hughes is business development manager at specialist provider OSSO Daily walks along riverbanks, canals, lakesides, beaches – they were a familiar routine for many of us during the long months of COVID-19 lockdowns. And I believe they gave us a greater appreciation of our local aquatic environment – a new…

Steve McSorley is director of civil and structural engineering consultancy Perega It’s a sad fact that town centres across the UK are struggling to re-establish themselves in a tighter economic landscape post-COVID. Department stores are closing across the country at a worrying rate, and reduced discretionary spending, as well as…