Features

By Keith Cooper The leading concrete specialists improved their aggregate financial performance, although inflation hit profits and margins. Three of the top 10 firms posted losses, in contrast with the previous year, which saw only one firm in the red. Third-placed PJ Carey’s £48.1m deficit was the biggest by far,…

With the number of women in construction edging up, leaders are urged to keep chipping away to effect change More women are working in the construction industry than ever before. At 15.8 per cent of the construction workforce, according to the latest figures, it is the highest proportion on record…

It’s been 25 years since construction adjudications were introduced. But has it become too costly to bring a dispute – and does everyone involved trust the process?  In the early 1990s, the UK construction market was not in good shape. After Black Wednesday dealt a hammer blow to the economy,…

Despite continued economic turmoil, the release of pent-up demand got the industry back on track, with combined turnover and profit both surpassing pre-Covid levels Remember 2019? At the time it seemed chaotic, with the UK construction sector – along with the rest of the business community – facing a lack…

When it comes to tackling the biggest culprits for embodied carbon in the built environment, silver bullets are in short supply. By Kristina Smith The construction industry is awash with decarbonisation roadmaps and plans for achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Most have milestone goals set at 2030 – an…

A recent roundtable by Construction News and Hitachi Solutions gathered construction experts to discuss the challenges of data sharing. It uncovered a – perhaps surprising – appetite to put aside traditional rivalries to boost collective productivity. Ian Weinfass reports On the panel        Alex Coles, head of data…

Will new regulations be enough to reduce the fire-safety risk posed by cavities in modular built structures? Ian Weinfass reports More than eight months have passed since fire-service bosses published a five-page document outlining a litany of concerns about modular buildings. Their warning came a year after structural safety-reporting body…

Making sure firms and workers are competent to carry out construction projects is one of the biggest post-Grenfell initiatives in the sector. CN investigates the progress to date In the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, Dame Judith Hackitt’s seminal report Building a Safer Future highlighted a construction industry that…

Decarbonising the nation’s homes requires an immense and multifaceted retrofit effort – but is the construction sector sufficiently skilled to deliver it? Keith Cooper investigates Turning tens of millions of homes green is a huge task for construction, and its workforce will play a pivotal role. But it’s a job…

Civil engineer Emmanuel Afolabi is one of the thousands that have suffered the crushing disappointment of missing out on a dream career in sport. He has made it his mission to help others going through the same to consider turning their talents to construction and engineering Football was everything to…